section 13 star trek

• United Earth Starfleet agencies
• Federation Starfleet agencies

Section 31 was an organization which claimed to protect the security interests of United Earth and, later, the United Federation of Planets . During the mid- 23rd century , they were considered a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence , while by the 24th century , they were believed to be a rogue organization not considered part of the Federation, but were in fact still part of Starfleet Intelligence. ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection "; DS9 : " Inquisition ", " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ", " The Dogs of War "; PIC : " Dominion ")

The statement in Deep Space Nine that they were not part of the Federation may have been a lie to create plausible deniability for both Starfleet Intelligence and the Federation at-large considering Section 31's actions and operations.

The organization claimed to be sanctioned by the original Starfleet Charter , Article 14, Section 31 of which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat. ( DS9 : " Inquisition "; ENT : " Divergence ")

Section 31 was also somewhat comparable to the Romulan Tal Shiar or Cardassian Obsidian Order except, unlike the latter two, it - supposedly - operated on its own without Starfleet 's knowledge or consent, given that the mainstream general public of the Federation would not approve of the existence of such an agency. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ") In the 2250s, it was mentioned in rumors and even had its own insignia that was recognized, a black Starfleet badge. ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ", " Point of Light ", et al.) By the 2370s, Section 31's very existence was a deeply buried secret, known only to a handful of people beyond its own membership. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")

As noted above, Section 31 and its actions may have been known to the upper echelons of the Federation and Starfleet, but both entities would have likely maintained plausible deniability with regards to the organization.

Perhaps Section 31's darkest aspect was that, while it had existed since the beginning of Starfleet, it was ostensibly an autonomous department , having operated for over two centuries with no oversight or accountability whatsoever, even free to kill those it deemed a threat to Federation interests at its own discretion. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ") By the time of the Dominion War , at least some of Starfleet Command's top officers knew for certain of Section 31's existence, and on occasion even worked with them to serve the interests of the Federation. However, for the sake of propriety, they tended to keep as much distance from the organization as possible. ( DS9 : " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ") As far as Section 31 itself was concerned, it seemed to have well-placed agents in nearly every level of both the civilian Federation government and Starfleet's command structure, allowing it to carry out operations without risk of being publicly exposed. ( DS9 : " Extreme Measures ")

• 1.1.1 Klingon Augments
• 1.1.2 Terra Prime
• 1.2.1 Federation-Klingon War
• 1.2.2 Red Bursts and Control malfunction
• 1.3.1 Attempted recruitment of Bashir
• 1.3.2 Conference on Romulus
• 1.3.3 The morphogenic virus
• 1.3.4 Later legacy
• 1.4 Alternate reality
• 2 Organization and tactics
• 3 Known assets
• 4 Personnel
• 5.1 Background information
• 5.2.1 Novels
• 5.2.2 Video games
• 5.2.3 Comics
• 5.3 External links

History [ ]

22nd century [ ].

The organization's title came from the original Starfleet Charter, Article 14, Section 31, which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat.

Between 2149 and 2151 , a young Ensign Malcolm Reed was recruited by Section 31 through former Starfleet Security officer Harris . By the time Reed was posted to Enterprise NX-01 , he was no longer actively involved in covert operations. ( ENT : " Divergence ")

Klingon Augments [ ]

However, in late 2154 , when Reed was investigating the kidnapping of Doctor Phlox , he was contacted by Harris again. Harris' organization had entered into a secret agreement with Klingon Fleet Admiral Krell , in which Harris facilitated Phlox's forcible transportation to a Klingon colony to help in finding a cure for the Klingon augment virus in exchange for a mutually beneficial alliance .

Harris ordered Reed to slow down Enterprise 's investigation until Phlox could develop a cure. Reed complied, but his tampering was discovered by Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander T'Pol , and Reed was thrown in Enterprise 's brig . ( ENT : " Affliction ")

T'Pol reconstructed Reed's communication logs and discovered that he had been in contact with Harris. When confronted with this information, Reed confessed that he had been following Harris' orders. Captain Archer was very hurt by this revelation at first. Archer told Malcolm that he knew how loyal Malcolm was to the ship and to the captain personally and empathized with him about the extreme difficulty of the quandary he had faced by having his loyalties divided. Later, Archer had Reed put him in contact with Harris, and Harris told Archer that if Phlox was successful, the Klingon Empire would stabilize, an outcome that would be quite favorable for Starfleet. Archer remained suspicious of Harris' motives. After the plague was cured, Harris contacted Reed again, but Reed rebuffed him, declaring that he only answered to one commanding officer : Jonathan Archer. ( ENT : " Divergence ")

Terra Prime [ ]

In 2155 , Harris agreed to provide intelligence on the Earth -based Human terrorist group Terra Prime to the Enterprise crew when it was discovered that Terra Prime was attempting to disrupt the creation of the Coalition of Planets and to drive all non-Humans out of the Sol system . Harris implied to Reed that this information would come at a price, to be exacted at a later time. ( ENT : " Demons ", " Terra Prime ")

The price was further explored in the ENT novel The Good That Men Do .

23rd century [ ]

Around the 2230s , Section 31 discovered that the Klingons were researching time travel . Believing itself to be in a temporal arms race , the Daedalus Project was developed in the hopes of gaining a strategic advantage. Involved in this project were Leland , and Mike and Gabrielle Burnham . The Burnhams were on the verge of testing a time suit on Doctari Alpha , when it was believed destroyed in a Klingon terror raid . During this period, Section 31 also had at least one operative on Qo'noS . ( DIS : " The Red Angel ")

By the mid- 23rd century , Section 31 operated with some level of oversight from Starfleet. All admirals uploaded reports to Control , an artificial intelligence threat assessment system . They were known to use a black version of the Starfleet insignia which functioned as combadges . ( DIS : " Point of Light ", " Saints of Imperfection ", " Project Daedalus ")

During this period, Section 31 was using an abandoned penal colony as its headquarters . The facility also hosted the data center housing Control. ( DIS : " Project Daedalus ")

Federation-Klingon War [ ]

Personnel wearing black badges operated aboard USS Discovery during the first Federation-Klingon War . ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ")

Black insignia were seen used aboard Discovery when Michael Burnham first came aboard in " Context Is for Kings ", a fact that was highlighted but went unexplained. Ash Tyler later claimed (in DIS : " Point of Light ") to have heard of the badges but never seen them, suggesting Section 31 was no longer operating on the ship by " Choose Your Pain ", at which point he had joined the vessel's crew.

Although the Federation did not permit the use of mines , in response to the Klingon use of cloaking devices Section 31 acquired mines built by an outside actor to defend its headquarters. ( DIS : " Project Daedalus ")

Red Bursts and Control malfunction [ ]

NCIA-93, a Section 31 ship

After the war, Section 31 operated multiple NCIA-93-type ships. Their leadership included Admiral Patar (a Vulcan and a logic extremist ), an Andorian , a Human and a Tellarite admiral . Their operatives included Leland and former Terran emperor Philippa Georgiou . ( DIS : " If Memory Serves ", " Project Daedalus ")

A " bonus scene " deleted from " Will You Take My Hand? " showed the recruitment of Georgiou, in an earlier visit from Leland to Qo'noS, disguised as a Trill . He described his goal as galactic peace and complained that most people were in denial of how dangerous the universe still was despite the Klingon cease fire . He also boasted of being far more resourceful than Starfleet.

In order to ensure stability within the Klingon Empire , Georgiou was sent, on Qo'noS, to protect High Chancellor L'Rell ; Georgiou helped her kill Kol-Sha and also fake the deaths of Ash Tyler and their unnamed baby son . Onboard the NCIA-93 , Leland and Georgiou recruited Tyler. ( DIS : " Point of Light ")

At some point following the appearance of a series of red bursts , Section 31 took an interest in finding Spock after he escaped from Starbase 5 . ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ")

Eventually, Control took control of Section 31 and killed many of its leaders, including Patar and the other admirals. After the destruction of Section 31 Headquarters , Starfleet ordered all Section 31 ships to search their systems for any evidence of Control. Soon after the USS Discovery and NCIA-93 arrived at Essof IV , Leland was captured by Control in order to hijack his body. ( DIS : " Project Daedalus ", " The Red Angel ", " Perpetual Infinity ")

Burnham and Spock explored a Section 31 vessel that had delayed a transmission and had been found adrift, with all of its crew except one killed by Control. This was a trap designed to infect Burnham to provide Control access to Sphere data. However, Burnham and Spock managed to kill the remaining crewmember, who had been infected with nanotechnology, and retake the vessel.

Soon after, the Discovery was surrounded by thirty-two Section 31 ships, almost all of its fleet, commanded by Control. In the battle that followed, the Discovery received help from the USS Enterprise , Klingon and Kelpien forces. After Control was neutralized by Philippa Georgiou , the Section 31 ships became inert and were destroyed by the Enterprise . Discovery then traveled through a wormhole into the future to ensure that Control would never become sentient. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

After the Discovery was apparently destroyed, Christopher Pike blamed Section 31 for the whole catastrophe. Starfleet Command promised to reform Section 31 to make it more transparent; they named Tyler as its new commander , as both his unique dual existence as Tyler and Voq as well as his rational thinking made him ideal for the job. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

24th century [ ]

Attempted recruitment of bashir [ ].

Section 31 operative Luther Sloan, posing as Deputy Director of Internal Affairs

Over a century later, in 2374 , Section 31 attempted to recruit the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space 9 , Doctor Julian Bashir , after putting him through psychological testing on the holodeck of a ship to which he had been abducted. Subjecting Bashir to an elaborate deception designed to test his loyalty to the Federation, Section 31 operative Luther Sloan presented himself to Bashir as the Deputy Director of Starfleet Internal Affairs , and placed Bashir in a scenario wherein it appeared that he had defected to the Dominion . Eventually, Sloan became convinced of Bashir's loyalty and, citing his genetically-engineered background and fascination with spy stories, offered him a position within Section 31.

Section 31 operatives in 2374

Bashir, appalled at the thought of an organization that was not accountable to anyone and regularly violated the very principles and core values upon which the Federation had been founded, declined Sloan's offer, although Section 31 continued to regard him as a potential asset. After the agency returned him to Deep Space 9, Bashir alerted the station's senior staff – including his commanding officer, Captain Benjamin Sisko , and Bajoran Militia officers Major Kira Nerys and Constable Odo – of Section 31's existence and its attempt to recruit him. Sisko advised Bashir to accept Section 31's offer to join them, should they ask again, so that Bashir could spy on the organization for Sisko. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")

Conference on Romulus [ ]

Chairman Koval, Section 31 operative

In mid- 2375 , Sloan resurfaced and assigned Bashir to diagnose the health of Koval , Chairman of the Tal Shiar, during an upcoming conference on Romulus . In the course of his efforts to expose Section 31, Bashir discovered that he had actually been manipulated by Sloan into convincing Romulan Senator Kimara Cretak to access Koval's personal database, on suspicions that Section 31 planned to assassinate Koval. This gave Koval sufficient evidence to have Cretak arrested and charged with treason , which assured his own seat on the powerful Continuing Committee . Bashir learned that Koval was an agent of Section 31 after discovering Starfleet Admiral William Ross ' complicity in the scheme.

It seemed Section 31 had been planning for what it regarded as a likely war with the Romulan Star Empire following the Dominion War . The agency projected that the Dominion was likely to end up confined to the Gamma Quadrant with the Cardassian Union occupied and left in shambles, and the Klingon Empire left to spend at least ten years rebuilding from the damage left by the Klingon-Cardassian War , the Federation-Klingon War of 2372 to 2373 , and the Dominion War itself. Section 31 regarded Cretak as a potential threat to the Federation in the post-war Alpha Quadrant , as her primary loyalties were to the Star Empire's interests, while Koval could be counted on to influence Romulus in the Federation's favor.

