star trek online section 31

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Saturday 29 February 2020

Star trek online introduces section 31 command heavy battlecruiser.

When it comes to top secret organizations, few things are as they appear, and the Section 31 Command Heavy Battlecruiser is a master of deceptive appearances – provided your sensors will even pick it up. Its powerful stealth capabilities are backed by a giant swarm of fighters to overwhelm any foes it encounters, and its infiltration capabilities are unmatched.

This vessel comes with a built in Swarm Mode. When activated, hundreds of fighter vessels will pour out of your ship, and fire on anything hostile that approaches you. A number of these drones will frequently peel off from the main swarm to attack any larger vessels that approach you. Activating Swarm Mode will increase your ship’s maneuverability, but at a small price to hull capacity. Swarm Mode cannot be activated while Dark Mode is active.

While this trait is slotted, every several seconds in combat, you will receive a secret mission to take out a nearby enemy. When that foe gets out of range or is defeated, you will acquire a new marked foe as your new secret mission. The marked foe is less resistant to you, and when they are defeated, a swarm of Section 31 Attack Drones will spawn to hunt down other targets.

The Section 31 Command Heavy Battlecruiser additionally comes with Dark Mode. When activated, Dark Mode will give your ship a massive stealth bonus, rendering you invisible to any nearby sensors. However, this boost comes with a risk – your shields will be offline for as long as Dark Mode is active. When Dark Mode ends, you gain a major damage boost for a short duration. Dark Mode can only be activated out of combat.

The Section 31 Command Heavy Battlecruiser comes equipped with the Forged Turncoat Universal Console. Activating this console will fire a stream of nanites at the target. Upon infecting it, the nanites will override its normal targeting, causing it to attack its former allies. While it attacks its former allies, its damage output will be significantly increased, and when the effects of the nanites wear off, the ship will be disabled for a short duration. This console additionally provides a passive boost to Critical Severity and Weapon Power. It can be equipped in any console slot, on any ship. You may only equip one of these consoles.

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• United Earth Starfleet agencies
• Federation Starfleet agencies

Section 31 was an organization which claimed to protect the security interests of United Earth and, later, the United Federation of Planets . During the mid- 23rd century , they were considered a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence , while by the 24th century , they were believed to be a rogue organization not considered part of the Federation, but were in fact still part of Starfleet Intelligence. ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection "; DS9 : " Inquisition ", " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ", " The Dogs of War "; PIC : " Dominion ")

The statement in Deep Space Nine that they were not part of the Federation may have been a lie to create plausible deniability for both Starfleet Intelligence and the Federation at-large considering Section 31's actions and operations.

The organization claimed to be sanctioned by the original Starfleet Charter , Article 14, Section 31 of which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat. ( DS9 : " Inquisition "; ENT : " Divergence ")

Section 31 was also somewhat comparable to the Romulan Tal Shiar or Cardassian Obsidian Order except, unlike the latter two, it - supposedly - operated on its own without Starfleet 's knowledge or consent, given that the mainstream general public of the Federation would not approve of the existence of such an agency. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ") In the 2250s, it was mentioned in rumors and even had its own insignia that was recognized, a black Starfleet badge. ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ", " Point of Light ", et al.) By the 2370s, Section 31's very existence was a deeply buried secret, known only to a handful of people beyond its own membership. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")

As noted above, Section 31 and its actions may have been known to the upper echelons of the Federation and Starfleet, but both entities would have likely maintained plausible deniability with regards to the organization.

Perhaps Section 31's darkest aspect was that, while it had existed since the beginning of Starfleet, it was ostensibly an autonomous department , having operated for over two centuries with no oversight or accountability whatsoever, even free to kill those it deemed a threat to Federation interests at its own discretion. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ") By the time of the Dominion War , at least some of Starfleet Command's top officers knew for certain of Section 31's existence, and on occasion even worked with them to serve the interests of the Federation. However, for the sake of propriety, they tended to keep as much distance from the organization as possible. ( DS9 : " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ") As far as Section 31 itself was concerned, it seemed to have well-placed agents in nearly every level of both the civilian Federation government and Starfleet's command structure, allowing it to carry out operations without risk of being publicly exposed. ( DS9 : " Extreme Measures ")

• 1.1.1 Klingon Augments
• 1.1.2 Terra Prime
• 1.2.1 Federation-Klingon War
• 1.2.2 Red Bursts and Control malfunction
• 1.3.1 Attempted recruitment of Bashir
• 1.3.2 Conference on Romulus
• 1.3.3 The morphogenic virus
• 1.3.4 Later legacy
• 1.4 Alternate reality
• 2 Organization and tactics
• 3 Known assets
• 4 Personnel
• 5.1 Background information
• 5.2.1 Novels
• 5.2.2 Video games
• 5.2.3 Comics
• 5.3 External links

History [ ]

22nd century [ ].

The organization's title came from the original Starfleet Charter, Article 14, Section 31, which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat.

Between 2149 and 2151 , a young Ensign Malcolm Reed was recruited by Section 31 through former Starfleet Security officer Harris . By the time Reed was posted to Enterprise NX-01 , he was no longer actively involved in covert operations. ( ENT : " Divergence ")

Klingon Augments [ ]

However, in late 2154 , when Reed was investigating the kidnapping of Doctor Phlox , he was contacted by Harris again. Harris' organization had entered into a secret agreement with Klingon Fleet Admiral Krell , in which Harris facilitated Phlox's forcible transportation to a Klingon colony to help in finding a cure for the Klingon augment virus in exchange for a mutually beneficial alliance .

Harris ordered Reed to slow down Enterprise 's investigation until Phlox could develop a cure. Reed complied, but his tampering was discovered by Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander T'Pol , and Reed was thrown in Enterprise 's brig . ( ENT : " Affliction ")

T'Pol reconstructed Reed's communication logs and discovered that he had been in contact with Harris. When confronted with this information, Reed confessed that he had been following Harris' orders. Captain Archer was very hurt by this revelation at first. Archer told Malcolm that he knew how loyal Malcolm was to the ship and to the captain personally and empathized with him about the extreme difficulty of the quandary he had faced by having his loyalties divided. Later, Archer had Reed put him in contact with Harris, and Harris told Archer that if Phlox was successful, the Klingon Empire would stabilize, an outcome that would be quite favorable for Starfleet. Archer remained suspicious of Harris' motives. After the plague was cured, Harris contacted Reed again, but Reed rebuffed him, declaring that he only answered to one commanding officer : Jonathan Archer. ( ENT : " Divergence ")

Terra Prime [ ]

In 2155 , Harris agreed to provide intelligence on the Earth -based Human terrorist group Terra Prime to the Enterprise crew when it was discovered that Terra Prime was attempting to disrupt the creation of the Coalition of Planets and to drive all non-Humans out of the Sol system . Harris implied to Reed that this information would come at a price, to be exacted at a later time. ( ENT : " Demons ", " Terra Prime ")

The price was further explored in the ENT novel The Good That Men Do .

