Spoilers Michelle Yeoh & S31 (Re-)Watch Theead

[Lord Garth]

In the lead-up to Section 31, I'll be re-watching key Georgiou episodes and mixing in some Michelle Yeoh films. But before I dive into it, I might as well break the ice and gauge interest.

What are your favorite Michelle Yeoh films and Georgiou moments?

 

[NCC-73515]

The Disco pilot until prime Georgiou dies.

 

[Lord Garth]

I'll binge the key Disco episodes and if something stands out to me, I'll post about it, but stick to just that. I don't feel like going all-out.

For Yeoh's movies, I'll give quick capsule reviews as I watch them. Nothing too crazy.

That'll work for me and still allow me to keep the DS9/B5 Thread I have going at the same pace, since that's my main thing here now.

 

[Daedalus]

Everything, Everywhere, all at once is one of Yeoh's best performances and demands a damn good watch. I can't recommend it enough.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is often regarded as an incredible film, but unfortunately I havent seen it.

Tomorrow Never Dies was the first time i ever saw her in a movie, but i dont personally consider it that good of a film. Well...maybe I do?? Other Brosnan Bond films are better, though.

I've actually considered watching Terra Firma parts 1+2 in the lead up to the upcoming movie, as they seemed to be the start of the Emperor's journey into something that resembles humanity. She's trying to change, and that is something of note I feel.

 

[Commander Troi]

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is an amazing film and Michelle totally kills in it.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a gorgeous film. Michelle and Chow are terrific in it.

Crazy, Rich Asians is really fun and funny and Michelle is fab, but so is the whole cast.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

My favourite Michelle Yeoh movie is also my favourite Pierce Brosnan movie: Tomorrow Never Dies. I think I've got a different attachment to this film that most as it was the first Bond movie I saw in cinemas, but for me it's perhaps my favourite of the whole franchise. For a while I thought Casino Royale was better, but I've gone off that a bit over time.

Though Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is pretty good too!

 

[Lord Garth]

I'm kicking this off with Yes, Madam. One of Michelle Yeoh's first films, it's an action-comedy from 1985. How could I not enjoy it? Then, in this post I'll also be covering the rest of her earlier films, up to 1996.

The reason I'm not starting my Watch/Re-Watch with the Mirror Universe episodes is because I wanted to start off with something Michelle Yeoh is in throughout, not something where it's a four-parter and she doesn't show up until mid-way through. I don't want to start off with "The Vulcan Hello" either, because I want to save that for later since I want Mirror Georgiou to be my baseline for comparison, not the other way around. That and I always start with "The Vulcan Hello" when it comes to Disco. I want to mix it up this time.

In Michelle Yeoh's early films, she's credited as "Michelle Khan" up until 1993.

"Yes, Madam" (1985)

I don't know how many of you have seen any of Michelle Yeoh's early work, pre-Hollywood, pretty much anything before Tomorrow Never Dies, but I never had, so this was my first time watching Yes, Madam. If you like silly foreign '80s action movies that have been dubbed, you'll like this. If that's not your thing, then I don't recommend it. I liked it, but it's not anything great. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Michelle Yeoh plays a cop, who's partnered with another female cop from Britain who's been sent to Hong Kong. They have track down a criminal who works for a pair of white-collar seemingly above-board crime bosses that nothing can be pinned on. In the process, Michelle Yeoh's character and her buddy-cop are aided by two comic relief characters who got mixed up with the criminals as they go after the bad guys. Hijinks ensue.

The British female cop is tough as nails and takes crap from no one. Michelle Yeoh's cop, on the other hand, is the Good Cop who's as pleasant as she is professional, but can still kick your ass.

Better still, considering this was made in the '80s, I'm impressed they didn't make Michelle Yeoh's character a love interest. A cop and a martial artist who just happens to be a woman, and having it be portrayed in a positive light.

The ending, if you haven't seen it, is totally crazy. I'm not going to give it away. That's all I really have to say about Yes, Madam. I enjoyed watching this. It's as far from Star Trek as you can get. So, it's a nice change-of-pace and I look forward seeing more of Michelle Yeoh's work.