Admiral Ross attempted to defend his actions to Bashir by stating that the high cost of the war justified the extreme measures being taken, but Bashir refused to concede that the ends justified the means. Ross responded by dismissing Bashir from his office and forbidding him from repeating and otherwise acknowledging their conversation. ( DS9 : " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ")

The morphogenic virus [ ]

Bashir and O'Brien utilize a multitronic engrammatic interpreter to enter Sloan's mind

Later that year, while researching the morphogenic virus that was ravaging the Great Link and Odo, Bashir discovered that Section 31 had actually engineered the disease and deliberately infected Odo during a visit to Starfleet Medical three years previously , in a preemptive attempt to neutralize the threat posed by the Founders and the Dominion. Despite the risk that a cure for the disease might reach the Changelings and thus not only strengthen them but also continue the genocidal war they had initiated, Bashir decided to still pursue the matter and find a cure to help Odo. He lured Sloan to Deep Space 9 with false claims of having developed a cure. Sloan, who was committed to the cause of protecting Federation and Starfleet interests at all costs, committed suicide in an attempt to prevent the cure from being discovered. Unable to revive him, Bashir and Chief Miles O'Brien used a multitronic engrammatic interpreter to link their minds to Sloan's, in order to finally retrieve the information before Sloan's brain injuries rendered him brain dead. In his mindscape, Sloan attempted to distract Bashir with Section 31's secrets in order to take them with him, but O'Brien got the doctor refocused on their task, and they unlinked their minds from Sloan in time. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ", " Tacking Into the Wind ", " Extreme Measures ")

After the cure was discovered, the Federation Council decided against sharing it with the Founders, an act that Odo likened to abetting genocide. The cure was later given to the Female Changeling by Odo as a condition for surrendering her forces and ending the war. These events ruined the organization's plan to eradicate the Founders. The Changeling's surrender ended the war and allowed the Founders to live. Odo eventually returned to the Great Link to distribute the cure to the rest of the Founders, saving his people. ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ", " What You Leave Behind ")

Given Worf later referring to Section 31 as a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence, and the Federation Council denying the cure to the Founders, it is possible the Federation Council authorized the initial morphogenic virus.

Later legacy [ ]

By 2380 , the existence of Section 31 was no longer a closely held secret. It was sufficiently widely known that Ensign Brad Boimler could claim in a passing remark to Beckett Mariner that Section 31 members speed-walked to conserve energy. ( LD : " Envoys ")

In 2381 , Lieutenant junior grade William Boimler faked his death aboard the USS Titan . He was later brought aboard a Defiant -class starship and was recruited into Section 31. At this time, black combadges were once again in use. ( LD : " Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus ")

In 2401 , Worf called Section 31 a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence . ( PIC : " The Bounty ")

Alternate reality [ ]

Inside the London facility

In the 23rd century alternate reality , Section 31 was headed by Admiral Alexander Marcus , and had a base located beneath the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London .

Following the destruction of Vulcan and a subsequent attack that the Narada committed against Earth in 2258 , Section 31 began exploring more direct means of defense, particularly against the Klingon Empire. Exploring unknown regions of space, they discovered the SS Botany Bay , with Augments still in cryostasis .

Marcus woke up Khan Noonien Singh , and recruited him into the organization under the pseudonym "John Harrison", using his intellect to develop advanced weapons systems. With another seventy-two Augments still in stasis and under Section 31's control, Khan cooperated on a project to build a Dreadnought -class vessel, the USS Vengeance , at the Io Facility near Jupiter . He also designed new torpedoes , which he attempted to smuggle his crew in, but his plan was discovered and he was forced to flee.

Assuming Marcus made good on his threat to his crew, Khan plotted revenge and blackmailed Thomas Harewood into bombing the Archive, before attacking Starfleet Headquarters and then fleeing to Qo'noS with a portable transwarp beaming device he salvaged from the London base.

Marcus attempted to cover-up the conspiracy , while still using the events to his advantage by assigning the USS Enterprise to fire the long-range torpedoes on Harrison's location with the Augments still inside. The flagship 's warp core was sabotaged , stranding it at the Neutral Zone , where Klingon patrols would come and attack, giving the Federation a reason to go to war with the Klingons. James T. Kirk prevented this when he opted to arrest Khan instead of executing him – learning the truth – and returned to Earth to expose the admiral's cooperation with a war criminal .

Marcus attempted to destroy the Enterprise with the Vengeance , but sabotage by Montgomery Scott and a boarding party of Kirk and Khan further foiled Section 31's machinations. Khan killed the admiral and then crashed the Vengeance into Starfleet Headquarters, presumably killing all the Section 31 personnel aboard. A year later, Kirk spoke out against Section 31's agenda at a memorial service for those killed by their attempts to harness Khan's mind. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Organization and tactics [ ]

Luther Sloan, a high-ranking member of Section 31, claimed that the organization dealt with threats to the Federation that others did not even realize existed and that jeopardized the Federation's very survival. Section 31's actions were autonomous and its existence was neither acknowledged nor denied by Starfleet Command or the Federation Council. Those found guilty of posing a security threat to the Federation were dealt with quietly, as Sloan once explained.

Section 31 was not accountable to anyone except within its own echelon; it did not submit reports to anyone or ask approval for specific operations. As such, Julian Bashir described it as having granted itself the powers of "judge, jury, and executioner." ( DS9 : " Inquisition ") Under Section 31 credo, to save lives, the ends always justified the means, and its operatives were not afraid to bend the rules if the situation warranted it. Odo once compared Section 31 to the Cardassian Union's Obsidian Order or the Romulan Star Empire's Tal Shiar; however unlike those groups, Section 31 did not instill political dissension or manipulation within the Federation nor did they serve as enforcers in virtute of government policy. When Sloan thought Bashir was a traitor, he extensively tested his hypothesis . When Bashir passed all of his tests, Sloan let him go despite Bashir's vocal objection to Section 31's existence, and Section 31 took no action to stop Bashir from telling his friends everything he had learned. This included Captain Benjamin Sisko, who made an inquiry to Starfleet Command that was essentially dismissed. By contrast, both the Obsidian Order and the Tal Shiar showed a willingness to kill anyone even suspected of being a threat, and to them, threats included citizens with opposing views and people who knew too much. ( TNG : " Face Of The Enemy "; DS9 : " Improbable Cause ")

A weapons summary for the advanced long-range torpedo stated that Section 31 "has been granted" special access privileges allowing the withholding of information about its remote stealth capability to the chief engineer . While this was presumably Marcus' handiwork, the language does seem to imply that some of Section 31's actions required seeking some level of cooperation from the Starfleet bureaucracy.

By the 24th century and presumably well before then, Section 31 had no known physical headquarters or base of operations. A select few were chosen to carry widespread knowledge of their activities. Recruitment of new agents had to be done in secret. One method that Section 31 used to accomplish this involved kidnapping potential agents and testing their loyalty. Section 31's recruitment policy did not allow agents to officially retire from duty, and agents who had long since moved on from the agency could be called upon at any time to carry out a mission. ( ENT : " Divergence "; DS9 : " Inquisition ", " Extreme Measures ")

Known assets [ ]

• Section 31 Headquarters – destroyed 2257
• Over 30 vessels in 2257
• Io Facility
• USS Vengeance (destroyed)
• Advanced long-range torpedo
• Portable transwarp beaming device
• Kelvin Memorial Archive (destroyed)

Personnel [ ]

• See : Section 31 personnel

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Section 31 was created by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr and resulted from his desire to look into the darker aspects of the supposed utopia created by Gene Roddenberry . Behr was inspired by a line of dialogue he had written in " The Maquis, Part II " where Commander Sisko remarks that " It's easy to be a saint in paradise. " Behr remarked, " Why is Earth a paradise in the twenty-fourth century? Well, maybe it's because there's someone watching over it and doing the nasty stuff that no one wants to think about. Of course, it's a very complicated issue. Extremely complicated. And those kinds of covert operations usually are wrong! " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 551) Behr further commented, " We need to dig deeper and find out what, indeed, life is like in the twenty-fourth century. Is it this paradise, or are there, as Harold Pinter said, 'Weasels under the coffee table.' " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. ? ) According to Ronald D. Moore , the writing staff had "extended discussions" about the backstory of Section 31, with much debate about how long the organization was to have existed. ( AOL chat , 1998 )

On the internet, the concept of Section 31 was criticized by some fans who saw it as undermining Gene Roddenberry's vision. Following the broadcast of DS9 Season 6 entry " Inquisition ", David Weddle said, about how the viewers reacted to Section 31, " There were many that were screaming for our heads over that show, (saying) that it betrayed everything that Star Trek stands for and the value system that Gene Roddenberry promoted. Others said that of course, the Federation would have to have an organization like this. Fans would get into these long ethical and political arguments, really struggling with issues like that, which was great to see. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 56) In response to such criticisms, Ronald D. Moore commented, " The idea that there's a rogue element within the Federation doing dark deeds outside the normal chain of command is certainly a provocative one, I'll grant you, but does it really throw into question 'on a fundamental level… the principled Federation we have known… '? Not yet it doesn't… It's a little early to declare the death of the UFP, folks. " ( AOL chat , 1998 )

Costume Designer Bob Blackman noted that the uniforms worn by Section 31 agents were chosen for their fascist overtones. " We design a lot of Gestapo / S.S. / Naziesque outfits for our villains. And when they're really the ultimate , like the Section 31 people, we immediately go that way to make them look like storm troopers, because that's imagery that works best, not only for the viewers but for the producers. For 'Inquisition,' Ira asked for dark black, severe, hostile looking garments. Well, that's black leather. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 553)

In the interim between seasons six and seven of DS9, the show's writing staff determined that bringing Section 31 back in the seventh and final season, delivering on an implicit promise to make the organization return, was an important goal. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 67) " We'd had that idea since the end of 'Inquisition', " Ira Behr noted. " We wanted to bring them back. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 661)

Section 31 was originally to have featured in seventh season DS9 installment " Chrysalis ". The group was included in an early version of the story that also involved Julian Bashir and genetically engineered characters Jack , Patrick , Lauren , and Sarina being sent on a mission together, and posing as Starfleet officers. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 613)

The return of Section 31 had to wait until a time when Sloan actor William Sadler was available to appear on DS9. The very deliberate idea of bringing the organization back to the series eventually led to the writing of season seven entry " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 661)

While " When It Rains... " was in development, the revelation that Section 31 was responsible for the morphogenic virus ravaging the Founders was seen as too inconsequential by René Echevarria , who co-wrote the episode's story as well as scripting the installment. He, as a result, decided to establish that the organization had also infected Odo with the same virus. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 73) The first draft script of "When It Rains..." suggested that, in addition to Sloan, one of multiple doctors who had conducted a series of scans on Odo at Starfleet Medical (in the timeframe of " Homefront " and " Paradise Lost ") had been working for Section 31 and had infected Odo with the virus in order to pass it onto the Founders, though the script didn't disclose which medic it had been. In the original version of " Extreme Measures ", however, it was established that Section 31 had recruited Doctor Mora Pol to create the virus, intending to inflict the Founders but not Odo. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 692) Echevarria and Ronald D. Moore believed, while writing " The Dogs of War ", that news of Section 31's involvement in the virus had to be learned by Odo in that episode. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 81)

Actor Jeffrey Combs enjoyed the appearances of Section 31 on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In retrospect, he said about the organization, " I loved it. It gave everything a real flair. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 17 , p. 20)

Ira Behr commented, " Well, without a doubt, the thing I wish we could have used more of was Section 31. We came into that late in the game, and I mean, if we had had an eighth season. " [1]

Incidentally, Deep Space Nine was at the time embroiled in a fierce competition with franchise contender Babylon 5 , a science fiction show created by J. Michael Straczynski , which featured striking similarities with Deep Space Nine , and which had led to contemporary to-and-fro accusations of plagiarism as both series were almost simultaneously launched. Babylon 5 had even, a little over 3 years previous, introduced a similar shadow organization, with the remarkably similar name of "Bureau 13", although B5 did not get as much mileage out of the organization as DS9 did out of Section 31, with more focus on the slightly less secret telepathic Psi Corps , and their operative Alfred Bester , played by Star Trek: The Original Series alumnus Walter Koenig , a character comparable to that of the later-conceived Section 31 Luther Sloan operative, as portrayed by William Sadler .

Prior to Section 31's appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise , Series Co-Creator and Executive Producer Rick Berman professed, " I doubt we'll see them on Enterprise." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 101 , p. 18) While the organization seen in that series was never explicitly referred to as "Section 31", production staff have confirmed that it was intended to be the same organization seen on Deep Space Nine . ( ENT Season 4 DVD " Terra Prime " audio commentary ) Harris wears a leather uniform similar to the one worn by Sloan two hundred years later and refers Captain Archer to "Article 14, Section 31" of the Starfleet Charter. This is consistent with Sloan's comment that Section 31 was created as part of the "original" Starfleet charter, but not with Bashir's statement that Section 31 had managed to stay hidden for "over three hundred years" in " Tacking Into the Wind ". Ronald D. Moore, who wrote the DS9 episode, considered Bashir's figure a mistake and stated that it should have been only around two hundred. The figure was later corrected. ( AOL chat , 1999 )

It was not until the second season of Discovery that it was firmly established that prime universe Section 31, like their Romulan Tal Shiar and Cardassian Obsidian Order counterparts, also possessed considerable military capabilities as early as the 23rd century. The military capabilities of alternate reality Section 31 had already been established in Star Trek Into Darkness .

