Star Trek: Section 31 will likely be severely impacted by strikes.
Star Trek: Section 31 is a cursed project, at least that’s how it feels. Originally one of the original spinoff ideas from Star Trek: Discovery, nearly four years passed, and no word was made about the Michelle Yeoh-led project. Even after her Oscar win. News finally broke in 2023 that the long-gestating project would be happening.
Except, not as the series that it was originally pitched to be. Presumably due to budget issues at Paramount, and probably for the sake of honoring contracts, they decided to switch things up and change it from a series to a one-off film, with Yeoh set to feature in. The film is supposed to air exclusively on Paramount+, and as our own Rachel Carrington wrote, should begin production in October.
But that’s not realistic to happen at this point in time.
The writer and actor strikes will more than likely impact Star Trek: Section 31
It’s fair to say that if Section 31 wasn’t canceled in the nearly four years that it was waiting to be made, no amount of striking will kill the project. That said, as Rachel pointed out, the current strikes will undoubtedly delay production.
The actor’s strike may be over by October, but there’s certainly more of a need to get the stars of the various projects Hollywood is producing back to work, but the writer’s strike may be a long-term gambit. There are rumors the studios want to break the union to the point of writers losing their homes.
If that’s true, and when greedy people make decisions, of course it is, then the strike may last a long time past October.
Even if both are wrapped up within the next few weeks, the odds that the production will be on time is next to nil. We already know that Paramount sets unrealistic dates for productions, as we were told by the studio that Star Trek 4, featuring Chris Pine and company, would begin shooting in late 2022.
It’s now past the mid-way point of 2023, nearly a year and a half after the film’s announcement, and we’re still waiting for news on it. So it’s unlikely that Section 31 sees the light of day anytime soon.