Star Trek: Enterprise season 5 left behind a 20-year-old mystery that Star Trek: Section 31 failed to answer or connect to. Enterprise was canceled in season 4 by UPN, but not before a memorable two-episode jaunt into the Mirror Universe. Enterprise season 4’s “In a Mirror, Darkly” revealed how Captain Jonathan Archer’s (Scott Bakula) bid to gain power in the Terran Empire was foiled by his own mistress, who declared herself Empress Hoshi Sato (Linda Park).
20 years later, Star Trek: Section 31 made few critics or fans happy. The first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+, Section 31 was the comeback vehicle for Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh. Reprising her signature character, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, Star Trek: Section 31 teamed Yeoh up with a new cast of Section 31 black ops agents.
Central to Star Trek: Section 31 was Georgiou’s past sins from when she was Emperor of the Mirror Universe’s Terran Empire. Georgiou’s reign was in the early-to-mid 23rd century, decades after Empress Hoshi Sato’s in Star Trek: Enterprise, and there was ample opportunity to connect the two Terran rulers of Asian descent.
Star Trek: Section 31 Didn’t Reveal How Empress Hoshi Sato Connects To Emperor Georgiou
Section 31 Retconned How Terran Emperors Are Made
Star Trek: Section 31 was dismissed as a generic sci-fi action movie that only tangentially linked to Star Trek. Section 31 completely missed the opportunity to feed into Star Trek: Enterprise‘s lore by exploring the connection and succession of the 22nd century’s Empress Hoshi Sato to Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the 23rd century. While this wouldn’t have solved Section 31‘s myriad problems, strengthening the movie’s links to Star Trek canon would have at least pleased longtime fans.
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Star Trek: Section 31 Movie Ending & All Twists Explained
Star Trek: Section 31 introduces a new threat to the Federation Emperor Georgiou must defeat. Here’s what Section 31’s ending means.
Star Trek: Section 31 never mentioned Empress Hoshi Sato as ruler of the Terrans in the Mirror Universe. Instead, Section 31 retconned how Terran Emperors are chosen, involving dozens of teenagers fighting in a savage contest reminiscent of The Hunger Games, which was won by the young Philippa Georgiou (Miku Martineau). Section 31‘s Emperor ritual was derivative of another popular franchise instead of leaning into Star Trek‘s established lore, and it didn’t impress the way connecting to Star Trek: Enterprise might have.
Star Trek: Enterprise Season 5 Would’ve Returned To The Mirror Universe
What Happened Next To Empress Sato’s Terran Empire?
Star Trek: Enterprise might have answered its own mystery about Empress Hoshi Sato if the prequel had returned for season 5. Enterprise season 4’s late showrunner, Manny Coto, was a fan of the Mirror Universe since the evil alternate reality debuted in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2. Coto went ahead with a Mirror Universe storyline after William Shatner’s guest starring role in Star Trek: Enterprise, which was pitched for season 4, was rejected.
Star Trek: Section 31 was the best bet to answer questions about how Sato might have led to Emperor Georgiou.
Hoshi Sato declaring herself the Mirror Universe’s new Empress was an irresistible cliffhanger that begged for a follow-up, but Star Trek never revealed more even after 20 years. With a Star Trek: Enterprise reunion or revival unlikely, Star Trek: Section 31 was the best chance to answer questions about how Sato might have led to Emperor Georgiou, but Section 31 chose to ignore Enterprise entirely. This turned out to be a dual loss for Star Trek: Section 31 and Star Trek: Enterprise‘s fans.