In a " bonus scene " deleted from " Will You Take My Hand? ", Leland described his goal as galactic peace, all the while complaining that most people lived in denial of how dangerous the universe was. He believed that peace required vigilance and a moral cost. In this, it mirrored a famous "You can't handle the truth!" speech given at a court-martial by Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson ) in the 1992 film A Few Good Men .

Despite Section 31 appearing in various other Star Trek productions, Ira Behr claimed the DS9 writing staff had rightful ownership of the organization to use in episode shows stating, " I know they used it in a movie, but it's ours. We created it. " He also draw a parallel between Section 31 and the "political situation" that was current in the year 2015. ( What We Left Behind )

Section 31 was included in a hypothetical Season 8 premiere which the DS9 writing staff devised exclusively for the purposes of including the writing of it in the documentary What We Left Behind . In that story, the organization was now covertly led by Julian Bashir and planned to secretly cause the destruction of Bajoran religion , in order to convince Bajor to finally join the Federation.

All of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs feature several "Easter eggs" known as "Section 31 hidden files".

Apocrypha [ ]

It is implied in Elusive Salvation that the name of Section 31 may stem from section 31 of floor B(asement) 14 in the Pentagon, which in 1996 housed a secretive unit of the US military dedicated to tracking alien threats.

Novels published by Pocket Books posit that Section 31 was involved in the theft of the Romulan cloaking device by the USS Enterprise , ( TOS : " The Enterprise Incident ") the development of the Omega molecule and the subsequent destruction of subspace in the Lantaru sector caused by a disastrous test of the molecule, ( VOY : " The Omega Directive ") and spying upon Federation civilian attorney Samuel T. Cogley . ( TOS : " Court Martial ") The fact that Starfleet Admiral Cartwright was established to be a Section 31 agent in the Star Trek: Section 31 novel Cloak suggests the possibility that the Khitomer conspiracy was, from the Federation end, a Section 31 operation.

Encounters with Section 31 have been documented in the novel series Star Trek: Section 31 . These stories were largely designed around, and serve to explain or provide background to, certain canon events. In the novels, it is additionally revealed that Section 31:

• placed an agent aboard the USS Voyager before it was transported to the Delta Quadrant in 2371 (see VOY : " Scientific Method ");
• attempted to recruit USS Enterprise -E conn officer Lieutenant Hawk (see Star Trek: First Contact );
• was responsible for Admiral Dougherty 's mission to forcibly and illegally relocate the Ba'ku (see Star Trek: Insurrection );
• continues to regard Julian Bashir as an asset;
• attempted to kill the former Borg drone Seven of Nine .

Section 31 is also revealed to be responsible for allowing the Dominion to engage in an infamous massacre of Federation civilians during the war, as part of an attempt to recruit a potential agent, Ethan Locken.

Section 31 has also appeared in the Star Trek: A Time to... series. In A Time to Kill and A Time to Heal by David Mack , it is revealed that Section 31 has a hand in a coup d'etat organized against the Federation President , Min Zife, whom they assassinate.

After the events of the Section 31 novel Cloak , Captain Kirk briefed Starfleet Captains Phil Waterson and Nick Silver and Commodores Aaron Stone and José Mendez on his discoveries and suspicions about Section 31. The five men went on to form the "Kirk Cabal", a secret group designed to oppose Section 31 whenever it was involved in any known activity. The Kirk Cabal was still active as of 2376 , when Elias Vaughn recruited Julian Bashir into its ranks.

In the novel Hollow Men , Tomas Roeder, a Section 31 agent, learns of the Changeling disease and attempts to leak the information to the Dominion. Roeder failed in his objective and Elim Garak was forced to kill him.

In The Good That Men Do , by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin , Section 31 recruited Commander Charles Tucker III to enter Romulan territory. The novel established that Tucker was the one who coined the name "Section 31" and that the organization was already aware of the existence of the mirror universe . Also, according to the novel, the existence and activities of Section 31 were exposed to the general public by the early 25th century and its agents were eventually brought to justice for their crimes. The public release of Section 31's files and records ended over 300 years of the bureau's illegal and unsanctioned black-ops and infiltration programs. The downfall of Section 31 is further detailed in the novels Disavowed and Control when Trill journalist Ozla Graniv, with assistance from Julian Bashir, Sarina Douglas , Data and Lal publishes an expose about Section 31's activities to the public in 2386. In the novel Available Light , the revelations result in the Federation Security Agency carrying out coordinated arrests against Section 31 operatives and assets across the Galaxy, including Admirals Edward Jellico , Alynna Nechayev , Nakamura , and William Ross ; the latter of whom would later be murdered in Federation custody, for their role in the forced removal and subsequent assassination of President Min Zife.

In the Star Trek: Enterprise - Rise of the Federation novel A Choice of Futures , when the United Federation of Planets was founded in 2161 and a unified Starfleet was created, Article 14, Section 31 of the Earth Starfleet charter was copied to the Federation Starfleet charter and allowed Section 31 to continued its activities, but it now protected the interests of the entire Federation.

Video games [ ]

In Star Trek: Starfleet Command III , in a mission in the Romulan campaign, the player is inspecting the damage to the Unity One starbase. While listening to the Federation-Klingon Alliance broadcasts, one Starfleet officer suggests, " Why don't you ask Section 31 ? " as to how Starfleet could know if the Unity One scans could detect cloaked Romulan vessels.

In the MMO game Star Trek Online , Section 31 continues to exist well into 2410, and despite some transparency among the upper echelons of Starfleet, much of Section 31's operations remain unknown to the majority of the general public. In a now-removed mission, Section 31 tests player characters on a mission in a fashion similar to that of Dr. Julian Bashir. A Section 31 agent also enlists the player's aid in several other missions. When Devidians start haunting the Klingon Neutral Zone, Section 31 assists the player in stopping them, and that same contact later sends them to Nimbus III to locate weapons of mass destruction.

In a couple of IDW Publishing comics , Section 31 had Captain Kirk test Starfleet's new cloaking device in a Star Trek: Year Four - The Enterprise Experiment story, which followed the events seen in TOS : " The Enterprise Incident ". Section 31 also had an operative aboard the Enterprise in Star Trek: Mission's End .

In the Star Trek: Ongoing comic series set in the alternate reality , Section 31 were shown to still be active despite Starfleet's efforts to remove all elements of the organization and they continued to secretly plot to ignite war between the Romulans and Klingons using contingency plans devised by Marcus before his death. However, a few of their agents believed that Marcus' actions had set the organization's work back for years to come. Section 31 also attempted to recruit Hikaru Sulu , whose younger sister Yuki ( β ) was already a member; were revealed to be responsible for Landru ; supported a rebellion on a Klingon-backed planet by supplying Robert April 's alternate reality counterpart ( β ) with Starfleet technology; and following Alexander Marcus' death, convinced the Romulan Empire to begin a war with the Klingons, thus taking the pressure off the Federation after Khan's attack.

External links [ ]

• Section 31 at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Section 31 at Wikipedia
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Published Jan 30, 2024

Star Trek: Section 31 Confirms Start of Production with First Look

Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh released a photo from set; plus, additional cast announced!

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Red alert! 

Production is officially underway now on the original movie event, Star Trek: Section 31 , in Toronto, with the first image shared of Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh on the set of production.

In Star Trek: Section 31 , Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the fan-favorite character Yeoh first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery , joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Star Trek on Paramount+ (@startrekonpplus)

L to R: Omari Hardwick (credit: Warwick Saint), Kacey Rohl (credit: Kristine Cofsky), Sam Richardson (credit: Abita Jefferson), Sven Ruygrok (credit: Justin Munitz), Robert Kazinsky (credit: Eric Blackmon), Humberly Gonzalez (credit: Kristina Ruddick), James Hiroyuki Liao (credit: Joshua Monesson) 

In addition to Yeoh, the cast of the CBS Studios production includes Omari Hardwick ( Powers ), Kacey Rohl ( Hannibal ), Emmy Award winner Sam Richardson ( Ted Lasso ), Sven Ruygrok ( One Piece ), Robert Kazinsky ( Pacific Rim ), Humberly Gonzalez ( Ginny & Georgia ), and James Hiroyuki Liao ( Barry ).

Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman enthusiastically states, "And we’re off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on Star Trek: Section 31 . We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the Trek universe."

Previously when the project was announced , Yeoh shared, "I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long. Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!"

Written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Star Trek: Section 31 is executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, Craig Sweeny, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Michelle Yeoh, and is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Star Trek: Section 31 will be available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and in all international markets where the service is available. The movie is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Star Trek: The Section 31 Files

In a gritty reinterpretation of the Star Trek universe, the Federation's dark underbelly is exposed as the daring crew of the Nosferatu boldly ventures where Starfleet won't, confronting des... Read all In a gritty reinterpretation of the Star Trek universe, the Federation's dark underbelly is exposed as the daring crew of the Nosferatu boldly ventures where Starfleet won't, confronting desperate times with desperate measures. In a gritty reinterpretation of the Star Trek universe, the Federation's dark underbelly is exposed as the daring crew of the Nosferatu boldly ventures where Starfleet won't, confronting desperate times with desperate measures.

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Star Trek: Section 31 - Release Window, Cast, And More Info

As seen in the photo above, filming has begun on "Star Trek: Section 31," a TV movie starring Michelle Yeoh as Empress Philippa Georgiou, the "evil" counterpart to the deceased Captain Philippa Georgiou. Yeoh's character appeared in multiple episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery," and exited the series when she was recruited into Section 31, the "Star Trek" equivalent of the CIA. Section 31, outfitted with badass black badges, engaged in shady dealings on Starfleet's behalf, subverting the organization's ideals when violence was needed. 

A "Section 31" TV series was rumored to be in production as early as 2017 when Trekkies noticed that the call numbers of the U.S.S. Discovery were NCC-1031. An official Yeoh-starring series was announced in 2018  and several episodes were written. Eventually, though, the series was developed into a single televised movie event . 

Yeoh's character, hailing from the infamous Mirror Universe, has already murdered untold thousands of people, committed acts of cannibalism, and threatened to take over the galaxy. Although she eventually went through something approaching a redemption arc, Empress Georgiou clearly has the loose moral code required to work in the already morally dubious Section 31. It remains strange, though, that Starfleet would essentially be responsible for creating outright villains. 

Executive producer Alex Kurtzman announced on the Paramount press site: "And we're off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on 'Star Trek: Section 31.' We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the 'Trek' universe."

Here's some more information about the film.

When does 'Star Trek: Section 31' premiere and who will star?

No official release date has yet been announced, sadly. The Paramount press release merely confirmed that "Section 31" will only be available on Paramount+ in the United States and in all the other territories where Paramount+ is available (currently: Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, throughout Latin America, the Middle East, Scandinavia, as well as the United Kingdom, and Ireland). There's a chance we'll see it this year, but not until later in 2024 at the earliest. 

Paramount announced the other cast members of "Section 31," including Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez, and James Hiroyuki Liao. None of these actors have appeared in "Star Trek" before, so "Section 31" may stand as a rare phenomenon in modern "Star Trek" in that it is (potentially) not a legacy series. All the other Trek series made since 2017 have featured direct connections to established Trek lore. The "Discovery" character Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) for instance, is Spock's long-lost adoptive sister, and Spock appeared in the second season of "Discovery." "Lower Decks" is lousy with references, "Prodigy" features Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), and both "Picard" and "Strange New Worlds" star familiar faces exclusively. 

It remains to be seen if any of the above cast members will play a relative of a known Trek character, however. Section 31, meanwhile, was first mentioned in later seasons of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and has appeared in "Star Trek: Enterprise" and "Star Trek: Lower Decks." Multiple storylines throughout the franchise have been devoted to the organization's untrustworthiness. 

"Section 31" will be written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. Because modern Trek requires armies of producers, the credited production team includes Kurtzman, Sweeny, Aaron Baiers, Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, and Yeoh.

