'Star Trek: Discovery' Featurette: Inside The Dark Designs Of Section 31
When Section 31 was first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's sixth season, the clandestine organization was cloaked in secrecy. But as the secret group has made more appearances — first in the alt-timeline "Kelvin" reboot movie Star Trek Into Darkness, and most recently Star Trek: Discovery — more light has been shed on what exactly Section 31 is. Now a new Star Trek: Discovery featurette released by CBS All Access delves into Section 31, and its grand designs — as well as the design of its sleek, dark set.
Star Trek Discovery Featurette
It all started with a badge. The sleek, dark badge used by all the members of Section 31 was the inspiration for the overall design of the secret organization, from to dark, futuristic ship right down to the kinky black leather outfits, prop master Mario Moreira reveals in the featurette.
"It's like walking around in dominatrix gear all the time and having so much fun with it," Michelle Yeoh says happily.
Yeoh gets to strut around in the black leather outfit in a dark ship lit by hundreds of blue LED lights and featuring technology 20 years ahead of standard Starfleet ships. That's not just because of the organization's Mirror Universe roots, but because of its elite status, executive producer Alex Kurtzman says.
"Unlike Starfleet, which has very clear rules and regulations, Section 31 operates in grey areas," Kurtzman says. "They bend the rules and they try not to break them, but ultimately given the threats that are coming in season 2, the challenge for Section 31 is to figure out how to protect our freedoms without violating them."
Here is the synopsis for Star Trek: Discovery:
Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman for CBS All Access, the story of "Star Trek: Discovery" begins roughly a decade before Captain Kirk's five-year mission — as portrayed in the original "Star Trek" from the 1960s — and a century before the events of "Star Trek: Enterprise." The series follows the crew of the USS Discovery as they encounter new worlds and civilizations, delving into familiar themes and expanding upon an incident that has been talked about within the franchise's universe, but never fully explored.
Star Trek: Discovery airs Thursdays on CBS All Access.