Star Trek: Section 31 Is Firing On All Cylinders

As nan very first nontheatrical Star Trek characteristic (one that’s debuting almost a decade aft Star Trek Beyond), Star Trek: Section 31 seems for illustration nan benignant of task that could personification easy felt excessively “made for TV” to show a satisfying communicative that does its characters justice. But Section 31 is firing connected conscionable astir each of its cylinders, and moreover though Discovery is down america astatine this point, nan movie charts an breathtaking caller group for Star Trek’s imaginable future.

Michelle Yeoh was an icon agelong earlier Star Trek: Discovery, but her capacity arsenic Captain Philippa Georgiou was information of what reenergized her occupation and put her connected measurement to triumph a much-deserved Oscar successful 2023. Though Discovery changed aft Yeoh’s exit successful play 3, location was dream that Georgiou’s communicative mightiness proceed connected erstwhile news first collapsed astir CBS being consenting successful different spinoff bid pinch her arsenic its centerpiece. Because of delays related to nan covid-19 pandemic, Paramount Plus’ Star Trek: Section 31 from caput Olatunde Osunsanmi was reworked into a movie alternatively than a show — a move that gelled pinch Discovery executive shaper Alex Kurtzman’s optimistic imagination for further explorations into this era of nan franchise. 

You don’t really petition to personification seen Discovery to dive into Section 31. But it decidedly helps to cognize a spot astir how, aft nan original Philippa Georgiou’s decease successful play 1, her alternate-universe counterpart took her spot and brought an wholly different benignant of powerfulness to nan USS Discovery. While nan Prime universe’s Georgiou was a compassionate leader who believed successful nan United Federation of Planets and Starfleet’s ngo to peacefully investigation nan galaxy, her Mirror beingness double was a ruthless tyrant who embodied nan fascism of nan Terran Empire. 

By nan extremity of Discovery’s first season, it was clear that Emperor Georgiou was turning a caller leafage and sticking astir to spell information of Section 31, a covert squad of operatives tasked pinch missions that tally antagonistic to Starfleet’s professed beliefs. Georgiou and nan remainder of Section 31 often returned successful Discovery’s consequent seasons arsenic morally dubious friends / foils to nan show’s heroes. But Star Trek: Section 31 explains really precisely Georgiou was convinced to subordinate Starfleet’s clandestine squad of lethal abstraction spies.

Most of Section 31 takes spot successful Georgiou’s present, wherever she has spell nan proprietor of a seedy nightclub (which is too a spaceship) parked location beyond Starfleet’s jurisdiction. But nan movie opens successful nan past erstwhile young Georgiou (Miku Martineau) was 1 of nan galore Terran children locked successful a conflict royale meant to find who would spell nan Empire’s adjacent leader. 

Other than her chap contestant San (James Hiroyuki Liao / James Huang successful flashbacks), nary 1 understands nan denotation that defined Georgiou’s adolescence. And while large Georgiou has recreation a agelong measurement since her days of ruling nan Terran Empire pinch an robust fist, she is still haunted by her memories of San and nan things she did successful her quest for power. Digging a spot deeper into Georgiou’s backstory is 1 of nan ways Section 31 sets itself up to activity arsenic immoderate a continuation of threads from Discovery and a jumping-off constituent for this era of Star Trek. It gives you a sensation of nan acheronian that made her specified a compelling Discovery villain and nan psyche turmoil that lent itself to her eventual antihero turn. But it too helps you understand why Section 31 supplier Alok (Omari Hardwick) comes looking to enlistee Georgiou to his squad for a top-secret ngo that could usage her emblematic skills.

For each of nan thorny philosophical questions astir Starfleet and Star Trek’s halfway ideals that Section 31 (the organization) raises, location is simply a comedic lightheartedness to nan film’s position of Alok’s team. Like Georgiou, Shapeshifter Quasi (Sam Richardson), ersatz Vulcan Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), and telepath Melle (Humberly González) each personification unsocial talents and iffy principles that make them cleanable for doing Starfleet’s off-the-books soiled work. But nan goofy measurement they conflict pinch exoskeleton aviator Zeph (Robert Kazinsky) and value Starfleet serviceman Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) often makes this loop of Section 31 consciousness overmuch for illustration a Guardians-style group of ragtag misfits than an elite squad of wetworks soldiers.

That powerfulness serves Section 31 reasonably bully arsenic it lays retired nan high-stakes heist Alok needs Georgiou’s expertise to propulsion off. There’s a bioweapons technologist who has cooked up point truthful susceptible that Starfleet (unofficially) sees sidesplitting him arsenic an acceptable measurement if it intends Section 31 tin unafraid his creation. But nan movie’s inclination to err connected nan comedic broadside makes it consciousness a mini awkward successful moments erstwhile it tries to get superior astir Georgiou’s individual demons and what Section 31’s beingness really says astir Star Trek’s framing of nan Federation arsenic a utopian society.

Yeoh is intelligibly having a changeable chewing each spot of scenery she tin get her hands connected arsenic Section 31 plucks Georgiou retired of her 9 — a spot that looks for illustration a glitzy fusion betwixt The Fifth Element’s Fhloston Paradise and Star Wars’ Galactic Senate — and drops her into nan proverbial dense end. At times, nan movie’s blend of joke and flashy action sequences that consequence successful a less Section 31 members’ deaths makes it look for illustration Paramount wants this to play for illustration Star Trek’s reply to Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad franchise. 

It’s a nosy vibe that gives nan afloat formed a chance to ham things up, but whenever Section 31 slows down to zoom successful connected Georgiou’s psyche turmoil, you tin consciousness really overmuch overmuch constituent location could personification been to these characters if they were fleshed retired complete nan group of a series.

To its credit, Star Trek: Section 31 doesn’t wholly consciousness for illustration a movie cobbled together from scrapped TV show ideas. It useful arsenic a standalone communicative and leaves its surviving characters pinch a caller position quo that feels primed for overmuch exploration successful early projects. With truthful galore newer Star Trek shows having precocious been canceled, it’s easy to ideate Paramount looking astatine its Section 31 characteristic arsenic an investigation to spot really consenting viewers mightiness beryllium successful seeing Georgiou cognition it up from week to week.

This proceedings tally feels for illustration a occurrence because of nan measurement Star Trek: Section 31 leaves you wanting more, and while a full-on follow-up bid mightiness not beryllium successful nan cards, it could very bully beryllium nan opening of a caller era of streaming amazingly nosy Star Trek features.

Star Trek: Section 31 hits Paramount Plus connected January 24th.