After seven years, the Star Trek franchise is finally (boldly) going back to the movies. But while Star Trek 4 for Chris Pine’s Kirk and his crew remains stuck in the docking bay, the brand’s first streaming-exclusive feature film is in the works at Paramount Plus. Coming hot on the heels of the announcement of the Starfleet Academy TV series, Paramount has confirmed another project that’s long been in development is at last coming to fruition. Namely, Star Trek: Section 31, starring Michelle Yeoh.
Yeoh’s turn as Philippa Georgiou was one of the most popular parts of Star Trek: Discovery‘s early seasons, thanks to the character’s complex nature — she used to be the Empress of the Mirrorverse’s Terran Empire before becoming an unlikely ally to Michael Burnham and the Discovery crew. Now she’s set to get her own vehicle. But what do we know about the Section 31 spinoff? Here’s your full captain’s debrief…
What is Section 31 about?
While not much is revealed about the film’s plot specifics as yet, the title makes clear that it’ll follow Georgiou on missions for the eponymous Section 31, a top-secret intelligence organization working within Starfleet, as well as answering the big mystery of what happened to her after her last appearance in DIS season three. Georgiou was written out the series when she was taken to an unknown time period by the Guardian of Forever. We’re expecting her to return to the 23rd century, the setting of DIS‘s early seasons, but that has yet to be 100 percent confirmed.
As for the vibe the movie is going for, it’s being described as “Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy,” a combination that’s bound to make any self-respecting nerd drool at the mouth.
Who could join Michelle Yeoh in Section 31?
So far, Yeoh is the only cast-member announced for Section 31, thereby following the precedent set by Discovery, on which she was also the very first actor attached to the production. Originally, Section 31 was supposed to be a series, but the actress’ other commitments made that impossible. Instead, following her Oscar win for Everything, Everywhere All at Once, Paramount realized a movie was the way to go.
Presumably, Yeoh will be joined by a raft of new faces to play the agents and officers of Section 31, however — this being Star Trek — it’s highly likely a few familiar favorites will drop by as well. If the film does return to the mid-2200s, it can bring back any number of characters from DIS‘s first two seasons or even from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which takes place concurrently. Could Anson Mount’s Captain Pike or Ethan Peck’s Spock drop by?
When can we expect to see Section 31?
With Section 31 now officially a go in its new format, Paramount is keen to make it a reality ASAP so filming is due to begin as soon as later this year. With that being the case, we should probably expect for it to make its streaming debut sometime in 2024. The second half of next year would be a feasible release window, although it’s possible it could be held over into the top of 2025. Although, given the platform’s ambitious plans for the franchise, we’d anticipate seeing it sooner than later.
What does Section 31 mean for the future of Star Trek?
According to exciting details shared by The Hollywood Reporter, Section 31 marks the beginning of “Phase 2,” the next stage of Paramount’s ambitious plans to expand the Star Trek universe. We’ve already seen a boom in the number of Trek TV series released over the past few years and now we can expect to see a similar proliferation of films too. As spearheaded by Discovery EP Alex Kurtzman, the aim is to make a new made-for-streaming feature every two years. That’s in addition to continuing the various shows (excluding the concluding Discovery and Picard), like Starfleet Academy, which is heading for a 2025 release.
Leave it to a legend like Michelle Yeoh to lead the Star Trek franchise into a thrilling new era.