"Royal Warriors" (1986)

This is definitely a far better action vehicle for Michelle Yeoh. She kicks ass and takes names in this film. It's a revenge story, on multiple fronts, even though the story is really just there to set-up context for all amazingly choreographed action scenes. It doesn't the goofy craziness of Yes, Madam, but it does have some crazy over-the-top Hong Kong action. Michelle Yeoh's totally in her element and her character is the one who saves the day and stops the Bad Guy.

I was hoping to find a dubbed version of Royal Warriors on Tubi, but it kept taking me to another Michelle Yeoh film, Magnificent Warriors. So, I ended up watching Royal Warriors on Darkroom and in Cantonese with English subtitles. If you're into '80s Hong Kong action films, you'll love this one.

"Magnificent Warriors" (1987)

Back to Tubi for this one. Magnificent Warriors is a step up for Michelle Yeoh. This film is a period piece, making this her highest profile movie up to this point. It takes place in the 1930s and a group of fighters, led by Michelle Yeoh's character, have to stand up to the Japanese military. Once again, the actual plot is secondary to the fight scenes and the pyrotechnics, but Michelle Yeoh's charisma, personality, and martial arts stand out.

My favorite scene is when Michelle Yeoh's character and two others are captured and taken prisoner. They're about to be executed, and none of these characters knew each other before, but they suddenly know all about each other, their lives, and their backstories. It's pretty funny. But it would never work in the United States where everything is taken so literally.

After Magnificent Warriors, Michelle Yeoh got married and retired from acting. She doesn't do any more movies for the next five years. After her marriage ends, she gets back into acting and makes up for lost time in a big way. But that's for another time.

"Super Cop" (1992)

Michelle Yeoh's first film in five years, but it's really a Jackie Chan film that Michelle Yeoh just happens to be in. She plays a no-nonsense military officer to Jackie Chan's police officer. It's more of a steppingstone, from Michelle Yeoh's end, to get her back into show business. What they have here is something that was avoided in her '80s films I've watched. In one scene, Michelle Yeoh's character wants to talk business, but Jackie Chan tries to flirt with her. Luckily, she's not having any of it.

There's a Super Cop 2, but I'll swing around back to it later.

"The Heroic Trio" (1993)

This film is what I consider to be Michelle Yeoh's true comeback. This is the first time she's credited as Michelle Yeoh instead of "Michelle Khan". She plays one of three superheroines who rescue babies from an evil and all-powerful kidnapper. It's quirky but fun. The trio of heroines are referred to as wonder women, they have past histories and have saved each other from death. I enjoyed this more than most 21st Century superhero movies I've seen.

"Holy Weapon" (1993)

This is the first of these movies I'm watching that I'm not enjoying on any level. I shut it off part-way through. It takes place sometime during the Qing Dynasty (which lasted from 1644 to 1912), the violence is so over-the-top I can't take it seriously, and there's no real story. Michelle Yeoh is in the film, but she's not in it that much from what I can tell. I'm not interested enough in it to continue. At least not sober and not while I have other and better things to watch. But... Severed limbs, horses' heads being chopped off, human bodies exploding as they collide into each other in the air with blood splattering everywhere? What's not to love?

"Wonder Seven" (1994)

I can't find this movie anywhere available for streaming. I checked multiple platforms. Regardless, it's a movie I want to talk about it for reasons that will become clear. I'll quote the description of it from Plex TV:

"Wonder Seven, a secret group of well-trained government agents in China, has been assigned a case of a computer disc robbery. At first everything seems to go smooth, when a disastrous national conspiracy unravels."​

​

Sounds like a precursor to Section 31. That being the case, I can see why Michelle Yeoh would be interested in a project like S31. I wish there was a way for me to watch Wonder Seven, but it wasn't meant to be, so moving along...

