Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 wrote off Mirror Georgiou in a way that seemingly confirmed the character's long-gestating spinoff was still in the works. By and large, there hasn't been any reason to think otherwise, but there also hasn't been word on when Michelle Yeoh's entry in the franchise will appear. Now, following recent comments from producer Akiva Goldsman, there's reason to suspect the spinoff may not happen at all.
Though it was one of the first spinoffs to be announced following the release of Star Trek: Discovery, the Section 31 spinoff is still in limbo as others announced after it are in production or even in the process of releasing more seasons. Star Trek producer Akiva Goldsman was asked if the show is still happening in an interview with THR, and his update won't sound too reassuring to those who had hopes of seeing this project from executive producer Alex Kurtzman soon.
I don't know. I believe so. Alex has a plan. You know, Picard wasn't supposed to be a series. It was just a one-off scene in a Short Treks. He wasn't even going to be played by Patrick Stewart. They were going to have a young Picard at the end of a short we were making up. Then Alex was like, 'What if it was Patrick Stewart? … What if it wasn't one scene?' Alex has a plan, and it's pretty cool.
The initial "I don't know" may be concerning. With that said, Star Trek: Discovery seemingly wrote off Michelle Yeoh's Georgiou (who is set to lead the project) back in Season 3, possibly in anticipation for the spinoff. Unfortunately, fans could be waiting a while to see what comes next for Georgiou as Alex Kurtzman told Variety in February that Section 31 or any other Trek spinoff won't happen until one of the five current Trek shows are completed. Could Akiva Goldsman's "I don't know" mean something may have changed?
It's worth noting that while Akiva Goldsman has had a hand in every new live-action Star Trek series that has aired thus far, it's possible he's not one to be in the know on the status of the Section 31 series. Goldsman did kind of push off the response on the fact that Alex Kurtzman is the mastermind of this television initiative and assured that there is a plan in place for what's happening.
I should also playfully point out that this wouldn't be the first time Akiva Goldsman was out of the loop on something Star Trek. Goldsman revealed in the past that he originally signed on for Discovery because he believed as a Pre-Kirk series, the show would star Captain Pike. It wasn't until he arrived in the writers' room he learned differently, and maybe why he's now the co-showrunner of the Pike-centric spinoff Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
So, is the Section 31 spinoff still happening? It seems that's still up for debate, and at the very least, we can't expect it to begin until one of the currently airing shows has concluded. Perhaps, since past reports indicated the series had a production start date of 2020, one of those shows could be headed to an end sooner than later?
Obviously Star Trek: Discovery has been on for the longest, so it's possible it'll be the first to go, or maybe Patrick Stewart's return as Picard won't last quite as long as Discovery? There are countless possibilities that could lead any of the shows to end, really, so there's no guarantee which, if any, would be the first to go in the near future.
And even if one of those ends, who's to say another idea for a series won't spring up and divert Star Trek away from the Section 31 spinoff further? After all, this spinoff was the first announced and hasn't gotten off the ground yet, and Michelle Yeoh surely has offers for her to appear in other things. I'm optimistic we may still see the series yet, but it does feel like these latest comments make it happening an "if" rather than "when."
Those who haven't had a chance to check out all the new Star Trek can do so with a subscription to Paramount+. For more on that universe, read up on our recent interview with Julie Nimoy and her thoughts on Ethan Peck's portrayal of Spock.
