Summary
- Star Trek: Section 31 was originally planned as a TV series but shifted to a movie due to the pandemic.
- Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the movie, which is set to premiere on Paramount+ in 2025.
- Executive producer Alex Kurtzman explained the shift to a movie format in an Entertainment Weekly interview.
Star Trek: Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+, but it was originally meant to be a TV series. Premiering in 2025 on Paramount+, Section 31 is directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi from a screenplay by Craig Sweeney. Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh headlines Section 31 as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, reprising her iconic role from Star Trek: Discovery. However, Yeoh wasn’t able to join her Section 31 cast mates, director, and Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman when they appeared at San Diego Comic-Con and released Star Trek: Section 31‘s trailer, which you can watch below.
Director Olatunde Osunsanmi posted a clip on his Instagram of a San Diego Comic-Con Entertainment Weekly interview with himself with Alex Kurtzman and Star Trek: Section 31 actors Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, and Sam Richardson where Kurtzman explained why Section 31 changed from a TV series to a made-for-streaming Star Trek movie. Read Kurtzman’s quote and watch the video below:
Alex Kurtzman: Originally, this was going to be a television show. And then the pandemic hit, and everything changed overnight, so we decided we were gonna do a movie. Right out of the gate, I was like, well, if we’re gonna do a movie, Tunde has to direct it, because he’s amazing.
Another reason Star Trek: Section 31 switched from a TV series to a movie is Michelle Yeoh’s increased demand after winning an Oscar. But Yeoh is loyal to Star Trek and used her clout to make sure Section 31 got made. Yeoh is also on board for potential sequels.
Section 31 Is The First Star Trek Movie In Almost A Decade
Other Star Trek movies made for Paramount+ could follow
By turning Star Trek: Section 31 into a made-for-streaming movie, Star Trek on Paramount+ solved a problem that plagued Star Trek movies for almost a decade. The last Star Trek movie released in theaters was 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, and Star Trek 4 produced by J.J. Abrams has been in development hell at Paramount Pictures for years. But under Alex Kurtzman’s Star Trek aegis on Paramount+, Section 31 could be the first of a new line of Star Trek streaming movies if it’s a success.
Other Star Trek movies could also be made on Paramount+ if Star Trek: Section 31 is a hit.
Paramount Pictures is reportedly still developing Star Trek 4, but has announced an Untitled Star Trek Origin prequel movie directed by Toby Haynes will be produced, hopefully in time to meet Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary in 2026. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Section 31 is essentially a reworked version of what was meant as the TV series’ premiere, and sequels could happen if Section 31 pulls worthy numbers on Paramount+. Other Star Trek movies could also be made on Paramount+ if Star Trek: Section 31 is a hit.
