One of the Star Trek shows in development we haven’t been hearing much about is the previously announced spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery focusing on the clandestine group Section 31. Michelle Yeoh has been tapped to lead the series, playing the Mirror Georgiou was recruited into Section 31 and acted as an agent throughout season two of Discovery. Presumably, the cast would also include Shazad Latif’s Ash Tyler who was last seen in the Discovery season two finale being put in charge of Section 31 back in the 23rd century.

The Section 31 show was not part of the big CBS push at the San Diego Comic-Con Star Trek Universe panel. Now, Shazad Latif provides more clarity as to why.

Section 31 in 2021?

Shazad Latif (Ash Tyler/Voq) spoke with our friends the Trekkie Girls at London Film and Comic Con last weekend. While he did not reveal a whole lot, he gave us some idea on a timeline for the would-be Section 31 show:

The head of the CBS said it was about 2 years down the line, so we’re maybe a year and a half away but it all depends on the people. Michelle [Yeoh] is very busy, it depends on her being free, me being free. It depends if I fit into the timeline. There’s loads of things that we don’t know and they have to write it. We’ll know more in a year.

This generally fits with the information CBS executives and producers have shared about the potential production timeline for the Section 31 show, which has yet to have an official series order announced. Earlier this month we reported executive producer Heather Kadin confirming how Michelle Yeoh will be part of the third season of Star Trek: Discovery (currently in production), adding “The [Section 31] spin-off wouldn’t happen until after that.”

At San Diego Comic-Con, the Star Trek Universe panel focused on the shows currently in production: Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3), Star Trek: Short Treks (season 2), and Star Trek: Lower Decks. It looks like Section 31 – if it moves forward – would follow those projects.

Don’t expect Ash Tyler in Short Treks

At SDCC it was revealed that there would be three Star Trek: Short Treks set in the 23rd century focused on Captain Pike’s USS Enterprise. When asked by The Trekkie Girls if we can look forward to seeing him in Short Treks, Latif demured, but generally indicated he would not be:

I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything. I think I did so much it would be a bit cheeky to get more, I’ve been on screen so much that it would be a bit rude of me!

Listen to the audio of the Trekkie Girls interview below:

Follow along with all the Discovery news at TrekMovie.