What are the plot details of 'Star Trek: Section 31?'

The logline for 'Star Trek: Section 31' was a little vague, saying only that "Emperor Philippa Georgiou ... joins a secret division of Starfleet," and that she is "tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past."

It seems that while Yeoh is delicious as a cannibalistic villainess, "Section 31" will pointedly hope to redeem her. In "Star Trek: Discovery," Philippa Georgiou was hijacked from her home dimension and forced to live in the more righteous one. An encounter with the Guardian of Forever in "Discovery" started her on her path of self-reflection, making her realize that she may actually possess the capacity for forgiveness and virtue. Having fled her home dimension, however, one might posit that she's outrun the statute of limitations on her dictatorial crimes; all her victims are in a parallel universe now, and many of them are still alive in the "main" "Star Trek" timeline. This, of course, brings up an interesting quandary: are you still morally corrupt if your crimes have been erased from existence? 

As of this writing, no official trailers have been released. 

/Film will report on "Section 31" as more details become available. This will be the second TV movie in "Star Trek" history, provided one counts the two-hour episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" called "Dark Frontier" (February 17, 1999). "Dark Frontier," after its debut, subsequently aired as two episodes. 

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Section 31: release window, cast, story & everything we know about star trek’s first streaming movie.

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I’m Excited About What’s Next For Star Trek

Star trek alien not seen for 33 years returns in section 31 movie, star trek: section 31 movie's changeling may be smarter than ds9’s odo.

Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh stars in Star Trek: Section 31 , and here's everything we know about Star Trek 's first made-for-streaming movie. Section 31 is written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. A spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery , Yeoh reprises her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou , the former ruler of the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire who joined Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.

Star Trek: Section 31 was originally planned as an ongoing series spinning off from Star Trek: Discovery , from a suggestion by Michelle Yeoh. In January 2019, development began on a Star Trek: Section 31 series, which was scheduled to film from May to November 2020. Yeoh's character, Emperor Georgiou, was written out of Star Trek: Discovery season 3, to segue her into Section 31 . However, the COVID-19 pandemic halted Section 31 's production. Yeoh's availability also impacted Section 31 , especially when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for Everything Everywhere All At Once . However, Yeoh used her Oscar clout to put Section 31 into production, this time as a feature film to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery is over, and soon Lower Decks will end, but even with fewer shows, there is still lots of exciting stuff ahead for Star Trek.

Star Trek: Section 31 Trailer

Section 31 is unlike any star trek fans have seen.

Star Trek: Section 31 's first teaser trailer premiered at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 . Highlighting more action than Star Trek fans are typically accustomed to, Section 31' s trailer also evokes a central dilemma as Emperor Georgiou's black ops spy team conflicts with the morality espoused by Starfleet. Section 3 1's trailer introduces the entire team Georgiou assembles with the central characters appearing. It also shows intriguing flashbacks of Emperor Georgiou's blood-soaked past, with the young Philippa played by Miku Martineau.

Section 31 Is Star Trek’s First Streaming Movie

Star trek movies enter the streaming era.

Star Trek: Section 31 is Star Trek' s first movie made-for-streaming on Paramount+. Section 31 is also the first Star Trek movie made since Star Trek Beyond premiered in theaters in 2016 . Section 31 is also said to be a very different type of Star Trek story, which is fitting since there's no indication it will be set on a Starfleet starship or space station, and will delve into the murky history of the United Federation of Planets' top secret black ops agency,

If Star Trek: Section 31 is a success on Paramount+, it opens the door for a sequel continuing the adventures of Emperor Georgiou . Section 31 becoming a hit also means the two-hour format for Star Trek on Paramount+ becomes a viable option for future projects. New Star Trek concepts or perhaps other Star Trek fans want, like the Star Trek: Picard continuation dubbed Star Trek: Legacy , could become made-for-streaming movies on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Section 31’s Cast & Story

Section 31 includes new faces and star trek legacy characters.

Fittingly, Star Trek: Section 31 's story is shrouded in mystery. It has been revealed, however, that at least part of Section 31 takes place in Star Trek 's "lost era" of the early 24th century before the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Section 31 also involves time travel since Emperor Georgiou jumps back 800 years from Star Trek: Discovery' s 32nd century. The official synopsis of Star Trek: Section 31 is as follows:

In Star Trek: Section 31 , Emperor Philippa Georgiou, joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.

Joining Michelle Yeoh in Star Trek: Section 31 's cast are Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Rob Kazinsky, Sven Ruygrok, Humberly Gonzalez, James Hiroyuki Liao, Joe Pingue, Miku Martineau, and Augusto Bitter. Rohl plays the younger version of Rachel Garrett , the doomed future Captain of the USS Enterprise-C , who was played by Tricia O'Neill in the Star Trek: The Next Generation classic, "Yesterday's Enterprise". Richardson plays the first Chameloid shapeshifter seen since Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , while Humberly Gonzalez plays a Deltan. Meanwhile, Rob Kazinsky is not playing a Borg despite his character's cybernetic exo-suit.

At SDCC 2024, Sam Richardson confirms which alien he plays in Star Trek: Section 31, and the last time we saw this species was in Star Trek VI.

When Star Trek: Section 31 Will Premiere

Section 31 is coming in 2025.

Star Trek: Section 31 does not yet have a release date from Paramount+, but the teaser trailer announced Section 31 will premiere in 2025. Section 31 wrapped filming in March, with cast members from Star Trek: Strange New World s joining Section 31 's actors at their wrap party in Toronto. The status of Star Trek: Section 31 's post-production is not known, but the movie will be locked for its eventual premiere on Paramount+.

A lot is riding on Star Trek: Section 31 as Star Trek's first streaming movie.

Star Trek: Section 31 not premiering until 2025 makes sense since Paramount+ lacks Star Trek content next year. The only other wrapped Star Trek project is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, which will also premiere on Paramount+ in 2025. Star Trek 's next series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , doesn't start filming until fall 2024 for a potential 2026 release. This means a lot is riding on Star Trek: Section 31 as Star Trek 's first streaming movie, but fans have already learned never to underestimate Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Georgiou.

Star Trek: Section 31

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Star Trek: Section 31 Spinoff Finally Gets an Update

Even as Michelle Yeoh's schedule keeps filling up, Star Trek producers are still planning a spin-off series featuring Philippa Georgiou.

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Michelle Yeoh is an awfully busy actor. In the past few years, she’s starred in the hit Everything Everywhere All at Once , appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (her second MCU character, after a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ), and led the Netflix series The Witcher: Blood Origin . And yet, there are still plans to bring back her character Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery for a spin-off series.

Paramount Streaming chief programming officer Tanya Giles assured TV Line that the show is “still in development.” However, at this point, very little is known about the show, which is fitting for its subject matter. The series will focus on Section 31, the black ops division of the United Federation of Planets, which operates in secret, often against Starfleet’s more noble ideals.

Viewers first learned of Section 31 in later seasons of Deep Space Nine , in which Luther Sloan (played by a deliciously malevolent William Sadler) attempts to recruit Doctor Bashir into the organization to fight against the Dominion. Since then, Section 31 has been a prominent part of Star Trek lore, playing an important role in the Federation’s relationship with the Klingons in Enterprise and serving as the primary antagonist in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness .

According to early reports, the Section 31 series will focus on Philippa Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, who joined the organization in season two of Discovery . The dark version of Michael Burnham’s beloved mentor and cruel Emperor of the Terran Empire, Mirror Georgiou gave Yeoh the opportunity to chew the scenery as a duplicitous antihero, making her one of the best parts of the controversial show.

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The end of Georgiou’s arc in season three of Discovery clearly set up the Section 31 show, with the former Emperor leaving Burnham and others in 32nd century to return to pre-TOS time period of the series’ first two seasons. But since that episode, the state of Trek has changed. Where Discovery initially embraced the darker and more action-oriented aspects of the J.J. Abrams reboots, it has steadily veered more toward the franchise’s signature intellectual debates and optimism. Furthermore, the first Discovery spin-off Strange New Worlds has earned praise for its embrace of classic Trek , in all of its goofiness and fun.

Which raises the question: even if Yeoh has time to make a Section 31 show, will fans have an appetite for more dark Trek ? The Section 31 concept worked well in Deep Space Nine , which explored the difficulties of holding to Starfleet’s ideals in a time of war. The first serialized Trek series, Deep Space Nine often featured characters who compromised their values, but always in a way that reaffirmed Starfleet’s core concepts. The same cannot be said of most Section 31 stories. that followed.

Whether Section 31 continues the more cynical tone of early Discovery or follows the lead of classic Trek, we can be certain that Yeoh will give an excellent performance. If she can only find the time.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Everything We Know About STAR TREK: SECTION 31

The upcoming film Star Trek: Section 31 , starring Oscar Winner Michelle Yeoh, will bring back Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a character introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season one. Yeoh first played Captain Philippa Georgiou in the first part of Discovery , a decorated Starfleet Captain who died in the pilot episode. She then portrayed the version of that character from the darker Mirror Universe for much longer. Now stranded in the mainline Star Trek universe, she began working for the mysterious Federation spy cabal Section 31.

Star Trek: Section 31 ‘s trailer premiered during SDCC 2024 and it is a blast.

Here’s everything we know about Star Trek: Section 31 so far.

Although many refer to it as simply Section 31 , the proper title is, of course, Star Trek: Section 31 .

Star Trek: Section 31’s Plot

Although originally planned as a series, it has since morphed into a film for the Paramount+ streaming service. The plot for Section 31 is unknown at this time. All we know is that it’s likely set in the same timeframe as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . This would be some time after Discovery season two, and still several years before the events of the original series. At the end of Discovery season two, Phillipa Georgiou was sent to the far future with the Discovery crew. Not long after, the powerful Guardian of Forever sent her back to when she left. This leaves room for her Section 31 story to take place in that time period. The official description is as follows” “Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, [Georgiou] also must face the sins of her past.”

The franchise introduced Section 31 as a concept in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . They were an organization so secret, they were not an official part of the Federation or Starfleet. However, they acted on their behalf. Many in Starfleet saw Section 31 and their covert and often immoral ways as against what the Federation stood for. They attempted genocide on the shapeshifting Changeling race behind the Dominion during the later seasons of DS9 . In Discovery , we learn they were more of an official part of Starfleet a century before the events of DS9 . Perhaps the Section 31 movie will reconcile how this covert group went from a known part of Federation intelligence to something of a galactic myth a century later.

Kacey Rohl will play “a young Rachel Garrett, a character first introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation as the older fearless captain of the USS Enterprise-C.” Garrett appeared as captain of the Enterprise-C in Star Trek: The Next Generation ‘s episode,  “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”

Behind-The-Scenes

Olatunde Osunsanmi will direct and executive produce the film, with Craig Sweeny serving as writer and executive producer. Alex Kurtzman and his production company Secret Hideout, which is behind modern Star Trek shows like Discovery , Picard, and Strange New Worlds , is also behind Section 31.

Although we don’t yet have a release date for Star Trek: Section 31 , we recently learned that movie wrapped filming. Cast member Robert Kazinsky revealed the news on his Instagram. On the heels of this Variety also shared our very first look at the Star Trek film. Hopefully that means we’ll see even more movement on the movie sooner rather than later.

Star Trek: Section 31’s Cast

Aside from Michelle Yeoh, also in the cast are Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez, and James Hiroyuki Liao. No word yet on any known Star Trek franchise actors from Discovery or Strange New Worlds, but we expect to see at least some of them.

Star Trek: Section 31 Release Date

There’s no release date yet for Star Trek: Section 31 , but we expect it no earlier than late 2025.

Originally published on February 2, 2024.

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‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Trailer Drops at SDCC, Teasing High-Stakes Espionage Thriller

After years of persistent questions from fans, Star Trek: Section 31 is officially coming to Paramount+. The long-awaited spinoff has begun production and added several new cast members, and SDCC brought even more new insights.

Star Trek: Section 31 teaser drops at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

During the Star Trek Hall H panel at this year’s SDCC, executive producer Alex Kurtzman, moderator Justin Simien, and the cast of Section 31 (minus Michelle Yeoh, who turned in via live video feed) reunited to celebrate the upcoming Paramount+ film, teasing a Hunger Games- esque spy-thriller—a definite first for the franchise. Actor Sam Richardson had nothing but praise for the Emperor herself, calling Yeoh a “Kung-Fu Queen.” The film was also described as “Guardians of the Galaxy on steroids,” and even more intriguingly, a “messy version of the Star Trek world.”

