Star Trek: Discovery star offers update on long-awaited Section 31 spin-off

There are still ‘rumblings’ about the show

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Star Trek: Section 31is a long-touted but still unproduced spin-off ofStar Trek: Discovery. Set to star Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou from the main series, and featuring the titular behind-the-scenes organization, the show has been left on the backburner while newer spin-offStar Trek: Strange New Worldspushed ahead.

Now, one of Discovery’s stars has weighed in on why that’s the case. Actor Shazad Latif, who memorably played Ash Tyler in the first two seasons of the show, says there’s been “slight rumblings” on Section 31’s future but nothing concrete.

“It’s just been slight yeses, slight questions, but I’ve no idea,” the actor toldDigital Spy. “I think it’s down to people’s schedules.”

While at some point in 2020, Section 31 had a writers' room, in February 2021Paramount Plusexec Julie McNamara said there are still “conversations” about the show. AVarietyreport suggested the service wouldn’t add new Trek shows to the rotation until one of the five currently in production – Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks and Prodigy – ends their run.

Akiva Goldsman, one of the producers working onStar Trek: Picard season 2, was asked back in March if Section 31 is still happening. “I don’t know. I believe so,” he said.

Section 31, then, feels like it’s in limbo for the time being.

Analysis: Is this enough Star Trek?

Five shows is a lot of Star Trek – and the reason we’re still excited about the upcoming schedule is that the series are different enough from each other to really stand out. Discovery is the flagship Trek show, and it takes some big swings in terms of storytelling. Picard is more of a character piece about its aging leading man.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Strange New Worlds, meanwhile, promises classic Trek adventures with familiar characters. Prodigy is a CG animated series from some of the minds behind Netflix’s acclaimed Trollhunters series. And Lower Decks, meanwhile, is an animated comedy – and really couldn’t be more different from the others.

That’s a pretty robust schedule. It’s hard to tell if Trek has the same mileage for franchise extensions as the MCU does, for example – to us, this feels like the right balance. After all, at a certain point, the volume of shows will probably stop moving the needle on getting subscribers to sign up toParamount Plus, which is ultimately the reason they each exist.

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar’s Senior Entertainment Editor, he’s an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.

How to watch Eat Slay Love online from anywhere – stream reality TV show 2024, release date

How to watch The Day of the Jackal online from anywhere – stream new Eddie Redmayne thriller miniseries

Black Friday sale preview at Walmart – the best deals I’d buy starting at just $10