STAR TREK: SECTION 31 Showcases These Deep-Cut Aliens and Characters

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The series titled “Star Trek: Section 31” is the initial live-action Trek production set in what fans call the “Lost Era,” spanning the 75 years between the conclusion of Captain Kirk’s era and the beginning of The Next Generation. This period offers a variety of roles, big and small, featuring aliens and other entities not seen on Star Trek for quite some time, even decades. Here are some intriguing character selections from “Star Trek: Section 31” that delve deep into the universe of Star Trek.

Deltans

In “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” the franchise initially presented the alien race of Deltans through Lieutenant Illia (Persis Khambatta), an officer from the Enterprise. Our initial understanding of these humanoid, bald aliens from Delta IV was that they were highly sexualized, leading to a vow of celibacy for those joining Starfleet. Apart from occasional background appearances in larger Starfleet scenes, Deltans were seldom seen again until “Star Trek: Picard” season two. In the latest series, “Section 31,” we encounter our first main Deltan character since 1979 in Melle, played by Humberly Gonzalez. As a Section 31 agent, she is not hesitant to employ her alluring Deltan abilities during her duties.

Human Augments

In the Star Trek timeline, during the late 20th century, a group of genetically enhanced beings, known as Augments, rose to power and seized control of certain regions on Earth. Khan Noonian Singh was the head of one such faction. Eventually, humans managed to overthrow these Augments, banishing them from Earth in cryogenic vessels. We first encountered these Augments in the original Star Trek episode titled “Space Seed.” In Enterprise, we meet another group. Alok, a character from Section 31 in the series, is an Augment originating from the 20th century who served under a female Augment warlord at one point. Like Khan’s followers, he too was cryogenically preserved and awakened in the 23rd century. Although not part of Khan’s group directly, Alok can be considered as either an adversary or an ally to him.

Chameloids

In the realm of “Star Trek,” it’s the enigmatic Changelings from the Gamma Quadrant who are known for their shape-shifting abilities, first appearing in “Deep Space Nine.” One such shape-shifter was Constable Odo from “DS9,” and so were the Founders of the formidable Dominion. However, prior to Odo, another alien race with shape-shifting capabilities was introduced in “Star Trek” – these beings are called Chameloids. The first sighting of a Chameloid was in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” where a Chameloid named Martia was portrayed by supermodel Iman, who was then married to David Bowie. Until now, we hadn’t encountered another Chameloid until actor Sam Richardson appeared as a Section 31 operative named Quasi.

Future Enterprise Captain Rachel Garrett

The officer assigned to this Section 31 mission is none other than Lieutenant Rachel Garrett, a name less known to casual ‘Star Trek’ viewers but revered by die-hard fans. In the classic episode of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’, titled “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, we encounter an older Rachel Garrett. Here, she is introduced as the Captain of the Enterprise-C, a ship that preceded Jean Luc Picard’s Enterprise-D by about 20 years. She commanded her ship before Picard did. Unfortunately, the Enterprise-C was destroyed in battle with the Romulans. In ‘Star Trek: Picard’, season 3, they referenced Captain Garrett, even going as far as building a statue in her honor. In ‘Section 31’, we see Rachel Garrett promoted to Lieutenant Commander, suggesting she is on track to eventually command the starship Enterprise.

The “Conspiracy” Aliens

The Next Generation’s “Conspiracy” episode, who took over Starfleet Command officers. Although Fuzz and these aliens don’t seem to be from the same species due to their design, it appears that Fuzz might be a nod or tribute to those mysterious “Conspiracy” aliens.

The Cheron

In the classic Star Trek, there were numerous socio-political messages, some blatantly clear and others more subtle. One of these overt alien species hailed from Cheron, introduced in the third season of TOS. In the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”, we encountered the last two inhabitants of Cheron. One being white on one side and black on the other, while his counterpart was reversed. This was a clear critique by Gene Roddenberry on the senselessness of racial discrimination. Previously, we hadn’t seen any members of this species again until now, as one appears in a minor role in Section 31. The original episode gave the impression that their species had become extinct, but it turns out at least one individual survived and is currently working for Phillipa Georgiou.

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2025-01-24 11:04