The Star Trek franchise has just revealed a treasure trove of new information about Star Trek: Section 31, season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and much more. With Star Trek: Discovery ending in 2024, and concerns over the implications of a potential Paramount merger, it’s reassuring to discover that the future of the Star Trek franchise looks very bright indeed. Key figures like Alex Kurtzman and Eugene Roddenberry Jr. have revealed new details about the upcoming Star Trek movies, Michelle Yeoh’s Section 31, and a possible sequel to Star Trek: Picard in a brand-new interview.
In a Variety feature entitled The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans, Adam B. Vary talks to a number of key figures involved with the current Star Trek TV shows and movies about the exciting future for the franchise. Talking to stars Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Michelle Yeoh, Adam B. Vary unearths some exclusive information about what to expect from Star Trek‘s next few years on TV and in theaters.
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14
The First Image Of Star Trek: Section 31 Is Released
Michelle Yeoh’s Georgiou Meets A Mystery Figure
The Variety feature gives Star Trek fans their first glimpse of Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) back in action. Star Trek: Section 31 wrapped filming recently, so attention now turns to post-production ahead of a future release on Paramount+. The image shows Georgiou whispering something into the ear of a mysterious, but memorable looking character. Whether this is a Section 31 asset or one of the movie’s antagonists is not yet clear.
Who this metal mohawked character with the tattoos and cybernetic augmentations will likely remain a mystery until such time as Star Trek: Section 31 releases a trailer. However, it’s good to see Michelle Yeoh back in her trademark black leathers playing Georgiou again after such a long delay. The first image is an intriguing tease of things to come for Michelle Yeoh’s appropriately top secret Section 31 movie.
13
Star Trek: Section 31 Features A Young Rachel Garrett
Played by Hannibal’s Kacey Rohl
One of the biggest surprises from Variety‘s Star Trek: Section 31 set report is the revelation that Georgiou will team up with a young Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl). Until now, the roles played by Section 31‘s cast have been kept under wraps. Now it’s been confirmed that Kacey Rohl will be playing the future captain of the USS Enterprise-C in Section 31. All that’s known about Garrett is how she dies, meaning that there’s a lot of unexplored backstory for Section 31 to reveal.
Rachel Garrett’s involvement in Star Trek: Section 31 could also narrow down when in the Star Trek timeline the movie is set. Rachel Garrett was a Starfleet officer in the early to mid 24th century, and died in 2344. This suggests that the Guardian of Forever didn’t send Georgiou back to her own time in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, but instead sent her to some point a few decades later.
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12
Michelle Yeoh Calls Section 31 “Mission: Impossible In Space”
Star Trek’s spy movie is more Tom Cruise than John le Carré.
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh discussed her love for the character of Georgiou in the Variety piece, and gave an enticing tease of what to expect. Yeoh describes Star Trek: Section 31 as “”Mission: Impossible” in space” which is a neat elevator pitch that gives audiences a good idea of what to expect. Under the creative direction of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie, the Mission: Impossible movies have become thrilling globetrotting adventures, filled with incredible stunts.
The idea of transposing that Mission: Impossible style to the Star Trek universe suggests that Michelle Yeoh’s movie will be full of action and adventure. Star Trek: Section 31 writer Craig Sweeny backs this up, by explaining what Star Trek‘s spy movie isn‘t. Read Craig Sweeny’s quote below:
“I didn’t want to make the John le Carré version, where you’re in the headquarters and it’s backbiting and shades of gray. I wanted to do the people who were at the edges, out in the field.
11
Section 31 Visit An Alien Nightclub
Georgiou visits a club full of classic Star Trek aliens.
When Adam B. Vary visits Michelle Yeoh on the set of Star Trek: Section 31, she’s preparing to shoot a scene inside an alien nightclub. From Quark’s Bar in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to the pleasure planet of Risa, there are many ways to unwind in the Star Trek universe. However, given that this is Section 31, it’s likely that the nightclub visited by Georgiou and Garrett will be a seedier location, perhaps where the mysterious mohawked figure is holding court.
