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“The Thing,” “The Fly” and the Best Body Horror Movies Ever

Forty years ago, John Carpenter released a horror movie called The Thing . In the early ‘80s, Hollywood seemed to be extremely interested in extraterrestrial life and the not-quite-human: in 1982 alone, three of the top 30 movies were E.T. , Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Blade Runner . 

The Thing , which is about a parasitic alien lifeform capable of mimicking other living organisms, was not as successful. It barely beat out its $15 million budget at the box office. It doesn’t have the sweetness or the optimism of E.T. ; it doesn’t have the world-building narrative charm of a Star Trek movie; it doesn’t have the cool, sci-fi crispness of Blade Runner . 

And yet here we are celebrating The Thing after four decades, because it has a long-lasting popularity that makes it nearly the equal of those aforementioned films. What it has instead of all of the stuff those other movies have is blood, guts and gore. It’s a body horror movie, which means it showcases grotesque changes to the human form. 

Body horror movies have an appeal that’s hard to explain in words, but is immediately understandable to anyone who has ever, for example, popped a zit. Movies —  The Thing among them — create a fantasy space where we can imagine the limits of what the human form can endure. Movies are thought experiments, narrative hypotheses. We wonder what would happen if… And we get lost in the possibilities of that. 

Body horror movies also seem to endure over time. The movies on this list were not often the biggest blockbusters when they came out, but they’ve gathered followers over the years. Something in them makes our skin crawl but that something also sticks with us — and we keep going back. Body horror movies are like the little sore in your mouth that you can’t stop touching with your tongue. But don’t worry! They’re just movies, right?

Dark Passage (1947)

Before we get into proper body horror films, I wanted to shout out this gem from 1947 by the great director Delmer Daves. It’s the story of a man who escapes from prison after being wrongfully convicted for murdering his wife. It’s also one of the four great movies that the real-life movie-star couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made together, and it’s worth watching for that reason alone. 

But what makes this movie really great is that for the first third of it, we see everything from the perspective of Vincent Parry (Bogart). That means we never see his face until — due to a convenient plot twist — he gets some shady plastic surgery in the middle of the night and a couple weeks later is revealed to look like, well, Humphrey Bogart. It’s a great movie joke — having Bogart play an unseen man who does not look like Bogart until he does. 

And yet there’s something creepy about it — about imagining someone’s face being altered to look like an entirely new person. It never sits quite right, and it’s part of what gives us the nagging sense that something’s wrong all the way through the film. Dark Passage has a happy ending, but to me it’s proto-body horror for the way it makes me squirm at the manipulation of the human form.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

I thought about including the 1978 remake of this film, but the purist in me wants to go with the original here. This movie, directed by Don Siegel, is an absolute masterpiece of the genre, and really as a movie, period. It concerns an alien invasion and involves plant seed pods that are able to grow exact visual copies of human beings. These “pod people” are devoid of life and personality — they just kind of wander around. 

There are two classic body horror things going on in Invasion of the Body Snatchers . One is just the idea that the people you see walking around might be possessed by some other intelligence that has stripped them of their agency or selfhood. That’s scary enough. But the other body horror element is the pods themselves. They’re gross! 

The Blob (1958)

We have no choice but to include The Blob , which also has the distinction of being the first starring role in the career of Steve McQueen, one of the greatest action stars of all time. The Blob is one of many movies in which some sort of alien goo crashes on Earth and begins expanding. In this case, the goo begins eating people and growing bigger and bigger as a result. 

Honestly, the technical capacity of filmmakers in the ‘50s means The Blob feels a little quaint in comparison to more recent body horror movies. Nevertheless, the idea absolutely works. The director, Irvin Yeaworth, shows us the titular blob only here and there — a mass of red, vaguely pulsing. Like all great horror directors though, he knows that what we don’t see is more terrifying. With this in mind, so much of the body horror is revealed to us through the reactions the characters have to what they see around them. 

