Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Section 31, Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-3, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
It’s now just over a month until the Section 31 TV movie will premiere on Paramount+, and with a new trailer having dropped just a few days ago, I thought it could be a good time to look ahead! This will be the Star Trek franchise’s first-ever made-for-TV movie, and the first standalone story since Paramount gave up on Short Treks, so it really looks set to be a unique moment in the history of the franchise. If Section 31 succeeds, perhaps we’ll see more of these one-off streaming events!
I’ve taken a look at the trailers for Section 31, as well as the rest of the marketing material that Paramount has put out, and… I have some thoughts. I don’t want to start off by being overly negative, but suffice to say that there are things about both the concept of Section 31 and the way the trailers have presented it that just seem to be rubbing me the wrong way.
When Section 31 was first announced, I was already pretty sceptical of the idea. A spin-off from Discovery – and more importantly, a new Star Trek series – was great news, but I wasn’t sure about both the Section 31 organisation and most importantly, Michelle Yeoh’s character of Mirror Empress Georgiou. At the time the announcement was made – and remember, Section 31 was originally pitched as a full series, not a TV movie – I just wasn’t convinced that a pretty one-dimensional villain stereotype could take the lead role in a Star Trek series (or any series, for that matter).
All of this came before Georgiou got some desperately needed character development in Discovery’s third season. The two-part episode Terra Firma, in particular, took a pretty boring character who lacked any nuance and allowed us as the audience to see how much she’d grown, how far she’d come, and how the influence of Starfleet and the Federation had changed her – at least somewhat. By the time Georgiou departed Discovery at the end of the episode, I was much more on board with the Section 31 idea… though by that point the series was stuck in development hell and seemed to have been eclipsed by Strange New Worlds and Star Trek’s continued expansion.
I’ll be honest with you: I don’t see much if any of that nuance or development in Georgiou’s presentation in the Section 31 trailers. If anything, she seems to have been regressed as a character to her pre-Terra Firma self, and I’m genuinely worried that this decision will rob Section 31 of its protagonist. I’m all for an anti-hero, don’t get me wrong, and characters who have an “evil streak” can be absolutely delicious to watch. But Mirror Universe Terrans, who love murder, torture, murderous torture, and torturous murder all for no other reason than “just because…” that’s never appealed to me. While I can usually stomach the Mirror Universe for an episode or a two-parter, basing an entire movie around an unrepentant Terran just feels like a bridge too far.
It also feels like it could be a total waste of a brilliant performer in Michelle Yeoh. Let’s be completely frank for a moment: Section 31 only got a second chance because Yeoh won a Golden Globe and an Oscar, and Paramount desperately wanted to be able to bill the next Star Trek project as starring “Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh.” Her success in Everything Everywhere All At Once reinvigorated Paramount’s interest in the Section 31 idea after it had been brushed aside in 2019/2020.
But to relegate an actress like Michelle Yeoh to playing an over-the-top pantomime villain… I don’t know. I hope it won’t be as bad as it looks from the trailers, because despite Yeoh’s best efforts and what I’m sure will be an excellent performance, Mirror Georgiou can just be a difficult character to get on board with. The whole “fish out of water” idea – having a Terran trying to blend in with Starfleet – is a fun one, but it’s also something we’ve seen before in more than one Star Trek story, and it works best when there’s some degree of subtlety and nuance on display. Captain Lorca worked pretty well for most of Discovery’s first season for this very reason.
I’m also concerned that, if Georgiou has indeed regressed, parts of her character arc in Section 31 could end up feeling repetitive and/or derivative. We’ve already seen Georgiou take steps away from her Terran nature to embrace a slightly less violent approach; that was basically the plot of Terra Firma, but we also caught glimpses of it in some Discovery episodes in Seasons 2 and 3. If her story across Section 31 is “learning to tolerate the Federation and do things the Starfleet way…” well, we’ve already seen that.
Section 31 was always pitched as a Georgiou-led spin-off, but part of me wonders if her prominence may have been increased when the switch was made to the TV movie format. Again… I’m struggling to see this as a win for Section 31 in spite of Michelle Yeoh’s pedigree. Even the best performers can struggle with Mirror Universe characters; Sonequa Martin-Green was appalling as the Mirror counterpart to Michael Burnham, and while Mirror Georgiou has never quite sunk to that level, I genuinely worry that a regression or unravelling of her Terra Firma characterisation and growth combined with a larger, more central role in the story could set the stage for Section 31′s undoing.
On the other hand, if Georgiou is written with more of that nuance to her character, making her less of an out-and-out “evil for the sake of it” Terran and more of a strict but ultimately caring leader of a team… there’s potential in that premise. The semi-reformed Terran that we saw toward the end of Terra Firma could make for a fun, interesting, and engaging protagonist while still allowing Section 31 to take Star Trek to new and different thematic places. It will all hinge on how well Georgiou has been written, how much of that development has been retained, and how much nuance is present in her characterisation.
A couple of years ago, when talking about a very different Star Trek pitch by a famous director, I explained that not every Star Trek project can appeal to existing fans – and why that’s okay, especially for one-off productions. In short: you and I may not like the tone of Section 31, its focus, or even its main storylines. But there are benefits to Paramount greenlighting a project like this and taking Star Trek in different directions, even if many existing Trekkies don’t like what’s on offer. I’m not claiming to speak for anyone but myself, of course!
As I see it, Section 31 could be Star Trek’s best opportunity in several years to bring new eyes and potentially legions of new fans to the franchise. As a standalone TV movie with mostly new characters, and with a focus on a different side of the Star Trek universe that hasn’t really been explored before in much detail, there’s at least the possibility that Section 31 will appeal to a new audience, particularly a younger demographic raised on action-packed, quick-witted Marvel movies, fans of fast-paced action, and people who may have felt that Star Trek is too nerdy for them or too convoluted to get started with. All of that is a good thing – and serves as an important caveat for what we’re going to talk about next.