Intriguingly, the Variety feature also reveals that the nightclub will be populated by some classic Star Trek aliens. This location is clearly some sort of hub where the movers and shakers of the galaxy are meeting up, making it a prime location for Section 31’s best operatives to be seen. Adam B. Vary gives an enticing description of the action on set while filming this scene from Star Trek: Section 31 in a quote below:
A few minutes later, dozens of extras in all manner of outlandish evening wear file into the club, several of them made up as classic “Star Trek” aliens that fans might be surprised to see in this kind of swanky establishment.
10
Jonathan Frakes’ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 Episode Is A Hollywood Murder Mystery
Frakes says that it’s “the best episode of television” he’s ever done.
Jonathan Frakes is returning to direct an episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 that he says is “the best” he’s ever done. That’s quite a claim, given the director’s prolific output between Star Trek: The Next Generation and SNW season 3. Frakes’ episode is reportedly a “Hollywood murder mystery”, which invokes images of hard-boiled detectives and glamorous settings. It sounds like one more thing to be excited about as production on Strange New Worlds season 3 continues.
9
Starfleet Academy Confirmed To Take Place In Star Trek’s 32nd Century
The show will build on Star Trek: Discovery’s established canon.
Alex Kurtzman confirms to Variety that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will be set in the 32nd century, presumably following on from Star Trek: Discovery‘s final season. The Variety feature astutely points out that, by setting Starfleet Academy in the largely unexplored 32nd century, it will reduce the amount of revision that its young adult audience will have to do. Interestingly, the feature also highlights that Star Trek has an aging fanbase, which makes a show like Starfleet Academy vital in building fandom’s next generation.
Alex Kurtzman doesn’t confirm if any of Star Trek: Discovery‘s cast will be making the transition to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. However, the confirmation of the 32nd century setting does make it more likely that Mary Wiseman’s Tilly could appear in the show as an instructor. While casting is still being kept under wraps, Kurtzman and the team did reveal some more information about Starfleet Academy‘s setting.
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8
Starfleet Academy Will Be Set in San Francisco
Star Trek’s YA show is making the voyage home.
Set designs shared with Variety by Alex Kurtzman and production designer Matthew Davies reveal that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will return to San Francisco. When Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew arrived in the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Earth was no longer a member of the Federation. This meant that Starfleet Headquarters, and a fledgling Starfleet Academy had moved off-world.
The designs reveal that the 32nd century Starfleet Academy will have “a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge“, cementing its location. San Francisco has always been Starfleet’s home, so it’s fitting that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will have its roots there. Rooting the show in San Francisco also gives Starfleet Academy a chance to explore what life on Earth looks like in Star Trek‘s 32nd century.
7
Starfleet Academy Will Be Star Trek’s Biggest-Ever Set
Every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage will be used.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy appears to be literally building the titular educational establishment for use in the show, making it the biggest set ever constructed for Star Trek. Looking over the designs with Alex Kurtzman and Matthew Davies, Adam B. Vary gives a sense of the scale of the 32nd century’s Starfleet Academy. Read his quote below:
a sprawling, two-story structure that will include a mess hall, amphitheater, trees, catwalks, multiple classrooms and a striking view of the Golden Gate Bridge in a single, contiguous space. To fit it all, they plan to use every inch of Pinewood Toronto’s 45,900 square foot soundstage, the largest in Canada
6
The Enterprise Gets A New Science Lab In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3
And there’s a glimpse of Ethan Peck’s Spock at work.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 will debut a new science lab set, and it looks very impressive. Intriguingly, the new lab is described as having “a four-foot pool of water that swirls underneath the central workbench”. Whether this means that Strange New Worlds will introduce its own cetacean ops, or continue Starfleet’s love of whales, remains to be seen. Either way, the new set is an impressive addition that suggests Lt. Spock (Ethan Peck) will need to upgraded facilities to solve some scientific conundrum in SNW season 3.