23rd century [ ]

Around the 2230s , Section 31 discovered that the Klingons were researching time travel . Believing itself to be in a temporal arms race , the Daedalus Project was developed in the hopes of gaining a strategic advantage. Involved in this project were Leland , and Mike and Gabrielle Burnham . The Burnhams were on the verge of testing a time suit on Doctari Alpha , when it was believed destroyed in a Klingon terror raid . During this period, Section 31 also had at least one operative on Qo'noS . ( DIS : " The Red Angel ")

By the mid- 23rd century , Section 31 operated with some level of oversight from Starfleet. All admirals uploaded reports to Control , an artificial intelligence threat assessment system . They were known to use a black version of the Starfleet insignia which functioned as combadges . ( DIS : " Point of Light ", " Saints of Imperfection ", " Project Daedalus ")

During this period, Section 31 was using an abandoned penal colony as its headquarters . The facility also hosted the data center housing Control. ( DIS : " Project Daedalus ")

Federation-Klingon War [ ]

Personnel wearing black badges operated aboard USS Discovery during the first Federation-Klingon War . ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ")

Black insignia were seen used aboard Discovery when Michael Burnham first came aboard in " Context Is for Kings ", a fact that was highlighted but went unexplained. Ash Tyler later claimed (in DIS : " Point of Light ") to have heard of the badges but never seen them, suggesting Section 31 was no longer operating on the ship by " Choose Your Pain ", at which point he had joined the vessel's crew.

Although the Federation did not permit the use of mines , in response to the Klingon use of cloaking devices Section 31 acquired mines built by an outside actor to defend its headquarters. ( DIS : " Project Daedalus ")

Red Bursts and Control malfunction [ ]

NCIA-93, a Section 31 ship

After the war, Section 31 operated multiple NCIA-93-type ships. Their leadership included Admiral Patar (a Vulcan and a logic extremist ), an Andorian , a Human and a Tellarite admiral . Their operatives included Leland and former Terran emperor Philippa Georgiou . ( DIS : " If Memory Serves ", " Project Daedalus ")

A " bonus scene " deleted from " Will You Take My Hand? " showed the recruitment of Georgiou, in an earlier visit from Leland to Qo'noS, disguised as a Trill . He described his goal as galactic peace and complained that most people were in denial of how dangerous the universe still was despite the Klingon cease fire . He also boasted of being far more resourceful than Starfleet.

In order to ensure stability within the Klingon Empire , Georgiou was sent, on Qo'noS, to protect High Chancellor L'Rell ; Georgiou helped her kill Kol-Sha and also fake the deaths of Ash Tyler and their unnamed baby son . Onboard the NCIA-93 , Leland and Georgiou recruited Tyler. ( DIS : " Point of Light ")

At some point following the appearance of a series of red bursts , Section 31 took an interest in finding Spock after he escaped from Starbase 5 . ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ")

Eventually, Control took control of Section 31 and killed many of its leaders, including Patar and the other admirals. After the destruction of Section 31 Headquarters , Starfleet ordered all Section 31 ships to search their systems for any evidence of Control. Soon after the USS Discovery and NCIA-93 arrived at Essof IV , Leland was captured by Control in order to hijack his body. ( DIS : " Project Daedalus ", " The Red Angel ", " Perpetual Infinity ")

Burnham and Spock explored a Section 31 vessel that had delayed a transmission and had been found adrift, with all of its crew except one killed by Control. This was a trap designed to infect Burnham to provide Control access to Sphere data. However, Burnham and Spock managed to kill the remaining crewmember, who had been infected with nanotechnology, and retake the vessel.

Soon after, the Discovery was surrounded by thirty-two Section 31 ships, almost all of its fleet, commanded by Control. In the battle that followed, the Discovery received help from the USS Enterprise , Klingon and Kelpien forces. After Control was neutralized by Philippa Georgiou , the Section 31 ships became inert and were destroyed by the Enterprise . Discovery then traveled through a wormhole into the future to ensure that Control would never become sentient. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

After the Discovery was apparently destroyed, Christopher Pike blamed Section 31 for the whole catastrophe. Starfleet Command promised to reform Section 31 to make it more transparent; they named Tyler as its new commander , as both his unique dual existence as Tyler and Voq as well as his rational thinking made him ideal for the job. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

24th century [ ]

Attempted recruitment of bashir [ ].

Section 31 operative Luther Sloan, posing as Deputy Director of Internal Affairs

Over a century later, in 2374 , Section 31 attempted to recruit the chief medical officer of space station Deep Space 9 , Doctor Julian Bashir , after putting him through psychological testing on the holodeck of a ship to which he had been abducted. Subjecting Bashir to an elaborate deception designed to test his loyalty to the Federation, Section 31 operative Luther Sloan presented himself to Bashir as the Deputy Director of Starfleet Internal Affairs , and placed Bashir in a scenario wherein it appeared that he had defected to the Dominion . Eventually, Sloan became convinced of Bashir's loyalty and, citing his genetically-engineered background and fascination with spy stories, offered him a position within Section 31.

Section 31 operatives in 2374

Bashir, appalled at the thought of an organization that was not accountable to anyone and regularly violated the very principles and core values upon which the Federation had been founded, declined Sloan's offer, although Section 31 continued to regard him as a potential asset. After the agency returned him to Deep Space 9, Bashir alerted the station's senior staff – including his commanding officer, Captain Benjamin Sisko , and Bajoran Militia officers Major Kira Nerys and Constable Odo – of Section 31's existence and its attempt to recruit him. Sisko advised Bashir to accept Section 31's offer to join them, should they ask again, so that Bashir could spy on the organization for Sisko. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")

Conference on Romulus [ ]

Chairman Koval, Section 31 operative

In mid- 2375 , Sloan resurfaced and assigned Bashir to diagnose the health of Koval , Chairman of the Tal Shiar, during an upcoming conference on Romulus . In the course of his efforts to expose Section 31, Bashir discovered that he had actually been manipulated by Sloan into convincing Romulan Senator Kimara Cretak to access Koval's personal database, on suspicions that Section 31 planned to assassinate Koval. This gave Koval sufficient evidence to have Cretak arrested and charged with treason , which assured his own seat on the powerful Continuing Committee . Bashir learned that Koval was an agent of Section 31 after discovering Starfleet Admiral William Ross ' complicity in the scheme.