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

We wrote about this movie in our “Bad Dads” Father’s Day roundup recently, but it deserves mention here for being the flagship film in the demonic pregnancy genre of body horror. It’s the story of Rosemary (Mia Farrow), a woman whose husband does the unthinkable and gives his family over to a satanic cult. 

Part of body horror is imagining that there’s something terrible inside of you, unseen. Rosemary’s Baby , as Rosemary’s paranoia mounts, makes you feel that fear to a sublime degree. It’s a film about possession and invasion, but, most troublingly, it’s also a film about choice. Rosemary doesn’t get to choose what’s happening inside of her body, and the decision she makes at the end of the movie shows the limitless capacity of a mother’s love.

Eraserhead (1977)

Another movie dealing with the emotional weight of parenthood, Eraserhead is nearly impossible to explain, plot-wise. It’s a dreamlike nightmare from the master of psychological horror, David Lynch. In fact, it was his first film, and that it was made as he himself was going through the emotional experience of raising a very young child is pretty creepy and troubling to consider.

The body horror elements are in the details. At dinner, a chicken that’s about to be carved moves and spurts blood, for example. The child itself is inhuman, reptilian and screaming. It really is a nightmare, but Lynch films can’t be experienced as simple narratives. It’s a curated series of moving images designed to unsettle and confuse you. It’s experimental, but the feeling in the end is pure body horror, as we are left deep in thought about the oddness of our physical selves. 

Altered States (1980)

One of the greatest performances by recently deceased movie star William Hurt was this hallucinogenic classic from 1980. Hurt plays Eddie Jessup, a psychopathologist at Columbia University who ends up using psychoactive drugs and sensory deprivation tanks to explore the limits of human consciousness. 

The results — this is a body horror movie, after all — are pretty horrifying. Jessup starts to experience the externalization of his visions; the things happening in his mind end up getting transferred into the real world. He begins to regress, turning into more and more primitive forms of life and consciousness. It’s wonderfully spooky to consider the possibility of your imagination becoming real — intoxicating and terrifying all at once. That’s what makes this movie such an exciting ride.

The Fly (1986)

As far as I’m concerned, David Cronenberg’s 1986 film The Fly is the archetype of the body horror genre. You could include lots of Cronenberg’s films here: Shivers , Rabid , The Brood , Scanners , Videodrome and a whole bunch of other films he’s made over the course of his career are body horror classics. The Fly is, in some ways, the simplest though. It asks: what happens if, by accident, you cross a man with a fly?

Jeff Goldblum plays Seth, a weirdo scientist who’s working on a bit of technology involving the teleportation of matter between two pods. Geena Davis is Ronnie, a journalist he ropes into covering his experiments. You’re not going to believe this, but Seth ends up trying to transport himself, and a fly buzzes into the pod at that exact moment. And then we’re off to the races. 

The movie gets to play with the classic elements of body horror: grotesque physical changes, experiments gone too far. It also gets to have some fun though. As Seth becomes more fly-like, he craves sugar and becomes inhumanly strong. In predictable fashion, he gets excited about the changes before he becomes afraid, but it’s too late. 

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

I don’t know if I’m recommending you watch Tetsuo: The Iron Man if you haven’t, but I can’t make a list of body horror movies without including it. It’s an incredibly low-budget independent Japanese film by Shinya Tsukamoto, and although it’s pretty brief — the run time is just over an hour — it’s a real ordeal to go through. 

The basic idea is that a man who’s obsessed with adding metal to his body ends up creating a monster who becomes increasingly metallic in nature. The monster isn’t a glistening, smooth metallic creation like the T-1000 in Terminator 2 though. It’s hideous and deformed, with metal protrusions of all shapes and sizes. 

In the end, the spread of this monster threatens to take over the entire planet, which is always the fear in these body horror transformations. But really this is an experiment in moods — the film is so frantic that it’s nearly impossible to follow, and you start to feel as though you’re watching a nightmare. When the scope widens out to the entire world, it’s jarring. You might have hoped this problem was local, but it’s global, and that’s the scariest part. 