5
There’s No Genre That Strange New Worlds Can’t Do
“Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds showrunner Akiva Goldsman reaffirms that the Star Trek: The Original Series prequel can attempt any genre. Responding to Vary’s question of whether there’s a genre that Strange New Worlds couldn’t do, Goldsman had an “impish” response. Read Goldsman’s quote about a potential Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Muppet episode below:
“As long as we’re in storytelling that is cogent and sure handed, I’m not sure there is,” […] “Could it do Muppets? Sure. Could it do black and white, silent, slapstick? Maybe!”
4
Strange New Worlds AR Wall Can Be Disorienting For The Cast
But not for everyone…
Elsewhere in the Variety feature, Anson Mount discusses Star Trek: Strange New Worlds‘ use of the AR wall to create alien backdrops. Where previous Star Trek shows had used a greenscreen, the LCD screens that make up SNW‘s AR wall allow the actors to actually see the environments that they’re acting against. While it’s a benefit, it doesn’t always create a great experience for the actors, as Anson Mount points out.
“The images on the walls start to move in a way that makes no sense,” […] “You end up having to focus on something that’s right in front of you so you don’t fall down.”
However, Ethan Peck says that he doesn’t get disoriented by the AR wall, wryly joking that Spock wouldn’t be fazed by it, so he’s simply method acting. Hilariously, Anson Mount also reveals that they refer to the AR wall as the Holodeck. The route that actors take to the AR wall on the set of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is even decorated with posters of the holodeck, and a sign that reads “Weclome to the Holodeck” in the classic Star Trek font.
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3
Alex Kurtzman Is Considering A “Follow Up” To Star Trek: Picard
Could Patrick Stewart get his wish for a final Picard movie?
While news of Star Trek: Legacy is absent from Variety‘s sprawling feature about the future of the franchise, Alex Kurtzman does drop a small hint about continuing the story of Star Trek: Picard. It’s long been suspected that Star Trek: Section 31 will pave the way for more Paramount+ exclusive movies. This is confirmed by Kurtzman, who is already considering potential follow-ups should Section 31 be a success. A follow-up Star Trek: Picard movie is one of the projects that Kurtzman is considering, but there’s no further information as to what this would be.
2
Toby Haynes’ Star Trek Movie Is An Origin Story For The Entire Franchise
Is Star Trek’s origin movie set for 2026’s 60th anniversary?
Variety has confirmed that Seth Grahame-Smith’s Star Trek movie, to be directed by Andor‘s Toby Haynes, will be an origin story for the entire franchise. More interesting still is that the movie is rumored to be “on track” for pre-production to begin by the end of this year. This suggests that the theatrical release Toby Haynes’ Star Trek origin movie could form part of the 60th anniversary celebrations in 2026. Star Trek: First Contact did something very similar for the 30th anniversary celebrations in 1996, so it will be interesting to see how a new movie continues that story 30 years later.
1
The Flight Attendant’s Steve Yockey Is Working On Star Trek 4
Yockey is the latest writer to work on the Kelvin Timeline’s finale.
While Toby Haynes’ Star Trek origin movie currently appears to be on track, Star Trek 4 remains in development hell. The Variety feature states that Paramount still intends to give Chris Pine’s Star Trek movies a final chapter, but not much has changed since the last disappointing update. However, it has been confirmed that The Flight Attendant creator Steve Yockey is now working on a new draft of Star Trek 4, but there’s no further information than this. While the Kelvin Timeline movies still being stuck at the scripting stage may be disappointing, it’s hard to deny that the future of the wider Star Trek franchise looks very bright indeed.
Every Star Trek Show And The Kelvin Timeline Movies Are Now Streaming On Paramount+.