"Wing Chun" (1994)

Like the Holy Weapon, this movie takes place during the Qing Dynasty, but it's an action-comedy instead a bad action movie, and it's a much better showcase of Michelle Yeoh's talents. In particular, her abilities as a martial artist are on full display. With a bo, with a sword, acrobatics, kickboxing, and hand-to-hand fighting. She has an amazing speed and agility. Great defensive, great offensive.

One common thing in the period pieces is they always observe Michelle Yeoh's characters are wearing men's clothing. She's also underestimated as a fighter by the men until she proves them wrong. On the other end, in this movie, other women characters are asking her why she doesn't wear women's clothes, and they think she should be more feminine. Although, in the end, her character does end up getting married.

I think it's possible the creators used to the period piece to mask similar spoken or unspoken attitudes in the Present Day.

In several of her films, period piece or not, she teams up with a group of characters. Sometimes all women. Amazing for the time, and I'm starting to think Michelle Yeoh is sort of like Hong Kong's Sigourney Weaver or Linda Hamilton. The action star who's a woman, standing out in a genre dominated by men.

"Stunt Woman" (1996)

This was Michelle Yeoh's best film up to this point. She plans a stuntwoman on set while they're trying to make a movie. It shows all set-ups, and everything involved in putting together stunt scenes for the movie-within-a-movie. Within this film is also a true love story for Michelle Yeoh's character that doesn't work out and feels believable. I don't want to spoil the plot in case anyone ever decides to watch it, but it shows how dangerous performing stunts can be. And in certain shots, you can get a real sense of dread. Especially when jumping from heights.

Unlike with Michelle Yeoh's other movies, this one is slower paced, isn't all action for the most part, except when stunts are performed, and we see some of the film crewmember's lives as well. Again, I won't spoil anything, but we to see the director's family life and that weaves into the story as well.

Martial arts isn't the only thing on display here. Stunt Woman spotlights Michelle Yeoh's acting ability in a dramatic role that's more grounded than she had done up to this point in movies where action was the main focus. You really get the sense in here that Michelle Yeoh wanted to spread her wings. And, if you don't mind reading subtitles, I recommend it.

COMING NEXT: Mirror Georgiou's first episodes of Star Trek: Discovery! Followed by "Yesterday's Enterprise", and two Section 31 episodes from DS9. Then, after that, Tomorrow Never Dies!

 

[Lord Garth]

Bumping this thread. I've updated my capsule reviews of Michelle Yeoh's early films and have gone up to 1996. See the previous post for those. The next movie will be Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

But before I do that, I want to break this up a little, so I finally started looking at some Discovery episodes and re-watched "Vaulting Ambition" and "What's Past Is Prologue". Because I'm approaching this from a Georgiou perspective and angle, I amputated "Despite Yourself" and "The Wolf Inside".

I hadn't watched any Discovery since last June. So, it was interesting to get back into it again. I'm looking at these episodes only in terms of how they relate to Georgiou.

"Vaulting Ambition" & "What's Past Is Prologue" (DSC)

Georgiou, because of the intelligence she has on the other universe gives her an advantage. She doesn't want anyone else knowing about where Burnham is from. Lorca thinks Georgiou has gone soft and wants to usurp Georgiou to "Make the Empire Glorious Again". He's exact words. Turns out T'Kuvma wasn't the one acting as a parallel to Trump.

Parallels: Burnham betrayed Georgiou in both universes. Mirror Burnham committed treason. Our Burnham committed mutiny. Lorca saw potential in both Burnhams. I think Georgiou sees more potential in our Burnham, even though she loved hers like a daughter.

Unlike in all the early Michelle Yeoh films I've watched, basically the first 10 years of her film career, I think Georgiou gave her a chance to do more acting. It's not just Michelle Yeoh, it's Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Georgiou. Whereas in at least her early movies, the focus was more on her martial arts and sometimes she'd play the character of an otherwise normal Hong Kong woman who just happens do things less associated with women: law enforcement, being a warrior, being a stuntperson, a superhero, etc.