It seemed Section 31 had been planning for what it regarded as a likely war with the Romulan Star Empire following the Dominion War . The agency projected that the Dominion was likely to end up confined to the Gamma Quadrant with the Cardassian Union occupied and left in shambles, and the Klingon Empire left to spend at least ten years rebuilding from the damage left by the Klingon-Cardassian War , the Federation-Klingon War of 2372 to 2373 , and the Dominion War itself. Section 31 regarded Cretak as a potential threat to the Federation in the post-war Alpha Quadrant , as her primary loyalties were to the Star Empire's interests, while Koval could be counted on to influence Romulus in the Federation's favor.

Admiral Ross attempted to defend his actions to Bashir by stating that the high cost of the war justified the extreme measures being taken, but Bashir refused to concede that the ends justified the means. Ross responded by dismissing Bashir from his office and forbidding him from repeating and otherwise acknowledging their conversation. ( DS9 : " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ")

The morphogenic virus [ ]

Bashir and O'Brien utilize a multitronic engrammatic interpreter to enter Sloan's mind

Later that year, while researching the morphogenic virus that was ravaging the Great Link and Odo, Bashir discovered that Section 31 had actually engineered the disease and deliberately infected Odo during a visit to Starfleet Medical three years previously , in a preemptive attempt to neutralize the threat posed by the Founders and the Dominion. Despite the risk that a cure for the disease might reach the Changelings and thus not only strengthen them but also continue the genocidal war they had initiated, Bashir decided to still pursue the matter and find a cure to help Odo. He lured Sloan to Deep Space 9 with false claims of having developed a cure. Sloan, who was committed to the cause of protecting Federation and Starfleet interests at all costs, committed suicide in an attempt to prevent the cure from being discovered. Unable to revive him, Bashir and Chief Miles O'Brien used a multitronic engrammatic interpreter to link their minds to Sloan's, in order to finally retrieve the information before Sloan's brain injuries rendered him brain dead. In his mindscape, Sloan attempted to distract Bashir with Section 31's secrets in order to take them with him, but O'Brien got the doctor refocused on their task, and they unlinked their minds from Sloan in time. ( DS9 : " When It Rains... ", " Tacking Into the Wind ", " Extreme Measures ")

After the cure was discovered, the Federation Council decided against sharing it with the Founders, an act that Odo likened to abetting genocide. The cure was later given to the Female Changeling by Odo as a condition for surrendering her forces and ending the war. These events ruined the organization's plan to eradicate the Founders. The Changeling's surrender ended the war and allowed the Founders to live. Odo eventually returned to the Great Link to distribute the cure to the rest of the Founders, saving his people. ( DS9 : " The Dogs of War ", " What You Leave Behind ")

Given Worf later referring to Section 31 as a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence, and the Federation Council denying the cure to the Founders, it is possible the Federation Council authorized the initial morphogenic virus.

Later legacy [ ]

By 2380 , the existence of Section 31 was no longer a closely held secret. It was sufficiently widely known that Ensign Brad Boimler could claim in a passing remark to Beckett Mariner that Section 31 members speed-walked to conserve energy. ( LD : " Envoys ")

In 2381 , Lieutenant junior grade William Boimler faked his death aboard the USS Titan . He was later brought aboard a Defiant -class starship and was recruited into Section 31. At this time, black combadges were once again in use. ( LD : " Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus ")

In 2401 , Worf called Section 31 a critical division of Starfleet Intelligence . ( PIC : " The Bounty ")

Alternate reality [ ]

Inside the London facility

In the 23rd century alternate reality , Section 31 was headed by Admiral Alexander Marcus , and had a base located beneath the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London .

Following the destruction of Vulcan and a subsequent attack that the Narada committed against Earth in 2258 , Section 31 began exploring more direct means of defense, particularly against the Klingon Empire. Exploring unknown regions of space, they discovered the SS Botany Bay , with Augments still in cryostasis .

Marcus woke up Khan Noonien Singh , and recruited him into the organization under the pseudonym "John Harrison", using his intellect to develop advanced weapons systems. With another seventy-two Augments still in stasis and under Section 31's control, Khan cooperated on a project to build a Dreadnought -class vessel, the USS Vengeance , at the Io Facility near Jupiter . He also designed new torpedoes , which he attempted to smuggle his crew in, but his plan was discovered and he was forced to flee.

Assuming Marcus made good on his threat to his crew, Khan plotted revenge and blackmailed Thomas Harewood into bombing the Archive, before attacking Starfleet Headquarters and then fleeing to Qo'noS with a portable transwarp beaming device he salvaged from the London base.

Marcus attempted to cover-up the conspiracy , while still using the events to his advantage by assigning the USS Enterprise to fire the long-range torpedoes on Harrison's location with the Augments still inside. The flagship 's warp core was sabotaged , stranding it at the Neutral Zone , where Klingon patrols would come and attack, giving the Federation a reason to go to war with the Klingons. James T. Kirk prevented this when he opted to arrest Khan instead of executing him – learning the truth – and returned to Earth to expose the admiral's cooperation with a war criminal .

Marcus attempted to destroy the Enterprise with the Vengeance , but sabotage by Montgomery Scott and a boarding party of Kirk and Khan further foiled Section 31's machinations. Khan killed the admiral and then crashed the Vengeance into Starfleet Headquarters, presumably killing all the Section 31 personnel aboard. A year later, Kirk spoke out against Section 31's agenda at a memorial service for those killed by their attempts to harness Khan's mind. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Organization and tactics [ ]

Luther Sloan, a high-ranking member of Section 31, claimed that the organization dealt with threats to the Federation that others did not even realize existed and that jeopardized the Federation's very survival. Section 31's actions were autonomous and its existence was neither acknowledged nor denied by Starfleet Command or the Federation Council. Those found guilty of posing a security threat to the Federation were dealt with quietly, as Sloan once explained.

Section 31 was not accountable to anyone except within its own echelon; it did not submit reports to anyone or ask approval for specific operations. As such, Julian Bashir described it as having granted itself the powers of "judge, jury, and executioner." ( DS9 : " Inquisition ") Under Section 31 credo, to save lives, the ends always justified the means, and its operatives were not afraid to bend the rules if the situation warranted it. Odo once compared Section 31 to the Cardassian Union's Obsidian Order or the Romulan Star Empire's Tal Shiar; however unlike those groups, Section 31 did not instill political dissension or manipulation within the Federation nor did they serve as enforcers in virtute of government policy. When Sloan thought Bashir was a traitor, he extensively tested his hypothesis . When Bashir passed all of his tests, Sloan let him go despite Bashir's vocal objection to Section 31's existence, and Section 31 took no action to stop Bashir from telling his friends everything he had learned. This included Captain Benjamin Sisko, who made an inquiry to Starfleet Command that was essentially dismissed. By contrast, both the Obsidian Order and the Tal Shiar showed a willingness to kill anyone even suspected of being a threat, and to them, threats included citizens with opposing views and people who knew too much. ( TNG : " Face Of The Enemy "; DS9 : " Improbable Cause ")

A weapons summary for the advanced long-range torpedo stated that Section 31 "has been granted" special access privileges allowing the withholding of information about its remote stealth capability to the chief engineer . While this was presumably Marcus' handiwork, the language does seem to imply that some of Section 31's actions required seeking some level of cooperation from the Starfleet bureaucracy.

