Last Wednesday night, TrekMovie spoke to members of the cast and crew of Star Trek: Section 31 at the premiere in New York City. One of the actors we spoke to was Rob Kazinsky, a longtime Star Trek fan who played Zeph, the brawn behind Alok’s brain. [SPOILERS AHEAD]
So you’ve been out there reassuring fans that this is still Star Trek. So as a longtime fan, which I know you are, what are the vital elements for you that make Star Trek Star Trek?
That is such a bloody good question. To me, the thing that I always loved about Star Trek was they never had any money. I know that sounds like a counterintuitive thing, but because they didn’t have money like other shows and other movies did back then, they relied on dialogue and they relied on story, and they relied on intellect and scientific curiosity. And it took things from being stereotypical movie stuff to being something about intellectual curiosity, about your growth as a human person, about leading with morality and leading with kindness, and the importance of what the Federation means. I firmly and strongly and hard in my heart believe that if everybody on this planet watched Star Trek and was a fan of Star Trek, the world would find world peace like that. (snaps fingers) Like, I think if you’re a fan of Star Trek, you’re a good person. You have to be to appreciate what Jean-Luc Picard stands for. You have to be a good person to root for Data and for Geordi, you have to. And if we can get Star Trek out to more people, we’ll make the world a better place.

Rob Kazinsky as Zeph and Director Olatunde Osunsanmi working on Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+
I know you and [writer] Craig Sweeny had talked about a backstory for you in the suit. Now, have you thought of a backstory for why you ended up in Section 31?
We know why. We didn’t end up in the suit and then end up in Section 31, we ended up as a genius engineer who built these body mods, ended up as he was, and then Alok came along and gave him Section 31 technology, and keeps him fed with Section 31 technology to keep improving his suit. And because Alok is the only person in the world Zeph trusts, Zeph will go anywhere and do anything Alok says.
Was the suit heavy? Was it hard to move around?
It weighed about 50 pounds when it was dry, and then I would lose about 10 to 15 pounds of sweat in the day, which would get stuck in the suit. So at the end of the day, it was about 60, 65, pounds with electricity coursing through it in its entirety for all the lights and gizmos. It’s one of those things… In this job you do some really weird and uncomfortable, painful things, but you sit there, and I always say to myself, the pain is temporary, the film lasts forever.
Can you sit down in that suit?
No, you can’t sit down, you can’t lie down, you can’t lean, you can’t do anything. If you lean against the wall, it breaks, like—it was a it was a struggle.
How long were you in it at a time?
Sixteen hours.
How did you go to the bathroom?
Oh, it’s got a flap. [laughter]
TrekMovie out here asking the important questions…
Yeah! When we did Pacific Rim, which was the progenitor of these suits, there was no flap. The flap is appreciated.

Rob Kazinsky as Zeph and Omari Hardwick as Alok in Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Michael Gibson/Paramount+
So what what would you say is your character arc in this movie?
Funny enough, I don’t think I really have one. I think that’s the comfort of Zeph. He is who he is no matter what happens. He doesn’t care about what’s going on. He is there to just have a good time, eat some sandwiches, and smash some stuff up. And I think you don’t have to have every character have an arc of growth in a movie. Sometimes you just need someone that makes you happy. And for me, Zeph is just the happiest-go-luckiest head smasher you’ll ever meet.
Because he’s uncomplicated?
Exactly, he is uncomplicated. And you know, there is this tendency to write every character as the most complex thing in the world, but not everybody in the world is. I’m not. So occasionally in a film like this, it’s just nice to have somebody who views the world in a naive, childlike way and just leads with joy. And that’s Zeph, through and through.
You must have already come up with a way for you to come back, right?
Oh, I’m coming back. The suit keeps you alive 100%, are you kidding me? Like it’s a super suit, you think he hasn’t built in a medical system into that thing? Like he’s gonna be fine in like, five minutes. It’s totally right. We’re coming back.
It’s funny because when I read the script, I was like—I got there on the first day, I was like, “Please, can we not kill him?” And I was going to buy everybody shirts that said SAVE ZEPH, and I was going to have everybody just walk past [Alex] Kurtzman’s office wearing a SAVE ZEPH shirt until my friends convinced me not to do that. But everybody’s on board. We’re all coming back.