The Georgiou role continues that trend, because being an Emperor is something we associate more with men, but she also has a backstory that I think the surface of is still barely scratched. And Georgiou's personality is distinctive from other roles she's played, at least out of what I've seen thus far. I can see how she'd have fun with it.

Even though Burnham and Georgiou teamed up to kill Lorca, Lorca's people were still about to kill Georgiou, and she saw herself as a defeated Emperor with no future. She was prepared for that to be her end, and she was surprised that Burnham rescued. The look on her face when she's rescued says it all.

What was it liking jumping into the four-parter half-way through? Not bad. I've seen the episodes plenty of times, the recaps explain everything you need to know, and I was able to jump right into when Georgiou does.

"The War Within, The War Without" & "Will You Take My Hand?" (DSC)

When Georgiou is introduced to Cornwell and Sarek, they're not sure what to do with her, but she offers to help them end their war with the Klingons. The war has gone very badly for the Federation, their backs are up against the wall, and they're at the point where they're fighting for survival. The also want to suppress all knowledge of the Mirror Universe. So, Starfleet Command decides to use the cover story that Georgiou is from their universe, she was a POW they recovered, and they put her in command of Discovery on a mission to Qo'noS.

I love the interaction between Georgiou and Sarek when they were talking in private about their respective Burnhams and comparing notes, conforming that our Burnham is smarter than the Mirror Burnham because she was eventually to see right through Lorca's attempts to appeal to her. But, at the same tim/i][e, Georgiou knew that Burnham couldn't handle being told what she thought Starfleet could have to do to win the war and told the more logical and pragmatic Sarek.

Once Georgiou is in command of Discovery, it's clear the bridge crew doesn't know about where she's from. Burnham and Saru can barely hold it in. Saru, better than Burnham who almost blows Georgiou's cover. I started laughing when Georgiou was telling Detmer and Owosekun about how conduct themselves, which flew right in the face of what they were used to. They were probably thinking, "What the Hell?"

Georgiou's interactions with Tilly were priceless. Especially when Georgiou tells her that in the Mirror Universe they call her Killy!

This doesn't have anything to do with Georgiou but I'll bring it up anyway, because I don't think I have before. When Discovery is hiding in a deep cavern within Qo'noS, it made me think of the concept designs for what would become Discovery from Planet of the Titans where Discovery was inside an asteroid. Garaunteed that was a kernel of an idea, and then they thought to themselves, "How do we make this make sense?" and then that's what they came up with.

On Qo'noS, in the Orion Embassy, Georgiou seems very at home there and she's definitely taking charge in their covert operation there. You can see how Georgiou would fit like a glove working as an operative for Section 31 where missions like that would be common place.

Another indicator that Georgiou would be a good fit for Section 31: When she's "interrogating" L'Rell earlier in these episodes, which Michelle Yeoh's martial arts talents on full display, before Burnham comes up with the idea to ask Ash about intelligence information on Qo'noS instead. Finding out that information is more valuable to Georgiou, and then she's able to use that information. The intelligence gathering and the ability to defend herself to such a degree would also be major assets to S31.

Toward the end, when Burnham found out what Starfleet ordered Georgiou to do, to plant a bomb in Qo'noS, and Burnham proposed another solution that Cornwell agreed to: Georgiou could've gone for destroying Qo'noS or she could have her freedom for cooperating with Starfleet. I don't think Georgiou cares that much about Qo'noS one way or another. She wasn't married to do the idea of it being destroyed and that's why I think she agreed so easily to abort the plan and give control of the bomb to L'Rell. I think she wants to figure out what she wants to do without having to worry about Starfleet having to hunt her down.

In a similar brothel like Georgiou was in earlier in the episode seems like the perfect place for her to regroup in the Deleted Scene. Given what we know from Season 2, I think Cornwell probably tipped off information to Leland about Georgiou and then he went out to find her, to make better use of her. I agree with him that where she was hanging out wasn't the best use of her talents. She accepts his offer to join him and he says, "Welcome to Section 31."

 

[Lord Garth]

^ I've updated the previous post to include the rest of DSC Season 1. Onto relevant episodes from '90s Trek!

