In fact, in March 2021, reports centred around an interview in Variety with Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman and executive vice president of original content at CBS All Access, Julie McNamara, which seemed to state that no new Star Trek series would be launched until one of the current five ends its run.
Those in question are Discovery (just entering its fourth season), Picard (about to start season 2), Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds. With the last two not even aired yet, this seems to suggest that it may be quite some time before Section 31 arrives.
There is hope though, with Picard being fronted by the octogenarian legend that is Patrick Stewart. It’s hard to see how that show will continue for multiple seasons, unless the secondary characters are to take over the main story lines. Captain Picard is a shining star in the Trek firmament but could decide to hang up his uniform and reach for the Earl Grey before too long. Although we hope not, as he’s such a wonderful character.
What is the plot of Star Trek: Section 31?
As the show hasn’t been put into production yet, there’s no details on any plotlines at the moment. What we do know is that Section 31 is the ‘black ops’ of Starfleet, running along similar lines to the Romulan Tal Shiar and Cardassian Obsidian Order, doing the dirty work of spycraft and sabotage that wouldn’t necessarily sit well with the public ideals of Starfleet.
Section 31 has popped up in various Trek series, with one of the bridge crew in Enterprise revealed as a former member, and a full storyline involving Dr Bashir in the later seasons of Deep Space Nine. Most recently, the secretive organisation appeared in season two of Star Trek: Discovery, with Michelle Yeoh’s character joining them at the end, along with Michael Burnham’s tragic lover Ash Tyler.
This sets things up perfectly for the emergence of a new series, with the ruthless Georgiou heading up the Star Trek dark arts crew.
Who are the cast and crew of Star Trek: Section 31?
Aside from Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, there are no other confirmed details about who will appear in the show. As mentioned earlier, the character of Ash Tyler has already been recruited into the organisation through a storyline on Star Trek: Discovery, so this could see Shazad Latif reprise his role.
Another character we’ve already met is the mysterious Leland, played by Alan Van Sprang, who commanded the Section 31 ship in the Discovery storyline. He is a known associate of Captain Christopher Pike, whose own show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is set to launch later this year, so there are possibilities of a cross-over between the two.
Where can I watch Star Trek: Section 31?
This is hard to know at the moment. Paramount+ is the one-stop shop for modern Star Trek in the USA (replacing the now defunct CBS All Access), but in the UK it’s split between Netflix (Discovery) and Amazon Prime Video (Picard and Lower Decks). Maybe by the time the crew of Section 31 arrives, we will see order brought to the Trek universe?
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