By the 24th century and presumably well before then, Section 31 had no known physical headquarters or base of operations. A select few were chosen to carry widespread knowledge of their activities. Recruitment of new agents had to be done in secret. One method that Section 31 used to accomplish this involved kidnapping potential agents and testing their loyalty. Section 31's recruitment policy did not allow agents to officially retire from duty, and agents who had long since moved on from the agency could be called upon at any time to carry out a mission. ( ENT : " Divergence "; DS9 : " Inquisition ", " Extreme Measures ")

Known assets [ ]

• Section 31 Headquarters – destroyed 2257
• Over 30 vessels in 2257
• Io Facility
• USS Vengeance (destroyed)
• Advanced long-range torpedo
• Portable transwarp beaming device
• Kelvin Memorial Archive (destroyed)

Personnel [ ]

• See : Section 31 personnel

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Section 31 was created by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr and resulted from his desire to look into the darker aspects of the supposed utopia created by Gene Roddenberry . Behr was inspired by a line of dialogue he had written in " The Maquis, Part II " where Commander Sisko remarks that " It's easy to be a saint in paradise. " Behr remarked, " Why is Earth a paradise in the twenty-fourth century? Well, maybe it's because there's someone watching over it and doing the nasty stuff that no one wants to think about. Of course, it's a very complicated issue. Extremely complicated. And those kinds of covert operations usually are wrong! " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 551) Behr further commented, " We need to dig deeper and find out what, indeed, life is like in the twenty-fourth century. Is it this paradise, or are there, as Harold Pinter said, 'Weasels under the coffee table.' " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. ? ) According to Ronald D. Moore , the writing staff had "extended discussions" about the backstory of Section 31, with much debate about how long the organization was to have existed. ( AOL chat , 1998 )

On the internet, the concept of Section 31 was criticized by some fans who saw it as undermining Gene Roddenberry's vision. Following the broadcast of DS9 Season 6 entry " Inquisition ", David Weddle said, about how the viewers reacted to Section 31, " There were many that were screaming for our heads over that show, (saying) that it betrayed everything that Star Trek stands for and the value system that Gene Roddenberry promoted. Others said that of course, the Federation would have to have an organization like this. Fans would get into these long ethical and political arguments, really struggling with issues like that, which was great to see. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 56) In response to such criticisms, Ronald D. Moore commented, " The idea that there's a rogue element within the Federation doing dark deeds outside the normal chain of command is certainly a provocative one, I'll grant you, but does it really throw into question 'on a fundamental level… the principled Federation we have known… '? Not yet it doesn't… It's a little early to declare the death of the UFP, folks. " ( AOL chat , 1998 )

Costume Designer Bob Blackman noted that the uniforms worn by Section 31 agents were chosen for their fascist overtones. " We design a lot of Gestapo / S.S. / Naziesque outfits for our villains. And when they're really the ultimate , like the Section 31 people, we immediately go that way to make them look like storm troopers, because that's imagery that works best, not only for the viewers but for the producers. For 'Inquisition,' Ira asked for dark black, severe, hostile looking garments. Well, that's black leather. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 553)

In the interim between seasons six and seven of DS9, the show's writing staff determined that bringing Section 31 back in the seventh and final season, delivering on an implicit promise to make the organization return, was an important goal. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 30, No. 9/10, p. 67) " We'd had that idea since the end of 'Inquisition', " Ira Behr noted. " We wanted to bring them back. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 661)

Section 31 was originally to have featured in seventh season DS9 installment " Chrysalis ". The group was included in an early version of the story that also involved Julian Bashir and genetically engineered characters Jack , Patrick , Lauren , and Sarina being sent on a mission together, and posing as Starfleet officers. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 613)

The return of Section 31 had to wait until a time when Sloan actor William Sadler was available to appear on DS9. The very deliberate idea of bringing the organization back to the series eventually led to the writing of season seven entry " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 661)

While " When It Rains... " was in development, the revelation that Section 31 was responsible for the morphogenic virus ravaging the Founders was seen as too inconsequential by René Echevarria , who co-wrote the episode's story as well as scripting the installment. He, as a result, decided to establish that the organization had also infected Odo with the same virus. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 73) The first draft script of "When It Rains..." suggested that, in addition to Sloan, one of multiple doctors who had conducted a series of scans on Odo at Starfleet Medical (in the timeframe of " Homefront " and " Paradise Lost ") had been working for Section 31 and had infected Odo with the virus in order to pass it onto the Founders, though the script didn't disclose which medic it had been. In the original version of " Extreme Measures ", however, it was established that Section 31 had recruited Doctor Mora Pol to create the virus, intending to inflict the Founders but not Odo. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 692) Echevarria and Ronald D. Moore believed, while writing " The Dogs of War ", that news of Section 31's involvement in the virus had to be learned by Odo in that episode. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 81)

Actor Jeffrey Combs enjoyed the appearances of Section 31 on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In retrospect, he said about the organization, " I loved it. It gave everything a real flair. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 17 , p. 20)

Ira Behr commented, " Well, without a doubt, the thing I wish we could have used more of was Section 31. We came into that late in the game, and I mean, if we had had an eighth season. " [1]

Incidentally, Deep Space Nine was at the time embroiled in a fierce competition with franchise contender Babylon 5 , a science fiction show created by J. Michael Straczynski , which featured striking similarities with Deep Space Nine , and which had led to contemporary to-and-fro accusations of plagiarism as both series were almost simultaneously launched. Babylon 5 had even, a little over 3 years previous, introduced a similar shadow organization, with the remarkably similar name of "Bureau 13", although B5 did not get as much mileage out of the organization as DS9 did out of Section 31, with more focus on the slightly less secret telepathic Psi Corps , and their operative Alfred Bester , played by Star Trek: The Original Series alumnus Walter Koenig , a character comparable to that of the later-conceived Section 31 Luther Sloan operative, as portrayed by William Sadler .

Prior to Section 31's appearance in Star Trek: Enterprise , Series Co-Creator and Executive Producer Rick Berman professed, " I doubt we'll see them on Enterprise." ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 101 , p. 18) While the organization seen in that series was never explicitly referred to as "Section 31", production staff have confirmed that it was intended to be the same organization seen on Deep Space Nine . ( ENT Season 4 DVD " Terra Prime " audio commentary ) Harris wears a leather uniform similar to the one worn by Sloan two hundred years later and refers Captain Archer to "Article 14, Section 31" of the Starfleet Charter. This is consistent with Sloan's comment that Section 31 was created as part of the "original" Starfleet charter, but not with Bashir's statement that Section 31 had managed to stay hidden for "over three hundred years" in " Tacking Into the Wind ". Ronald D. Moore, who wrote the DS9 episode, considered Bashir's figure a mistake and stated that it should have been only around two hundred. The figure was later corrected. ( AOL chat , 1999 )

It was not until the second season of Discovery that it was firmly established that prime universe Section 31, like their Romulan Tal Shiar and Cardassian Obsidian Order counterparts, also possessed considerable military capabilities as early as the 23rd century. The military capabilities of alternate reality Section 31 had already been established in Star Trek Into Darkness .

