Section 31: Everything We Know About Star Trek’s First Streaming Movie

   

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. 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 Starfleet's mysterious Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. Star Trek: Section 31 was originally planned as an ongoing show, and in January 2019, development began on a Star Trek: Section 31 series, which was scheduled to film from May to November 2020.

Prime Video: Star Trek: Discovery - Season 2

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: Section 31 Latest News

A Full Trailer Is Revealed

Star Trek Section 31 Director Reflects On Journey From TV Show To Movie
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore

Section 31 doesn't do things the conventional way, much to the chagrin of the more straight-laced officers.

With the streaming film set to arrive in January 2025, the latest news arrives in the form of a full trailer for Section 31. Catching up with Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the trailer introduces her to Omari Hardwick’s Alok who tries to recruit her to the titular Starfleet branch. Willing to join the fight, Georgiou teams up with other operatives to stop a galactic threat that could cost millions of people their lives. However, Section 31 doesn't do things the conventional way, much to the chagrin of the more straight-laced officers.

Star Trek: Section 31 Release Date

Section 31 Is Coming In 2025

Star Trek: Section 31 has finally been placed on the Paramount+ streaming calendar, but it won't be coming in 2024. Instead, the Michelle Yeoh-led feature is now slated to premiere on January 24, 2025. This comes nearly five years after the project was first announced, though a release date is a good sign that the movie will arrive on time and without further delays.

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.

Starfleet Academy has already been renewed for a second season.

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 2016Section 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 GeorgiouSection 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 Cast Details

Section 31 Includes New Faces & Star Trek Legacy Characters

Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) in Star Trek Section 31 Teaser Trailer
Image via Paramount+

Joining Michelle Yeoh (who plays Philippa Georgiou) 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 Garrettthe 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 (a race seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture). Meanwhile, Rob Kazinsky is not playing a Borg despite his character's cybernetic exo-suit, but no other details are known. Miku Martineau has been tapped to play a younger version of Georgiou.

The known cast of Section 31 includes:

Actor

Section 31 Role

 

Michelle Yeoh

Philippa Georgiou

Captain Georgiou pulls her weapon in Star Trek Discovery Vulcan Hello

Miku Martineau

Young Georgiou

A photo Ani making finger guns in the road in the movie Kate.

Sam Richardson

Quasi

Sam Richardson in Star Trek: Section 31

Humberly Gonzalez

Melle

Humberly González in Star Trek: Section 31

Kacey Rohl

Rachel Garrett

Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) in Star Trek Section 31 Teaser Trailer
Image via Paramount+

Omari Hardwick

Alok

Omari Hardwick in Star Trek: Section 31

Sven Ruygrok

Fuzz

( Sven Ruygrok) in Star Trek Section 31 Teaser Trailer
Image via Paramount+

Robert Kazinsky

Zeph

Rob Kazinsky in Star Trek: Section 31

James Hiroyuki Liao

Unknown

Paul Darros (James Hiroyuki Liao) with an evil look in Orphan Black: Echoes
Image via amc+

Star Trek: Section 31 Story Details

A Time Travel Adventure In Star Trek's "Lost Era"

Section 31s Future Beyond 2025 Star Trek Movie Gets Enthusiastic Response From Director
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore

It's unclear at this juncture how things will connect, but the "lost era" offers opportunities to fill in some gaps between TOS and TNG .

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. It's unclear at this juncture how things will connect, but the "lost era" offers opportunities to fill in some gaps between TOS and TNG.

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.

Star Trek: Section 31 Trailer

Section 31 Is Unlike Any Star Trek Fans Have Seen

Star Trek Section 31 Trailer Black & White alien

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 31'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.

With only a few weeks to go until the movie's premiere, Paramount dropped a full trailer for Star Trek: Section 31. The exciting trailer opens with Emperor Georgiou being recruited on a Section 31 mission that has galactic consequences. Teaming up with a rag-tag group of other agents, Georgiou is willing to save others, but she will do it the Section 31 way. Besides showing off the movie's slick visuals and explosive action, the trailer also drops a few more hints about the various alien races that will appear in the movie.