It’s pretty safe to say that Star Trek: Section 31 wasn’t what anyone was expecting. Rather than a gritty spy thriller set in the Star Trek universe, it was a movie that felt like it was trying to ape Guardians of the Galaxy. But rather than re-litigate the film (which has been done extensively at this point), I’m here to talk about its prequel comic, Star Trek: Section 31 – Emperor Born. Specifically, I want to talk about how Emperor Born expands upon one part of Section 31 that I enjoyed: the flashbacks to Phillippa Georgiou’s past and how she became the Emperor of the Terran Empire.
This being a story that’s mainly set in Star Trek‘s Mirror Universe, that path is fraught with bloodshed, deception and cruelty. But there’s also an unexpected connection between Georgiou and her fellow contestant San, and it’s what kept me invested in reading the book. Writer Alyssa Wong takes a methodical approach to the story, slowly building up to major plot twists and slowly revealing how Georgiou became the ruthless Emperor she is in the present. It isn’t lost on me that Wong took a similar approach when writing Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, but I welcome it.
It’s this kind of methodical approach that makes Emperor Born a great read, as you never know what’s going to happen next. It also reminded me of IDW’s first stab at an ongoing Star Trek series, which not only served as both prequel to J.J. Abrams’ reboot films but also expanded upon them. Emperor Born is proof that not every prequel has to be approached like a checklist; if you can find a good story thread and build upon it, you’ll have something that can stand shoulder to shoulder with or even exceed the original source.
IDW
Emperor Born also looks visually stunning thanks to Megan Levens. Levens manages to capture the physical appearance of Michelle Yeoh and Miku Martineau as Georgiou, to the point where some pages could legit be deleted scenes from the Section 31 movie. The violence within the pages is also as methodical as Georgiou’s plots. In the opening pages, one of the Terran Empire’s teachers delivers what seems to be a monologue about what it takes to be Emperor…right before pulling out his sword and cutting off a student’s head.
What makes this a standout moment is the use of color by Charlie Kirchoff. The entire page goes into shades of black and red, until Georgiou is the only person still left in regular color. Kirchoff utilizes plenty of bold coloring choices like this, from the cold blue of the Empire’s war rooms to the sandy dunes of the world were Georgiou and her fellow cadets reside.
Star Trek: Section 31 – Emperor Born is a compelling glimpse into the Mirror Universe, and a great expansion of the Section 31 film. It’s enough to make you wish that this would be a miniseries instead of a one-shot, as this character has so much more story to explore.
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