Mimic (1997) 

This movie by visionary director Guillermo Del Toro deserves credit for flipping body horror tropes in a way I’m not sure I’ve seen elsewhere in movies. Instead of the humans being transformed, a novel species of cockroach evolves to mimic the look of humans. But this doesn’t mean the characters are dealing with walking, talking cockroaches. In fact, it’s much scarier.

The story is about a team of scientists, led by entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino). Alongside the CDC, the team creates a new species to eradicate the cockroaches in New York City, which are spreading a deadly disease that afflicts children. The new species is supposed to be unable to breed, but, as we learned in Jurassic Park a few years earlier, “Life finds a way.” It’s a real thrill-ride of a movie, but the scariest part is the way the new cockroaches, which have grown to be man-sized, can fold their wings to mimic a man’s face. I’m telling you: you will have shivers down your spine the first time you see it.

Titane (2021)

We seem to have gone beyond the golden age of the body horror movie, but once in a while a new director comes along who carries on the legacy of body horror directors like John Carpenter and David Cronenberg. The most recent is Julia Ducournau, who directed her debut feature film, Raw , in 2016. It’s about a veterinarian student who develops a taste for flesh, so, yes, Ducournau is squarely in the body horror zone.

Titane , which came out last year, is the story of a girl who has a metal plate put in her skull after experiencing a horrific car accident as a child. She grows up to be a serial killer who has, well — let’s just call it a strange relationship with metal. The movie is a terrifying masterpiece, and it makes me really excited to see what’s next for Ducournau, who is the daughter of a gynecologist and a dermatologist , if you can believe it. 

The truth is that we understand so little about ourselves. Titane is a terrifying vision, yes, but so is getting old, if you really think about it. Our bodies are so familiar to us, but also so strange sometimes. Body horror movies are one way of exploring that strangeness. They’re about learning to accept what we can’t change, about remaining mysterious to ourselves, and that’s why we’ll always come back to them. 

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Star Trek: Section 31

Star Trek series centering on Philippa Georgiou, a member of Section 31, a shadowy intelligence agency operating within the Federation. Star Trek series centering on Philippa Georgiou, a member of Section 31, a shadowy intelligence agency operating within the Federation. Star Trek series centering on Philippa Georgiou, a member of Section 31, a shadowy intelligence agency operating within the Federation.

• Olatunde Osunsanmi
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• Michelle Yeoh
• See production info at IMDbPro

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Star Trek: Section 31

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Star Trek: Section 31 is an upcoming made-for-TV film set to be released on Paramount+ . It will star Michelle Yeoh , playing the role of the mirror Philippa Georgiou as a member of Section 31 . [1]

• 2 Main cast
• 4.1.1 Products
• 4.1.2 Official publicity imagery
• 5 External links

Summary [ ]

In Star Trek: Section 31 , Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.

Main cast [ ]

Yeoh's final appearance on Discovery , subtext not included

• Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou
• Aaron Baiers – executive producer
• Akiva Goldsman – executive producer
• Erika Lippoldt – executive producer
• Heather Kadin – executive producer
• Bo Yeon Kim – executive producer
• Alex Kurtzman – executive producer
• Rod Roddenberry – executive producer
• Trevor Roth – executive producer

Development [ ]

The film will be produced by CBS Studios , Secret Hideout , and Roddenberry Entertainment , with Alex Kurtzman , Heather Kadin , Rod Roddenberry , and Trevor Roth as executive producers.