More Section 31
Read more Section 31 coverage from this week:
- Interview: Kacey Rohl Ponders Rachel Garrett’s Challenges And Representing Starfleet In ‘Star Trek: Section 31’
- Interview: Michelle Yeoh Talks Georgiou’s Ongoing Redemption In ‘Star Trek: Section 31’
- Interview: Sven Ruygrok Explains Fuzz’s ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Species Backstory
- New Preview Images Reveal More From ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Streaming Movie
- 5 Clips From ‘Section 31’
- Watch: Michelle Yeoh Brings ‘Section 31’ Clip To Colbert, Talks Love Of Star Trek
- Interview: Alex Kurtzman On How ‘Section 31’ Embodies Star Trek Values, And The Future Of The Franchise
- Early Thoughts On ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ (Spoiler-Free)
- All Access Star Trek podcast review of Section 31
There are many more interviews to come from the premiere and from the junket as well as more analysis.
Keep up with news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com
If only the movie were any good…
Worst character in the film not named Fuzz.
Seriously. This actor would be a candidate for “worst Star Trek actor” in any other scenario. But in this film, he’s merely gunning for second place.
Nice thoughtful guy. Terribly written and directed character. This film is a dumpster fire. I wanted so much to at least like it. I think it should end a few careers. How could anybody with any thought and taste make such a poorly executed film?
Your comment smacks of someone who went into the film WANTING to hate it. Maybe you should go make a movie and let people comment on it.
A fair number of the people on these boards have at least dabbled in filmmaking and/or some creative art, so they do have experience of criticism on both sides of the aisle. Not that somebody offering thoughtful and considered opinions needs to have made a film so as to justify their opinions to others, and Montgomery has more than earned his wings here, not being a one-line snipe artist like those it IS easy to dismiss out of hand.
These actors seem so nice. They genuinely wanted to make something we would all enjoy
Well i enjoyed it and so did a lot of other people since the Movie is number 1 on Paramount in most countries according to the top 10 on Paramount+ and other streaming charts.
Hope it does well enough that we get more not only S31 movies but other streaming movies that could be set in any era.
Every Trekkie who actually care for the franchise should be hoping this does well for Paramount so they know that there is still an audience for Star Trek content.
There should not be an audience for BAD Star Trek content.
Honor is earned, not given away. I’m so sick and tired of this participation trophy mentality.
What is “bad” Star Trek? “Spock’s Brain?” That sucked. “Code of Honor?” That sucked. Half of ENT? That sucked too. STID – that definitely sucked. Let me ask you – are you one of those gatekeeper fans who decided to just hate the movie before it even landed, just because you didn’t like the concept or the primary character?
Most Star Trek is bad Star Trek. Most of everything is bad. It’s those occasional gems — plus the occasional stunning winning streak, like NORTHERN EXPOSURE had for about a season and a half, or that THE WIRE somehow maintained over its 60 shows — that matters when it comes to greatness in the arts.
Except for some parts in BEYOND, and maybe half an ep of DSC and the crossover on SNW, I don’t think I’ve liked ANY Trek this century. But I seriously dug a fair amount of DS9 and TOS and the occasional TNG, plus I love about a dozen of the novels. That sliver of TREK registers enough with me that I care enough to continue to weigh in on it, and it also sets the standard for what I perceive as good Trek.
I’d love to see something reset the bar higher, but I don’t think the current PTB could even get their hands around the bar, let alone raise it.
Maybe I am. Deal with that.
#FireKurtzman
It’s a continuation of the excuse mentality that dominated the Berman Era … ‘oh, well, these shows need THREE SEASONS to get their spacelegs and get good … ‘ Any series that needs three seasons to get good shouldn’t have gotten a chance to go past the first 13 eps, or perhaps even the pilot stage.
Well said. The film was terrible. I don’t support terrible.
I enjoyed it too. All the negativity makes me sick. It’s not a masterpiece but a nice little addition to Trek.
“All the negativity makes me sick.”
That is am bizarrely over-the-top reaction.
THAT was no “bizarrely over-the-top reaction” at all. I was pretty relaxed.
But now you can have exactly that:
Star Trek, even the worst seconds of it, matters 100% to me,
People and their crtical opinions matter 0% to me.
