The special event movie Star Trek: Section 31 is currently available for streaming on Paramount+. Featuring the return of fan-favorite Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), the movie is technically a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery. However, Section 31 is filled with characters and Easter eggs that callback to many different Franchise stories from across the decades, including the Deltans.
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we’re sharing all the details about this intriguing but underused species. Which Deltan character is your favorite? Be sure to let Geek Girl Authority know in the comment section or on our page on Bluesky.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
As Quark (Armin Shimerman) said in “What We Leave Behind,” the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series finale: “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” Just like Section 31 was conceptualized as a series before it became a movie, 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture came out of a proposed series called Star Trek: Phase II.
One of the species that was created for Phase II was the Deltans. They were described as more intellectually advanced than humans and completely hairless (except for their eyebrows). They were also described as being extremely sensuous.
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When Phase II became The Motion Picture, the Deltans remained a part of the cast. One of the major characters in the film is Ilia (Persis Khambatta). When Ilia is introduced, she tells James T. Kirk (William Shatner), “My oath of celibacy is on record.” Sadly, Ilia does not survive The Motion Picture. She is subsumed by V’ger and replaced with a nearly identical duplicate. While the duplicate does retain Ilia’s personality and memories, they are suppressed.
Nevertheless, the duplicate of Ilia and Ilia’s lover Will Decker (Stephen Collins) do have a reunion of sorts at the conclusion of the movie. After merging with V’ger, they are both considered to be “missing in action.”
The Intervening Years
Deltans appeared in nonspeaking background roles in 1986’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and 1989’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. In Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1’s “The Big Goodbye” (1988), an illustration of a member of the species can briefly be seen. Plus, Deltans are mentioned in a story told by Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) in Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4’s “Bound” (2005).
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Finally, in the Star Trek: Picard Season 2 premiere “The Star Gazer” (2022), Soji Asha (Isa Briones) and Agnes Jurati (Allison Pill) visit Raritan IV as part of a goodwill tour for the recently unbanned synthetic lifeforms. During the visit, a Deltan bartender and 14 Detlan emissaries appear.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3

The next character of Deltan heritage to appear plays a supporting role throughout the first eight episodes of 2023’s Picard Season 3. T’Veen (Stephanie Czajkowski) is part Deltan, part Vulcan. This is an interesting combination, considering Deltans are known for projecting emotion while Vulcans are renowned for suppressing it.
In an interview with Geek Girl Authority, Czajkowski described T’Veen’s complicated internal situation. “We talk a lot about Deltans havin’ the sex, but also just how Deltans feel and love to feel and are really sensual,” Czajkowski said. “And you match that up with a species like Vulcans, who feel things but are trying not to.”
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Czajkowski also told us about more about T’Veen’s heritage. As she explained, she discussed the matter with season showrunner Terry Matalas. “Terry and I talked about it and basically decided, yeah, she’s 25 percent Deltan.”
But sadly, T’Veen does not survive Picard Season 3. In the eighth episode, “Surrender,” she is executed by the villainous Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer).
Star Trek: Section 31

The most recent Deltan character to appear is Melle (Humberly González) in 2025’s Section 31. A member of the Section 31 Alpha Team, Melle has an understanding of the inner workings of the rest of the team members.
It seems that, unlike Ilia, Melle has not signed an oath of celibacy. As such, in Section 31 Part 1, “One Night at the Baraam,” there are multiple instances in which she utilizes her “Sexy Time Charm” (as Georgiou describes it).
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But sadly, Melle does not survive Part 1 of Section 31. Near its conclusion, she is killed by a disguised San (James Hiroyuki Liao) as he steals the Godsend. Hopefully, a Deltan will eventually see the end of a Star Trek story.
The special event movie Star Trek: Section 31 is currently available for streaming on Paramount+. Cover image credit: Thijs/Paramount+.
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