Star Trek: Section 31, the first new movie for the franchise in years, recently wrapped production. While fans were already jazzed about the possibility of actors from Strange New Worlds appearing in the movie, we now have confirmation of one iconic character who will make an appearance. It's been revealed one of the previously announced cast members will be playing someone from The Next Generation, and I'm so stoked about it.
Kacey Rohl was announced as part of the Star Trek: Section 31 cast, but the original announcement did not say who she would play. Now, Variety has reported that Rohl will play a younger version of The Next Generation's Rachel Garrett, who has some history in the Trek universe worth knowing about for those who may not remember.
Rachel Garrett First Appeared In TNG's "Yesterday's Enterprise"
Rachel Garrett was Captain of the USS Enterprise C, which had been transported into the future due to an anomaly in the midst of battle. Garrett met the successor crew of the Enterprise D, who realized the ship's transport created an alternate timeline that led to war between the Klingons and the Federation when Garrett's ship failed to protect an outpost from Romulans.
Ultimately, Garrett decided to send the Enterprise C back through the anomaly, knowing it would likely be destroyed, in order to show the Klingons the Federation supported them and prevent the war. The character ultimately died before she could arrive on the other end, but her lieutenant continued through the rift. "Yesterday's Episode" is a great episode, and one I'd highly recommend to anyone with a Paramount+ subscription.
Rachel Garrett Was Also Referenced In Picard Season 3
Rachel Garrett had a small part to play in Star Trek: Picard Season 3, as a statue of her was in front of a Starfleet recruitment building that was ultimately destroyed by a terrorist attack. I'm not expecting this connection to really mean anything in the context of Section 31, but it does seem interesting to see that there are those behind the scenes looking to expand on Garrett's story and legacy.
One major question I have is whether or not Rachel Garrett will be a part of the Section 31 division. It would be interesting to learn that an eventual captain of the flagship Enterprise was also working for Starfleet's secret division at one point. I'd love to see a series centered around that, though there are already some upcoming Star Trek projects currently being worked on, so there may not be room for it on the slate.
One thing there's no denying is that the mystique surrounding Star Trek: Section 31 just shot up for a lot of fans. The fact that Garrett is in the movie raises a lot of questions about the point in time the movie is set in and how her being a part of the story factors into anything. With that said, the Variety article did refer to her appearance as something for the most dedicated fans, but also an appearance that those unaware of her history won't feel lost without knowing. This could mean that her overall impact in the story isn't that substantial in terms of the lore, but hey, I'm still stoked to be seeing the character return once again. Here's hoping for more cameos like this in the Michelle Yeoh-led Star Trek movie!
Star Trek: Section 31 has wrapped production, but we're still waiting on news of when it'll be available to stream on Paramount+. I would stream The Next Generation in the meantime, or gear up for the upcoming release of Discovery's final season.
