TONYA MOSLEY, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. In his latest review, TV critic David Bianculli looks at two different programs that premiered recently. One is a documentary series on BBC America called "Planet Earth: Asia." The other is a science fiction made-for-TV movie, "Star Trek: Section 31," on Paramount+. He says, on the face of it, it would seem these two don't have much in common, but both are the latest entries in long-established TV franchises, and both are built around veteran performers who once again deliver the goods.
DAVID BIANCULLI, BYLINE: David Attenborough has been roaming the planet Earth exploring and presenting its endless wonders since the 1950s. For decades, he did it exclusively for TV audiences in the United Kingdom. But since his breathtaking nature series "Life On Earth" was imported in 1979, Attenborough has been a fixture here as well. For a long string of gorgeously photographed programs - "Life On Earth," "The Living Planet," "The Trials Of Life," "The Life Of Birds," "Planet Earth" and "The Blue Planet" - Attenborough traveled the world and filmed on location. He narrated each series with a mesmerizing voice that was part whisper and part lullaby, and he spoke and wrote with words clear enough to be understood and enjoyed by viewers of any age. For his last few documentaries, Attenborough generally has provided narration only. And to introduce "Planet Earth: Asia," the latest BBC America entry in the series, Attenborough doesn't roam the globe. He walks into a library and opens an atlas. But hey, the man is 98 years old. And though you can't see the astounding images that are part of this clip, you can hear Attenborough's voice and description, which are as magical as ever.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "PLANET EARTH: ASIA")
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: Of all the wonderful places in the world, one continent holds more riches than any other.
(SOUNDBITE OF TIGERS GROWLING, PANDAS MEWLING, BEAR GROWLING)
ATTENBOROUGH: It covers almost a third of the land on Earth. In the south stand vast forests.
(SOUNDBITE OF RHINOCEROS BATHING IN RIVER)
ATTENBOROUGH: And to the north...
(SOUNDBITE OF POLAR BEAR BREACHING ICE)
ATTENBOROUGH: ...Lies an immense frozen wilderness. Much of the center is dominated by deserts.
(SOUNDBITE OF LION ROARING)
ATTENBOROUGH: And at its heart are the world's highest mountains.
BIANCULLI: Every one of Attenborough's nature series benefits from the latest developments in technology. Cameras get better, images get sharper, sound gets clearer. Drones fly to capture behavior once filmed by helicopter, and night vision and underwater photography have opened up whole new areas to explore. "Planet Earth: Asia" really puts the vision back in television. From grand and elusive creatures like the snow leopard to small and bizarre ones like the sea bunny and the mudskipper, "Planet Earth: Asia" is a wonderful series with wonders in every frame. "Star Trek: Section 31" would seem to have nothing in common with an Attenborough documentary, but it does share a few attributes. It, too, comes from a very durable TV franchise. The original "Star Trek" series on NBC ran in the late 1960s, and the stated five-year mission of that original crew was one of curiosity - to explore, to seek out strange new worlds. "Star Trek" has spawned a large litter of spin-off series, including "Star Trek: Discovery," which was set aboard a science vessel. That's the series from which the newest Paramount+ TV movie, "Star Trek: Section 31," is generated.
For the first three seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery," one of the show's special guest stars was Michelle Yeoh. She appeared in 24 episodes, playing two very different characters. In the regular "Star Trek" universe, she was Starship Captain Philippa Georgiou, who eventually died in battle defending her crew. But then "Discovery" visited the long-established "Star Trek" alternate Mirror Universe, where characters encounter their evil counterparts, and Michelle Yeoh got to play Emperor Georgiou, one of that universe's evil rulers. In a complicated series of plot twists, this evil Georgiou was brought back to the real universe of "Star Trek," then left the series after entering a dimensional gateway and vanishing. That episode was shown in 2020 and was intended as a backdoor pilot to spin off Georgiou and Yeoh into a standalone series. But then Michelle Yeoh went off and starred in "Everything Everywhere All At Once" and won an Oscar for best actress. And even though Yeoh said she loved the flamboyant Georgiou character and the idea of continuing the storyline, the actress suddenly was too much in demand. So instead of a series, "Star Trek: Section 31" is now a standalone streaming movie. But clearly, it was built with a series in mind and could easily support a series of movie sequels. "Section 31" is sort of "Star Trek's" Starfleet version of the CIA. To start this movie, an operative listens to a recording detailing his latest mission. The voice on the recording isn't matched to a face until the end, but it's someone Yeoh has worked with before on film. And if the recording sounds a lot like the way they used to set up the plots on the old "Mission Impossible" TV show, well, it's the same deal. All that's missing is the self-destruct message at the end.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "STAR TREK: SECTION 31")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) This is Control with a priority message for Alpha Team Leader. Your subject is Emperor Philippa Georgiou, former ruler of the Terran Empire. It's in a parallel universe with the most criminal population in recorded history. Even there, Georgiou had the market cornered on atrocities. In 2257, she was brought to our universe and joined Section 31. But after a few years, we lost contact. Recently, Georgiou was spotted using an alias in the border territory outside Federation space, where we're tracking a new threat on the black market. This is where your team comes in. Federation Treaty forbids us from crossing over that border, which means Starfleet cannot get its hands dirty. You and your 31 team will go in, make contact with Georgiou to help identify and neutralize the threat. But make no mistake - this dog bites. So watch your backs.
BIANCULLI: The Section 31 operative tracks down Georgiou, who's hiding in plain sight, running a very decadent space station. She's glamorous, wicked and easily bored, which she signals by impatiently tapping her very long nails.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "STAR TREK: SECTION 31")
MICHELLE YEOH: (As Philippa Georgiou) How long have you known about me?
OMARI HARDWICK: (As Alok Sahar) Ever since you took over from the previous owner, who we still haven't found - well, all of...
YEOH: (As Philippa Georgiou) That wasn't...
HARDWICK: (As Alok Sahar) Emperor Georgiou, I'm authorized to arrest you...
YEOH: (As Philippa Georgiou, laughing).
HARDWICK: (As Alok Sahar)...And to wipe your mind clean. But then again, there's a part of me that wants you to live with your memories. The genocidal ones.
YEOH: (As Philippa Georgiou) Being authorized to arrest me isn't the same as being able to arrest me.
HARDWICK: (As Alok Sahar) You really want Section 31 - want me - dogging you until the end of time?
YEOH: (As Philippa Georgiou) Boring.
BIANCULLI: Very quickly, the movie does turn into a "Mission Impossible" in space with Georgiou as a loose cannon member of a spy team. But it's enjoyable enough and fits nicely into the "Star Trek" canon. And Michelle Yeoh, like David Attenborough, never fails to entertain.
MOSLEY: David Bianculli is a professor of television studies at Rowan University. He reviewed "Planet Earth: Asia" and "Star Trek: Section 31."
Tomorrow on FRESH AIR, 25 years ago, measles was declared eliminated in the United States. Today, measles are back, and infectious disease specialist Dr. Adam Ratner has written a new book that makes the case that the resurgence is a warning of an uncertain future for childrens' health. His book is called "Booster Shots." I hope you can join us. To keep up with what's on the show and get highlights of our interviews, follow us on Instagram at @nprfreshair.
(SOUNDBITE OF DJANGO REINHARDT'S "I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS")
MOSLEY: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our managing producer is Sam Briger. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Ann Marie Baldonado, Lauren Krenzel, Therese Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Nyakundi, Anna Bauman and Joel Wolfram. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. With Terry Gross, I'm Tonya Mosley.
(SOUNDBITE OF DJANGO REINHARDT'S "I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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