Michelle Yeoh’s upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 film takes place in Star Trek’s “lost era,” and could answer several questions about this mysterious period of 24th century history. After the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, about 70 years pass before Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes over command of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. While TNG mentioned several historical events that took place over the preceding years, much about this period of Federation history remains unknown. The confirmation that Kacey Rohl will play a young Rachel Garrett in Star Trek: Section 31 places the timeline for the film squarely in Star Trek’s “lost era.”

Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou made her debut in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, and she became one of the show’s best villains-turned-antiheroes. After the USS Discovery traveled to the 32nd century in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Georgiou began experiencing strange and debilitating symptoms. Because she was from the Mirror Universe of the 23rd century, Georgiou was dying from her displacement in both universes and time. In Discovery season 3, the Guardian of Forever (Paul Guilfoyle) sent Georgiou back to “a time when the mirror universe and the prime universe were still aligned,” which was, apparently, the early 24th century. Star Trek: Section 31 visiting Star Trek‘s “lost era” could finally answer the following questions.

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How Did Rachel Garrett Become Captain Of The Enterprise?

Section 31 will likely reveal more about Garrett and her Starfleet career.

Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O’Neil) appeared in only one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but she made quite an impression. As the Captain of the doomed USS Enterprise-C, Garrett had a confident and commanding presence that made her immediately captivating as a character. It’s unclear what Starfleet’s secret security organization Section 31 would want with the young Garrett, but her Starfleet journey will undoubtedly be an interesting one.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” the badly damaged USS Enterprise-C inadvertently travels through a temporal rift and changes the timeline. Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise-D eventually determine that the Enterprise-C must return to its own time period to restore the proper timeline. Despite knowing they will be destroyed, the Enterprise-C returns to its proper time to prevent the bleak future. Captain Garrett is killed before her ship makes it through the wormhole, but Starfleet later honors her sacrifice and service with a statue in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

5

What Happened To The USS Enterprise-B?

Little is known about the career of the Enterprise-B after its appearance in Star Trek Generations.

The USS Enterprise-B debuted in Star Trek Generations, which saw Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) join the ship’s maiden voyage. Under the command of Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck), the Enterprise-B was quickly pulled into an impromptu rescue mission when it received a distress call from two Federation transport ships carrying El-Aurian refugees.

The El-Aurian ships had been trapped in an energy distortion known as the Nexus, and the Enterprise soon faced the same distortion. Scotty managed to break the ship free, but Kirk was caught in a hull breach and presumed dead, when, in actuality, he was trapped within the Nexus. Nothing canonically is known about what happened to the USS Enterprise-B or Captain Harriman after Star Trek Generations or exactly when the ship was decommissioned and replaced with the USS Enterprise-C. Section 31 could fill in some of this history and reveal more about one of the iconic starships named Enterprise.

4

How did Captain Bateson & The USS Bozeman Get Stuck In A Time Loop?

The USS Bozeman was stuck in a time loop for 90 years.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 18, “Cause and Effect,” the USS Enterprise-D gets stuck in a time loop in which it repeatedly crashes into the USS Bozeman. Once Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) figures out how to send himself a message between loops, he eventually prevents the collision. Captain Picard then welcomes Captain Morgan Bateson (Kelsey Grammer) and the Bozeman’s crew to the 24th century, as the ship had been missing for over 90 years.

In 2278, the Bozeman was only three weeks out from the starbase when the ship encountered the temporal distortion where it was trapped for 90 years. Star Trek: Section 31 could reveal more about Captain Bateson and his ship, as well as the journey that led to them to the temporal distortion in the Typhon Expanse. Captain Bateson is the only named member of the Bozeman’s crew, so Section 31 could also explore the other crew members who were aboard.

3

What Was Going On Between The Federation & The Romulans?

The Romulans have rarely been on good terms with the Federation.

The Earth-Romulan War was waged from 2156 to 2160, and the relationship between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire has been rocky, at best, ever since. In the early 24th century, the Federation was involved in conflicts with the Romulans, including the Tomed Incident. Although little is known about this encounter, it cost thousands of lives and led to the signing of the Treaty of Algeron in 2311.

The Treaty of Algeron redefined the Romulan Neutral Zone and prohibited Federation starships from developing or using any kind of cloaking device. After the treaty was finalized, the Romulans withdrew from interstellar politics for over fifty years, until they returned in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 26, “The Neutral Zone.” Star Trek: Section 31 could reveal more about the relationship between the Federation and the Romulans during the early 24th century.

2

Why Did The Federation Allow The Cardassian Occupation Of Bajor?

The Occupation lasted from 2319 to 2369.

In 2319, the Cardassian Union violently conquered and occupied the planet Bajor, and this period of history informed much of what happened on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The Cardassians not only decimated Bajor’s population, but also destroyed significant parts of the planet’s infrastructure and poisoned their natural resources. Throughout the occupation, Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) worked with the Bajoran Resistance, which eventually helped drive the Cardassians off of Bajor.

Although the Prime Directive technically prevented the Federation from interfering, this general order has always been open to interpretation and numerous Starfleet Captains have violated the Prime Directive to help those in need. The Cardassians have long been one of the Federation’s most ruthless enemies, but they haven’t had a major presence in a Star Trek show or movie since the end of DS9. Star Trek: Section 31 could provide more insight into the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, and why the Federation didn’t interfere sooner or more directly.

1

What Happened During Captain Picard’s Command Of The USS Stargazer?

Picard commanded the Stargazer for 22 years.

Jean-Luc Picard began attending Starfleet Academy in 2323, and sometime over the next few years he met and befriended Jack R. Crusher (Doug Wert). Upon graduating from the Academy, Picard and Crusher were both assigned to the USS Stargazer. By the year 2333, Jean-Luc Picard was serving as the helmsman on the USS Stargazer, when the Captain was killed. Picard took command of the Stargazer and Starfleet was so impressed by his actions that they officially appointed him as the starship’s Captain.

Lt. Commander Jack Crusher served under Captain Picard until 2353 when he was killed on an away mission. Jean-Luc personally returned Jack’s body to his wife, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), and son, Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). Section 31 could further explore Picard’s time at Starfleet Academy or his time as Captain of the Stargazer, and provide more insight into his friendship with Jack Crusher. Jean-Luc Picard remains one of Star Trek’s most beloved and iconic characters, and Star Trek: Section 31 could fill in more of his backstory.

Star Trek: Section 31 will be available to stream at a future date on Paramount+.