Rob Kazinsky, who plays Zeph in Star Trek: Section 31, teases what fans can expect from Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek streaming movie on Paramount+. Premiering on January 24, Star Trek: Section 31 is Yeoh's comeback as Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery, now drawn back into a new mission with Starfleet's black ops division. Section 31's team of super spies couldn't be more different from the noble USS Enterprise-D crew in Star Trek: The Next Generation. That makes Section 31 unique among Star Trek shows ... or does it?
Rob Zazinsky's concerns about fans disliking Star Trek: Section 31 are based on just how different Section 31 is from Star Trek: The Next Generation, even though TNG was also not well-received when it first aired. Being set a century later meant Star Trek: The Next Generation had to be different from Star Trek: The Original Series, which was not what 1980s fans wanted from a new Star Trek. After TNG proved itself, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine also drew criticism before it aired for being set on a space station; now, DS9 is a gold standard Star Trek show. This cycle has been perpetuated with virtually every new Star Trek series.
Rob Kazinsky's "Not The Trek People Want" Tease Actually Makes Section 31 More Exciting
Departing From The Norm Could Make Section 31 Great Star Trek
Star Trek Can't Survive Just By Repeating The Next Generation
Star Trek Can Be A Variety Of Stories And Genres
The Star Trek franchise can't survive just by repeating the formula that worked for Star Trek: The Next Generation. There's something comforting about returning to the familiar aesthetic in Star Trek: Lower Decks and revisiting characters who feel like friends in Star Trek: Picard, but nostalgia can't be Star Trek's only selling point. New Star Trek shows need to diversify their storytelling to appeal to a wide cross-section of viewers, and create new fans. Franchises only continue with new fans to keep them alive by watching—and eventually creating—new stories.
Star Trek: Section 31 may not be the Star Trek that most fans believe that they want right now, but that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Lower Decks were all Star Trek shows that fans were skeptical about at first, because these Star Trek shows weren't like what came before, but they found their audiences. There will always be room for Star Trek shows like TNG, but a movie with a different tone, like Star Trek: Section 31, expands and improves the Star Trek universe.