"Inquisition" (DS9)

It felt weird watching a sixth season episode while I'm still only in the middle of the third season with my DS9 Re-Watch, but I'm glad I did. It jogged a lot of my memory about the original concept of Section 31, and Discovery didn't stray as far from it as some would have you believe.

I've put the dialogue in Spoiler Code, only so they don't take up so much space. All of it's relevant.

Transcript for "Inquisition" (DS9)

Spoiler

BASHIR: So, why don't you tell me who you are? Who you work for?
SLOAN: I would think it's obvious. The same people you work for. The Federation. Starfleet.
BASHIR: You don't expect me to believe you're with Internal Affairs, do you?
SLOAN: No, of course not. Internal Affairs is a competent department, but limited.
BASHIR: So which department are you with?
SLOAN: Let's just say I belong to another branch of Starfleet Intelligence. Our official designation is Section thirty one.
BASHIR: Never heard of it.
SLOAN: We keep a low profile. Works out better that way for all concerned.
BASHIR: And what does Section thirty one do, apart from kidnapping Starfleet officers?
SLOAN: We search out and identify potential dangers to the Federation.
BASHIR: And once identified?
SLOAN: We deal with them.
BASHIR: How?
SLOAN: Quietly.
BASHIR: So if I had been a Dominion agent, what would have happened to me?
SLOAN: We wouldn't be standing here having this conversation.
BASHIR: And Starfleet sanctions what you're doing?
SLOAN: We don't submit reports or ask for approval for specific operations, if that's what you mean. We're an autonomous department.
BASHIR: Authorised by whom?
SLOAN: Section thirty one was part of the original Starfleet charter.
BASHIR: But that was two hundred years ago. Are you telling me you've been working on your own ever since? Without specific orders? Accountable to nobody but yourselves?
SLOAN: You make it sound so ominous.
BASHIR: Isn't it? Because if what you say to me is true, you function as judge, jury and executioner, and I think that's too much power for anyone.
SLOAN: I admit it takes exceptional people to do what we do. People who can sublimate their own ambitions to the best interests of the Federation. People like you.
BASHIR: Me?
SLOAN: You have all the qualifications to be a very useful member of Section thirty one.
BASHIR: A few minutes ago, you were calling me a traitor and now you want to recruit me?
SLOAN: Well, you're intelligent, you're resourceful, you've always been fascinated by covert operations. Why else would you spend so much time in Quark's holosuites playing spy?
BASHIR: You're serious.
SLOAN: We're on the same team. We believe in the same principles that every other Federation citizen holds dear.
BASHIR: Yet you violate those principles as a matter of course.
SLOAN: In order to protect them.
BASHIR: No, I'm sorry, but the ends don't always justify the means.
SLOAN: Really. How many lives do you suppose you've saved in your medical career?
BASHIR: What has that got to do with anything?
SLOAN: Hundreds? Thousands? Do you suppose that those people give a damn that you lied to get into Starfleet Medical? I doubt it. We deal with threats to the Federation that jeopardise its very survival. If you knew how many lives we've saved, I think you'd agree that the ends do justify the means. I'm not afraid of bending the rules every once in a while if the situation warrants it, and I don't think you are either.
BASHIR: You've got the wrong man, Sloan.
SLOAN: I don't think so. In time, you'll come to agree with me.
BASHIR: Don't hold your breath.
SLOAN: All I ask is that when you get back to Deep Space Nine, you consider what I've said.
BASHIR: What if I decide to expose you?
SLOAN: Let's just say I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Spoiler

BASHIR: Captain, is there any word from Starfleet about Sloan or Section thirty one?
SISKO: There's no record of a Deputy Director Sloan anywhere in Starfleet. And as for Section thirty one, that's a little more complicated. Starfleet Command doesn't acknowledge its existence, but they don't deny it either. They simply said they'd look into it and get back to me.
BASHIR: When?
SISKO: They didn't say.
KIRA: That sounds like a cover up to me.
BASHIR: I can't believe the Federation condones this kind of activity.
ODO: Personally, I find it hard to believe they wouldn't. Every other great power has a unit like Section thirty one. The Romulans have the Tal Shiar, the Cardassians had the Obsidian Order.
BASHIR: But what does that say about us? When push comes to shove, are we willing to sacrifice our principles in order to survive?
SISKO: I wish I had an answer for you, Doctor.
KIRA: Maybe we should do some checking, try to track down this Sloan ourselves.
ODO: That won't be easy. If he's right and Section thirty one has existed since the birth of the Federation, they've learned to cover their tracks very well.