Initially, Aaron Baiers , Bo Yeon Kim , and Erika Lippoldt were slated to be the series' co-executive producers. According to Kurtzman, Kim and Lippoldt would have been the showrunners. They were also the writers of the series' pilot episode. [2]

The series was announced on 14 January 2019 . [3]

Kurtzman has said that the series " occupies an area of the Trek universe that's never really been explored geographically, " and that it " has a new mythology to it. " Speaking of Michelle Yeoh, Kurtzman said that the series would " put her character to the test in a way that Discovery can't, " and compared it to the 1992 Western film Unforgiven . [4]

Originally conceived as a television series, the series entered pre-production in January 2020 , under the working title "Wind Cleaver". It was due to start filming in May 2020 , and was to have continued for seven months, concluding the first season's filming in November 2020 . [5]

However, production was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020 , producer Alex Kurtzman said that writing for the Section 31 series had continued during the pandemic, with its writers' room meeting over Zoom. [6]

While discussions continued about the show in February 2021 , [7] Kurtzman has said it is likely no new shows will be released until at least one of the existing shows has run its course. [8]

As of March 2023 , the show remained in development. [9]

In April 2023 , it was announced that the project would instead take the form of a special event movie rather than a TV series. [10]

Promotion [ ]

Products [ ].

In June 2019 , Eaglemoss/Hero Collector 's project manager Ben Robinson indicated that the company would manufacture starship miniatures from this series. [11] . They later went out of business in 2022 .

Official publicity imagery [ ]

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: Section 31 at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: Section 31 at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Nick Locarno
• 2 Sito Jaxa
• 3 Old Friends, New Planets (episode)

Screen Rant

Michelle yeoh kept star trek: section 31 "moving forward," says executive producer.

Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman credits Michelle Yeoh for Section 31, the first made-for-Paramount+ Star Trek movie, still happening.

• Star Trek: Section 31 is still happening thanks to Michelle Yeoh's dedication and influence, ensuring the movie is "moving forward."
• This movie is the first Star Trek film made for streaming on Paramount+, marking an important step for the franchise and potentially opening doors for more streaming movies in the future.
• Michelle Yeoh's continued loyalty to Star Trek and her character, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, is significant, especially after her recent Best Actress Oscar win. Her dedication means that Section 31 will continue once the industry strikes are resolved.

Star Trek: Section 31 is still happening, and Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman credits Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh for making sure the project is "moving forward." Announced on April 18, 2023, Star Trek: Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+. Production was reportedly to begin in fall 2023 but the combined WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes halted all Star Trek movie and TV production. Some fans worried that the delays could mean that Yeoh, who won the Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once , would no longer be available to star in Section 31.

As transcribed by TrekMovie , Star Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman addressed the state of the franchise at New York Comic Con's Star Trek Universe panel. With the writer's strike resolved, Kurtzman gave an encouraging update about Star Trek: Section 31 and praised Michelle Yeoh for making sure the movie is still happening. Read his quote below:

So we are back on our feet after the strike with Section 31 . It is happening. Michelle [Yeoh] is just the most extraordinary person on every level. She had one of the most unbelievable years that anybody could ever have in the history of ever, and she had a million opportunities to hit the jackpot on it and do other things. And what she did with all of the power she had accrued is make sure that Section 31 was moving forward.

Related: 10 Most Evil Things Section 31 Did In Star Trek

Star Trek: Section 31 Is Paramount+'s First Made-For-Streaming Star Trek Movie

As the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+ , Section 31 is an important step for the franchise, which has endured continuing development hell of the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek 4 . Section 31 is intended to open the door for more direct-to-Paramount+ Star Trek movies, which could create new frontiers for the franchise as well as allow Star Trek to revisit characters and concepts from the existing and concluded Star Trek on Paramount+ series. Section 31 is also a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery , as the announced Star Trek: Starfleet Academy series is rumored to be, which continues the saga after Discovery ends with season 5 in 2024.

Star Trek: Section 31 is a feather in the cap of the franchise because of Michelle Yeoh. The acclaimed international star's profile has risen even higher after her Oscar win, and it's incredibly meaningful that Yeoh maintains her loyalty to Star Trek and the character of Emperor Philippa Georgiou. The redeemed former Mirror Universe despot left Star Trek: Discovery in season 3, leaving many unanswered questions about her fate and her ties to the mysterious Section 31. Michelle Yeoh's dedication means Star Trek: Section 31 will roll cameras once SAG-AFTRA garners a fair deal and the actors can join the writers back at work.

