Section 31, which was originally supposed to be a television sequel to Star Trek: Discovery, has been reframed as a movie.
But that’s not all Paramount+ has up its sleeves when it comes to the Star Trek franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter [via Trekmovie], Paramount’s plan the future of Star Trek is for Alex Kurtzman and his company to create a made-for-streaming movie every two years that would air on Paramount+.
"“Section 31 is being envisioned as Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy, which with the big scope of both films would make doing a weekly series a larger challenge. The plan, sources note, is for Kurtzman and company to do a Star Trek made-for-streaming movie every two years for Paramount+.”"
Section 31 airing as a movie will, undoubtedly, focus much of its attention Michelle Yeoh, making it somewhat of a character study.
And character studies are something that interest Kurtzman as he previously said he thought they could continue to tell stories about individual characters that have appeared in shows. He mentioned doing event series (miniseries) and then the possibility of doing movies that could be two to three hours long for Paramount+. He believes “that’s the beauty of having a universe now.”
In some ways, this makes sense, as we could learn more about one character in a miniseries, and the streaming channel isn’t committed to a series run, which would effectively lower costs. Not to mention, this idea would bring in something for everyone who wants spin-offs. Though it might not be ideal for those of us who would want more, if a movie is extremely successful, it could always have a sequel as could a miniseries. The success of this idea could hinge on Section 31 which is set to go into production later on this year and could possibly be ready for air in 2024.
Movies would also provide opportunities for older actors who don’t want to commit to three years or movie of television because of the amount of time it takes. Again, this would give fans something to look forward to in the franchise without everything being wrapped around a particular series.