Star Trek: Section 31will officially breakStar Trek’s movie curse after 9 years. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny,Star Trek: Section 31is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+.Section 31marks the return of Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the anti-heroine she played inStar Trek: Discovery. Yeoh leads an all-newStar Trekcast that includes Sam Richardson, Kacey Rohl, Humberly Gonzalez, and Robert Kazinsky.
Star Trekmovieshave been a beloved staple of Gene Roddenberry’s franchise sinceStar Trek: The Motion Picturepremiered in 1979.Star Trekmovies have delivered some of the saga’s most memorable and beloved moments, from Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) death inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) facing down the Borg inStar Trek: First Contact, to Captain James T. Kirk’s (Chris Pine) rapid rise to become Captain of the USS Enterprise in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek(2009).Section 31is the 14thStar Trekmovie, reinvigorating the film side ofStar Trekthat has been dormant sinceStar Trek Beyondin 2016.
Star Trek: Section 31 Is The First Star Trek Movie In 9 Years
The long wait is over
Star Trek: Section 31will premiere on Friday, August 13, 2025, exclusively on Paramount+.With its release date officially set,Section 31will end the 9-year-long wait for a newStar Trekmovie. The lastStar Trekmovie,Star Trek Beyond, was released in theaters in the summer of 2016. Since then, there have been many failed attempts to develop a J.J. Abrams-producedStar Trek 4,with directors like S.J. Clarkson, Matt Shakman, and evenQuentin Tarantino walking away fromStar Trekover creative differences.
Michelle Yeoh’s Return In Section 31 Star Trek Movie Will Tell A Story That Goes Where The Franchise Has Never Gone Before
Star Trek: Section 31 will tell the origin of how Philippa Georgiou became Emperor in the Mirror Universe, something Star Trek hasn’t done before.
Star Trek: Section 31was originally developed as an ongoing series starring Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Georgiou, who joined Section 31 inStar Trek: Discoveryseason 2. Georgiou was written out ofStar Trek: Discoveryseason 3 to pave the way for her spinoff. However, the COVID-19 pandemic halted production, while Yeoh winning the Best Actress Oscar forEverything Everywhere All At Oncemade her in-demand and changed her availability. YetMichelle Yeoh remained committed toStar Trek,andshe used her clout to push forSection 31to get made, but now reconfigured as a made-for-streaming movie on Paramount+.
Section 31 Is The Longest Fans Have Waited For A Star Trek Movie Since The 1970s
It was 10 years between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Nine years is certainly a long time to wait for a newStar Trekmovie, but it’snot quite the longest drought to see the final frontier on the big screen.Technically,Star Trek: The Motion Picturehit movie theaters 10 years after NBC canceledStar Trek: The Original Series. AfterStar Trekbecame a hit and indelible phenomenon in syndication,Paramount developed a sequel series,Star Trek: Phase II, in the mid-1970s. However, the box office success ofStar Warsin 1977 prompted Paramount to turnStar Trekinto a feature film instead. Although not beloved by critics or audiences,Star Trek: The Motion Picturedid big enough box office business to warrant a sequel and spawn aStar Trekmovie franchise.
Star Trek Beyond Ending & Why No Sequel 8 Years Later Explained
Star Trek Beyond set up a sequel for Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and the Kelvin Timeline crew, but it’s 8 years later and we’ve yet to see Star Trek 4.
AfterStar Trek: The Motion Picture,audiences became accustomed to enjoying a newStar Trekmovie every 2-3 years in the 1980s. WhenStar Trek: The Next Generationtook over the movie franchise, it delivered a new film every 2 years until the 4-year wait between 1998’sStar Trek: Insurrectionand 2002’sStar Trek: Nemesis,which failed badly enough to put an end to theTNGmovie franchise. 7 years later, J.J. Abrams rebootedStar Trekin 2009, with a four-year wait for a sequel,Star Trek Into Darknessin 2013, and 3 more years untilStar Trek Beyondin 2016,
What We Know About Star Trek: Section 31
Michelle Yeoh heads the first Star Trek spy movie
Star Trek: Section 31has been shrouded in mystery, but a few key details have leaked thanks to the trailer released at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.Star Trek: Section 31takes place in the 24th-century"lost era"beforeStar Trek: The Next Generationbegins, but there will also be flashbacks to the 23rd-century Mirror Universe depicting how the young Phillippa Georgiou (Miku Martineau) became the Terran Emperor.Section 31is a spy movie centering on espionage and uncovering dirty secretsabout Starfleet’s black ops organization while Georgiou herself faces the sins of her past.
Section 31 Movie Can Reveal If Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Connects To Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise’s Mirror Universe saw Empress Hoshi Sato rise to power. Star Trek: Section 31 can reveal if she has ties to Emperor Georgiou.
Emperor Georgiou surrounds herself with a compellingcast of new faces with ties to various aspects ofStar Trek’s legacy. Kacey Rohl plays the younger version of the doomedCaptain Rachel GarrettfromStar Trek: The Next Generation. Sam Richardson plays a Chameloid, the first member of the shapeshifting species since Iman played Martia inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Humberly Gonzalez plays a Deltan, one of the few seen inStar Treksince Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) inStar Trek: The Motion Picture. There are also said to be even more callbacks and surprises inStar Trek: Section 31.
What Is The Next Star Trek Movie After Section 31?
2026 could have another new Star Trek movie
Star Trek: Section 31’s premiere in 2025 could be followed bya newStar Trekmovie in 2026. Earlier this year, Paramount Studios announced aStar Trek Originprequel moviedirected by Toby Haynes and written by Seth Grahame-Smith. Haynes’Star Trekprequel movie was expected to start production for a potential 2026 release, which would help celebrate the 60th anniversary ofStar Trek.However, nothing new has been reported about theStar Trek Originmovie’s progress. If it happens,Star Trek Originwould be the first theatricalStar Trekmovie sinceStar Trek Beyond- a full ten years between fans being able to watch a newStar Trekmovie at their local multiplex.
Section 31’s potential success on Paramount+ would open the door for sequels and even more made-for-streaming Star Trek movies.
Meanwhile,Star Trek 4remains in development helldespite screenwriter Steve Yockey reportedly coming aboard to write a new script reuniting Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and theirStar Trekcast for the"final chapter"of their Starship Enterprise’s saga. Pine’scast is open to returning to the Enterprise and playingolder versions of their iconicStar Trekcharacters.Star Trek: Section 31’s story is an enhanced version of its pilot script when it was originally a TV series, andSection 31’s potential success on Paramount+ would open the door for sequels and even more made-for-streamingStar Trekmovies. It’s been a long road since the lastStar Trekmovie, but expectStar Trek: Section 31to be worth the 9-year wait.
