There's still a lot we don't know about what's to come Star Trek: Section 31 film. Despite being set to premieres on Paramount+ on Friday, January 24, 2025most of the film's plot is still a secret. We know that Section 31 will star the former Terran Emperor of the Mirror Universe, Phillippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). We also know that Section 31 will occur during the “lost era” of Star Trek between Star Trek: The original series and Star Trek: The next generationa period of almost seventy years that is largely undescribed in Star Trek canon, despite containing many events integral to the rest of the Walk.
On December 7th, Paramount released a new trailer that offers some more clues about what will happen next. Section 31. A young Georgiou is in a golden world in the teaser. An adult Georgiou with her Section 31 black ops team is now on an equally golden planet. Almost equally revealing is what Paramount writes in the description. “Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, [Georgiou] You must also face the sins of your past.” All of this could be pointing to an invasion of the Prime Universe by the Mirror Universe – an invasion that only the ancient Earthling emperor can stop.
Theory: The mirror universe finally invades the Federation in Star Trek section 31
Georgiou was supposed to lead the invasion – now she must stop it
When she was introduced in Star Trek: DiscoveryEmperor Georgiou was the head of the violent and expansionist Terran Empire. Throughout Discoveryhowever, Emperor Georgiou goes beyond his tyrannical beginnings. It is this reformed but not exactly benevolent Philippa Georgiou who is contacted by Section 31. The fact that Section 31 is catching up with the former Terran Emperor suggests that the Mirror Universe will be an integral part of the plot of Section 31. An invasion by the Terran Empire of the Mirror Universe it would be exactly the kind of threat that Section 31 would be well suited to thwart.
Ironically, Emperor Georgiou would have already been the head of any invasion of the Prime Universe. Discovery made it clear that Emperor Georgiou had few moral scruples (she considered Kelpians a tasty delicacy), and her official titles made it clear that the Terran Empire was ever expanding. Emperor Georgiou's full formal title was “Her Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Sovereign of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo'noS, Regina Andor, Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius.” Adding “Ruler of The Prime Universe” to that list of titles would, at one point, have seemed like the natural next step.
Star Trek's Starfleet never fought the mirror universe
We saw characters cross paths, but never open conflict
If a Mirror Universe invasion happens in Section 31will be unique in Walk. However, conflict between universes is not entirely unprecedented in Star Trek. The characters have been crossing paths and feuding with their Mirror colleagues since The original series. During Star Trek: Deep Space Ninethen-commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) is kidnapped and taken to the Mirror Universe. In Star Trek: Enterprise, an entire ship traveled from the Prime Universe to the Mirror Universe. However, these types of conflicts would only be border skirmishes, compared to the all-out attack we might see in Section 31.
Conflict between universes is not entirely unprecedented in Star Trek.
Perhaps the best analogue for transdimensional invasions in Star Trek it does not come from the Mirror Universe, but from the Fluidic Space. In Star Trek: Voyagerthe Voyager crew encountered species 8472, non-humanoid aliens from an alternate dimension known as “fluidic space.”
Species 8472 was engaged in an all-out war with the Borg, opening holes in space-time to attack the Collective's core. If the Mirror Universe is planning an attack on Star Trek: Section 31it would be a war where enemy movements would be impossible to predict and entire starships could emerge fully formed from the void.