This weekStar Trekboldly go with the first major movie of its streaming earned run average : Section 31 , a long - in - the - worksformer seriesturned into a stream movie vehicle for Michelle Yeoh , returning to the franchise for the first clock time since sheexitedDiscoveryin 2020 . But aside from the controversial spy organization that gives the film its name , here ’s what else you take to know occur into the film .

What Is Section 31?

First introduced in the sixth time of year ofStar Trek : Deep Space Nine , Section 31 is aclandestine intelligence branchof the Federation — separate from the public confront intelligence flank of Starfleet — intended to act as a smutty ops organization with the remit to play against existential threats to the Federation . Named for a article in Starfleet ’s charter that allowed for “ extraordinary measures ” in the face of extreme threats , Section 31 operated without official noesis or counseling from the Federation or Starfleet at large , performing wetworks , blind , and counterintelligence operations throughout the history of Starfleet .

Although bring in inDeep Space Nineat the meridian of the Dominion War electric discharge , incision 31 would make appearances inEnterpriseandDiscoveryto establish their roots earlier withinStar Trek‘s primary timeline , but ever since its entry , the grouping has been seenas deep controversialbyStar Trekfans for what the creation of secret police within the franchise ’s utopian setting means for the idealistic nature of that utopia .

The Brief, Universe-Hopping History of Philippa Georgiou

Discoveryfirst introduced Michelle Yeoh ’s Philippa Georgiou as the master of the USSShenzhou , only for her to be killed in natural action at the irruption of the Klingon - Federation warfare portrayed throughout the show ’s first time of year . However , Yeoh would return to impersonate the character later that same time of year during a plotline set inStar Trek‘s notorious parallel world , the Mirror Universe . There , Georgiou was not an military officer in the Terran Empire , but its Saturnia pavonia — and after surviving a coup attempt , she was land back with the crew of theDiscoverytoStar Trek‘s prime universe at the behest of Michael Burnham , who had been a protégé of the prime Georgiou and first police officer aboard theShenzhou .

Mirror Georgiou was recruited into Section 31 after the conclusion of the war , acting as an agent ab initio tasked with maintaining the constancy of the Klingon Empire ’s post - war premier , L’Rell . But she eventually made her way back aboard theDiscoverywhen the ship was forced to send itself grand of year in to the hereafter to the 32nd Century to ruin a rogue contrived intelligence get by Section 31 , Control . However , temporal distance from both her home reality and her home timeline do Georgiou to begin destabilizing on a molecular level . After encountering theGuardian of Forever , who tested Georgiou to see if her clock time in the meridian universe had vary her as a person , she was sent back to an undisclosed prison term period ( more on that by and by ) where the Mirror and Prime universes were still align , allowing her to stay in the latter universe without the menace of destabilisation .

Who Else Is inSection 31?

Yeoh ’s Georgiou is the principal returning character inSection 31 , but she ’s not the only familiar grapheme among its cast of mostly new characters . Here ’s a brief summation of the main Section 31 federal agent we ’re determine to fill in the movie :

When IsSection 31Set?

While we do n’t have an accurate place setting for the movie just yet beyond the fact that it ’s rig inStar Trek‘s prime realness , the beingness of Rachel Garrett in the cast suggests that the series has to be mark some meter in the other twenty-fourth century , open that she has not yet ascend to the social status of captain nor train command of theEnterprise - C. This would setSection 31 in a menstruum mostly uncovered byStar Trekon the small screen , commonly know as the “ Lost Era . ” The original serial was set during the late 2260s , with its heir films assume place from the 2270s through to the 2290s , whileThe Next Generationbegan in 2364 , concisely after the commissioning of theEnterprise - cholecalciferol almost 20 age after its harbinger ’s destruction .

TheEnterprise - C itself run in a menses of time where the Federation and the Klingon Empire ’s relationship after the sign language of the Khitomer Accords peace accord at the end of the 23rd one C was still relatively strained . It took the Federation flagship ’s forfeit safeguarding Klingon forces to tone up relations between the two factions , finally lead to the schematic Treaty of Alliance established some time between 2344 and the events ofThe Next genesis — which could give us some hints as to what the res publica of the existence is like by the clip ofSection 31 .

Section 31hits Paramount+ start January 24 .

Star Trek Section 31 Movie

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Star Trek Section 31 Characters

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