In a " bonus scene " deleted from " Will You Take My Hand? ", Leland described his goal as galactic peace, all the while complaining that most people lived in denial of how dangerous the universe was. He believed that peace required vigilance and a moral cost. In this, it mirrored a famous "You can't handle the truth!" speech given at a court-martial by Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson ) in the 1992 film A Few Good Men .

Despite Section 31 appearing in various other Star Trek productions, Ira Behr claimed the DS9 writing staff had rightful ownership of the organization to use in episode shows stating, " I know they used it in a movie, but it's ours. We created it. " He also draw a parallel between Section 31 and the "political situation" that was current in the year 2015. ( What We Left Behind )

Section 31 was included in a hypothetical Season 8 premiere which the DS9 writing staff devised exclusively for the purposes of including the writing of it in the documentary What We Left Behind . In that story, the organization was now covertly led by Julian Bashir and planned to secretly cause the destruction of Bajoran religion , in order to convince Bajor to finally join the Federation.

All of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs feature several "Easter eggs" known as "Section 31 hidden files".

Apocrypha [ ]

It is implied in Elusive Salvation that the name of Section 31 may stem from section 31 of floor B(asement) 14 in the Pentagon, which in 1996 housed a secretive unit of the US military dedicated to tracking alien threats.

Novels published by Pocket Books posit that Section 31 was involved in the theft of the Romulan cloaking device by the USS Enterprise , ( TOS : " The Enterprise Incident ") the development of the Omega molecule and the subsequent destruction of subspace in the Lantaru sector caused by a disastrous test of the molecule, ( VOY : " The Omega Directive ") and spying upon Federation civilian attorney Samuel T. Cogley . ( TOS : " Court Martial ") The fact that Starfleet Admiral Cartwright was established to be a Section 31 agent in the Star Trek: Section 31 novel Cloak suggests the possibility that the Khitomer conspiracy was, from the Federation end, a Section 31 operation.

Encounters with Section 31 have been documented in the novel series Star Trek: Section 31 . These stories were largely designed around, and serve to explain or provide background to, certain canon events. In the novels, it is additionally revealed that Section 31:

• placed an agent aboard the USS Voyager before it was transported to the Delta Quadrant in 2371 (see VOY : " Scientific Method ");
• attempted to recruit USS Enterprise -E conn officer Lieutenant Hawk (see Star Trek: First Contact );
• was responsible for Admiral Dougherty 's mission to forcibly and illegally relocate the Ba'ku (see Star Trek: Insurrection );
• continues to regard Julian Bashir as an asset;
• attempted to kill the former Borg drone Seven of Nine .

Section 31 is also revealed to be responsible for allowing the Dominion to engage in an infamous massacre of Federation civilians during the war, as part of an attempt to recruit a potential agent, Ethan Locken.

Section 31 has also appeared in the Star Trek: A Time to... series. In A Time to Kill and A Time to Heal by David Mack , it is revealed that Section 31 has a hand in a coup d'etat organized against the Federation President , Min Zife, whom they assassinate.

After the events of the Section 31 novel Cloak , Captain Kirk briefed Starfleet Captains Phil Waterson and Nick Silver and Commodores Aaron Stone and José Mendez on his discoveries and suspicions about Section 31. The five men went on to form the "Kirk Cabal", a secret group designed to oppose Section 31 whenever it was involved in any known activity. The Kirk Cabal was still active as of 2376 , when Elias Vaughn recruited Julian Bashir into its ranks.

In the novel Hollow Men , Tomas Roeder, a Section 31 agent, learns of the Changeling disease and attempts to leak the information to the Dominion. Roeder failed in his objective and Elim Garak was forced to kill him.

In The Good That Men Do , by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin , Section 31 recruited Commander Charles Tucker III to enter Romulan territory. The novel established that Tucker was the one who coined the name "Section 31" and that the organization was already aware of the existence of the mirror universe . Also, according to the novel, the existence and activities of Section 31 were exposed to the general public by the early 25th century and its agents were eventually brought to justice for their crimes. The public release of Section 31's files and records ended over 300 years of the bureau's illegal and unsanctioned black-ops and infiltration programs. The downfall of Section 31 is further detailed in the novels Disavowed and Control when Trill journalist Ozla Graniv, with assistance from Julian Bashir, Sarina Douglas , Data and Lal publishes an expose about Section 31's activities to the public in 2386. In the novel Available Light , the revelations result in the Federation Security Agency carrying out coordinated arrests against Section 31 operatives and assets across the Galaxy, including Admirals Edward Jellico , Alynna Nechayev , Nakamura , and William Ross ; the latter of whom would later be murdered in Federation custody, for their role in the forced removal and subsequent assassination of President Min Zife.

In the Star Trek: Enterprise - Rise of the Federation novel A Choice of Futures , when the United Federation of Planets was founded in 2161 and a unified Starfleet was created, Article 14, Section 31 of the Earth Starfleet charter was copied to the Federation Starfleet charter and allowed Section 31 to continued its activities, but it now protected the interests of the entire Federation.

Video games [ ]

In Star Trek: Starfleet Command III , in a mission in the Romulan campaign, the player is inspecting the damage to the Unity One starbase. While listening to the Federation-Klingon Alliance broadcasts, one Starfleet officer suggests, " Why don't you ask Section 31 ? " as to how Starfleet could know if the Unity One scans could detect cloaked Romulan vessels.

In the MMO game Star Trek Online , Section 31 continues to exist well into 2410, and despite some transparency among the upper echelons of Starfleet, much of Section 31's operations remain unknown to the majority of the general public. In a now-removed mission, Section 31 tests player characters on a mission in a fashion similar to that of Dr. Julian Bashir. A Section 31 agent also enlists the player's aid in several other missions. When Devidians start haunting the Klingon Neutral Zone, Section 31 assists the player in stopping them, and that same contact later sends them to Nimbus III to locate weapons of mass destruction.

In a couple of IDW Publishing comics , Section 31 had Captain Kirk test Starfleet's new cloaking device in a Star Trek: Year Four - The Enterprise Experiment story, which followed the events seen in TOS : " The Enterprise Incident ". Section 31 also had an operative aboard the Enterprise in Star Trek: Mission's End .