Source: TrekMovie

'Star Trek: Section 31' spin-off finally set to warp onto our screens, but as a movie

Her Most Imperial Majesty, Mother of the Fatherland, Overlord of Vulcan, Dominus of Qo'noS, Regina Andor, Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius ... is back.

Paramount has officially given the green light to the "Star Trek" spin-off "Section 31" focusing on the clandestine operations of Starfleet's military intelligence branch. 

However, instead of a series as was thought to be the direction the streaming service was going, turns out that it's going to be a "Star Trek" movie and Michelle Yeoh is set to reprise her role as Philippa Georgiou. 

Section 31 is a clandestine security organization working for the United Federation of Planets and was first introduced in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Inquisition" (S06, E18). It's similar to Bureau 13 on "Babylon 5" (that's probably no coincidence ) and to a lesser extent, the Psi Corps and the NID in "Stargate."

Related: Star Trek streaming guide: Where to watch the Star Trek movies and TV shows online

• Want to watch Star Trek on Paramount Plus?   Here's a free trial
• Subscribe to Paramount Plus starting at $4.99/month

Ever since it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 , we've understood that a Section 31 spin off series was in negotiation, but for one reason or another that all fell through. And then Yeoh went and won an Academy Award for the really rather excellent " Everything Everywhere All At Once ." 

Whether that slowed things down or expedited the process, we'll probably never know. Given we've had to wait this long, it's more than likely the latter, but it's also sure to have an impact in the planning process, which is probably why this is a standalone movie rather than a television show of 10 episodes or so. And let's face facts, Yeoh is big in China where " Star Trek " currently isn't.

Yeoh's original character died early on in the first season of " Discovery ," but the actor returned as a Mirrorverse version of Georgiou who was that alternate reality's Emperor of the Terran Empire, also in the first season. This alt-reality Georgiou eventually ceded power and started a new life as a cabaret owner, and was later recruited by Section 31 by Leland (Alan Van Sprang) — remember him?! 

During the "Star Trek: Discovery" panel at the 2018 New York Comic Con, Yeoh said, "And for Georgiou now, it’s a really interesting role, because not everybody knows that I was from the mirror universe. So, sometimes I get to play the good captain, which is always very nice. Compassionate, kind and then, with Philippa Georgiou from Section 31, she is, cunning, devious, and we’re all in leather, the whole time. It’s hot! I mean, it’s hot!"

The show will be written by Craig Sweeny and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. Sweeny is a relative unknown in the television sci-fi genre with a Consulting Producer credit on every episode of the first season of "Discovery." Osunsanmi has directed two " Short Treks " (remember those?) the excellent "Calypso" that ultimately didn't connect to very much and "The Girl Who Made the Stars" plus a total of 12 episodes from all four seasons of "Discovery" with a nice equal balance of some truly excellent installments (S04, E01 "That Hope Is You, Part 1") and some fantastically awful ones (S04, E13 "That Hope Is You, Part 2").

On a side note, we do so very much hope that Harcourt Fenton Mudd makes an appearance in the not too distant future. Mudd is magnetic. Mudd is mesmerizing. He is enigmatic, charismatic and just plain mischievous, plus Rainn Wilson's portrayal of this epic, underrated character was magnificent. When is he going to get his spin-off series?

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"Star Trek: Picard" and every episode of every "Star Trek" show currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US. Internationally, the shows are available on Paramount Plus in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream exclusively on Paramount Plus in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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Paramount+ Greenlights ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Film Starring Michelle Yeoh

By Joe Otterson

Joe Otterson

TV Reporter

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Paramount+ is officially moving forward on a “ Star Trek : Section 31″ project starring Michelle Yeoh , but it will now be an event film instead of a series, Variety has learned.

It was first reported that a Section 31 series with Yeoh was in development back in 2019 . In the film, Yeoh will reprise the role of Emperor Philippa Georgiou, whom she began playing during Season 1 of “Star Trek: Discovery.”

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my ‘Star Trek’ family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” said Yeoh. “Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of ‘Star Trek’ launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams. We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you, and until then: live long and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!”