I live for the franchise, not the fanbase… Whatever Trek churns out I am 100% obliged to defend. I’m a religious zealot when it comes to that.
Unless you write for the franchise, you don’t matter. All HAIL THE FRANCHISE, my Empire, my God!
Zealotry in defense of incompetence is lemming-level behavior — with a malevolence chaser.
“Every Trekkie who actually care for the franchise should be hoping this does well for Paramount so they know that there is still an audience for Star Trek content.”
I do care about Star Trek which is why I do not want to ever see any more B-movie quality productions of it ever again. I respect that you liked it, but I didn’t and can’t support something that I consider to be bad Star Trek just so they keep making more of the same.
In my personal opinion, Star Trek used to be about quality and now everything about it seems to be very lowbrow, and I rather it be shelved completely until Kurtzman’s deal ends to protect the franchise from further degradation.
Section 31 currently has a 23% reviewer score, and an 18% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
I wouldn’t even class it as a B-Movie, it’s much worse.
All I said was some people seemed nice. I was gone two hours.
I keep hearing this, but no actor is obligated to accept every role that comes along, especially A-listers like Yeoh, who have their pick of projects.
I am highly dubious that this was some kind of gold standard script that was despoiled by a poor director or whatever. Surely at least some of them could have read it and bowed out?
It’s more likely they read it, realized it was a turkey, and just said “Star Trek fans will watch anything, who cares, it’s my shot at being Stat Trek royalty.” And I kind of get that logic, because some fans have indeed embraced a lot junk lately with the Star Trek label slapped in it. Fortunately, we may finally have reached a tipping point.
I think that’s pretty ungenerous and unfair. These are working actors, not A-listers like Yeoh who can totally afford to pick and choose what roles they take. SECTION 31 is indeed a real stinker of a movie — as I noted elsewhere, I couldn’t manage to get through even half of it — but acting in it doesn’t mean that you’re a cynic out to exploit fandom. At the end of the day it’s a silly time-waster that may indeed hurt the Trek franchise, which has nevertheless survived a number of stinkers and a fair amount of mediocrity prior to 01/24/25. What it isn’t is a crime against humanity. Let’s keep things in perspective.
Same. It was a misfire. The world will however continue to spin.
Heartily agree with this.
No one goes into a film expecting it will turn out badly. There’s always an understanding that you have to trust the process and your collaborators and he bumps will get smoothed out. Good scripts can lead to bad films, and bad/unfinished scripts can lead to good ones. You just can’t be certain when you sign on.
And it’s definitely not on to impose some sort of purity test on jobbing actors to not take the audition or deal for a Star Trek movie on principle, just because the script needs work.
I mean there’s a kind of famous quote that a film is born three times: once during the script phase, a second time during filming, and a third time during editing.
Things do not always translate well from page to screen. Or they may get cut/changed for whatever reason.
Yep. While it’s obviously good practice to start out with the best possible script, that won’t necessarily lead to a great outcome — and sometimes even the reverse happens, as with “The City on the Edge of Forever,” which had a teleplay that was but a pale shadow of Harlan Ellison’s original but was saved by the stunning performances and some wonderful direction and production values. Screenwriter William Goldman’s famous dictum that “no one knows anything” is famous for a reason.
The Fugitive and Gladiator started filming with unfinished scripts and made things up as they went along. You just never know!
GLADIATOR’s earlier (pre-John Logan) scripts were both more ambitious and more interesting IMO. Ridley Scott is one of those writer-killer directors whose interest, once expressed in a script, usually dooms the writer.
They did have money in the original series days though didn’t they ? TOS was one of the most expensive TV shows at the time ,a big reason they couldn’t keep going is bc it was too expensive to produce for the ratings . And TNG had a huge budget each season had a budget comparable to the later TOS films
It was never enough money even for TNG. I think it was David Livingston who broke down how, after paying the cast and crew, the $1.something million budget was reduced to like $300k for everything new they had to do in any given week.
Hence all the bottle shows, the simple alien makeup most weeks, the stock footage, and limited VFX.
Budgets did go up for the successive shows and it’s true they were all amongst the most expensive on TV, but considering their mandate to produce slick futuristic sci-fi every week, it’s a wonder they pulled it off as well as they did. I firmly believe those constraints did lead to some creative solutions they’d never have thought of if money were no object.