In the Star Trek: Ongoing comic series set in the alternate reality , Section 31 were shown to still be active despite Starfleet's efforts to remove all elements of the organization and they continued to secretly plot to ignite war between the Romulans and Klingons using contingency plans devised by Marcus before his death. However, a few of their agents believed that Marcus' actions had set the organization's work back for years to come. Section 31 also attempted to recruit Hikaru Sulu , whose younger sister Yuki ( β ) was already a member; were revealed to be responsible for Landru ; supported a rebellion on a Klingon-backed planet by supplying Robert April 's alternate reality counterpart ( β ) with Starfleet technology; and following Alexander Marcus' death, convinced the Romulan Empire to begin a war with the Klingons, thus taking the pressure off the Federation after Khan's attack.

External links [ ]

• Section 31 at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Section 31 at Wikipedia
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 PRO Season 2
• 3 Star Trek: Prodigy

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Published Jan 30, 2024

Star Trek: Section 31 Confirms Start of Production with First Look

Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh released a photo from set; plus, additional cast announced!

StarTrek.com

Red alert! 

Production is officially underway now on the original movie event, Star Trek: Section 31 , in Toronto, with the first image shared of Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh on the set of production.

In Star Trek: Section 31 , Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the fan-favorite character Yeoh first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery , joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Star Trek on Paramount+ (@startrekonpplus)

In addition to Yeoh, the cast of the CBS Studios production includes Omari Hardwick ( Powers ), Kacey Rohl ( Hannibal ), Emmy Award winner Sam Richardson ( Ted Lasso ), Sven Ruygrok ( One Piece ), Robert Kazinsky ( Pacific Rim ), Humberly Gonzalez ( Ginny & Georgia ), and James Hiroyuki Liao ( Barry ).

L to R: Omari Hardwick (credit: Warwick Saint), Kacey Rohl (credit: Kristine Cofsky), Sam Richardson (credit: Abita Jefferson), Sven Ruygrok (credit: Justin Munitz), Robert Kazinsky (credit: Eric Blackmon), Humberly Gonzalez (credit: Kristina Ruddick), James Hiroyuki Liao (credit: Joshua Monesson) 

Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman enthusiastically states, "And we’re off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on Star Trek: Section 31 . We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the Trek universe."

Previously when the project was announced , Yeoh shared, "I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long. Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of Star Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!"

Written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Star Trek: Section 31 is executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, Craig Sweeny, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth and Michelle Yeoh, and is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Star Trek: Section 31 will be available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and in all international markets where the service is available. The movie is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

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Star Trek: Section 31

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. 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. 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.

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What Is Section 31? STAR TREK’S Secret Organization, Explained

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Section 31 is the subject of the new Star Trek film for Paramount+, starring best actress winner Michelle Yeoh. She’ll reprise her Star Trek: Discovery role of former Empress Philippa Georgiou. In Star Trek’s Mirror Universe, she once ruled an empire with an iron fist. Now exiled to the main “Prime” reality, she found a new home in Starfleet’s secret arm of their intelligence apparatus, known as Section 31. But who and what exactly is Section 31, and how long has it been a part of Trek lore? Although we first heard about them in Deep Space Nine , in the Trek timeline, they’ve been around since the very founding of Starfleet.

Starfleet’s Biggest Secret, Exposed on Deep Space Nine

Section 31 made its first appearance in the Deep Space Nine sixth season episode “Inquisition.” In that 1998 episode, a mysterious man named Luther Sloan (William Sadler) who claimed he was from Starfleet Internal Affairs tried to recruit Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig). Eventually, Sloan revealed to Bashir that he’s part of Section 31, a secret autonomous intelligence agency that works within the shadows of Starfleet . An organization with no supervision, and no problem doing things that were against Federation principles. The name came from Article 14, Section 31 of the Starfleet Charter, which allowed for “extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat.”

Dr. Bashir felt Section 31 went against the very principles they founded the Federation on, and refused to join. His commanding officer, Captain Benjamin Sisko, told him if Section 31 tried to recruit him again, to take them up on the offer. If only so he could function as a double agent, as to learn more about them. The next time Sloan appeared, Bashir accepted his offer, and went on a mission for him. One where he was manipulated and used to further Federation goals during the Dominion War of 2374-2375. The excuse for something like Section 31 among Starfleet higher-ups who knew of them was that Starfleet needed an equivalent as ruthless as the Romulan and Cardassian spy organizations.

Section 31’s Most Shameful Moment

Eventually, Bashir learned of Section 31’s most heinous plot. They created a morphogenetic virus that spread to the Dominion’s Founders, the Changelings, all in an effort to wipe out their entire race. Although Bashir discovered a cure, the virus proved that Section 31 was willing to commit genocide to preserve the Federation. This fact would come back to haunt them in Star Trek: Picard season three. In this most recent season, we learned that torturous experiments on captured Changelings by Section 31 resulted in a new offshoot species, one hellbent on revenge. They made no distinction between Starfleet and the organization Starfleet knew existed, yet turned the other way when they did something abhorrent.

Section 31 in the 22nd and 23rd Centuries

The next few times we saw Section 31 were in Enterprise and Discovery, both prequel series taking place over a century before the events of DS9 . In Enterprise , we learned how Section 31 recruited NX-01 Officer Malcolm Reed in its earliest days, circa 2154. On Star Trek Discovery , which takes place a century after Enterprise , Section 31 played a big role too. The organization had its own fleet of Starships, and seemed to operate officially with some supervision from Starfleet intelligence. That seemed to contradict what we knew about them from both Deep Space Nine and Enterprise.

Eventually, there was an attempt by Control, a dangerous sentient A.I., to take over Section 31. Although the combined efforts of the starships Discovery and Enterprise stopped Control from executing its plans, Captain Pike blamed the entire fiasco on Section 31. It was during this time that Empress Philippa Georgiou joined Section 31. Coming from an “evil” universe, she had no problem doing morally murky things for the Federation. Starfleet Command promised to reform Section 31 into an agency with much more transparency going forward. Again, this does not mesh with what we know about Section 31 a century later in the DS9 era, when they are once again a secret organization.

Section 31 in Lower Decks and Picard

In the post-Dominion War era, our first mention of Section 31 was in the animated series Lower Decks. The character of William Boimler was actually recruited into Section 31. And by his time, they seemed to be common knowledge. If even someone on the U.S.S. Cerritos , the least important ship in Starfleet, knew about Section 31, then it’s not really a secret anymore. Decades later, in Star Trek: Picard , Daystrom Station is an off-the-books Black Site , where Captain Riker said Section 31 stored their most secretive projects. This just proves once more that by 2401, just about everyone knew about this once ultra-secret organization.

