As the first non-theatrical. trip to the stars feature film (one that debuts almost a decade later Star Trek Beyond), Star Trek: Section 31 It seems like the kind of project that could have easily felt too “made for television” to tell a satisfying story that does justice to its characters. But Section 31 is firing on almost all cylinders, and although Discovery has been left behind at this point, the film charts an exciting new course for trip to the starsThe future potential of
Michelle Yeoh was an icon long before Star Trek: Discoverybut her portrayal of Captain Philippa Georgiou was part of what revitalized her career and put her on track to win a well-deserved Oscar in 2023. Discovery changed after Yeoh’s departure in season 3, there were hopes that Georgiou’s story would continue when it was first learned that CBS was interested in another spin-off series with her as the centerpiece. Due to delays related to the covid-19 pandemic, Paramount Plus’ Star Trek: Section 31 by director Olatunde Osunsanmi was reworked into a film instead of a program, a move that concretized Discovery executive producer Alex Kurtzman’s optimistic vision for further explorations into this era of the franchise.
You really don’t need to have seen Discovery dive into Section 31. But it definitely helps to know a little about how, after the original Philippa Georgiou died in Season 1, her alternate universe counterpart took her place and brought a completely different kind of energy to the USS Discovery. While the main universeGeorgiou was a compassionate leader who believed in the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet’s mission to peacefully explore the galaxy, her Mirror universe double was a ruthless tyrant who embodied the fascism of the Terran Empire.
At the end of DiscoveryIn the first season, it was clear that Emperor Georgiou was turning over a new leaf and staying to be part of Section 31a covert team of agents tasked with missions that go against Starfleet’s professed beliefs. Georgiou and the rest of Section 31 returned frequently in DiscoveryLater seasons as morally dubious allies/foils to the show’s heroes. But Star Trek: Section 31 explains exactly how Georgiou was convinced to join Starfleet’s clandestine team of deadly space spies.
Most of Section 31 takes place in Georgiou’s present, where she has become the owner of a seedy nightclub (that is also a spaceship) stationed somewhere beyond Starfleet’s jurisdiction. But the film begins in the past, when young Georgiou (Miku Martineau) was one of many Earth children caught in a battle royal meant to decide who would become the next leader of the Empire.
Aside from fellow contestant San (James Hiroyuki Liao/James Huang in flashbacks), no one understands the pain that defined Georgiou’s adolescence. And although the adult Georgiou has come a long way since her days of ruling the Terran Empire with an iron fist, she is still haunted by her memories of San and the things he did in his quest for power. Digging a little deeper into Georgiou’s backstory is one of the ways Section 31 is configured to function as a continuation of the threads Discovery and a starting point for this era of Trip to the Stars. It gives you a sense of the darkness that made her so compelling. Discovery villainy and the internal turmoil that lent itself to his eventual antihero turn. But it also helps you understand why Section 31 agent Alok (Omari Hardwick) has come looking to recruit Georgiou to his team for a top-secret mission that could be useful. his special abilities.
For all Thorny philosophical questions about Starfleet and trip to the starsThe fundamental ideals posed by Section 31 (the organization), there is a comical joy in the Alok team’s presentation of the film. Like Georgiou, Shapeshifter Quasi (Sam Richardson), ersatz Vulcan Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), and telepath Melle (Humberly González) have unique talents and dubious principles that make them perfect for doing Starfleet’s unofficial dirty work. But the ridiculous way they clash with exoskeleton pilot Zeph (Robert Kazinsky) and human Starfleet officer Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) often makes this iteration of Section 31 feel more like a Guardiansgroup of ragtag misfits than an elite squad of Wetworks soldiers.
That energy serves Section 31 quite well, as it describes the high-risk heist that Alok needs Georgiou’s expertise to pull off. There is a bioweapons engineer who has come up with something so dangerous that Starfleet (unofficially) considers killing him an acceptable measure if it means Section 31 can ensure its creation. But the film’s tendency to err on the comedic side leaves it feeling a little uncomfortable in the moments when it tries to take seriously Georgiou’s personal demons and what the existence of Section 31 really says. trip to the starsThe approach of the Federation as a utopian society.
Yeoh is clearly having fun chewing every bit of scenery he can get his hands on while Section 31 takes Georgiou out of his club, a place that seems like a dazzling fusion between The fifth elementFhloston’s Paradise and star wars‘ Galactic Senate… and throws her into the proverbial abyss. At times, the film’s mix of humor and flashy action sequences that result in the deaths of some members of Section 31 makes it seem like Paramount wants this to work as trip to the starsWarner Bros. response suicide squad franchise.
It’s a fun vibe that gives the entire cast a chance to make things better, but as long as Section 31 slows down to get closer to Georgiou’s inner turmoil, you can feel how much more substance these characters could have had if they had been developed over the course of a series.
To your credit, Star Trek: Section 31 It doesn’t quite feel like a movie cobbled together from discarded TV show ideas. It functions as a standalone story and leaves its surviving characters with a new status quo that seems ripe for further exploration in future projects. With so many new trip to the stars shows have been canceled recently, it’s easy to imagine Paramount looking at its Section 31 presented as an experiment to see how interested viewers might be in seeing Georgiou mix it up from week to week.
This test seems a success because of the way in which Star Trek: Section 31 It leaves you wanting more, and while a full follow-up series may not be in the cards, it could very well be the start of a surprisingly fun new era of streaming. trip to the stars characteristics.
Star Trek: Section 31 arrives on Paramount Plus on January 24.