Could be worse though. They could have had Babylon 5’s budget.
And B5 was a amazing and helped in the development of CGI (even if it looks dated by today’s standards). Love B5,
It looked dated by yesterday’s standards too. And that’s fine, it was ambitious sci-fi with a devoted fanbase. I’m just glad Trek had enough resources to look better, while still having to be scrappy at times which pushed its inventiveness. Now they have all the money in the world and it’s possibly inhibiting creativity.
I was thinking about that when he said it, but then I understood what he meant when he got into it more I think his point was that they couldn’t do a ton of big special effects sequences, so they had to rely on conveying the drama of what was happening with dialogue and intelligent conversation & analysis. It’s a fair point, even though it gave me pause as well.
G.K. Chesterton — ‘Art consists of limitation.’
TOS had I think maybe 3/4 of the budget that the Allen shows had, at least some of the time. But more importantly, there was a huge hit to the budget that was just overhead charged by Desilu. I’m thinking 30 percent off the top?
TNG’s budget wasn’t comparable, at least at first, because the way the money was apportioned. Even at 1.2mil per ep, they were supposedly only spending 60 grand on VFX for shows early on, which was only 5% of the budget. TOS was dropping at least double or triple that. (and no, I have no idea where the money went on TNG, and less than no idea of how the money is spent on the current monstrously budgeted shows.)
Making the world better by being a member of a Federation death squad. Crank out the MLK quotes while you’re at it, Rob.
I really like Rob Kazinsky. I think he’d be so much fun to talk to about Trek for sure. And I think he’s been a solid actor in the likes of Pacific Rim, the little-seen Second Chance tv show, and even Eastenders way back when. He deserves bigger and better parts down the road. I’m also glad he fulfilled a dream to be in Star Trek.
But my god it was a nothing character he couldn’t save. Such a waste of talent and all that effort and energy that went into it. 16 hours of physical duress every day and for what?
Lordy.
Eastenders. Ha that’s where I remember him from. That’s a long time ago now.
…for a paycheck, is pretty much it. I liked him in True Blood and Pacific Rim.
“…he is uncomplicated….there is this tendency to write every character as the most complex thing in the world, but not everybody in the world is. I’m not. So occasionally in a film like this, it’s just nice to have somebody who views the world in a naive, childlike way and just leads with joy. And that’s Zeph, through and through.”
God, talk about putting lipstick on a pig.
O … kay. So, in what way does S31 make the world better??. Or even Star Trek?!
I like even the shittiest Trek, but I’ll admit that about half this movie was super dumb. The other half was just dumb. The sliver of Georgio back when she was young, I DID like all that.
Make it stop, already.
Well this guy omen came true and he knew how much fans would hate it. It was just really really bad.
But he is a true fan and thought he did great in it, it’s just too bad they did hardly anything with his character and then killed him off. I liked his backstopping idea. Too bad they didn’t use it.
True and untrue fans don’t exist.
People who don’t care about Star Trek are untrue fans, hence my family.
By ‘true fan’ he just means someone who genuinely loves the franchise, and for whom the opportunity to be part of it was more than just a paycheck. Which seems to be the case, and which makes the end product even more of a waste and a shame.
Thanks for understanding! 👍
Lol meant back story.
I’m starting to wonder how much of modern entertainment is shameless money laundering.
I feel terribly sorry for the cast who seem thoroughly decent and must be crushed if they have even a flavour of the reviews. It was shocker from start to finish. Having watched, my biggest surprise was the TPTB didn’t go the tax write down route, and simply dump the movie on the grounds that it’s too brand damaging.
At what point did this wonderful, tragic man realize he had been lured into participating in a hit job against the franchise that he loves?
This movie did to Star Trek in 90 minutes what was done to America in the last seven days. It turned a beloved insitution of dignity and hope into a corporate cesspool of debauchery and fear.
Wow. I only wish that overstated things, but sadly, it doesn’t.
I really like Rob. Regardless of how it all turned out in the movie proper, Rob himself seems really cool. He deserved more to work with.
It’s fascinating that the official review from this site hasn’t been released yet….for a site that is generally breathlessly supportive of everything that’s been produced – it’s apparently hard for even TrekMovie to write something positive..so it has to be radio silence, I guess? ;)
It’s coming! We are running behind, that’s all.