Production will begin on the film later this year.

The news comes about a month after Yeoh won the Academy Award for best actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” making her the first Asian person to win the award. She also picked up wins at the SAG Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and the Golden Globes for her work in the film. She is also known for her roles in films like “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 1 & 2,” “Memoirs Of A Geisha,” the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies,” and “Sunshine.”

She is repped by Artist International Group and Cohen & Gardner.

Craig Sweeny (“Limitless,” “Medium”) serves as writer and executive producer on “Star Trek: Section 31.” Olatunde Osunsanmi (“Star Trek: Discovery,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth”) will direct and executive produce. Yeoh will executive produce in addition to starring. Alex Kurtzman and Aaron Baiers executive produce via Secret Hideout. Rod Rodenberry and Trevor Roth of Rodenberry Entertainment also executive produce along with Frank Siracusa and John Weber. CBS Studios will produce. Sweeny, Osunsanmi, and Kurtzman are all currently under overall deals at CBS Studios.

“For years, we’ve been looking forward to Michelle Yeoh one day returning to ‘Star Trek,’” said David Stapf, president of CBS Studios. “Her powerful performance as Captain and Emperor Georgiou was a pivotal moment for the return of the franchise, and her portrayal resonated with fans around the world in a multitude of ways. We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with Michelle once again as we continue to explore the ‘Star Trek’ universe, celebrate its legacy and chart a course for the future of the franchise.”

Section 31 was first introduced in the “Star Trek” series “Deep Space Nine.” The organization has since been featured in the “Star Trek” shows “Enterprise,” “Discovery,” “Lower Decks,” and “Picard,” as well as the film “Into Darkness.”

“We’re thrilled that ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ will be the next title in our ‘Star Trek’ universe,” said Domenic DiMeglio, chief marketing officer and head of data at Paramount Streaming. “Michelle Yeoh is an incomparable talent – she brought Emperor Georgiou to life in such an incredibly fun and nuanced way that the character immediately became a fan favorite. We’re so thrilled to welcome Michelle back to the ‘Star Trek’ and Paramount+ family and can’t wait for fans to see what this special movie event has in store.”

The film is the latest development of the next generation of the revamped “Star Trek” era at Paramount+. The series finale of “Star Trek: Picard” is set to debut on the streamer this week, with the main cast of “Next Generation” reuniting for the show’s third and final season. It was announced in March that a Starfleet Academy show has been ordered to series.

Beyond that, it was announced that both “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “Star Trek: Lower Decks” had been renewed ahead of their new season premieres and that “Star Trek: Discovery” will end with its fifth season in 2024 .

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Michelle Yeoh-Led 'Star Trek: Section 31' Movie Is Still In The Works at Paramount

Yeoh is making sure the project happens "with all her power."

Paramount Plus may be losing some Star Trek projects, but one of them is still a go. The Michelle Yeoh Star Trek: Section 31 movie is still a go. Paramount's Star Trek overseer Alex Kurtzman discussed the project at the New York Comic Con Star Trek panel on Saturday, giving a status update on it. While Star Trek: Prodigy was booted off the series (only to be rescued by Netflix ), and Star Trek: Discovery is slated to air its fifth and final season early next year, the upcoming Section 31 movie has escaped the chopping block.

Yeoh was, in fact, given the option to exit the project after her turn in Everything Everywhere All At Once netted her a truckload of awards earlier this year, including the Oscar for Best Actress . However, Yeoh insisted that the project continue - and Kurtzman says she is behind it "with all her power." Section 31 was originally announced as a series, but was later reconfigured as a Paramount+ exclusive movie. It is currently back in the writing process.

What is Section 31?

Introduced in the latter seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Section 31 is a shadowy organization within the Federation that employs highly unethical tactics to ensure galactic peace. Those tactics conflict with the Federation's progressive policies, as a deliberate subversion of Gene Roddenberry 's utopian view of the future. The organization was primarily represented in Deep Space Nine by Luther Sloan ( William Sadler ), who was killed off in the show's final season.