Of course, attendees weren’t left empty-handed—this is Comic-Con, after all. Here, we got a first glimpse at Section 31, and see Georgiou joining a “black ops” division of Starfleet, set to Beyoncé’s “Formation” (it rules). At one point, she’s even described as a “bad b***h” by another character—yes, it’s that kind of movie. Although we don’t have a specific release date yet, Section 31 will arrive on Paramount’s streamer in early 2025.

So, what’s next for the Star Trek cinematic universe? Well, according to Kurtzman, if audiences respond well to Section 31, more streaming original movies might be in the cards. The upcoming film is certainly marks a departure from the usual Trek outings, promising a darker and far more tonally serious romp through the cosmos. For now, make sure to check back for more as the release window inches closer. And hey, maybe next year we’ll finally get an update on Star Trek 4!

Rumors of Star Trek: Section 31 first arose in 2018, just a year after Star Trek: Discovery pre miered . CBS reportedly began talks with Michelle Yeoh to give her character, Philippa Georgiou, a solo spinoff series. Yeoh received high praise for her role as Georgiou, who was introduced as a Captain of the USS Shenzhou in season 1. After being killed, she returned as another iteration of Georgiou from the Mirror Universe, where she was the emperor of the authoritarian Terran Empire.

She was officially written off Star Trek: Discovery in season 3 in 2020 to pave the way for her spinoff series. Unfortunately, this is when progress on the series started to lag. First, the COVID-19 pandemic caused filming delays, then CBS All Access rebranded to Paramount+ and made the streamer Star Trek ‘s home. With the streamer continuing Star Trek: Discovery and debuting four more shows— Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Prodigy , Star Trek: Lower Decks , and Star Trek: Brave New Worlds —creator Alex Kurtzman warned that Star Trek: Section 31 wouldn’t be officially added to Paramount+’s slate until one of the aforementioned shows concluded.

Fortunately, Kurtzman kept his promise: Right before the series finale of Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Section 31 was officially ordered by Paramount+. However, the project is no longer being developed as a TV series but as a streaming film directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. Here’s everything we know about the Star Trek: Section 31 film.

Star Trek: Section 31 reveals its cast as production commences

Star Trek: Section 31 confirmed the return of Yeoh, who will be reprising her role as Georgiou. Even though the project is being redeveloped, it will still star Yeoh as was initially planned. After all, the entire project started with Yeoh when she approached CBS about giving Georgiou a spinoff. The role had grown close to her heart and was quite significant, as she was one of the first women to ring in a new era of Star Trek. On reprising her role as Georgiou, Yeoh stated :

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long. Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!”

As reported by Variety , Star Trek: Section 31 has also confirmed seven more cast members, although their roles have not been disclosed. Joining Yeoh for the film are Sam Richardson ( Ted Lasso ), Kacey Rohl ( Hannibal ), Omari Hardwick ( Army of the Dead ), Robert Kazinsky ( Pacific Rim ), Humberly González ( Ginny & Georgia ), James Hiroyuki Liao ( Prison Break ), and Sven Ruygrok ( Spud ). So far, these are the only confirmed cast. However, there’s a chance some Star Trek: Discovery cast members could return. For example, Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler was made Commander of Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery , paving the way for his potential return. It remains to be seen if he will reprise his role for the film, though, and if any other familiar faces will join Yeoh.

In addition to the film forming its cast, Kurtzman confirmed that principal photography has begun, meaning Star Trek: Section 31 will likely have a 2025 release date.

What is Star Trek: Section 31 about?

As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter , the synopsis for Star Trek: Section 31 reads, “[Georgiou] joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.” As mentioned above, Georgiou was once the ruthless emperor of an authoritarian dictatorship, which explains the “sins” she is facing. However, we’re not so sure if joining Section 31 is the path to redemption.

After all, Section 31 has a fairly dark history in the Star Trek franchise. Section 31 was a secretive organization that claimed to protect the security of Starfleet and the Federation. While considered a part of Starfleet Intelligence, Section 31 largely operates in the shadows, outside of the Federation’s jurisdiction. This means the few individuals who made up Section 31 could largely use their own discretion to deal with threats without being held accountable for more extreme measures. Hence, Section 31 isn’t necessarily an “evil” organization but one with questionable morals. At times, the group concluded that such despicable actions as murder and even genocide were justified to deal with a threat. Despite being extreme at times, many of its members did believe they were working in the best interest of the Federation and doing what had to be done.

Considering Georgiou already has a pretty morally ambiguous past, it’s a little concerning to see what she’ll do in the name of the Federation’s security under the protection of Section 31’s secrecy.

(featured image: Paramount+)

Star Trek: Section 31 - Everything You Need To Know

Since hitting the streaming realm in 2017, "Star Trek: Discovery" has been one of the best of the various incarnations in the greater Trek-verse. It's also become one of the more gloriously diverse editions of the "Star Trek" franchise, with creators populating the USS Discovery with a crew befitting a narrative that has always purported to explore brave new worlds. And just like its predecessors, the series has indeed boldly gone where no prior iteration — streaming or otherwise — has gone before. 

It seems the journey begun in "Star Trek: Discovery" will push that exploration even further when the series' first spin-off finally makes its way to the Paramount+ platform. That project will be a Paramount+ original movie with the working title "Star Trek: Section 31," and it's set to expand on one of the most thrilling storylines from the first three seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery." 

Here's everything new and returning fans need to know about "Star Trek: Section 31."   

What is Star Trek: Section 31 about?

If you've been watching "Star Trek: Discovery" since its early days, the name Section 31 no doubt rings a few particular bells. And you might also know a Section 31 spin-off project has been in the works at Paramount+ for a few years. That fact was initially reported by  Entertainment Weekly  in 2019, and it's only fitting that the outlet was among the first to note  that the project is now finally happening . 

As EW notes, it appears that "Star Trek: Section 31" will now hit Paramount+ as a single, feature-length movie instead of the series its creators initially envisioned. It will still detail the inner workings of the titular Starfleet sect, which are basically like the Central Intelligence Agency for the Federation of Planets. To the delight of "Star Trek" fans, the movie will be centered on the "Discovery" character who essentially introduced the clandestine agency to the Trek-loving masses. 

That character is Emperor Philippa Georgiou, and the series will follow the woman as she joins the secret Starfleet agency, doing so as she attempts to address her past transgressions. And as "Discovery" fans know, that will be no minor feat.

Who will appear in Star Trek: Section 31?

As thrilled as "Star Trek: Discovery" fans will be by the return of Emperor Phillipa Georgiou, they'll be even more over the moon to learn the character will be played by the actor who portrayed her on the series, Michelle Yeoh . The "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star was a major get for "Discovery" when she joined the series in its first season, but it's safe to say that's even more true these days. Yeoh is, of course, coming off a career year thanks to the runaway success of her film "Everything Everywhere All At Once," for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

As it is, that big win, and the career boon that will surely follow, may help explain why "Star Trek: Section 31" has transitioned from a time-consuming series to a standalone movie. Whatever the case, it'll be great to see Yeoh back in Trek mode, as her character was a fan-favorite over the first three seasons of "Discovery." 

Phillipa Georgiou was actually two characters as it were, with Yeoh playing both the Prime dimension version of the character and her mirror dimension counterpart. Given the fate of the Prime iteration, Yeoh will understandably return as the mirror-verse version. And it should be fascinating to watch that character's "Section 31" journey. For now, Yeoh is the only confirmed cast member of "Star Trek: Section 31."

Who will write and direct Star Trek: Section 31

As  Entertainment Weekly  reported, the telling of Emperor Phillipa Georgiou's story in "Star Trek: Section 31" will be in capable hands, with Craig Sweeny serving as the film's writer and Olatunde Osunsanmi on board to direct. Both writer and director are alums of "Star Trek: Discovery," so they're familiar with the world in which "Section 31" is set. 

As for Sweeny, "Discovery" was hardly his first rodeo in Hollywood, with the scribe also earning credits on hit series like "The 4400," "Medium," "Elementary," and "Limitless." And Osunsanmi has been working as an executive producer on "Discovery" since its inception, helming 12 episodes of the series himself — including several fronting Michelle Yeoh's characters. In addition, Osunsanmi has also directed episodes of "Under the Dome," "Falling Skies," "Gotham," "Colony," and "Bates Motel," just in case you were questioning his genre cred. That sort of behind-the-scenes talent should get fans excited to see what they do with "Star Trek: Section 31."

When will Star Trek: Section 31 be released?

Unfortunately, no official date has been set for the movie's streaming release. The good news is that fans will likely not have to wait that long to get eyes on it. According to Entertainment Weekly , "Star Trek: Section 31" is set to start shooting later this year. And that means the film may be lining up to hit Paramount+ sometime in 2024.

That is pure speculation, of course, with much relying on "Section 31" not hitting any production snags along the way. But given the Twitter reactions from some fans, people are pretty excited about Yeoh's return to the franchise. That includes user @nancywyuen , who celebrated the news with the post, "Best news of the day: Michelle Yeoh headlining a #StarTrek movie." They were not alone in their excitement, with  @wenbbilliams replying to the news with "In other news I'm now a 'Star Trek' fan," and @OkDoomsday summing up the general feeling of fandom by stating, "Michelle Yeoh was by far the best thing about 'Discovery.' Looking forward to this."

Thus begins the wait to see Michelle Yeoh back in action in "Star Trek: Section 31."

'Star Trek: Section 31' spin-off finally set to warp onto our screens, but as a movie

Her Most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo'noS, Regina Andor, Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius ... is back.

Paramount has officially given the green light to the "Star Trek" spin-off "Section 31" focusing on the clandestine operations of Starfleet's military intelligence branch. 

However, instead of a series as was thought to be the direction the streaming service was going, turns out that it's going to be a "Star Trek" movie and Michelle Yeoh is set to reprise her role as Philippa Georgiou. 

Section 31 is a clandestine security organization working for the United Federation of Planets and was first introduced in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Inquisition" (S06, E18). It's similar to Bureau 13 on "Babylon 5" (that's probably no coincidence ) and to a lesser extent, the Psi Corps and the NID in "Stargate."

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

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Ever since it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 , we've understood that a Section 31 spin off series was in negotiation, but for one reason or another that all fell through. And then Yeoh went and won an Academy Award for the really rather excellent " Everything Everywhere All At Once ." 

Whether that slowed things down or expedited the process, we'll probably never know. Given we've had to wait this long, it's more than likely the latter, but it's also sure to have an impact in the planning process, which is probably why this is a standalone movie rather than a television show of 10 episodes or so. And let's face facts, Yeoh is big in China where " Star Trek " currently isn't.

Yeoh's original character died early on in the first season of " Discovery ," but the actor returned as a Mirrorverse version of Georgiou who was that alternate reality's Emperor of the Terran Empire, also in the first season. This alt-reality Georgiou eventually ceded power and started a new life as a cabaret owner, and was later recruited by Section 31 by Leland (Alan Van Sprang) — remember him?! 

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During the "Star Trek: Discovery" panel at the 2018 New York Comic Con, Yeoh said, "And for Georgiou now, it’s a really interesting role, because not everybody knows that I was from the mirror universe. So, sometimes I get to play the good captain, which is always very nice. Compassionate, kind and then, with Philippa Georgiou from Section 31, she is, cunning, devious, and we’re all in leather, the whole time. It’s hot! I mean, it’s hot!"

The show will be written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. Sweeny is a relative unknown in the television sci-fi genre with a Consulting Producer credit on every episode of the first season of "Discovery." Osunsanmi has directed two " Short Treks " (remember those?) the excellent "Calypso" that ultimately didn't connect to very much and "The Girl Who Made the Stars" plus a total of 12 episodes from all four seasons of "Discovery" with a nice equal balance of some truly excellent installments (S04, E01 "That Hope Is You, Part 1") and some fantastically awful ones (S04, E13 "That Hope Is You, Part 2").

On a side note, we do so very much hope that Harcourt Fenton Mudd makes an appearance in the not too distant future. Mudd is magnetic. Mudd is mesmerizing. He is enigmatic, charismatic and just plain mischievous, plus Rainn Wilson's portrayal of this epic, underrated character was magnificent. When is he going to get his spin-off series?