I wish Section 31 had been introduced earlier in DS9's run so we could've seen more of them there but, at the same time, it took this long for Bashir to have enough of a backstory for them to work with in order to have this type of story, and the Dominion War needed to have already been happening. So it really doesn't make sense to introduce them until the series had reached this point.

I like Sloan. I think he makes for a great adversary who's convinced that what he's doing is right. And he's still out there by the end of the episode, with some Admirals allowing him to do what he does, as we'll see.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Hmm. That is surprisingly compatible. Combine that with the possibility of Section 31 using the same techniques to erase all evidence of their existence from the official records that Starfleet used to erase all existence of Discovery from the official records, and it's almost seamless.

 

[Lord Garth]

"Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" (DS9)

Admiral Ross is secretly working in conjunction with Sloan to make sure the Romulan of their choice is elevated to a position of influence to keep the Romulans in the war against the Dominion. It shows how they use spies to pull off their operations. Bashir is the outsider who's willing to play the game but will only go so far.

In Discovery and I assume Section 31, everyone is an insider who will play the game as far as they need to. What the want do with that game depends on the individual. In DSC Season 2, for example, Leland, Georgiou, and Tyler all have their own agendas even though they're all working for Section 31.

Both DS9 and DSC keep things between Starfleet and Section 31 intentionally murky. So Starfleet can have plausible deniability, as Ross has in this episode and as Cornwell had as necessary.

The conflict between Bashir and Sloan mirrors the conflict between Pike and Leland. To quote Leland, "I do what I do so you can do what you do." Then the argument Bashir has with Ross about Section 31 is something I can picture on Discovery with Burnham having an argument with Cornwell about it. We even see that on the bridge in "Will You Take My Hand?"

-- an addendum --

"Point of Light" (DSC)

This episode is another example of Section 31 making sure their preferred people on different sides stay in power. Georgiou goes straight to work to make sure L'Rell stays in power by making sure she strikes further fear into enemies who might want to overthrow her. By insuring L'Rell stays in power, it guarantees the Klingons don't start another war with the Federation. A textbook example of Section 31 doing the Federation's dirty work in order to keep the peace.

 

[Lord Garth]

"Yesterday's Enterprise" (TNG)

There isn't as much for me to glean from this episode, relevant to Section 31, but I'll give it my best go. Rachel Garret comes across as strong, determined, and someone wanting to do what's right. All the qualities of a courageous Captain. She doesn't seem like someone who wants to be held back by anything and will do what is necessary. All of this would fit while with making sure Section 31 operatives stay in line while doing what's deemed necessary by any mission. It would also give Garret ample experience in having to make some tough calls.

The Federation and Klingons were negotiating a Peace Treaty in 2344, implying that things might've broken down again after TUC. There's precedent for this in Real Life. Going back to the USA/USSR analogy. They couldn't have known this back in 1990, but after warming of relations between the United States and Russia, they've since mostly frozen over again. I mention this because Federation/Klingon Relations might be mentioned in the backdrop, even if it doesn't have anything directly to do with the story being told.

The last thing I want to mention doesn't actually have to do with Section 31, but I wanted to point it out anyway because it jumped right out at me: Picard in the Alternate Timeline. If you take what his character was like in "Encounter at Farpoint", when he was aloof with the crew, then put him through a 22-year war, basically lasting 10 times as long as the Dominion War, I can see how this can be the Picard in "Yesterday's Enterprise". Aloof and hardened, wishing this hadn't had to have been, and thus being ultimately persuadable when Guinan tells him the timeline is wrong.

