Summary
Star Trek: Section 31is bringing back an alien species not seen sinceStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country33 years ago. AtSan Diego Comic-Con’s Star Trek Universe Hall H panel, the first teaser trailer forStar Trek: Section 31was revealed. Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh headlines the audacious firstStar Trekstreaming movie made for Paramount+, andSam Ricardson is one of several cast members whose identity remains unknown.
Screen Rantwas at Paramount+’s Star Trek Universe Hall H panel moderated by Justin Simien at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, whereStar Trek: Section 31actorsSam Richardson, Kacey Rohl, and Omari Hardwick, director Olatunde Osunsanmi, and executive producer Alex Kurtzman appeared. When Kurtzman asked Sam Richardson to spill some tea about hisSection 31character, theVeepandTed Lassostar dropped a bombshell thathe plays a Chameloid in the nextStar Trekmovie. Read Sam’s quote and watch the clip below:
This is some tea. I play a species - I’m not human - that is the second iteration of it in all of Star Trek. I play a Chameloid. The first time you saw it was Iman playing it in Star Trek VI. So it’s a shapeshifter. Ooh, tea.
Star Trek: Section 31 - Everything You Need To Know
Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh headlines Star Trek: Section 31, and here’s what we know about Paramount+’s first Star Trek streaming movie.
Why Chameloids Vanished From Star Trek For 33 Years
Star Trek introduced shapeshifters before DS9’s Odo and Changelings
Chameloids are a species of alien shapeshifters introduced byStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Countryin 1991. The Chameloid’s (Iman) abilities were made possible by advancements in CGI morphing technology as seen in James Cameron’sThe AbyssandTerminator 2: Judgment Day. However, afterStar Trek: Deep Space Nineintroduced Constable Odo(Rene Auberjonois) and revealed he hails from a species of Changelings that rules the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant,the Changelings (AKA the Founders) became the primary shapeshifting villains inStar Trek,and Chameloids were forgotten.
Rene Auberjonois played Colonel West in scenes deleted fromStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country’s theatrical cut before he was cast to play Constable Odo onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Still, Iman’s Chameloid leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watchedStar Trek VI,especially when she morphed into Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in a memorable scene where the two Kirks fought each other. Since Chameloids haven’t been seen in 33 years, they are making an ideal comeback inStar Trek: Section 31,with Sam Richardson as the newest Chameloid in the final frontier decades afterStar Trek VI.After all, if Emperor Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is leading a black ops spy division, who makes a better infiltrator than a Chameloid shapeshifter?
