The long-rumoredStar Trek: Section 31series 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, andStar 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 recentVarietyreport indicates that theMichelle Yeoh-ledspin-off series about Section 31 is still in the works at Paramount+, along with additionalTrek-related projects.
“We are still in development onSection 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 moreTrekshows in store for the streaming platform’s future, adding, “I think you may see a few more very curated additions coming.”
Paramount+ is approachingStar Trekusing 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 ofStar Trekfor streaming on Paramount+. The Paramount+ lineup ofStar Trekshows currently includesDiscovery,Picard,Lower Decks,Prodigy, andStrange New Worlds(making its series debut on August 21, 2025), 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 thatPicardwould end with its third season, opening the door for a new show.
Section 31 Spin-Off is ‘In Development’
Section 31would 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 byAlan Van Sprang ofDiary of the DeadandSurvival of the Deadfame, and later Lieutenant Ash Tyler, played byShazad Latif ofThe Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Georgiou, and her fellow agents provideDiscoverywith one of the most thorough examinations of the shadowy Starfleet Intelligence organization in the franchise.
Section 31 made its on-screen debut in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nineepisode “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. OnDS9, 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 inStar 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 upcomingSection 31series 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 toSection 31, a long-gestatingStarfleet Academyseries, which has been in development since June 2018, was also confirmed to be moving closer to fruition.
