'Star Trek: Section 31' Production Begins, Announcing 7 Cast

The 'Star Trek' movie you weren’t expecting has added Sam Richardson along its ranks

It’s time to engage. Star Trek: Section 31, the Star Trek: Discovery spin-off film starring Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou, has entered production. In addition, the Paramount+-bound film officially announced a significant portion of its supporting cast.

“And we’re off to the races! Thrilled to report principal photography has started on Star Trek: Section 31,” said executive producer Alex Kurtzman. “We welcome our incredible cast of new characters as they join our beloved Michelle Yeoh on her next wild adventure across the Trek universe.” And who are those new characters? Well that hasn’t been revealed yet, but they’ll be played by Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez and James Hiroyuki Liao. Despite Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler being put in command of some timeline’s Section 31 in Discovery’s Season 2 finale, a CBS Studios representative confirmed he will not be appearing.

Georgiou, having returned to the Mirror Universe she originated from to avoid sickness related to displacement (her main universe counterpart was killed in “The Vulcan Hello”) works as an agent for the mysterious Federation underground group Section 31. The film’s official description reads, “Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, [Georgiou] also must face the sins of her past.”

Hardwick is best known for starring as James “Ghost” St. Patrick on Starz’s Power. Rohl has such credits as V, The Killing, Wayward Pines, The Magicians and in films like Red Riding Hood opposite Amanda Seyfried. Richardson is very well known for starring Detroiters and The Afterparty, recently winning his first Emmy for his guest role as Edwin Akufo on Ted Lasso. His vast credits also include Hocus Pocus 2, Velma and Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken. Ruygrok is a South African actor known for his role as Rambo in the Spud films and as Cabaji in the live action One Piece. Kazinsky can be seen in The Gray Man, Captain Marvel, and Pacific Rim. Gonzalez can be heard in the upcoming video game Star Wars: Outlaws, and has appeared in Ginny & Georgia and Nobody. Liao is known for his roles as Edmond Ku in The Dropout and Albert Nguyen in Barry. He will soon be seen in Orphan Black: Echoes.

Craig Sweeny writes Section 31, which Olatunde Osunsanmi will direct. They and Yeoh will executive produce with Kurtzman and Aaron Baiers who do so via their Secret Hideout production company, as Sweeny, Osunsanmi, and Kurtzman are all currently under overall deals at CBS Studios, who produces. Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth of Rodenberry Entertainment also executive produce along with Frank Siracusa and John Weber.

Star Trek: Section 31 doesn’t have a release window, let alone a date, but whenever it gets out, it will be the franchise’s first movie to be released any way but theatrically, and thus the first movie overall since 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond, while more films are planned, even a fourth main Kelvin film, despite all of its troubles.

Sources: Variety, TVLine, TrekMovie