CBS just shared a new scene from Star Trek: Discovery, and it’s not just a deleted moment from season 1. It’s more like an epilogue, introducing a new character and hinting at Georgiou’s role in season 2.
The clip, uploaded Saturday, stars Mirrorverse Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), now running that alien strip club from the season finale. Kind of a step down for a former emperor. She’s approached by a man who appears to be a Trill, trying to recruit her for a secret team. “What I want is galactic peace,” he says. “But I don’t believe that comes without vigilance.” Despite the Klingon ceasefire, he thinks Starfleet is overly naive about threats to the Federation. Georgiou’s skills and ruthless mindset would be an ideal fit for his organization: Section 31.
This confirms a long-held fan theory throughout Discovery‘s first season. Section 31 is essentially Starfleet’s black-ops division, working in secret with minimal accountability. That description fits Captain Lorca’s original role to a tee, leading a classified mission on a dangerous, experimental new starship. Many fans believed that Discovery’s crew of scientists were unknowingly working for Section 31, and this scene suggests that’s true. When Georgiou meets that Section 31 operative, he hands her a black Starfleet badge—the same badge worn by security officers onboard the Discovery.
Georgiou’s new acquaintance is called Leland, played by Alan Van Sprang (Shadowhunters). Rather than just being a quick one-off cameo, it’s a hint of things to come. Van Sprang joined Discovery‘s creators at WonderCon this weekend, where he confirmed that Section 31 will be “a massive part” of season 2, and Leland will have a significant role.
Section 31 previously appeared in Deep Space 9 and Enterprise and feels like an ideal choice for Discovery‘s darker tone. It’s also a fitting epilogue to the main arc of season 1, which saw Michael Burnham and her crewmates form a sense of collective identity as a Starfleet crew. They went on a journey from moral uncertainty to genuine pride in Starfleet ethics, so you shouldn’t worry about Section 31 being “too dark” for Star Trek‘s utopian themes. They’re pretty clearly the bad guys here, aligning themselves with the most unequivocally evil character in the show.