Section 31 in the Kelvin Timeline

We never heard about Section 31 in the era of Kirk and Spock. Obviously, because they hadn’t been conceived of yet. However, they played a big part in the lives of their alt-timeline counterparts in the film Star Trek Into Darkness . In that universe, Section 31 was under the command of Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller). This version of Section 31 had its own massive operation, and a giant starship called the Vengeance .

It was this version of Section 31 that awakened Khan Noonien Singh from his lost 20th-century sleeper ship. Once awakened, they tried to harness his genetically advanced mind for tactical advantages against their enemies. Unfortunately, Khan proved too much to handle for Section 31, and he helped bring the organization down. Because of this, it seems Section 31 became common knowledge a century before it ever was in the Prime Universe.

The Future of Section 31

The new Star Trek: Section 31 movie starring Michelle Yeoh might fill in some of the gaps and explain some of the inconsistencies we’ve seen regarding this organization. How did they go to open secret in the 23rd century, only to go back to something only a select few knew about a century year later? Certainly, a movie that is all about the evolution of Section 31 would help to explain many things about the supposedly Utopian Federation. After all, this shady group does the things no one wants to talk about that help preserve this perfect galactic union. There’s definitely an epic movie in that story.

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Star Trek: Section 31 - Everything You Need To Know

Since hitting the streaming realm in 2017, "Star Trek: Discovery" has been one of the best of the various incarnations in the greater Trek-verse. It's also become one of the more gloriously diverse editions of the "Star Trek" franchise, with creators populating the USS Discovery with a crew befitting a narrative that has always purported to explore brave new worlds. And just like its predecessors, the series has indeed boldly gone where no prior iteration — streaming or otherwise — has gone before. 

It seems the journey begun in "Star Trek: Discovery" will push that exploration even further when the series' first spin-off finally makes its way to the Paramount+ platform. That project will be a Paramount+ original movie with the working title "Star Trek: Section 31," and it's set to expand on one of the most thrilling storylines from the first three seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery." 

Here's everything new and returning fans need to know about "Star Trek: Section 31."   

What is Star Trek: Section 31 about?

If you've been watching "Star Trek: Discovery" since its early days, the name Section 31 no doubt rings a few particular bells. And you might also know a Section 31 spin-off project has been in the works at Paramount+ for a few years. That fact was initially reported by  Entertainment Weekly  in 2019, and it's only fitting that the outlet was among the first to note  that the project is now finally happening . 

As EW notes, it appears that "Star Trek: Section 31" will now hit Paramount+ as a single, feature-length movie instead of the series its creators initially envisioned. It will still detail the inner workings of the titular Starfleet sect, which are basically like the Central Intelligence Agency for the Federation of Planets. To the delight of "Star Trek" fans, the movie will be centered on the "Discovery" character who essentially introduced the clandestine agency to the Trek-loving masses. 

That character is Emperor Philippa Georgiou, and the series will follow the woman as she joins the secret Starfleet agency, doing so as she attempts to address her past transgressions. And as "Discovery" fans know, that will be no minor feat.

Who will appear in Star Trek: Section 31?

As thrilled as "Star Trek: Discovery" fans will be by the return of Emperor Phillipa Georgiou, they'll be even more over the moon to learn the character will be played by the actor who portrayed her on the series, Michelle Yeoh . The "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star was a major get for "Discovery" when she joined the series in its first season, but it's safe to say that's even more true these days. Yeoh is, of course, coming off a career year thanks to the runaway success of her film "Everything Everywhere All At Once," for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

As it is, that big win, and the career boon that will surely follow, may help explain why "Star Trek: Section 31" has transitioned from a time-consuming series to a standalone movie. Whatever the case, it'll be great to see Yeoh back in Trek mode, as her character was a fan-favorite over the first three seasons of "Discovery." 

Phillipa Georgiou was actually two characters as it were, with Yeoh playing both the Prime dimension version of the character and her mirror dimension counterpart. Given the fate of the Prime iteration, Yeoh will understandably return as the mirror-verse version. And it should be fascinating to watch that character's "Section 31" journey. For now, Yeoh is the only confirmed cast member of "Star Trek: Section 31."

Who will write and direct Star Trek: Section 31

As  Entertainment Weekly  reported, the telling of Emperor Phillipa Georgiou's story in "Star Trek: Section 31" will be in capable hands, with Craig Sweeny serving as the film's writer and Olatunde Osunsanmi on board to direct. Both writer and director are alums of "Star Trek: Discovery," so they're familiar with the world in which "Section 31" is set. 

As for Sweeny, "Discovery" was hardly his first rodeo in Hollywood, with the scribe also earning credits on hit series like "The 4400," "Medium," "Elementary," and "Limitless." And Osunsanmi has been working as an executive producer on "Discovery" since its inception, helming 12 episodes of the series himself — including several fronting Michelle Yeoh's characters. In addition, Osunsanmi has also directed episodes of "Under the Dome," "Falling Skies," "Gotham," "Colony," and "Bates Motel," just in case you were questioning his genre cred. That sort of behind-the-scenes talent should get fans excited to see what they do with "Star Trek: Section 31."

When will Star Trek: Section 31 be released?

Unfortunately, no official date has been set for the movie's streaming release. The good news is that fans will likely not have to wait that long to get eyes on it. According to Entertainment Weekly , "Star Trek: Section 31" is set to start shooting later this year. And that means the film may be lining up to hit Paramount+ sometime in 2024.

That is pure speculation, of course, with much relying on "Section 31" not hitting any production snags along the way. But given the Twitter reactions from some fans, people are pretty excited about Yeoh's return to the franchise. That includes user @nancywyuen , who celebrated the news with the post, "Best news of the day: Michelle Yeoh headlining a #StarTrek movie." They were not alone in their excitement, with  @wenbbilliams replying to the news with "In other news I'm now a 'Star Trek' fan," and @OkDoomsday summing up the general feeling of fandom by stating, "Michelle Yeoh was by far the best thing about 'Discovery.' Looking forward to this."

Thus begins the wait to see Michelle Yeoh back in action in "Star Trek: Section 31."

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

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• Emperor Georgiou may be recruiting Star Trek legacy characters into Section 31 to bring the organization down from the inside or create her own version.
• Star Trek: Section 31 aims to bridge the agency seen in Discovery with the secretive version introduced in Deep Space Nine, wiping its existence from records.
• Introducing popular legacy characters like Joseph Sisko into Section 31 could offer intriguing new layers to familiar ancillary characters.

I have a theory about Star Trek: Section 31 , and what Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou is doing in Star Trek 's first streaming movie. Section 31 is Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh's long-awaited return to Star Trek . Georgiou was written out of Star Trek: Discovery season 3 so that she could topline a Section 31 spinoff, which was originally to be an ongoing series before it was refashioned into the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. But what is Georgiou up to in Star Trek: Section 31 ?

