The long-rumored Star Trek: Section 31 series might be more than a rumor after all! Paramount+ is currently home to five television series in the Star Trek Universe, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, but what Trekkie ever said that five series with the best captains in the galaxy was enough to satiate a never-ending lust for blood wine and mud slop? Good thing the execs at ViacomCBS agree. A recent Variety report indicates that the Michelle Yeoh-led spin-off series about Section 31 is still in the works at Paramount+, along with additional Trek-related projects.

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“We are still in development on Section 31, so there will be more news on that soon,” said Paramount+’s President of Original Scripted Series Nicole Clemens. She went on to say that there are more Trek shows in store for the streaming platform’s future, adding, “I think you may see a few more very curated additions coming.”

Paramount+ is approaching Star Trek using the “always on slate” strategy, which seeks to begin one series just as another ends. This strategy ensures that every week of the year features a new episode of Star Trek for streaming on Paramount+. The Paramount+ lineup of Star Trek shows currently includes Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds (making its series debut on March 3, 2022), with an episode from one of five shows guaranteed to premiere each Thursday.

In February 2022, Star Trek Universe chief Alex Kurtzman and then-Paramount+ executive Julie McNamara emphasized that these five shows would not be expanded into a more extensive slate until one of them had concluded. However, last week, an interview with Kurtzman in SFX Magazine revealed that Picard would end with its third season, opening the door for a new show.

Section 31 Spin-Off is ‘In Development’

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Section 31 would see the return of Yeoh as Emperor Georgiou, who made her way from the Mirror Universe into the Prime timeline and ultimately ended up becoming embroiled in the machinations of (one of) Star Trek’s most notorious secret organizations. In case any secret police from the future are reading, no disrespect is intended to the Tal Shi’ar, Zhat Vash, Qowat Milat, or any other Romulan secret police organization. Together with Leland, played by Alan Van Sprang of Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead fame, and later Lieutenant Ash Tyler, played by Shazad Latif of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Georgiou, and her fellow agents provide Discovery with one of the most thorough examinations of the shadowy Starfleet Intelligence organization in the franchise.

Section 31 made its on-screen debut in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Inquisition.” Created by executive producer Ira Steven Behr, Section 31 was meant to illuminate some of the darker sides of the utopia created by Gene Roddenberry. On DS9, Luther Sloan (William Sadler) provided the face of the clandestine organization, attempting (and failing) to recruit the genetically-modified Doctor Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) into Section 31’s ranks. The organization was further developed in Star Trek: Enterprise, which revealed Section 31’s origins, and underscored just how long it had been shadowing the Federation.

While it’s unclear where on the timeline the upcoming Section 31 series may fall, there is fertile narrative ground galore for the show to draw upon. The show had previously entered pre-production in January 2020, and it was supposed to begin filming in May 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. However, Kurtzman has confirmed that the writer’s room has continued via Zoom. In addition to Section 31, a long-gestating Starfleet Academy series, which has been in development since June 2018, was also confirmed to be moving closer to fruition.