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"Star Trek: Picard" and every episode of every "Star Trek" show currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US. Internationally, the shows are available on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream exclusively on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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We Now Know Exactly When Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek Movie is Taking Place

Section 31 will feature at least one captain of a starship called Enterprise.

Michelle Yeoh is back in the Final Frontier. As the duplicitous Mirror Universe character Philippa Georgiou, Yeoh starred in three seasons of Star Trek: Discovery , but later in 2024 she’ll return in her own movie — Section 31 . Named for the clandestine espionage organization within Starfleet, Section 31 has just been described as a “spy thriller” by a new article in Variety . We’ve also got a new image of Yeoh as Georgiou, seemingly integrating someone with some very cyberpunk-looking gear. But the big news for Trek fans is something even bigger. It seems like we finally know when exactly Section 31 will be set.

Here’s why the revelation of a very specific Starfleet captain reveals roughly where we can expect Section 31 to take place.

Section 31 will feature an Enterprise captain

Kacey Rohl in 2019. In Section 31 , she’ll be the first person to play Rachel Garrett since Tricia O’Neil originated the role in 1990’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”

As reported by Adam B. Vary for Variety , the character of Rachel Garrett will appear in Section 31 and be played by actress Kacey Rohl. In the larger Trek canon, Rachel Garrett is famous for being the captain of the USS Enterprise-C which was destroyed fighting the Romulans in the year 2344. At that point, Captain Garrett (as played by Tricia O'Neil) was a woman in her mid-forties. But, in Section 31 it seems we’ll be meeting “...a young Rachel Garrett.”

This one detail all but confirms that at least one aspect of the storyline for Section 31 will have to take place sometime before 2344, likely in the 2320s or 2330s. Which, believe it or not, is a largely undocumented and unexplored period of the larger Star Trek timeline.

A 24th-century TNG prequel

Captain Garrett’s time on the Enterprise-C is largely untold. But what happened before that is even hazier.

Because Section 31 features a younger version of Rachel Garrett, this means that at least part of the movie will be a full-on prequel to the era of The Next Generation . And, interestingly, this period of Trek history, from roughly the end of the TOS -era movies, to the start of TNG is a roughly 70 year-gap. The Undiscovered Country and the first part of Generations take place in 2293. The first TNG episode takes place in 2364. During this gap, a lot of Trek history happens, including the Federation’s war with the Cardassians, the finalization of peace with the Klingons, and Jean-Luc Picard’s tenure as Captain on the USS Stargazer .

But if Section 31 takes place in the 2320s, even some of those events are still in the future. If you take a hardcore deep-dive onto the ever-reliable Star Trek wiki, Memory Alpha, you’ll find that there are almost no notable events in the 2320 s at all, other than Jean-Luc Picard starting his studies at Starfleet Academy. When Georgiou was sent back in time in Discovery Season 31 by the Guardian of Forever, we were told that it would be close to a time period in which the Prime Universe and Mirror Universes had yet to fully drift apart.

Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) steps into the Guardian of Forever in Discovery Season 3.

And yet, by putting Georgiou in the early 24th century, the new movie will likely sport a lot of retro Star Trek aesthetics. We know Starfleet officers were still rocking the “monster maroon” uniforms first introduced in The Wrath of Khan, and Strange New Worlds Season 1 even gave us a taste of what a modern redesign of those uniforms might look like. Plus, if this movie is filling in the backstory of Rache Garrett, this means the show will not only be a prequel for The Next Generation but also the origin story of an underrated Enterprise captain!

As of this writing, Section 31 is a stand-alone movie starring Michelle Yeoh. But, with this cut into the timeline of Trek, one can’t help but wonder if there’s not room for even more adventures in this very specific slice of Trek history.

Section 31 is expected to hit Paramount+ in late 2024.

• Science Fiction

Star Trek: Section 31 Has Finished Filming, And A Key Detail About The Michelle Yeoh Movie Has Finally Been Confirmed

I'm glad this has been settled.

There’s a decent amount we know about Star Trek: Section 31 , the upcoming movie heading to Paramount+ subscribers . For one thing, the project, originally conceived as a TV spinoff to Star Trek: Discovery , will see Michelle Yeoh reprising the Mirror Universe incarnation of Philippa Georgiou , who hasn’t been seen since Discovery Season 3. Now, thanks to a cast member revealing that Section 31 has finished filming, another key detail about the movie has finally been confirmed that had been the subject of much fan speculation.

First off, Robert Kazinsky, who has been cast in an undisclosed role in Section 31 , broke the news on his Instagram page that the movie had finished rolling cameras. Read what the EastEnders and True Blood actor had to say about his experience on the production, and then take a close look at what’s on the screen in the picture:

A post shared by Rob Kazinsky A photo posted by therobkazinsky on

It’s good to hear that Kazinsky had such a great time on Star Trek: Section 31 , particularly being directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, who’s also helmed multiple Discovery episodes and two episodes of Star Trek: Short Treks. However, what’s really intriguing is the Starfleet delta on that screen positioned next to the Section 31 logo. As pointed out by Trek Central , this is the same delta used by the secret division in the 23rd century, i.e. during the time period when Star Trek: Discovery ’s first two seasons and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds take place. Or, to be even more specific, just a handful of years before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series .

So now we know that the Section 31 movie will take place sometime post- Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, meaning in the 23rd century after the crew of the title ship traveled to the 32nd century. Discovery viewers will remember that although Philippa Georgiou traveled with them to the future, she began deteriorating because her body couldn’t handle being in another universe and centuries ahead of her original time period at the same time. As such, at the end of the two-parter “Terra Firma,” the Guardian of Forever opened a portal to a time where the Prime and Mirror Universes were more aligned so she could continue living.

While there was always the possibility that Georgiou could have been sent to a different time period when Section 31 was operating, like in the era of The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine and Voyager , or perhaps even earlier in its existence around the time of Enterprise , the delta in Robert Kazinsky’s photo shows that won’t be the case. He and Yeoh are joined in Star Trek: Section 31 ’s cast by Omari Hardwick, Kacey Roll, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Humbly Gonzalez and James Hiroyuki Liao, but Shazad Latif will not reprise Ash Tyler . This will be the first Paramount+ exclusive Star Trek movie, and 14th in the overall film series.

So that’s one mystery that’s been solved about Star Trek: Section 31 , but there are still plenty of questions left to be answered, including when it will be released. We’ll let you know about that and more once those details trickle in, and remember to also keep track of our coverage of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows .

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Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.

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Star Trek: Section 31 is bringing back a deep-cut alien race

S tar Trek: Section 31 has a lot of people on edge. Its trailer was pretty decisive and the reaction to it was overwhelmingly negative. Yet, one of the aspects of the film that many, myself included, seem to support is the inclusion of Sam Richardson. The usually comedic actor will join up with the Section 31 crew as Star Trek tries to make their own Guardians of the Galaxy.

Richardson has unabashed charisma and stands out in any scene he's in. There's no doubt he can make any character work, as long as the writers give him something to work with. It seems like the writers of Section 31 are setting him up for success, as they've given him the unique distinction of being a very unique alien.

An alien that's only been seen once before; a Chameloid. For those unfamiliar with a Chameloid, it was an alien race that popped up in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and attempted to turn James Kirk and Leonard "Bones" McCoy against one another.

The alien was played famously by Iman, the iconic model, this time around it's Richardson. Going from a model to a comedic actor wasn't lost on Richardson either, as he told Dax Sheppard on the Armchair Expert podcast (via TrekMovie.com );

“So I play a physicist shapeshifter, what’s called a Chameloid. This is the second time there’s ever been a Chameloid in Star Trek. The first time was Iman in Star Trek VI… It’s kind of funny, with Iman, it’s like this is a shapeshifter, you want to look, ‘Yeah, I’ll make myself Iman.’ And then in [Section 31] it’s like, ‘Oh good, I’m going to make myself Sam Richardson.’ [laughs]. I’m going to accept it.”

Bringing back the Chameloid is a solid idea, assuming they couldn't figure out a different alien (or create a new one) that would work for the role they're going for. What would've been a problem is if Richardson's character was a member of the Changeling race.

As they didn't appear for about a hundred years from the point in time Section 31 happens, bringing them in would have ruffled many fans' feathers. Especially when you realize that they just went to that well in Star Trek: Picard.

It's good to venture out and do something different.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Star Trek: Section 31 is bringing back a deep-cut alien race .

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What Is Section 31? STAR TREK’S Secret Organization, Explained

Section 31 is the subject of the new Star Trek film for Paramount+, starring best actress winner Michelle Yeoh. She’ll reprise her Star Trek: Discovery role of former Empress Philippa Georgiou. In Star Trek’s Mirror Universe, she once ruled an empire with an iron fist. Now exiled to the main “Prime” reality, she found a new home in Starfleet’s secret arm of their intelligence apparatus, known as Section 31. But who and what exactly is Section 31, and how long has it been a part of Trek lore? Although we first heard about them in Deep Space Nine , in the Trek timeline, they’ve been around since the very founding of Starfleet.

Starfleet’s Biggest Secret, Exposed on Deep Space Nine

Section 31 made its first appearance in the Deep Space Nine sixth season episode “Inquisition.” In that 1998 episode, a mysterious man named Luther Sloan (William Sadler) who claimed he was from Starfleet Internal Affairs tried to recruit Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig). Eventually, Sloan revealed to Bashir that he’s part of Section 31, a secret autonomous intelligence agency that works within the shadows of Starfleet . An organization with no supervision, and no problem doing things that were against Federation principles. The name came from Article 14, Section 31 of the Starfleet Charter, which allowed for “extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat.”

Dr. Bashir felt Section 31 went against the very principles they founded the Federation on, and refused to join. His commanding officer, Captain Benjamin Sisko, told him if Section 31 tried to recruit him again, to take them up on the offer. If only so he could function as a double agent, as to learn more about them. The next time Sloan appeared, Bashir accepted his offer, and went on a mission for him. One where he was manipulated and used to further Federation goals during the Dominion War of 2374-2375. The excuse for something like Section 31 among Starfleet higher-ups who knew of them was that Starfleet needed an equivalent as ruthless as the Romulan and Cardassian spy organizations.

Section 31’s Most Shameful Moment

Eventually, Bashir learned of Section 31’s most heinous plot. They created a morphogenetic virus that spread to the Dominion’s Founders, the Changelings, all in an effort to wipe out their entire race. Although Bashir discovered a cure, the virus proved that Section 31 was willing to commit genocide to preserve the Federation. This fact would come back to haunt them in Star Trek: Picard season three. In this most recent season, we learned that torturous experiments on captured Changelings by Section 31 resulted in a new offshoot species, one hellbent on revenge. They made no distinction between Starfleet and the organization Starfleet knew existed, yet turned the other way when they did something abhorrent.

Section 31 in the 22nd and 23rd Centuries

The next few times we saw Section 31 were in Enterprise and Discovery, both prequel series taking place over a century before the events of DS9 . In Enterprise , we learned how Section 31 recruited NX-01 Officer Malcolm Reed in its earliest days, circa 2154. On Star Trek Discovery , which takes place a century after Enterprise , Section 31 played a big role too. The organization had its own fleet of Starships, and seemed to operate officially with some supervision from Starfleet intelligence. That seemed to contradict what we knew about them from both Deep Space Nine and Enterprise.

Eventually, there was an attempt by Control, a dangerous sentient A.I., to take over Section 31. Although the combined efforts of the starships Discovery and Enterprise stopped Control from executing its plans, Captain Pike blamed the entire fiasco on Section 31. It was during this time that Empress Philippa Georgiou joined Section 31. Coming from an “evil” universe, she had no problem doing morally murky things for the Federation. Starfleet Command promised to reform Section 31 into an agency with much more transparency going forward. Again, this does not mesh with what we know about Section 31 a century later in the DS9 era, when they are once again a secret organization.

Section 31 in Lower Decks and Picard

In the post-Dominion War era, our first mention of Section 31 was in the animated series Lower Decks. The character of William Boimler was actually recruited into Section 31. And by his time, they seemed to be common knowledge. If even someone on the U.S.S. Cerritos , the least important ship in Starfleet, knew about Section 31, then it’s not really a secret anymore. Decades later, in Star Trek: Picard , Daystrom Station is an off-the-books Black Site , where Captain Riker said Section 31 stored their most secretive projects. This just proves once more that by 2401, just about everyone knew about this once ultra-secret organization.

