Interview: Alex Kurtzman On How 'Section 31' Embodies Star Trek Values, And The Future Of The Franchise
Ahead of Friday’s release of Star Trek: Section 31, TrekMovie had a chance to talk to executive producer Alex Kurtzman along with director Olatunde Osunsanmi, although Alex ended up doing most of the talking for our short chat. We spoke how about how this different kind of Star Trek can still fit within Roddenberry’s vision, Trek branching into streaming movies, and what’s on the horizon for the franchise after Skydance takes over Paramount later this year.
Anthony, you and I have talked about this a lot. I think that you can’t make Star Trek, ultimately, without reinforcing [Gene] Roddenberry’s vision of a more optimistic future and I don’t have to tell you that there’s been so much debate among fans about the notion of Section 31 since Deep Space Nine and what it represents. One of the things that we felt very strongly about is if Star Trek is a mirror that holds itself up to the world and tells allegorical or metaphorical stories about how we live our lives, then you’re in conversation about what it takes to protect that vision. If you’re in the Federation or Starfleet, then you are forced by oath to live according to certain rules, to live within the Federation. We make a real point at the beginning of this movie of saying this story takes place outside of Federation space, but the people that you’re about to see want the same things that a traditional Starfleet officer would want. These are just not the people that have it within themselves to wear a uniform on a starship in a traditional sense. But they’re protecting the same thing, which is, in order for Starfleet to be what it is, in order for that vision of Star Trek to be maintained, you need people operating in the shadows and in the gray areas that the Federation charter doesn’t always allow for. And obviously that’s a conversation that’s happening in our world.
Where the rubber meets the road, though, is in tone. If we made a very dark Star Trek, I think people would legitimately be able to say, “Wow, that doesn’t feel like Star Trek.” But we really tried to mitigate against the conversation by, first of all, making something that was really fun by putting in some very deliberate and specific references, obviously with Rachel Garrett being the most acute of those references, to what it means to be in the Federation and to be part of Star Trek and Starfleet. And ultimately, to give you a fun, funny, emotional story that like “wagon train to the stars,” is also hewing toward a Western paradigm. This is very much a redemption story for the character of Georgiou.
Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou of Section 31 streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
Well, I’ll start by saying, I hope we’re planning another one. I wouldn’t necessarily be privy to all of that. It’s going to depend on what the fans say about this one. And we’d love to do another one, particularly another Section 31. As far as the rest of the universe… [points to Alex].
Yeah, we would love to. It would be wonderful. Some stories are better told in two hours, some stories are better told over five seasons. And our job is to figure out which is which. We had a great time making this. Everybody who made it had a great time. So I we’re absolutely open to more.
Sure
Alex Kurtzman: It would be wonderful to be able to do that. Yes, the short answer is yes. We would love to do that. And at the same time, what I want to make sure of is that when we tell a story, we have a really, really good reason to tell a story. And that we can tell it in the right way. And sometimes that means doing it as a series, and sometimes that means doing it as a film. I don’t think we want to make one just to make one. We want to make one because it’s the right thing to do.
This may be too difficult to answer, but are all the big decisions being held off until Skydance takes over [expected some time around mid-2025]? And have you had any early discussions with any of the Skydance people to talk about the future of the franchise?
We haven’t. I have huge respect for [Skydance CEO and incoming Paramount chairman and CEO] David [Ellison] and for Skydance. We haven’t had any conversations because they haven’t engaged yet with the company. But here’s what I do know: I know that David Ellison is a huge, huge fan of Star Trek. He was one of the producers on the films that we made, and he loves it. He loves it a lot. So I’m sure those conversations will happen eventually.
Right now our focus is on Strange New Worlds, which is about to start [production on season 4], and we’re two weeks out from wrapping [production] on season 1 of Starfleet Academy. And man, making those shows is such a full contact sport that I’ll be honest with you, we’ve got more than enough on our plate right now. I think the minute we start doing too much, the quality of the show suffers, and our job is to protect from that.
A second season of Academy has already been announced, are you going to try to get started on that quickly?
We’ve already started. Yeah, the [writers’] room is already working on season 2.
So you think you would be shooting that this year? Earlier or later?
Yeah, It’ll probably be mid-year.
Kurtzman (right back) with the Starfleet Academy cast and other producers at table read in August, 2024 (Paramount+)
TrekMovie also interviewed members of the Section 31 cast today, so keep an eye out for that after the movie premieres on Friday as we discussed some spoilers. TrekMovie will also be posting some early thoughts from editors who have seen the Section 31 movie late tonight after the (spoiler-free) embargo lifts, with a full detailed review on Friday.
TrekMovie is also attending the New York City premiere which is happening right now, so look for red carpet interviews from that event in the coming days.
TrekMovie is at the #Section31 premiere in NYC, ready for red carpet interviews. #StarTrek
— TrekMovie.com (@trekmovie.bsky.social) January 22, 2025 at 4:42 PM
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