While Star Trek 4 remains firmly stuck in pre-production hell, Michelle Yeoh’s Section 31 begins filming in a matter of weeks. The film will be the first Star Trek movie since 2016’s Beyond.
Star Trek: Section 31 will be released on Paramount Plus, which is positioning itself as the go-to streaming hub for fans of the franchise. While the Star Trek Section 31 release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, a summer 2025 debut now looks likely in line with the news that filming will begin on January 29, 2024, as per TrekMovie.
Filming will reportedly last six weeks, concluding in March, before post-production work begins. As with all Star Trek movies, the post-production period will likely be a lengthy one, as extensive work is put into VFX. After all, almost all the franchise’s films (barring The Voyage Home) include a degree of bombastic space combat between ships, and Section 31 will likely be no different.
Given the upcoming schedule, a first look at the new movie shouldn’t be too far away, which could help to give more insight into the plot of the movie, and the cast list. Little has been announced about either of these elements and in true Section 31 style secrecy seems to be the byword at Paramount in relation to the film.
When Section 31 was announced back in April of this year, it was confirmed that newly-minted Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh would be reprising her role as Philippa Georgiou, a Star Trek character from the earlier seasons of Discovery, to lead the film. However, the last time we saw Georgiou she had been catapulted back into the past to an unspecified date.
Knowing that she’ll become involved with the titular Section 31 (a clandestine, black ops section of the Federation introduced in the Star Trek series DS9) it’s feasible that we could see Georgiou play a role in the formation of the organization, or perhaps recruited later on in its lifetime to lead a dangerous mission. It could even be set in the 25th century, and feature recurring characters from the TNG/DS9/Voyager era of the Star Trek timeline, featuring faces like Dr. Bashir or Worf. Or, maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
Either way, alongside Strange New Worlds season 3, Section 31 is one of the most exciting Star Trek projects on the horizon. Whatever the details end up being, we’re willing to bet that Section 31 going to be a blast.
For more Star Trek fun, check out our guide to the best Star Trek starships, or see our ranking of the Star Trek captains. You can also see who we think is the grumpiest Star Trek doctor. Yes, we answer the important questions.