With ‘Section 31,’ Michelle Yeoh returns to the ‘Star Trek’ multiverse

What Michelle Yeo Oscar will win for playing several versions of her protagonist in a multi -major comedy drama “Everything is everywhere everywhere at the same timeIt seems cosmic is right. And in her current appearance as the protagonist “Star Way”, she still remains what she wants to be, including multiple iterations of another person.

Since 2018, the International Superstar has been in tears, appearing in such hit films as “Crazy Rich Asians”, “Shangi and the Legend of Ten Rings” and “Wicked” (and soon, “Avatar 4” and the upcoming series “Blade Runner 2099 “) Together with roles in several series. This includes her turn in the role of the star captain Philip Georgiu and her mirror universe double “good” Georgiu died at the beginning of the series; Now genocide and the evil smart emperor Georgiu heads the first franchise television film in history “Star Trek: Section 31Now streaming on Paramount+.

“With her beloved Captain Philippe Georgiu, she was the most respected, highly designed captain, who understood humanity and compassion,” says Yeh about his character “Opening”, who is a mentor of the possible protagonist Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) There is no sympathy. It never comes to mind. You can see in the eyes of everyone in the mirror universe, it looks like: “How can I remove you?” Unfortunately, it is reflected in our World: How many leaders do they want to stay there forever and forever? It is dangerous. It seems that they are trying to make themselves immortal. ”

Section 31 was originally conceived as a series, but it was redesigned to the film after the Covid-19 pandemic repelled, and Yeo's schedule became lively after her victory in Oscars. But she was The intention to return to Star Trek.

“When we shot the“ discovery ”, I went to [executive producer] Alex Kurtsman said: “We must make a by-product,” says Yeo. “I thanked the writers for dreaming such a character. What an amazing playground. ”

She does not look like any other protagonist of the Star Way with her dark-dark past and lack of compiration about murder. Even her behavior is not a “campaign”-sometimes, sometimes for a comic effect.

“[Georgiou] Says: “Are you stupid? This is the way to do it. And everyone is similar to -, ”says Yeo, when she publishes stuttering. When the vast majority of the characters in the franchise behave with respect, the lack of a polysic emperor is a sip of fresh air.

In the new film, Georgiu is so bad, it is good. She lives in the spotlight in the corner of space that is not a federation in the universe, when the operatives in section 31 come to recruit it for a mission with high rates, which ultimately has a deeply personal resonance for her.

“She thinks:“ I have everything. I'm under radar. I do not kill anyone, ”says Yeh, almost giggling. “But she cannot help herself. She needs to know what is happening. And that is why, section 31, again looking for it, because, if something needs to be done, she is not just a killer, but a brain. ”

Although some fans for a long time did not cause anxiety about the existence of a military intelligence unit that exists to carry out dirty work outside the Rules of the United Federation of Planets, section 31 and Georgiu are similar to a bitter but necessary medicine in Gina Rockdenberry near -Utopian Vision .

“Georgiu is a person who does all the right things for all wrong reasons,” says Kurtsman, who Helms Alcoholing Television Universe “Star Trek”The field “And we want to believe that this person is there to keep us safe.”

Yeo describes “Section 31” as “mission: impossibility” in space, with a “motley team” morally flexible spies. But this is still the Trek universe, and even shows the version of the character, which consists of a high -quality version, Rachel Garrett (Casey Role), who will become the hero of the federation in one of the most famous episodes “Star Trek: The Next generation.” But the film looks like a film And he feels differently from other “campaigns”, with an extensive manual work with a camera, an accent for action (the creation of a hay with combat skills of Yeo), and modern slang entered a dialogue. Mirrors.

“If Georgiu had never come to the Universe, she would have remained [ruthless] forever. [Even now,] This is: “How do you take care of this problem? Just press them, the problem is solved, ”says Yeo. She likes to leave fans to be behind dubious actions: “She does it to survive, or she wants to do it?”

The director of “Section 31” Olatunda Osonsanmi said that unpredictability is what Yeoh makes so exciting to watch. “The way Michelle plays a character, you never know what will happen from her mouth next time. You never know who she can kill further, ”he says. “She can also make the other side, the action to which she insisted, and physically cope with herself. Now we have a character who is a full spectrum, this is not only what they say, but also what they do. ”

Kurtzmann says that the 62-year-old star “works very, very hard”, pushing himself physically, like no other actor with whom he worked. “When an actor who plays a role plays it with such confidence, he allows you to easily switch between comedy and drama,” he says.

Nevertheless, Casting Yeo was an anomaly for the franchise-sub-international superstar, which enters the central role in the Star Way series (for comparison, William Shatner and Patrick Stuart were significantly less known when they received their commissions). So, many fans were stunned when Georgi died in the second episode “Discovery”.

“There was a lot of disputes about her death. Obviously, the reason that we did this was to configure her return to the back half, but we could not tell anyone at that time, ”says Kurtzman. “But what was really fun in this is that Michelle plays the most delicious version of this character. A [Prime] Georgiu was a wonderful, sweet man, but ultimately, and I think that Michelle will say it too – nowhere is it so interesting. ”

Yeoh agrees: “Emperor Georgiu is much more complicated. What happens in this head? “

“At first,“ friends ”is an almost unpleasant word for her,” says Yeh, starting up from the thought of good main halves trying to make friends with the emperor. “They are like a disease.” But the main universe changed her: “Now, in section 31”, is this the path to redeeming? “

Playing an Asian woman who can be not only atypical, but also in many things, is exactly the representative office that you defended, and the embodied her many years of career. Various embodiment of her character in “Everything is everywhere” and “Star Way” are suitable for an actor who is practically multi -member for himself. In the end, the multilingual Yeo made his original glory as the queen of beauty (the world of Miss Malaysia in 1983); She became one of the leading stars of the militants in the world in a series of hits, in which she performed her own tricks, including the conquered Oscar “Squiling Tiger, a hidden dragon”; earned in various roles in cinema and television; And he was a long -standing activist in preservation, HIV/AIDS, gender equality and reduction of poverty.

She thinks, perhaps, in a later role, she can become the president of the United States or M. in James Bond. “Because when you see women who are similar to us in such positions, you say:“ Oh, right. This is possible. Why not? ' This is that we want to encourage our youth to think that everything is possible, ”says Yeo.

She is also obviously a lot of convincing outside the camera.

Osonsanmi, who describes himself as strictly “beyond the camera,” says Yeo, told him that he would be V Movie. He firmly told her that he was not. Then, during the shooting, the costumer told him that Yeoh sent shoes to try. Then the hairdresser told him: “Michelle has a wig for you to try.” “Michelle decided that you are going to wear a splendor.” “

He was unshakable until “Michelle came up and said:“ You must do this, otherwise the cast will not go to the camera, ”he says, laughing. “So I got dressed, and the team received the biggest blow. If you look carefully, I am there in [background] About the sequence of battle with Michelle. “

For his part, in her current incarnation as an actor promoting “Section 31”, Yeo has your own step: “I want you to pull out your phaser and put it on“ fun ”. There are so many humor, and especially [fun is] The actor, who Alex and Tunda accumulated. “

Fun? But does the center of this spies in space show the genocide killer?

“She was!, – the actor warns cheerfully. “She was!

Times Tiles Brown contributed to this report.