With Star Trek: Section 31 due to hit Paramount+ early next year, Star Trek’s official YouTube account is giving fans a little refresher on the titular shadowy intelligence agency. After you’re fully briefed, you’ll be ready to watch the newest chapter in Section 31’s history on January 24, 2024.

The video goes over the history of the agency that derives from Article 14, Section 31 of the Federation charter; it gives the Federation the ability to take extraordinary measures during times of extreme threat. And in a galaxy inhabited by the Klingons, the Romulans, and the Borg, when isn’t there an extreme threat? Section 31 first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and it has since appeared all over the franchise; in the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise, when it recruited crew members of the first Enterprise; during Star Trek: Discovery, when its rogue artificial intelligence almost destroyed all life in the galaxy; and even into the animated comedy of Star Trek: Lower Decks. The video also smoothes over a little continuity; while Section 31 is seen to have its own fleet of ships and distinctive black badges in the 23rd century setting of Discovery, it is little more than a rumor in the 24th century timeframe of Deep Space Nine. The video notes that the agency “quietly faded from public view” over the course of the intervening century.

What Is ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ About?

The first-ever streaming-original Star Trek movie, Section 31 centers around Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), the one-time empress of the twisted Mirror Universe who now lives in the primary Star Trek timeline, and has become a Section 31 operative. She’s retired to run a nightclub on the edge of Federation space, but when a crisis arises, she’s recruited back into the fold to join a ragtag team of Section 31 operatives. They include mission leader and mastermind Alok Sahar (Omari Hardwick); shapeshifting Chameloid alien Quasi (Sam Richardson); Fuzzy (Sven Ruygrok), a Vulcan (or Romulan) with anger issues; Zeph (Rob Kazinsky), a mechanically enhanced human; Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), a seductive Deltan empath; and Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), a Starfleet liaison who’ll go on to play an important role in Star Trek history.

Star Trek: Section 31 was directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi (The Fourth Kind) and written by Craig Sweeny (Elementary). It was executive produced by Alex Kurtzman, Craig Sweeny, Aaron Baiers, Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, and Yeoh. It is a production of CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Star Trek: Section 31premieres on Paramount+ on January 24, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch Star Trek’s Section 31 video below.

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.Director Olatunde Osunsanmi Writers Craig Sweeney Studio CBS Studios, Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment Studio(s) CBS Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Expand