Summary
TheStar Trek: Section 31movie is set to release in January 2025, andStar Trekfans are finally getting some more information about the characters the film follows. In addition to character profiles released on the officialStar TrekInstagram, the actors are dropping hints as well, including the big reveal that two of the characters have ties to an infamous conflict that shaped Earth’s history in theStar Trekuniverse.
Until recently, details aboutStar Trek: Section 31were scarce. Fans knew that the Section 31 project starringStar Trek: Discovery’sMichelle Yeoh had been transformed from a series to a movie. They also knew that it would center on Phllipa Georgiou’s experiences in Section 31, and that it would be set in the Prime Timeline, around the same time as the events ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds’first season. But other than that, there wasn’t much information about the movie’s plot or characters until San Diego ComicCon in July. More information, including the release date and promo images, was released at New York ComicCon in October, and that’s when fans finally got a good look at the characters in Georgiou’s Section 31 squad.
Now, as the actors do press tours to hype the movie, they’re sharing even more information. In a recent interview withTrekMovie.com, Omari Hardwick and Robert Kazinsky revealed that their characters, Alok Sahar and Zeph, have both been genetically modified.
Alok and Zeph’s Genetic Modifications
Hardwick’s character, Alok Sahar, is the leader of the Section 31 operatives in the movie, and his character was based on the James Bond archetype. However, he doesn’t come from a sophisticated background like England’s favorite super-spy.
His story started, “during a time when there was a different level of chaos,” Hardwick explained. He then revealed that Alok is, “like, super older than 100. Alok is old.”
This brings to mind theEl-Aurians, the humanoid species featured inStar Trek: Generations. However, Hardwick clarified that he’s not El-Aurian.
“I’ve been augmented, and I have been cryoed. I am cryo chambered, and I am super old.”
His co-star, Kazinsky, who is a massiveStar Trekfan, jumped in to add some context. He explained that Alok’s character had ties to theEugenics Warsthat took place on Earth from the end of the 20th century into the 21st century. Given Alok’s age and the timeline, it’s possible Alok was actually part of the Eugenics War. Or perhaps he was alive during the aftermath of the Eugenics Wars when prejudice against Augments was at its worst. Either way, his character is tied to one of the most infamous conflicts in the history of the Trekverse.
Kazinsky then revealed thatZeph was genetically modifiedas well, but that it did not go as planned for him.
“He’s actually paraplegic. He did it to himself by trying to augment himself. And the suit is his wheelchair. He’s completely dependent on the suit, but the suit gives him all that extra power and strength… Obviously, in the future, we’ve moved past debilitating diseases, but there are still reasons that you might need assistance or a wheelchair. And the idea was to do a really positive iteration of what a wheelchair is by it being a suit.”
This is actually very similar to the only other time an exoskeleton has been featured in theStar Trekuniverse. InStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,Melora had an exoskeleton to help her walk because the gravity differences onboard Deep Space Nine made it nearly impossible for her to move.
Augments in Section 31?
As dedicatedStar Trekfans know, genetic engineering is illegal in the United Federation of Planets because of the Eugenics Wars. So, the fact that two Section 31 operatives are genetically engineered is a big deal. Starfleet and the rest of the Federation are notoriously draconic about excluding genetically modified beings. So, the organization’s use of genetically modified operatives inSection 31 reveals a hypocrisywithin the organization that may upset someStar Trekfans. The hypocrisy is even more apparent given that the events in this movie take place around the same time Commander Una Chin-Riley’s trial for lying about being an Illyrian to get into Starfleet.
In the classicStar Trekshows and movies, the nuances and complexities of both Starfleet and the Federation were rarely explored. When they were, the plot almost always revealed a few bad actors within a largely just and pure organization. ModernStar Trekshows, and now movies, are much more willing to explore the morally ambiguous sides of Starfleet and the Federation, like the inclusion of Augments in Section 31.
It will be interesting to see how the movie justifies this move, and how it impacts each character’s life and work within theStar Trekuniverse. Black ops organizations like Section 31 are often much more lenient with the law than society as a whole, and it seems likeStar Trek: Section 31is portraying this hard truth.
Cast
Sources:TrekMovie.com,Star Trek: Discovery,Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Paramount+