Section 31 in the Kelvin Timeline

We never heard about Section 31 in the era of Kirk and Spock. Obviously, because they hadn’t been conceived of yet. However, they played a big part in the lives of their alt-timeline counterparts in the film Star Trek Into Darkness . In that universe, Section 31 was under the command of Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller). This version of Section 31 had its own massive operation, and a giant starship called the Vengeance .

It was this version of Section 31 that awakened Khan Noonien Singh from his lost 20th-century sleeper ship. Once awakened, they tried to harness his genetically advanced mind for tactical advantages against their enemies. Unfortunately, Khan proved too much to handle for Section 31, and he helped bring the organization down. Because of this, it seems Section 31 became common knowledge a century before it ever was in the Prime Universe.

The Future of Section 31

The new Star Trek: Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh might fill in some of the gaps and explain some of the inconsistencies we’ve seen regarding this organization. How did they go to open secret in the 23rd century, only to go back to something only a select few knew about a century year later? Certainly, a movie that is all about the evolution of Section 31 would help to explain many things about the supposedly Utopian Federation. After all, this shady group does the things no one wants to talk about that help preserve this perfect galactic union. There’s definitely an epic movie in that story.

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SDCC: ‘Section 31’ Movie Features Classic Alien, Kung-Fu Action, And “Spy-Fi” Take On Star Trek

| July 29, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 68 comments so far

In addition to the release of the first trailer  for Star Trek: Section 31 , the Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con revealed new details about the characters and more for the mysterious streaming movie starring Michelle Yeoh, reprising her Discovery role as Emperor Georgiou.

Section 31 is “spy-fi” take on Trek with canon connections

The Section 31 portion of the Star Trek Universe panel featured cast members Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, and Kacey Rohl, joining executive producer Alex Kurtzman and director Olatunde Osunsanmi, who talked about how we are going to see a different Georgiou in the streaming movie:

Osunsanmi: What shocked me about Georgiou [on Star Trek: Discovery ] was that the writers killed her in episode 2. That took my breath away and then I find out she comes back from the Mirror Universe… interesting. And watching how Michelle separated those two characters, one of the Prime Universe, one in the Mirror Universe, was just fantastic to watch. And watching what she does in Section 31 , which is essentially a third incarnation of the character because of all the nuance and the evolution that she went through to become who she is when we find her was pretty special.

One of the big reveals from the panel was regarding the character being played by Richardson, including the character’s name “Quasi” [note, spelling may not be exact]. The Emmy-winning actor from shows like Veep and Ted Lasso is a huge Star Trek fan who previously voiced a character on Lower Decks , He was excited to be bringing back a classic species for the movie, which Alex Kurtzman noted fits perfectly for  Section 31 :

Richardson: I play a species,  I’m not human, that is a second iteration of it in all Star Trek. I play a Chameloid , which the first time you saw was Iman playing it in Star Trek VI . So, he’s a shapeshifter. Kurtzman: Very, very useful to be a shapeshifter in the spy world.

Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, and Sam Richardson at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

The actor also talked about the action in the movie and working with Yeoh:

Richardson: Yeah, we we had stunts, we had a lot. I’ve never done stunts like I’ve done in this movie. Fighting, jumping, sitting down. You get all of it in this movie. We had an amazing stunt team team on this who make us look amazing. Everybody on the cast, all the stunt guys, put everything into this. Watching Michelle kick butt, she’s a kung-fu queen. She’s amazing. So watching her and getting to work with her in this has been truly fantastic. I think you really got to enjoy what you see.

It has previously been revealed that Kacey Rohl is playing a younger version of the character Rachel Garrett , captain of the Enterprise-C in the classic TNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Rohl talked about what stepping into those shoes meant to her:

Rohl: It was such an incredible honor. It’s just mind-blowing. I’ve been describing it like a warm bubble bath entering this world. It’s really, really lovely, and obviously, the character of Rachel Garrett is so cool. I am just incredibly honored and have watched that episode so many times now and shout out to [original Garrett actress] Tricia O’Neil. It’s just really exciting. My face hurts.

Kacey Rohl at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

The trailer showed how the streaming movie has a different take on Trek and Kurtzman talked about the approach they are taking:

Kurtzman: Star Trek, obviously from TOS, has this incredibly storied history of playing in genre space. Sometimes you’ll get a horror episode, sometimes a comedy, sometimes a musical. I think this is in some ways a natural extension of what you can do in the world of Star Trek the more you start spreading out, because this is “spy-fi.” The idea of doing a spy movie in the world of Star Trek is super interesting and feels like a really cool way to keep Star Trek growing. The other thing is because Rachel Garrett is in there we tie very specifically into canon and Star Trek. I was very excited about about that. It does have a different tone. It’s very fun. We are almost finished editing it and it is just a ride from beginning to end. It’s very, very fun. And hopefully it’ll be the first of more we do, not just for Section 31 , but if you guys like it we’ll end up doing more of these movies.

Omari Hardwick, who plays a character named “Alok Sahar” [NOTE: Unsure of spelling] is best known to fans of the show Power . He offered his take on the movie:

Hardwick: I would say Guardians of the Galaxy on steroids. There is humor, ass-kicking, you know, you you have a love story somewhere in there if you guys want that… We have all of these people who are no strangers to the Star Trek Universe. What Alex and Tunde wanted from us was to make a a messy version of the Star Trek world. And so what you have is a beautiful mess… And we are very honored to bring it to you.

Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, and Olatunde Osunsanmi backstage at San Diego Comic-Con 2024

ICYMI: trailer

In the Section 31 movie, Yeoh reprises her Discovery role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, who “joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.” Here is the trailer released at Comic-Con…

Star Trek: Section 31 was written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. It will be available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. in early 2025 and in all international markets where the service is available.

More Star Trek SDCC 2024

Check out our SDCC category for more from the Star Trek Universe panel, including announcements and reveals from Strange New Worlds , Lower Decks , and Starfleet Academy . And we will have more coverage of what was said at the panel later this weekend.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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Once. ONCE it was a musical! ;)

I thought exactly the same thing.

I recall some singing in Voyager and that legendary Uhura scene in TOS with Spock playing his lyre but never a musical.

TOS also had the space hippies singing but ya that wasn’t a mustical either.

Can’t wait to watch it.

Shaping up to look pretty cool. I hope there are more references to Star Trek 6!

I’m quite confident that it will happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if S31 was behind the Praxis explosion.

Guardians + Suicide Squad + Renegades + that Picard s1 ep in the nightclub on steroids

Plus Trek VI (obviously) and Mission Impossible (the crazy Cruise films)

I mean, this all sounds pretty interesting, but damn if that wasn’t trailer a rough sell of it.

To be fair it’s pretty clear that Trekkies were not the target audience for that trailer. Also it really didn’t tell us anything beyond S31 knowing who Georgeau is.

Well they did an amazing job of that then lol.

I would love to hear all the other major franchises from Marvel to Star Wars and someone says ‘well that trailer wasn’t made for them’.

I’m not even saying you’re wrong but this is the only franchise I know where people constantly say they are marketing to the non fans and as proven tune and time again it’s a gets them nothing but heartache.

I get the idea that in this constant effort to “broaden” Trek’s appeal, the initial marketing is to drum up buzz outside the core fandom. In some ways that’s simply a statement on the strength of the fandom: if it has “Star Trek” in the title, Trek fans will show up to watch. Unfortunately, the quality of the programming we’re being called up on to watch and support has suffered so much lately that it’s no longer a guarantee that core Trek fans will show up, especially as the franchise takes a direction toward exploring things that decidedly are “un-Star Trek” according to some (myself included).

However I’ve heard a lot – a LOT – coming from other franchises under the direction of the House of Mouse where their fandoms are constantly lamenting the slate of content being presented to them. Fan reaction to The Acolyte among Star Wars bros was visceral, and I only saw some initial episodes but also found it weak, uninteresting, poorly plotted and edited, etc. Same with so many Marvel shows. It’s all such bland, by-the-numbers committee-producing “content” to fill our screens.

I find it interesting that we are now 8 years removed from Star Trek Beyond, whose first trailer attached to Force Awakens was similarly loathed by Trek fans for feeling like “Fast and Furious in Space.” It begs the question: how well has the last decade of “broadening the appeal” worked for Star Trek? Have they actually succeeded in reaching new fans and demographics? If so, then why the constant need to “broaden the appeal” and bend over backwards to appeal to non-fans? And if the strategy isn’t working, why constantly lean into it?

My guess is – Trek remains about as appealing as it always has been to the kinds of people it will attract, and maybe even less so given all the attempts of late to “shun” traditional fans with this kind of marketing. I think fans by and large feel the “glory days” of Trek are far in the rear view, and the future looks less and less recognizable as the thing we once loved. Maybe after Section 31 is over with and we can assess it as a story and on its success for the studio, then we will be able to say whether or not this “market to non-fans” approach should finally be put to rest, and hopefully the creatives consider simply focusing on making good Star Trek FOR fans.

They need to rush a new trailer out.

Why? The first one was great.

It seems to be a very narrowly focused advertisement. But maybe that was intentional.

Agreed. That first one was the worst Trek trailer in many years.

Paramount often do a “style over substance” trailer first, before the other trailers go deeper. Beyond was a prime example of that.

Unfortunately they waited 6 months before they put out another Beyond trailer and it was too late.

The chamaloid character is exciting. Randomly, just yesterday I was in the Bronson Canyon cave where many of the scenes with Marta (Iman) were filmed for Star Trek 6. I was telling my cousin about all the Treks that had filmed at that location and then this little surprise.

Wow, what an awesome “coincidence”. Trek has things like that happen all the time. Did you know that Sally Kellerman, the original Elizabeth Dehner actress died the very same day Discovery passed through the Galactic Barrier in S4? None of that is a coincidence. It’s either a flaw in the Holomatrix or proof that Star Trek is sacred ground.

I think Sam Richardson is a great actor. Always enjoy seeing him in something. And bringing in a chameloid is exactly the kind of thing they need to be doing. Take something we’ve barely seen, and give it even more depth/backstory. That’s fan service done right.

But I got a chuckle out of this:

“What Alex and Tunde wanted from us was to make a a messy version of the Star Trek world.”

These guys have been doing messy since day 1. They live in that. So this hardly makes me excited. This kind of project is where I’m most open to experimentation. A one-off streaming movie is perfect for it. Nothing in this trailer looks or feels like Star Trek in any way. Maybe, that’s a good thing… but I think it needs something. We’ll see what the movie gives us on that front.

I dare to challenge anyone to tell me one shot in the trailer that resembles anything to Section 31?

That’s the biggest fail of the trailer for me among many, it doesn’t remotely sell you on the premise of the movie. It feels more like some genetic GOTG rip off than S31.

Excellent point about “defining” S31. I don’t think I can tell you at all what the premise of the movie is… maybe Emp Georgiou’s life story? The Book of Phillippa might be a better title.

What is so eye rolling is that they spent 5 years trying to get this thing going. It was in development hell longer than any other TV project and after finally figureing out something to do with it and THIS is what we waited 5 years for???

Thank Kahless they ultimately decided to go with SNW over this mess. People were already skeptical over a Section 31 show starring Space Hitler but this looks so lame and generic they really shouldn’t have bothered if we’re not going to even get a more believable Section 31 story.

…just watched the trailer for the first time. Thank the Gods this is a film instead of a series. I’ll try to make it through the film. Nothing in the trailer resembled Trek whatsoever, imo.

Yeah I don’t think we just dodged a bullet, but a bomb lol.

And maybe the movie will turn out to be great…but this trailer simply wasn’t. I’m hopeful the next one will be better but yeah I’m just not liking what I’m seeing in general. As you said, the main complaint from people who don’t like it is it just doesn’t feel like Star Trek. Sorry but that’s a big problem if you want those same people to fork over money to watch it. Hopefully the next trailer will correct that issue.

Someone posted the likes/dislikes ratio of the trailer yesterday.

Likes: 2.4 thousand

Dislikes: 9.9 thousand

I originally said people would respond to this trailer as badly as they did the Beyond trailer but it’s actually worse. As bad of a reception that trailer originally got it always had more likes, but the dislikes were around half the number of likes which is usually terrible.

This one managed to just be way more disliked after the first few days. Not surprising being a horrible trailer all around.

It’s not so bad if viewed with the volume turned off. I just can’t figure out what audience this is supposed to be for.

