Star Trek: Section 31 is still a project we know little about. A few weeks ago we caught our first glimpse at the upcoming streaming film led by Michelle Yeoh. While we learned about a returning character from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, putting doubt on when the movie is actually set in the timeline. Another curveball has appeared as a Classic Star Trek Alien detail has popped up.
We know that the film will show us former Emperor Philippa Georgiou in action once again. She must face the sins of her past while also trying to protect the Federation. We also know that the film is directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny. Both of them worked on Star Trek: Discovery, of which this film is a spin-off. As far as the plot goes, no real details have been revealed. We don’t even know when the film is set in, with certain cast announcements complicating this significantly.
Minor Spoilers—This article contains casting and character reveals for Star Trek: Section 31, as well as a healthy amount of speculation.
Familiar Faces
The film is led by Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou. However, she’s not going to be surrounded by just fresh faces. As Variety reported a few weeks ago, actress Kacey Rohl stars in the film as Rachel Garrett. How the Captain of the USS Enterprise-C factors into the film remains to be seen, but she won’t be the only identifiable face surrounding Georgiou on this adventure!
IMDB lists actress Avaah Blackwell appearing in Star Trek: Section 31 as a Vaadwaur. Blackwell was not previously listed as appearing in the film, although she’s no stranger to the Star Trek franchise. She’s previously appeared in 27 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, mostly as an Osnullus, but also as Lieutenant Ina, Captain Rahma, and even a Kelpien. There’s even an appearance listed in the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery series finale “Life, Itself” airing this May!
While she’s no stranger to heavy alien prosthetics, what is this new role she’s taken on in the Vaadwaur? What if I told you that this complicates the question of when the movie is set significantly? This could hold a key as to where the movie could be going. But what even are the Vaadwaur? It’s time for a bit of a Star Trek lore deep dive!
The Vaadwaur In Star Trek
The Vaadwaur are probably best known for their appearance in Star Trek: Voyager‘s episode “Dragon’s Teeth.” In fact, outside of a background cameo in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise (more on that in a minute), they’ve been a single-appearance species. In this respect, they resemble Rachel Garrett. In the episode, they were colonisers from the Delta Quadrant, believed to have gone extinct sometime around the 1500s.
However, 600 Vaadwaur survived the bombardment by the Turei Coalition and entered stasis for nearly 900 years. The USS Voyager pulled them out of stasis and soon tried to take control of the ship. With the help of the Turei, the Vaadwaur’s imperialistic ambitions were driven back and shattered. However, 53 Vaadwaur vessels fled the unknown, leaving them a major threat to the Federation.
They were never directly seen again in Star Trek canon, although were the antagonists of the Delta Rising expansion of the non-canon Star Trek Online. How they appear in the Section 31 film, is a mystery. Perhaps the movie is cutting through time, or some Vaadwaur escaped the bombardment. This would match up with their background cameo in Enterprise‘s “Dead Stop”, set in the 22nd Century, where one was found aboard the automated repair station.
Conclusion
Star Trek: Section 31 has no official release date. However, given it wrapped filming about a month ago, more news will probably come soon. Perhaps it’ll even come out this year; only time will tell. If recent news is anything to go by, the future of Star Trek movies looks bright. Outside of Section 31, considered ideas include a follow-up to Star Trek: Picard, the long-awaited Star Trek 4, and a mysterious “origin story” from Star Wars: Andor director Toby Haynes.
Whatever lies ahead for Section 31, you can bet the team here at Trek Central will be here to cover any new developments as they happen. While still shrouded in mystery, it’s becoming a very exciting film. For more news, reviews, lore deep dives and more, be sure to follow the team here at Trek Central!
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