The organization has recurred in a number of subsequent Trek series and movies, including Enterprise (where weapons officer Malcolm Reed was revealed to be a recruit), Star Trek: Into Darkness (in which Benedict Cumberbatch 's Khan is recruited into Section 31), and even Star Trek: Lower Decks , in which Brad Boimler's ambitious transporter duplicate William Boimler becomes a member. It has most prominently featured in Star Trek: Discovery , where Section 31's AI experiments threaten all life in the galaxy; it is there where Yeoh's Empress Philippa Georgiou, a refugee from the dystopian Mirror Universe, was recruited into the organization.

Star Trek: Section 31 is in pre-production. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Star Trek: Section 31 : Everything We Know

Michelle Yeoh is beaming back up as Philippa Georgiou—and this time, the Star Trek: Discovery alum is getting her own movie. What's next for everyone's favorite intergalactic conquerer?

“I’m beyond thrilled to return to my Star Trek family and to the role I’ve loved for so long,” said Yeoh in a press statement. “ Section 31 has been near and dear to my heart since I began the journey of playing Philippa all the way back when this new golden age of St ar Trek launched. To see her finally get her moment is a dream come true in a year that’s shown me the incredible power of never giving up on your dreams.”

The Section 31 movie has been a long time coming. The project originally went into development as a television series in 2019, based on a set of novels that explores a secretive organization within Starfleet called Section 31. After years with little news about the series, Trek fans were shocked and delighted to learn that Section 31 will instead make its way to the screen as an event film.

David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, explained the network's plan to continue working with Yeoh, after she appeared in Star Trek: Discovery . “For years we’ve been looking forward to Michelle Yeoh one day returning to Star Trek ,” he said . “Her powerful performance as Captain and Emperor Georgiou was a pivotal moment for the return of the franchise, and her portrayal resonated with fans around the world in a multitude of ways. We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with Michelle once again as we continue to explore the Star Trek universe, celebrate its legacy, and chart a course for the future of the franchise.”

What will happen in Star Trek: Section 31?

What can we expect from Star Trek: Section 31 ? For now, Yeoh and Paramount are staying rather mum, with Yeoh saying only: “We can’t wait to share what’s in store for you. And until then: long live and prosper (unless Emperor Georgiou decrees otherwise)!"

This film seems to center on Yeoh’s character, Emperor Georgiou. Though her exact trek through the galaxy has not been revealed, it seems she has an exciting journey ahead fighting alongside Starfleet. The movie follows Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a female Terran who joins Section 31, a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets. While helping Starfleet complete its mission, Georgiou will also face the sins of her past. It wouldn’t be a Star Trek movie without some complex twists and turns!

How Can I Watch Star Trek: Section 31 ?

Variety reports that the upcoming film is being produced by Paramount+. The film will be available to watch exclusively on the streamer upon its release. It may be just the beginning of a new phase for Star Trek , too; The Hollywood Reporter reports that Paramount+ plans to launch made-for-streaming Star Trek movies every two years.

When Will Star Trek: Section 31 Come Out?

The official premiere date has not been announced, but production begins later this year. If Paramount is able to film throughout 2023, the movie may be ready to watch as early as 2024.

We’ll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

Bria McNeal is a Manhattan based journalist who is patiently awaiting B5's revival. When she's not writing about all things entertainment, she can be found watching TV or trying to DIY something (likely, at the same time). Her work has appeared in NYLON, Refinery29, InStyle, and her personal newsletter, StirCrazy.  

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Star Trek: Section 31 Has a Filming Date

It’s happening! Is it really happening? Despite being the first Discovery spin-off to be announced, Star Trek: Section 31 has been in production hell ever since. Pandemics and its star Michelle Yeoh’s insanely work schedule have left the project stuck in the production pipeline… until now. After years of delay and an Academy Award for its star, Section 31 will now go ahead as a movie. Hints and rumors had already started to swirl before the official movie announcement was made. And of course, fans were skeptical, given the previous delays. Now, however, we have fresh evidence it is actually happening!