 

[Quantum21]

I watched a few episodes. In season 2 she has a hard time thinking she's not the leader.

 

[Lord Garth]

"Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)

The second James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan was Michelle Yeoh's official Hollywood Debut. Pierce Brosnan was my first James Bond and I saw all of his Bond Movies in the theater. So, my first exposure to Michelle Yeoh was when I saw this movie back then. What's my perspective now?

After having watched Michelle Yeoh in several other movies some recently, some as they were coming out, and after having watched both versions of Georgiou in Discovery, the first meeting between Michelle Yeoh's character, Colonel Wei Lin (who works for Chinese Intelligence), and James Bond hits differently now than it did back then. Back in 1997, I was thinking, "This is a non-traditional Bond Girl who teams up with him!" Today, watching this in 2025, it feels more like, "This is a crossover movie with Michelle Yeoh and Pierce Brosnan!" I feel like I "know" both characters.

Where I noticed the difference in perspective the most was when Bond and Lin were fighting over control of who rides a motorcycle during a chase scene. In 1997, I thought, "It's Bond letting a woman take the wheel! That's progressive!" Today, I'm thinking, "Bond's getting a lot of help from Michelle Yeoh!" In 1997, it felt like a twist when, after the chase scene, Lin says she works alone. Now that I'm more familiar with the characters Michelle Yeoh plays, it's more like, "Damn right! She works alone!" Even though Bond and Lin do eventually team up for real. Watching it from the perspective I have now, I imagine this is the perspective the audience in Hong Kong had when they watched Tomorrow Never Dies.

Michelle Yeoh brings her martial arts talent to all the fight scenes for the Western World to see, if they hadn't already. Even though this is clearly a James Bond film, and Bond takes the center stage, Wei Lin holds her own in all the fight scenes. She doesn't need to be rescued by James Bond until almost the last scene of the film.

James Bond films, however, have a certain formula. The style of the movies had been updated for the '90s, but the substance of them remained the same. At the end of the film, Bond performs CPR on Lin, and it looks more like kissing. Then, at the end, when rescue parties are looking for them, Bond quips, "Let's stay undercover," and they kiss. It's Bond. What are you going to do? Although credit to Lin, earlier in the film, telling him, "Don't get any ideas!" She's not a love interest until all of the action is done.

When Lin and Bond are in China, I got a kick out of a scene where James Bond wants to hack into the computers to see what the main villain of the movie, Carver, is up to. And then James Bond has to let Wai Lin hack in because everything's in Chinese!

I don't have too much more to say about Wai Lin, aside from Michelle Yeoh proves her acting matches her martial arts ability, and she's humorous, charismatic, and has as much screen presence as Pierce Brosnan.

But, how can I not say something about Eliot Carver? He's an evil media mastermind who tries to make the world bend to the news stories that he envisions to be published. He's low enough that he wants a war between the UK and Hong Kong just for ratings. And then James Bond tells him something that stands out to me way more now than it ever did in 1997, "You forgot the most important rule of media: Give the audience what they want!" There are a few places I could go with that, but what I'll go with is the spirit of what Tomorrow Never Dies intended: the audience doesn't want war!

I thought Tomorrow Never Dies was a fun movie. Goldeneye is still my favorite Bond Movie, but this one is up there! And this is a good transition point to higher world exposure for Michelle Yeoh.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

It's always nice to see Tomorrow Never Dies get a positive review!

I did a huge James Bond rewatch a few years back, going through the whole series in order for the first time, and I was a bit concerned about TND. It was one of my favourites when I was younger and I was worried it wasn't going to hold up. At all. Especially considering how much hate it gets.

And it turned out that time actually had altered my perspective and changed my opinion, like it was always going to. Now Casino Royale is #1 in my Bond Movie rankings and Tomorrow Never Dies has been dropped way down to #2. (Dr. No and From Russia With Love are my 3 and 4, and Skyfall is 5, though that's likely getting demoted after my next rewatch).