Studios are often so desperate to pull in lots of viewers they pick the most “popular” elements to release. That’s a big problem with this one at first glance. It’s more interested in catchphrases etc than plot development. Also, the idea of a Section 31 product was so polarizing that this trailer was bound to be questionable. I just hope the finished product has more depth and intrigue than what they chose to show with this release.

I’ve seen it 5 times and it never gets any better sadly.

LOL. It looks like something I would automatically skip over while searching for a movie or show on Netflix. I feel bad for saying that, but it is the honest truth.

As someone who has enjoyed the Section 31 stories on DS9, it doesn’t look like it’s made for me.

Hopefully a much better trailer comes along to change my mind.

Out of curiosity: Youtube removed the number of dislikes from the videos years ago so where are people getting those numbers from?

It’s right there on YouTube, now its at 3.5K Likes and 27.5K dislikes

Am I surprised? No.

For me this is probably the worst Star Trek trailer I have ever seen.

Wait…27,000 people in 2 days disliked the trailer???

Why so few? 😂🙄

This thing was horrendous. I disliked my fair share of trailers like everyone but this was top 10 worst of all time levels of bad.

It just looks like a cheap show on the syfy channel with very cringe dialogue written by Gen Zers with two writing credits to their name.

The dialogue in this trailer is exactly why I worry about the Academy show because it will sound exactly like this and kids 900 years into the future will instead sound like every kid today.

I wish NuTrek could get some people who can just write believable dialogue for professionals and not just how people talk in 2024. It takes me out of the show sometimes.

There is a YouTube extension you can download to use for your browser or phone and it shows the hidden downvotes. Never used it myself though.

Ah, I see. It’s not a feature I miss so no need for an extension.

I don’t have the extension, the numbers are just there.

YouTube removed the dislike count in 2021. If you still see them you probably have the extension.

From what I read YouTube actually removed the dislike count from their API. So the dislike count you see with the extension isn’t actually based in any YouTube data. It is based on extrapolated dislike counts of the users of the extension.

Either way it’s not great and the upvotes are still tiny. But good to know thanks.

Yeah, it may not be exactly the reaction Paramount hoped for….

Youtube doesn’t give a damn if bots generate fake votes.

A bunch of guys in their mom’s basement down voting a YouTube video with multiple accounts doesn’t matter in the real world. Even YouTube doesn’t care about dislikes anymore.

But I’m right though

Star Trek + spy-fi brings to mind Nimoy on Mission: Impossible…

True… but Mission : Impossible was awesome. This trailer was awful.

It’s not awful, it’s just different. Not all Trek has to be painted with the same brush.

The first trailers are always all about the spectacle, it’s the second ones that tend to say more about the story. That’s what happened with the ones for Transformers: One.

No it’s awful. Very awful.

No, it wasn’t bad. You’re just whining about it. Nothing new there with you. Sheesh.

In my opinion it was bad. You disagree fine.

And FYI, I said nothing but positive things about the LDS season 5 trailer, the SNW season 3 clip that everyone else is losing their hair over, the new casting news for SFA and the live action comedy that was announced I said I’m a bit excited for. It’s me and like three other people who even likes the idea lol. Go to all those articles and read those posts please.

Now on those SAME boards can you find a single post where I am calling people out for being too negative or ‘whiny’? No because I understand why message boards exist or don’t get triggered like a 12 year old because someone thinks a live action Star Trek comedy sucks. We’re here to take in ALL opinions man and not just the ones we agree with, Jesus.

But because I don’t like ONE thing out of Comic Con I’m now a ‘whiner’. 🙄

Enough already, ENOUGH ALREADY, stop attacking people because you don’t like their opinions. Disagree with me, fine, but stop the name calling and attacks, especially when accusing me of something that isn’t even TRUE!

If I’m not allowed to be critical of ANYTHING without you moaning about it then just keep scrolling man, sheesh.

For the 400th time, this is why we need an ignore button. Seriously.

“But because I don’t like ONE thing out of Comic Con I’m now a ‘whiner’.”

This is hilarious because I was just reading the thread about the SNW season 3 clip and I came across your post where someone attacked you and called you a blind Kurtzman apologist because you LIKED it lol.

Now someone is calling you a whiner who hates all things NuTrek because you hate this horrible trailer.

Just the way it goes right? Someone on YT once called me a NuTrek apologist because I had the nerve to say Discovery was canon. Even though I hated the show and whined and whined and whined about it for years, now I’m actually a Discovery shill because I have the nerve to just acknowledge reality? Or can still have issues with it but not wipe it from canon because I recognize others do in fact like it and it should matter for them like all the other shows?

Sure I can have an extreme view of something but I don’t need others to feel the way nor do I need my opinion to be a consensus. I really don’t care what other people think or thatI’mthe only one who believes it, so I’m always curious why some are so hung up with what I think?

Or because I have one opinion to the contrary that must mean ALL my thoughts are that way and to the extreme view. It’s never anything in the middle. It’s either you hate everything or love everything.

it’s maddening.

And so is that trailer.

I kid you not, during the first season of Picard I was accused of being both a shill and a hater of the show in the same week lol. It was on two different boards though. But as you said, that’s usually how it goes online. Someone sees one post of yours and in that instant has already determined your overall feelings over the topic and usually in the most extreme way possible. It’s very annoying but I’m guessing everyone has been through it.

I just wish people could disagree with others without the name calling, attacks or accusations. That’s what always irks me. And in this case the person who is accusing me of being whiny is one of the whiniest people here because all they do is go around complaining about how many people are complaining about something instead of just focusing on the actual topic. As I have told him MANY times now no one is forcing them to be here if they are that miserable. It’s just a message board a few dozen people even post on these days and the internet is a big place. Find somewhere else to go then.

But it’s funny the people who come on message boards and spend more time talking about the posters than just the topic itself while getting into constant fights are usually the ones who gets banned for a reason. But I think some of those people just have some personality issues and can’t help themselves as we saw here time and time again lol.

Anyway, I know I go on these huge rants and I really try not to but it gets tiring nearly every week someone is accusing me of something when I’m not accusing anyone here of anything . If you think my comments are too brash, understandable but I’m not here to ruin your day either, honestly. We just want to talk about the show and give our honest thoughts about it.

And it’s especially eye rolling when I have been very positive or at least optimistic about 80% of the other news we got. I’ve been pretty excited over most things here. And I have not called anyone ‘whiny’ because they have the opposite view or more negative about.

And I’m certainly not in the minority about my thoughts on this trailer. It’s getting slammed everywhere including here for a reason. Spend just ten minutes reading the actual comments from the video, it’s brutal. I’m actually surprised they haven’t shut down the comments section yet and they’ve done it before.

Yay, kick ass fighting as a selling point for Star Trek. I remember Gene Roddenberry enthusing on how Star Trek was about fighting and kick assery.

True story too, he was forced to add a bare knuckle fight into the pilot.

A Chameloid. Interesting. That sounds interesting… but the trailer is still really, really bad.

so the guardian, carl, sent her somewhere 2320+ i guess?

One thing I will say and what I had already assumed that when we saw her again that time would have already passed and she’s now embedded with her team and whatever year she’s in.

Others thought it would begin with her arriving I’m the new era and we see her start to make a life and connections.

I will give it a chance. Not what I want, but I will give it a chance. Glad it is a movie and not a series.

Interesting choice of alien. I thought Iman was good in Undiscovered Country. I mean when the real her was on screen. But it was a memorable performance. The voice. Those eyes!

David Bowie was a lucky fella to marry her. And yeah agreed about it being a memorable performance.

so a little s31 but more ‘our man bashir’.

I think it looks great. I’ve always wanted a Trek show/movie to explore different perspectives of the Trek universe like Section 31.

Not every show/movie has to be set on a Starship with a Starfleet Crew exploring space and there is so much more to the Trek universe that should be explored too. I hope this TV Movie does well enough that more Trek content can take risks and do something completely different from past shows/movies.

I also hope someday we will get a Trek show/movie that is entirely based on an alien species like the Klingons or even the Romulans etc or even a Trek show like the West Wing TV show would be cool.

As Kirk is famous for saying ‘Young minds, fresh ideas. Be tolerant!’ or the more famous message of Trek ‘to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.’

What could be more pure to the core message of Trek than the Franchise itself exploring new areas of its own universe. To seek out new takes/explore new ideas and to boldly go where the franchise hasn’t been before.

Good lord that looked awful

I think the section 31 idea with the superb Yeo could be fun… but I wish the trailer had a little more Star Trek. I mean you’ve got Rachel Garrett and the TOS movie era, show off the red maroons or a ship or something. I get you want to go different, the majority can be different, but let’s see a bit of the era just that we know it’s Star Trek. I presume they going for Dune with the whole Emperor start given how awesome the Dune movies were?

Star Trek: Voyager Actress Willing To Reprise Role In Live Action Under One Condition

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Star Trek: Section 31 Actor Debunks Popular Fan Theory About His Character

Star trek star hopes netflix will see prodigy's potential and renew it for season 3 or more, your friendly neighborhood spider-man creator confirms a great new debut for the mcu, key takeaways.

• Kate Mulgrew is open to reprising her role as Captain Janeway, but only if the script is impeccable and authentic.
• Mulgrew shared her requirements for returning to the role, emphasizing the need for proper respect and treatment of the character.
• Trekkies can look forward to the possibility of seeing Captain Janeway again, as fans eagerly await a new live-action project.

One Star Trek actress is interested in reprising her role as the captain of the Starfleet ship USS Voyager in another live-action project. However, she wanted the character to be written in such a certain way that she be "exalted."

The Star Trek franchise has been around for over 50 years already. Star Trek has been so successful that it spawned multiple movies and TV series over the years. Some of the actors in the franchise have appeared in multiple projects, and one has expressed her interest in bringing back her character, so long as she's written in a way that would keep her dignified.

One Star Trek: Section 31 actor clarified his role in the film after the first trailer was released at San Diego Comic-Con.

Kate Mulgrew attended the Comic-Con and participated in the Star Trek: Prodigy panel. She played Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, which aired from 1995 to 2001. She appeared in 168 episodes over seven seasons and reprised the role in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and the 4D film for the Star Trek Experience attraction in Las Vegas in 2004. She also voiced Captain Janeway in various Star Trek video games. She again played the same role in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy . When asked about the possibility of playing the role once more, the 69-year-old actress said she was open to it so long as she approved the script. She had even discussed the matter with filmmaker Alex Kurtzman, who executive-produced Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy .

According to Movieweb , Mulgrew said, "I just had dinner with Alex Kurtzman the other night, we talked about this. It would have to be impeccable. It would have to be without hubris. It would have to be authentic. And it would have to be so bloody good that I would in no way question any element of it." Mulgrew admitted that she had some requirements that must be met to play Captain Janeway in live-action again, especially since it had been over two decades since she last played it. One of her conditions was to give the character proper respect and treatment while noting that she was very protective of Captain Janeway. She added, "I mean, to come back after 25 years, into a character that was once not only revered by me, but loved by me. I have to take care of my character. So I've just said to Alex, you know, I love her. She will never be misused, but she must be exalted. And the writing has to be somewhere from heaven. So we'll keep this conversation alive. But so far, it's a conversation."

There is no doubt that Trekkies will be thrilled about the possibility of seeing Mulgrew as Captain Janeway again. Janeway was one of the most decorated captains in Starfleet history. She showed legendary leadership as she commanded the starship USS Voyager during its journey through the Delta Quadrant. Under her guidance, they encountered dozens of new planets and made first contact with more civilizations than any Federation captain since James T. Kirk. According to previous reports, French-Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold was supposed to play the character, but she quit two days after filming because she found the episodic TV show too demanding, so it was offered to Mulgrew. The new lead accepted it and suggested giving the character the first name Kathryn, as it was initially named Nicole Janeway. It seemed that the character was really meant for Mulgrew, who made history as the first female captain series regular in a leading role. Voyager was renewed after its first programming season and went to air for seven seasons, earning Mulgrew her Saturn Award for Best TV Actress in 1998. While Bujold can definitely pull off the character, there is no doubt that Mulgrew played it so well that one couldn't imagine another actress playing Captain Janeway. At present, there is no definite project for Mulgrew to reprise the beloved character, but fans are hopeful that there will be development soon and Captain Janeway will officially be back in another live-action project.

Star Trek: Prodigy streams on Netflix.

Star Trek star Robert Picardo said Prodigy had potential, and he was hoping the show would be renewed on Netflix.

Source: Movieweb

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