The firstStar Trekfilm since 2016’sStar Trek Beyond,Star Trek: Section 31is aTrekfilm unlike any other. Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh returns as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, who debuted inStar Trek: Discovery’sfirst season. The series updatedStar Trekfor modern streaming television and launched the franchise into an exciting new era. As Georgiou was one ofDiscovery’smost captivating characters, it seems fitting she should leadStar Trek’sreturn to film. The film centers around ateam of Section 31 agentswho recruit Georgiou to help them stop a dangerous new weapon.
Star Trek: Section 31
Cast
Star Trek: Section 31 follows Emperor Philippa Georgiou as she joins a clandestine Starfleet division tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, confronting the consequences of her past actions.
Star Trek: Section 31follows a somewhat familiar plot combining a spy thriller with futuristic sci-fi action. InStar Trek: Discoveryseason 3, Emperor Georgiou was sent back in time by the Guardian of Forever. She ended up in the early 24th century, running a nightclub located outside of Federation space. Often referred to asStar Trek’s"lost years," much about the early 24th century remains a mystery, andSection 31does not spend much time answering questions. Despite being aTrekfilm,Section 31feels disconnectedfrom the larger universe, even as it delivers an entertaining sci-fi action-oriented story.
Emperor Georgiou’s Past Catches Up With Her In Star Trek: Section 31
Michelle Yeoh Is Great As Always, But Star Trek: Discovery Already Gave Her A Redemption Arc
The film opens with a flashback to Emperor Georgiou’s childhood, setting up a focus on her supposed redemption arc. This story, however, never quite works. For one thing,Star Trek: Discoveryalready gave Georgiou a strong redemption story,one that benefited from the longer runtime episodic television provides.Section 31’sopening scene also makes Georgiou even more difficult to root for. The young Georgiou becomes Emperor by poisoning her entire family and, although it’s implied her family would have been killed anyway, this doesn’t make her an endearing character.
As someone who has seenGeorgiou’s history onStar Trek: Discovery,I can’t say how newcomers toTrekwill react to her as a character, but the opening flashback is a jarring way to introduce her. Fans who have seen Georgiou’sDiscoveryarc may find more to like inSection 31than those who have not. The film only offers brief glimpses into Georgiou’s time as Emperor of the Terran Empire, whereasDiscoveryviewers got to watch her grow and change throughout three seasons of the show.
How Michelle Yeoh Influenced Star Trek: Section 31’s Visual Style Explained By Director: “A Woman On Fire”
Star Trek: Section 31 director Olatunde Osunsanmi explains how Michelle Yeoh inspired the visual design of the upcoming television movie.
The idea forSection 31initially began as a spin-off series, and there are times when the film feels like a collection of scenes from a much larger story.Section 31sets up Georgiou’s story, but thenmuddies it by trying to fit too much into its 100-minute runtime.Perhaps this is left over from the story’s beginnings as a series, but it makes it difficult to connect with much of anything that is happening. None of the big reveals are particularly shocking and none of the deaths (of which there are a surprising number) have the effect they should.
Star Trek: Section 31 Is A Fun (If Somewhat Hollow) Sci-Fi Action Movie
The Film Introduces Some Fascinating New Characters I Hope To See More Of
Part ofSection 31’sproblem is there are too many characters and the film is too short for us to get to know them. Team leader Alok (Omari Hardwick) gets a brief backstory with interesting connections toTrekhistory, but his teased romance with Georgiou feels out of place.Sam Richardson’s Chameloid Quasi and Starfleet Lt. Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) are the two standouts,and I hope to see more of them in the future. As the only Starfleet officer on the team, Lt. Garrett keeps things feeling more likeStar Trekwhen the film’s franchise connections feel tenuous.
Star Trek: The Next Generationfans may remember Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O’Neil) fromTNG’sexcellent season 3 episode, “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” which sees the USS Enterprise-C pay a visit to the future.
As a tiny alien piloting a robotic Vulcan body, Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok) is a fascinating concept, but the character is all over the place. The muscle of the group,Zeph (Robert Kazinsky) delivers some genuinely funny lines,but his only real defining trait is that he’s overly attached to his mechanical exoskeleton. And finally, the Deltan Melle (Humberly Gonzalez),a species only seen inStar Trek: The Motion Picture,has potential, but she gets far too little screen time.
Which Star Trek Movies & Shows You Need To Watch Before Section 31
Star Trek: Section 31 is the first Star Trek streaming movie, but it’s a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery and has elements of other Trek lore.
That’s not to say thatSection 31is a bad movie. I certainly didn’t hate it — it’s still aStar Trekmovie, after all.Some cool fight sequences make use of a nifty phase devicethat allows the wearer to pass through walls and other solid objects. The film also plays around with title cards and graphics in fun ways and has plenty of well-done sci-fi action sequences. And seeing ayoung Rachel Garrettis a treat for anyTNGfan. Plus, everything looks amazing, it’s surprisingly funny, and the plot moves quickly enough to keep things interesting.
Overall,Star Trek: Section 31can best be described as a fun time. And if it sometimes feels a bit hollow, well, not everyStar Trekstory has to have profound commentary on what it means to be human. I know how greatStar Trekcan be, and I would be lying if I saidSection 31didn’t leave me a bit disappointed. Still, if we get the sequel the final scene sets up, I’ll be first in line to watch it.
