A new report has suggested that new Star Trek movies made for TV could be on the horizon. Michelle Yeoh’s upcoming Star Trek: Section 31 movie is a first for the franchise, as it will not release in theaters, but will be exclusive to Paramount+. The Star Trek: Discovery spinoff was originally planned as a TV series, but has been retooled as a movie to accommodate Michelle Yeoh’s packed schedule. However, a new report suggests that, rather than being a one-off, Section 31 could pave the way for future Star Trek TV movies.
In an extensive cover story for Variety, Adam B. Vary talks to various figures, including Alex Kurtzman, about the future of Star Trek. Visiting the set of Star Trek: Section 31, Vary suggests that Michelle Yeoh’s film could lead to future Star Trek movies being made exclusively for Paramount+. Read the quote from the Variety article below:
Michelle Yeoh’s love for Star Trek makes a sequel to Star Trek: Section 31 highly likely should the movie prove to be successful on Paramount+. Given that Section 31 started life as a potential TV show, it shouldn’t be a great narrative stretch to adapt those plans into a series of streaming exclusive movies. Elsewhere in the Variety feature, Michelle Yeoh describes Star Trek: Section 31 as “Mission: Impossible in space“, which hints at its potential to become a series of Starfleet spy movies.
With an Oscar winning Star Trek actress already willing to return for a Star Trek: Section 31 sequel movie, it feels like Paramount should lock this in while they can. Michelle Yeoh should be enough of a draw for Star Trek: Section 31 to secure some crossover appeal to Paramount+ subscribers that may not be dyed-in-the-wool Star Trek fans. All of which means that a sequel to Star Trek: Section 31 feels like a foregone conclusion before it even hits the platform.
More intriguing than the likelihood of a Star Trek: Section 31 movie is the revelation that Alex Kurtzman is considering a “follow-up” movie to Star Trek: Picard. This feels like the most promising indicator yet of Terry Matalas’ hypothetical Star Trek: Legacy becoming a reality. A Star Trek movie that picks up the adventures of the USS Enterprise-G under the command of Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) is an enticing prospect for fans, and a Picard follow-up could finally make that happen.
However, it feels more likely that any follow-up movie will put Patrick Stewart’s Admiral Jean-Luc Picard front and center. Like Michelle Yeoh, Stewart has an appeal that goes beyond the Star Trek franchise, so Paramount+ would surely want to capitalize on that profile. However, this could end up being the best of both worlds for Star Trek: Legacy as a final Patrick Stewart movie could act as a backdoor pilot for Terry Matalas’ proposed spinoff series. For now, fans will have to wait and see if success for Star Trek: Section 31 leads to Star Trek: Picard – Legacy hitting screens in the future.
All episodes of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery are available to stream on Paramount+.
