Interview: Omari Hardwick On Alok’s Connection To Star Trek’s Dark History In ‘Section 31’

Last Wednesday night, TrekMovie spoke to members of the cast and crew of Star Trek: Section 31 at the premiere and junket in New York City. This included Omari Hardwick, who is new to Trek, he’s better known as the star of the crime drama Power, which ran for six seasons on Starz. In the Paramount+  Section 31 streaming movie he plays Alok Sahar, who leads the Section 31 team tasked to re-recruit Michelle Yeoh’s Georgiou. The character also has a backstory tied into franchise lore and we had a chance to ask him about jumping into Trek history.

Alok has an interesting backstory tied to a major point in Star Trek history, the Eugenics Wars. Can you talk about how you prepared with the writers and producers to play Alok and what do you have a sense was his role during the Eugenics Wars?

I appreciate fans not necessarily knowing this guy as much as Kacy’s [Lt. Rachel Garrett]. Alok, for sure, I definitely studied what I saw with William Shatner, in terms of what I saw with people remaining within the parameters of that which the fanship of Star Trek would always want you to exist within, and not coloring so far left and right outside of the lines. But because of some of those notes from [screenwriter] Craig Sweeney, [director] Olatunde [Osunsanmi], and [executive producer] Alex [Kurtzman], there were moments where they reminded me, this guy has lived so long, and to be exact, 350 years. And because he’s come from the Eugenics Wars, and because of what you and I and many Trekkies might know… He has been created to live long. He was in a cryo-chamber.

But speaking of the first part of that word “cryo,” there were a lot of tears shed. Because he was a young slave, because he was asked by a master to become what he became, the colors, the smells, all the things that you’re asking, how that looks, and how I presented that—I just tried to dive into the ugliness of the guy. I tried to stay away from that which [costume designer] Gersha Phillips made look beautiful in the suiting as well. And I tried to just remember whatever Michelle Yeoh’s character [Georgiou] would have gone through, this gentleman’s also been through it. And so there’s scars that haven’t been healed. He can point fingers at her all he wants. But what I’m aware of is that this guy, equally, is always having a mirror in front of him, and he’s still trying to forgive himself on whatever he didn’t do to get away from doing what he did, or whatever he did do that he is definitely ashamed of having done. So it’ll be interesting how this guy is taken in by the fanship going forward. And I think there’s a lot of real estate going ahead for me to find in Alok. He’s quite the mysterious cat, and I love playing him.

Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou and Omari Hardwick as Alok in Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+

Do you feel like Alok is searching for redemption, or has he found redemption?

Look at you with your little good-ass question. No, right? I think he’s absolutely searching for redemption. I think it’s easy to point the finger, and I think all human beings do it. That man has been around for many a year, as the world will find out in watching this movie. And I think in pointing the finger at Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou, she becomes a mirror for him to have to look deeply in the mirror and say, I’ve got some of the similar, maybe not as heinous, but I got some of the similar crimes that I’m having to get past. And so, yeah, I think I love that you asked that. I think he’s trying to find redemption.

But he’s not there yet…

Not quite. He’s in the journey. Part two… part three!

That was my next question: Have you thought about what you’d like to see happen for him next?

Yeah, I want to see him messier. I would like to see Alok unbutton up and having to show who you know, it’s almost like Voyage Home, which was my favorite Star Trek movie. You know, Leonard Nimoy killed that moment of having to figure out his crap while being half human and half Vulcan. And I would love to see Alok in that space.

Omari Hardwick at NYC Section 31 premiere event (Photo: TrekMovie/Cleveland Oakes)

More Section 31

Read more Section 31 coverage from this week:

There are 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

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I have to say.. I liked that they didn’t directly tie him to Khan.. at least not directly. This was the right way to use Trek’s history. There is something about the character that’s interesting and remains unexplored, and I thought Omari played that as well as he could. This approach with a new character would have served STID a lot better than making Cumberbatch into Khan.

Alok was the one character in the film that I became interested in, besides Garrett, but both were sadly not developed, and the film was, well, atrocious. Still, at times he seemed like the one most in line with the “vibe” of Section 31 as portrayed in DS9 etc., but that only made me think of what could have been, and not engaging with what I was seeing on the screen.

If asked to pick my favorite thing about this film, it was this guy’s character. That being said, I wish he’d been given a lot more to work with. Good actor – bad material.

Same.. but not too much. The mystery behind him was interesting. If they delved into it, they only would have ruined it. lol.

Still have not watched the film but we watched Omari Hardwick in Power (which became Power Book One) as “Ghost” — and he stole every scene he was in. INCREDIBLE actor.

I rolled my eyes so hard, when the eugenic connection was revealed… Of course… They can’t do current trek with out that. Sigh.

Good actor. Totally stupid movie. I’m sure it is embarrassing for most of these people to have to do press promoting the film. They have to know how bad it is. Humiliated is how I’m sure many feel.