 

[thribs]

What are your favorite Michelle Yeoh films and Georgiou moments?

Probably Tomorrow Never Dies.

 

[Lord Garth]

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000)

This was an interesting one. I watched it sub-titled. For years, I thought Michelle Yeoh was one of the main actors in this film, but she's just a supporting actor. Still a good movie about a young woman who was secretly a warrior and has to get married. Michelle Yeoh's character never married and is still a warrior.

Lots of great location shooting, including inside caves and in forests. The fighting is all stylized with some impressive gravity-defying stunts. There's some fighting on tree-tops that looks almost like gliding. Then there's one scene where the main character swims deep underwater to retrieve a sword.

Michelle Yeoh gets to have some action scenes but most of the time she's normally either giving advice to the main character or talking to the adults about her. I can tell that, outside of Tomorrow Never Dies, this is the highest-profile, highest-budgeted film she was in yet; but I'm looking forward to her first film that's both high-budgeted and where she's the lead actor.

 

[Lord Garth]

So, it looks like the first big-time film where Michelle Yeoh was the lead, indisputably the main star (as opposed to star but not the lead or just a supporting role), was Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Which I've seen, but I'll review here. I'll review Crazy Rich Asians too. I've never that one before.

Some other films Michelle Yeoh was in, which I've seen:

Memoirs of a Geisha. I rented that at Blockbuster when it came out on DVD. I don't remember much, but I remember liking it. I'll give it another a look. Seems like it polarized critics.

Then there's Sunshine: the first movie I ever watched on Blu-Ray. I thought it was okay, but I wanted to like it more than I did. Looked beautiful, though. HD really did it justice and it visually blew me away back in 2008. Sunshine was Michelle Yeoh's first science-fiction film. I'll review that one too. Why not?

On to Disco.

Georgiou in Discovery after "Point of Light" but before "Terra Firma". I've re-watched Discovery how many times? So, let's just fast-forward through all the episodes in-between and look at her character arc during them really quick.

"Saints of Imperfection" (DSC)

Burnham doesn't trust Georgiou. Georgiou reminds her that she's the one who brought her into this universe. She didn't ask for it. I really wish they kept the deleted scene from "Will You Take My Hand?" when Georgiou was recruited into Section 31 by Leland, but the reveal here works just as well if you haven't seen that scene. Because Starfleet is sticking the cover-story that this is their Georgiou, no one thinks she's from the Mirror Universe.

"Light and Shadows" & "If Memory Serves" (DSC)

The beginning of Georgiou trying to make Leland look bad so she can take over Section 31. I think she thinks Starfleet is a drag, and so is the Federation, but Section 31 is where she can have some fun. So, if she rises up the proper way, they'll leave her alone and let her run Section 31. I think that's her plan at this stage.

Helping Burnham is something she wants to do both because I think she likes this Burnham better than Mirror Burnham and because it helps make Leland look bad. As Georgiou helps Burnham, I think this is the first time Burnham thinks she might be able to actually work with Georgiou, and (relatively speaking) begins to trust her more. The one thing about Georgiou is that she's always upfront. At least with Burnham.

I'll leave it here for now. Next time will be Sunshine and Memoirs of a Geisha. In whichever order I feel like.

 

[evilchumlee]

In a vacuum, I do enjoy Georgiou in the Mirror Universe. I think Yeoh brought a gravitas to the Emperor role.

Later on, i'm much less of a fan of the Georgiou character, although that has ZERO percent to do with Yeoh. She's great, and she does what she can with it.

 

[fireproof78]

Helping Burnham is something she wants to do both because I think she likes this Burnham better than Mirror Burnham and because it helps make Leland look bad. As Georgiou helps Burnham, I think this is the first time Burnham thinks she might be able to actually work with Georgiou, and (relatively speaking) begins to trust her more. The one thing about Georgiou is that she's always upfront. At least with Burnham.

One of the great highpoints for me is Burnham and Georgiou's relationship.