Aside from Emperor Georgiou, the cast of Star Trek: Section 31 has not had their character names revealed - except for one. We know that Kacey Rohl is playing Rachel Garrett , the younger version of the doomed Captain of the USS Enterprise-C from Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Yesterday's Enterprise". We also know that Star Trek: Section 31 is at least partly set in Star Trek 's early 24th century "lost era" before the events of TNG. Even without knowing who they are playing, some of Star Trek: Section 31 's actors resemble younger versions of other Star Trek legacy characters, so Rachel Garrett may be the tip of the iceberg in Paramount+'s Star Trek streaming movie.

Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh headlines Star Trek: Section 31, and here's what we know about Paramount+'s first Star Trek streaming movie.

I Think Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Georgiou Is Recruiting Star Trek Legacy Characters Into Section 31

Rachel garrett may not be alone in star trek: section 31.

I theorize Emperor Georgiou is recruiting several Star Trek legacy characters into Section 31, possibly to bring the organization down from the inside or to create her own splinter version of Starfleet's black ops agency. And, like Rachel Garrett, Georgiou could be tapping idealistic, young Starfleet officers to join her squad. Looking at Star Trek: Section 31 's actors, it's not out of the question that Sam Richardson could be playing Joseph Sisko (Brock Peters), the father of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Joseph harboring a secret past with Section 31 could explain his distrust of Starfleet later in life which often frustrated Ben.

My theory also helps explain why Star Trek: Section 31 is set in the 24th century "lost era", and would fill in knowledge gaps about that time frame.

Another Star Trek: Section 31 possibility is that Rob Kazinsky could be playing a young Edward Jellico (Ronny Cox) or a young Erik Pressman (Terry O'Quinn) from Star Trek: The Next Generation . Captain Jellico is the infamous hardliner future Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, while Admiral Pressman broke a treaty with the Romulans to develop a secret Starfleet cloaking device . The seed of either controversial TNG guest star could be planted in Star Trek: Section 31. In addition, Sven Rugyrok could be a young Luther Sloan, who may learn Section 31's playbook from Emperor Georgiou.

It stands to reason, even if my theory is true, Star Trek: Section 31 will introduce several new characters and not every cast member is playing a Star Trek legacy character.

Section 31 Will Set Up Star Trek: DS9

Starfleet's black ops agency is about to go underground.

One of Star Trek: Section 31 's mission statements is to bridge the version seen in Star Trek: Discovery with the secret agency introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In Star Trek: Discovery 's early seasons, Section 31 was common knowledge within Starfleet. But in DS9 , Section 31's existence was off the books, and not even Captain Sisko knew of them at first. Star Trek: Section 31 's producers indicated that the movie explains how the black ops division was wiped from records so that an entire generation of Starfleet Officers didn't know they existed. And it could reveal why anyone previously associated with Section 31 would keep their mouths tightly shut.

Star Trek: Section 31 could let us see certain Star Trek legacy characters in an intriguing new way.

Would Star Trek: Section 31 revealing that popular legacy characters like Joseph Sisko and the future Captain Rachel Garrett were part of the black ops agency be canon-breaking? Not necessarily. Rather, it could be canon additive . Recruiting the right Star Trek legacy characters to join Section 31, if that is indeed what Emperor Georgiou is doing in Paramount+'s streaming movie, could add fascinating new layers to familiar ancillary characters. Done properly and with cleverness, Star Trek legacy characters in Section 31 could enhance their prior appearances in Star Trek and further explain their motivations and behavior. If I turn out to be right, Star Trek: Section 31 could let us see certain Star Trek legacy characters in an intriguing new way.

Star Trek: Section 31

Section 31: Everything We Know About Star Treks First Streaming Movie

• Michelle Yeoh stars in Star Trek: Section 31, a first-of-its-kind movie for the Star Trek franchise on Paramount+.
• Section 31, a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery, delves into secret ops agency history in a unique storyline.
• Set in the early 24th century, Section 31 features a diverse cast and promises a mysterious plot with time travel elements.

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. Section 31 is written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. 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 Section 31 in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.

Star Trek: Section 31 was originally planned as an ongoing series spinning off from Star Trek: Discovery , from a suggestion by Michelle Yeoh. In January 2019, development began on a Star Trek: Section 31 series, which was scheduled to film from May to November 2020. 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+.

Im Excited About Whats Next For Star Trek

Star Trek: Discovery is over, and soon Lower Decks will end, but even with fewer shows, there is still lots of exciting stuff ahead for Star Trek.

Section 31 Is Star Treks 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 2016 . Section 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 Georgiou. Section 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 31s Cast & Story

Section 31 includes new faces and star trek legacy characters.

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. 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.

Joining Michelle Yeoh 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. Although no details about the characters they play have been released, one intriguing aspect that has been revealed is that Rohl plays the younger version of Rachell Garrett. Garrett is the 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".

When Star Trek: Section 31 Will Premiere

Section 31 is awaiting a release date from paramount+.

Star Trek: Section 31 does not yet have a release date from Paramount+. Section 31 will likely premiere in 2025, although there's a chance it could also drop late in 2024 after the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks ends. Section 31 wrapped filming in March, with cast members from Star Trek: Strange New World s joining Section 31 's actors at their wrap party in Toronto. The status of Star Trek: Section 31 's post-production is not known, but the movie will be locked for its eventual premiere on Paramount+.

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 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 likely 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.

Star Trek: Section 31

Director Olatunde Osunsanmi

Studio(s) CBS

Writers Craig Sweeney

Cast Humberly Gonzlez, Joe Pingue, Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Robert Kazinsky, Michelle Yeoh, Kacey Rohl

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Guide: Uniform colors/Section 31 uniforms

• VisualEditor

These are uniforms that may or may not have been worn by Section 31 operatives. Any further information is classified.

• 1 Canon Section 31 Uniform
• 2 TOS Special Ops / Section 31 Uniforms
• 3 TNG and DS9 Style Uniforms
• 4 AGT Style Uniforms
• 5 25th Century - Sierra 1 Uniforms
• 6 25th Century - Jupiter Uniform
• 7 Academy Uniform
• 8 Veteran and Vice Admiral Uniforms

Canon Section 31 Uniform [ | ]

Section 31 Uniform

TOS Special Ops / Section 31 Uniforms [ | ]

Special Ops 31

Special Ops Uniform Skirt

TNG and DS9 Style Uniforms [ | ]

TNG Variant

DS9 Variant

AGT Style Uniforms [ | ]

Command Uniform

Operations Uniform

Sciences Uniform

25th Century - Sierra 1 Uniforms [ | ]

Security/Engineering Uniform

Medical Uniform

25th Century - Jupiter Uniform [ | ]

Jupiter Uniform

Academy Uniform [ | ]

Section 31 Recruiter Uniform

Veteran and Vice Admiral Uniforms [ | ]

Section 31 Veteran

Section 31 Vice Admiral