Back in 2017, Trekkies and sci-fi fans of all kinds were welcomed back into the long-dormant franchise by the allure ofMichelle Yeohin space. And while that initial version of Phillippa Georgiou was short-lived,Star Trek: Discoverydelivered one of the franchise’s most interesting and captivating stories of the mirror universe through the (eventually) reformed Terran empress of the same name. When Yeoh left the series, there were rumblings of giving her a spin-off series, following Georgiou’s work with Starfleet’s little-explored black ops division, Section 31. However, the series never got off the ground, and two years later, Yeoh took home the well-earned Oscar for Best Actress for her role inEverything Everywhere All at Once— naturally, her dance card has been jam-packed since, ruling out a television series.
However, Yeoh’s love for her Star Trek character never waned,leading her back to the franchisefor one final ride with aSection 31TV movie. While it’s always a pleasure to see Yeoh kick butt and take names among the stars,Section 31wastes her talents as well as its own premiseon a middling heist movie devoid of anything that might actually identify it as a Star Trek movie.
What Is ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ About?
If you’re walking intoSection 31expecting to learn ’s covert operationsor to get a complex examination of Georgiou’s history in one last grand send-off, you won’t find either in this film. Unfortunately,Section 31islittle more than a bland heist film set in space. The movie followsa ragtag group of mercenarieson a mission to stop a valuable artifact from falling into the hands of the wrong people.
The crux of the heist rests on the displaced Phillippa Georgiou (Yeoh), who is now living out her days in this universe as a lavish club owner on the fringes of the galaxy. When it becomes evident that the artifact in question is from the mirror universe, the movie merely scratches the surface of her past as a Terran Empress andretreads old ground previously covered for the characterwith more finesse and a more interestingly developed plot.
A TV Series Might Have Given ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ the Space it Needs
It feels painfully obvious thatthe original concept forSection 31was developed for a television series that no longer exists, and rather than writing a new feature-length tale, it seems as though that season-long arc was chopped up and mashed together for a 100-minute movie. In that process, the project appears to have lost everything it needed to make the audience care about what’s happening on the screen. While we meet some existing characters like Georgiou and thefuture captain of the Enterprise, Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), the rest of the crew are newcomers who don’t get much development beyond their introductory archetypes. Even Georgiou and Garrett don’t see much development beyond what we already knew about them beforehand, and fans would be better off re-watching their previous adventures in the franchise.Section 31also does little to explain or clarify what the black ops division of Starfleet is or what they do, and islikely to leave viewers with far more questions than answers.
One of the biggest crimes ofCraig Sweeny’s disappointing script is thatSection 31spends the vast majority of its time telling the audience things that happened in the past rather than showing us key character moments. The film opens with a flashback to the moment that Georgiou ascended to the throne over the Terran empire, withMiku Martineaudoing little more than explaining all the sacrifices she made to get there.The script turns what could’ve been a biting look at Star Trek’s dark and painful mirror universe into a mere nibble, lacking any kind of substance or point of view. What’s worse is thatSection 31couchesGeorgiou’s tragic backstoryin the most predictable and misogynistic plot device of star-crossed lovers gone wrong. The film doesn’t even use this history to enrich her as a person, as she’s already gone through all of these same beats — and with better, more compelling results — alongside Michael (Sonequa Martin-Green) andSaru (Doug Jones) inDiscovery. From there, the story is also painfully predictable, with every potential twist being easy to spot the moment each plot thread is introduced.
Beyond its lackluster narrative and simple characters, the script also suffers froma simple abundance of genuinely bad lines. Yeoh and her accomplished co-stars, including Rohl,Omari Hardwick(Power),Sam Richardson(Ted Lasso),Robert Kazinsky(Pacific Rim),Sven Ruygrok(One Piece),James Hiroyuki Liao(Barry),Humberly Gonzalez(Ginny & Georgia) andJoe Pingue(The Expanse),make the best of what they’re given, and there are a few jokes here and there that manage to land. However, even Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh can’t save a script that unironically features the phrase “sexytime.” Additionally, an odd bit of stunt casting that we won’t spoil bookends the film in a way that’s almost too out of place to land as campily and comedically as it was likely intended.
Michelle Yeoh’s Mission Takes Shape in First ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Trailer
“Work together. Don’t get dead.”
‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Wastes the Talents of Its Cast and Crew
While most ofSection 31is fairly dull, there are a few elements here that really shine, showing off the potential that the project might have had as a TV series or simply with a better script.Yeoh and Hardwick have phenomenal chemistry togetherand anytime they share the screen, it’s worth looking up from your phone to watch them bounce off each other. Their scenes are charged with an intense back-and-forth that makes it clear Georgiou and Hardwick’s Alok Sahar would’ve made a fantastic will-they-won’t-they relationship in the 22-episode seasons of Star Treks gone by. Rohl also does a solid job as young Rachel Garrett, and had she been given more to do, it would’ve been fun to see her sink her teeth into the early days ofone of Starfleet’s most legendary figures.
DirectorOlatunde Osunsanmiis no stranger to Star Trek, having helmed 14 episodes ofDiscoveryalong witha couple ofShort Treks. Much like the cast, it’s clear that Osunsanmi does what he can to elevate an underwhelming story script with an assist from DPGlen Keenanand editorBartholomew Burcham. There area handful of very fun visual gags, including some hilarious zooms that will have the viewer laughingwiththe movie rather than at it, and the fight sequences are fun to watch, with a few gasp-worthy moments found among the film’s struggling narrative. Production designerPaul Kirbyand costume designerGersha Phillipsalso deserve a round of applause for the film’s immersive visuals and breathtaking costumes.
With the potential in its concepts and its cast,Section 31might have made a perfectly fine two-part episode of a television series that doesn’t exist. However,as a film, it’s both forgettable and disappointing, as Star Trek fans are unlikely to recognize any of the franchise’s hallmark elements in the final product.
Star Trek: Section 31will be available to stream on Paramount+ on January 24.
Star Trek: Section 31
Michelle Yeoh, Omari Hardwick, and director Olatunde Osunsanmi do their best to save Star Trek: Section 31 from its terrible script.
In Star Trek: Section 31, Emperor Philippa Georgiou, joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.
