A great premise for aStar Trekmovie about Section 31, Starfleet’s clandestine black ops division, was already set up inStar Trek: Lower Decks, but that’s not the Section 31 movie that Paramount+ is actually making. Coming January 24,Star Trek: Section 31is the first feature-length movie inStar Trek’s streaming era.Star Trek: Section 31is a spinoff ofStar Trek: Discoveryfeaturing Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, and directed byDiscovery’s Olatunde Osunsanmi, with the darker and edgier tone that earlier seasons ofStar Trek: Discoveryembraced.
In theseason 5 finale ofStar Trek: Lower Decks, “The New Next Generation”, the crew of the USS Cerritos thwarts a barrage of soliton energy that threatens to destroyStar Trek’s Prime Universeby turning the rift into a stable multiversal portal. Captain William Boimler (Jack Quaid) andthe crew of Section 31’s Defiant-class Anaximander are poised to keep exploringStar Trek’s multiverse via the portal. Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and Admiral Alonso Freeman (Phil LaMarr) are assigned to oversee the Anaximander’s missions from the antiquated Starbase 80, which has been moved,DS9-style, to the new portal.
Star Trek: Lower Decks Set Up The Best Section 31 Movie
What Would Section 31 Do With Access To Star Trek’s Multiverse?
Star Trek: Lower Decksalready set up the best Section 31 movie in its 5th season—and for now, series—finale, “The New Next Generation”. The season-ender acts like the backdoor pilot of abrand-newStar Trekshow, with Starbase 80’s move to the new, stable multiversal portal echoing the seriespremiereofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. While the Freemans oversee Starfleet’s multiversal missions,the real tease is knowing that Section 31 plans to use Captain Boimler’s Anaximander to explore the multiverse. Yet we’ll probably never see the episodic adventures awaiting Boimler’s crew.
Star Trek: Prodigyintroduced huge amounts of lore toStar Trek’s multiverse, including the timeline-eating Loom and the return of Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) as a Traveler tasked with protecting the multiverse. Imagine if Section 31 weaponized the Loom to manufacture a temporal disaster, but William Boimler joined forces with Traveler Wesley to put a stop to it.
Themultiversal portal inStar Trek: Lower Deckshas huge implicationsfor theStar Trekuniverse, and that’s compounded by the fact that Section 31 has its hands in using it. There’s no telling what possibly nefarious plot Section 31 might have in mind, or what they might force William Boimler to do. While unraveling Section 31’s spycraft would no doubt be the movie’s greater arc,the hypotheticalStar Trek: Anaximandercould also easily be aStar Trektake on Marvel’sWhat If…?series, with one-off glimpses into infinite possibilities for familiarStar Trekcharacters. (Imagine the guest cast!)
Why Star Trek Isn’t Making Lower Decks’ Section 31 Multiverse Story
Paramount+ Scaling Back Means A Cautious Approach To New Star Trek Shows
Unfortunately,Star Trekisn’t making the Section 31 multiverse story set up byStar Trek: Lower Decks.The multiverse portal belongs toStar Trek: Lower Decks, and there are no plans to continue Mike McMahan’s animated comedy,leaving the Anaximander and Starbase 80 without continuing adventures. For now, Paramount+ is focusing on the twoStar Trekshows currently in production:Star Trek: Strange New WorldsandStar Trek: Starfleet Academy.Star Trek: Section 31might get a sequelor inspire other “Long Trek” movies—which could beLower Decksspinoffs—but that depends on how successfulSection 31is when it drops.
Star Trek’s Future Requires More Patience Than Ever
Star Trek’s current renaissance may seem like it has peaked, but with patience, we’ll have a better understanding of Star Trek’s future.
By leaving Section 31’s Anaximander storyline hanging,Star Trek: Lower Decks' finale follows a worrying trend set by other newStar Trekshows that ended recently.Star Trek: Discoveryhinted at continuing the characters' stories,Star Trek: Prodigyset up the adventures of the USS Prodigy’s new crew in the Delta Quadrant, andStar Trek: Picardfamously (and frustratingly) set upStar Trek: Legacyabout the USS Enterprise-G in the 25th century. Of these, onlyDiscoveryis likely to get a follow-through inStar Trek: Starfleet Academy; the rest, includingStar Trek: Lower Decks' Section 31 spinoff, are unlikely.