It’s worth stressing there has been no official announcement , but there are some hopeful signs of progress. A Section 31 movie has begun appearing in resumes, Production Weekly, and the DGC (Directors Guild of Canada) ‘rumored’ production list. This is not purely a ‘rumor’, but an official production list with crew now attached to its listing. The name likely refers to its filming start not being firm yet. Listed under the production codename ‘Dovercourt’, Section 31 is currently slated for commencement of filming in October.

Of course, that will entirely depend on SAG/AFTRA and the WGA’s contract negotiations with the AMPTP. Those negotiations are at a stalemate as the AMPTP refuses to fairly negotiate. And new contracts have to complete to bring an end to the current strikes. No actors or writers, no filming . However, when productions start showing up on these lists, it is a hopeful step closer to filming actually happening. So keep that in mind!

SDCC Announcements?

Could the official production announcement happen at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con? It’s not been lost on many that a vast promotional wrap dropped Star Trek: Prodigy ‘s Dal and replaced him with Phillipa Georgiou. However, Paramount+’s original SDCC plans have been scrapped with the SAG and WGA strikes prohibiting the cast from attending. The studio is now going to be showing an exclusive early screening of the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks crossover episode “Those Old Scientists”.

Putting Michelle Yeoh on the giant cover poster could be marketing for the evolving Star Trek Universe . And SDCC is always an excellent place to reveal more about the upcoming Section 31 movie. Of course, it depends if announcements can technically go ahead without the cast in attendance. However, until the strikes are resolved, and a deal is reached, no Star Trek productions can even begin filming. Paramount+ has had development hell with Section 31 at every step, so will likely be shy of more delay.

Plot Details & Creative Team

Specific plot details remain under wraps. However, we can expect Star Trek: Section 3 1 to explore the intriguing world of its titular clandestine organization. Now part of Section 31 , the former Emporer Georgiou is tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets. As she embarks on her mission, she might also confront her past sins, adding complexity to her character. Fans anticipate a story that combines action, intrigue, and moral dilemmas. All set against the backdrop of the vast Star Trek universe.

Section 31 already boasts an impressive lineup of talent behind the camera. Olatunde Osunsanmi , known for directing Star Trek: Discovery , is set to take the helm, and executive produce. Joining him is Craig Sweeny ( Limitless, The Code ), who will take on the role of writer and executive producer. Michelle Yeoh is set to reprise her starring role and serve as an executive producer. Behind the scenes, Alex Kurtzman and Aaron Baier from Secret Hideout will executive produce. Along with Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth from Roddenberry Entertainment.

Will a familiar face return?

Of course, one face we’re hoping to see return is Shazad Latif’s ‘Ash Tyler’. Discovery ‘s very complicated former Klingon sleeper agent, who was altered to be human. Latif has seen his own star rise rapidly since leaving Star Trek: Discovery , with a number of theatrically movie projects. And Ash Tyler was last seen positioned as the temporary head of Section 31 . If Georigious has returned from the future to her original time period, it would make sense for Ash Tyler to be included. As would using the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast and sets, located at CBS Stages Canada in Toronto.

Star Trek Universe – ‘Phase Two’ ?

Star Trek: Section 31 marks an exciting, though slightly controversial development in the ever-expanding Star Trek universe. And comes with mixed feelings given that three of the five current shows have now ended or been abruptly canceled.

Paramount+ had expressed its commitment to delivering more Star Trek content. As had Alex Kurtzman, who noted an interest in releasing more made-for-streaming Star Trek movies, potentially every two years. Star Trek: Academy was also recently announced as in development and was tentatively set to begin filming next year. It’s a shift in the types of shows fans have come to expect from Star Trek . But a commitment to a wider range of storytelling ensures the continued exploration of an iconic franchise. As the Star Trek Universe evolves, Section 31 may mark the beginning of ‘Phase Two’ for the franchise.

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