As a Star Trek fan of nearly 40 years, I was really excited about the prospect of section 31, and all new direct streaming Star Trek movie. And then I saw the trailer for it. I was not impressed.
Section 31 first appeared in the Deep Space Nine episode “inquisition”. It is explained that Section 31 is the “black ops” division of Starfleet and The Federation. They are the top secret, independent, highly unauthorized division of Starfleet is willing to to break its own rules in order to protect both Starfleet and the Federation.
One of the early criticism I heard of this movie was that instead of section 31 being portrayed as they were originally ally presented on Deep Space None et al, they come across looking more like the suicide squad – a ragtag band of ne’er-do-wells taking on a mission nobody else wants.
The mission in question deals with the pursuit of The Godsend. This particular MuGuffin is a device from the Mirror Universe that is capable of eradicating life (its destructive range is never made clear). Akon Sahar (Omari Hardwick) and his motley crew of Section 31 agents, recruit the former Emperor Georgiou to prevent the Godsend from falling into the wrong hands.
That’s right, yet another story dealing with Star Trek’s Mirror Universe. I understand that this movie’s Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is also originally from the Mirror Universe, but this trope has been done to death. Deep Space Nine ran this gimmick into the ground; only for Star Trek: Discovery to do so again 20 years later.
I actually didn’t mind Section 31 – as soon as I got over the fact that it felt nothing like Section 31 as it’s previously appeared in the franchise. Section 31 works as generic, run-of-the -mill science-fiction / action movie. When one is reminded that it is supposed to be a Star Trek spinoff, the movie falls flat.
A lot of people don’t like this current era of Star Trek content, which is often referred to as Nu Trek. I must admit that the new aesthetic is tough to get used to. Well, it is visually impressive, almost motion, picture quality in fact, the darker tone and the “more natural” dialogue just don’t feel like Star Trek. One could almost accept this when watching shows set further in the Star Trek timeline, like Picard, or Discovery. But the idea that Section 31 Takes place a few years before the original series is too much of a suspension of disbelief to ask of anyone.
FINAL TAKE: Pass. If you are a Star Trek completist, go ahead and check this out. Otherwise, it’s really not worth wasting your time on. It’s entertaining enough, but doesn’t add anything overall to the Star Trek franchise. This is disappointing for me, because I was hoping this would be the first of many Star Trek direct streaming featuring movies.
Star Trek: Section 31 is currently streaming on Paramount+
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