I do not like the tone set by the Section 31 trailers. “Star Trek does Suicide Squad” just doesn’t appeal to me, and I would argue that this “team of criminals and misfits” idea that Paramount is pushing with the pre-release material also doesn’t fit with what we know about the Section 31 organisation from past iterations of Star Trek. When we take a look at the apparently dysfunctional organisation that Georgiou is recruited into, then compare it with the very streamlined, professional organisation that William Sadler’s character, Luther Sloan, led in Deep Space Nine… I mean, they’re worlds apart.
Even compared to the presentation of Section 31 in Discovery’s second season – which Mirror Georgiou was part of in that story – what we glimpsed in the trailers seems incredibly different. A “black ops” spy organisation needs to be… organised. This incredibly chaotic energy that the trailers projected seems fun in some ways – and I enjoy a good “team of misfits” story as much as the next person. But does it seem right for Section 31 based on everything we know about the organisation? Would Starfleet’s spies really be so disorganised, throwing criminals and rejects together and hoping for the best? It just doesn’t seem right to me.
I’d like to touch on one line from the second trailer that’s also giving me pause: “We’re facing a threat unlike anything Starfleet’s ever seen.” Now doesn’t that sound like the setup for yet another “the entire Federation is in danger” storyline? The kind that has been over-used in Discovery and Picard? Particularly after Discovery’s underwhelming fifth season, I’m really burned out on that story premise, and while I’d certainly hope Section 31 could take it in a different direction… I still think Star Trek needs to give it a rest with storylines that put everyone in danger and turn the drama and threat levels up to eleven.
The only caveat to that is that Section 31 (the organisation) has always claimed that its existence is to fight existential threats to the Federation – in ways that Starfleet can’t. So I think there’s potential to see how this off-the-books organisation might react differently to Starfleet in dealing with an enemy on that scale. I just wish it hadn’t come after five seasons of Discovery and three of Picard basically doing the exact same thing. I guess that’s my worry with the plot: that it’ll be another “stop the bad guys from getting/using the magical universe-ending macguffin.”
Marvel and DC movies aren’t really “my thing,” though I can tolerate superhero stuff in small doses. So I guess I have that bias already, and to see Star Trek embracing elements of that style of cinema wouldn’t be my preference. But… I have to admit that comic book movies have been incredibly successful with a blend of over-the-top characters, fast-paced action, and a sense of humour, so if Star Trek can tap into that to bring new eyes to the franchise, then my personal preferences won’t really matter. I’m still hopeful and crossing my fingers for Section 31, but even if it isn’t my thing it could still be great news for Star Trek.
And that’s basically where I’m at, having looked at the trailers and the little character bios that Paramount has released. Everything about Section 31 is screaming “not my thing!” but I’m still hopeful that it will be well-received and might bring new eyes to Star Trek, which is something the franchise needs if it’s going to survive. There’s always a chance that I’ll enjoy what’s on offer, especially if I can detach it from the rest of Star Trek and treat it as a standalone project. But that feels less likely right now, unfortunately.
Let’s talk about Georgiou’s space station. Modern Star Trek has shown us some particularly elaborate space stations – from Starbase Yorktown in the Kelvin timeline to Discovery’s Federation HQ. This is purely an aesthetic thing, but for me, some of these designs can be a little too elaborate – and Georgiou’s falls into that category. Many of Star Trek’s most iconic designs don’t reach legendary status because they’re massive and elaborate, but rather because they’re futuristic yet relatively simple. “More” doesn’t necessarily mean “better” in these cases.
I spotted a Cheron (or Cheronian?) in the second trailer. This could be a total nitpick, and it’s also a deep cut to a single episode of The Original Series… but the entire point of the episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield was that these two warring races went extinct because they couldn’t get over their divisions. There was a message in that story – and I really hope Section 31 isn’t gonna undo all of that for a cheap visual effect or just a random background character. Doing so would take something away from The Original Series.
I like the idea of including at least one legacy character in Section 31, and Rachel Garrett is an interesting choice. Kacey Rohl, who will play Garrett, is someone I’m familiar with from her work in Hannibal – and I think Paramount made an excellent choice there. Seeing a younger version of a character we’re familiar with from The Next Generation is a neat idea, and Garrett could play an interesting role as the sole Starfleet officer in the midst of a chaotic team of misfits. There’s both dramatic and comedic potential in that premise, at any rate.
Garrett’s presence is interesting – and it makes me wonder about the setting of Section 31. It was heavily implied in Terra Firma that Georgiou needed to return to roughly the time period of the USS Discovery’s departure to cure her sci-fi illness – which might see Section 31 set in the same time period as Strange New Worlds. But Garrett would go on to captain the Enterprise-C in the 2340s – more than eighty years later. Star Trek’s medical and life-extending technologies are good… but are they good enough that Captain Garrett could be 100 years old by the time of Yesterday’s Enterprise? Or could Section 31 be set decades after The Original Series – perhaps in the same era as, say, The Undiscovered Country? I guess we’ll have to see!
I think it’s worth complimenting Paramount for two trailers that – despite my personal feelings – were well composed. Neither trailer spoiled any massive plot point, and at this stage I’m not even sure who the villain or villains will be. Some modern trailers go too far, essentially showing all of the action moments, the best jokes, and even spoiling things. The Section 31 trailers showed just enough of a tease to get people excited (I hope) but without spoiling things, and that’s positive.
We didn’t see much from most of the other characters in the trailers, though I like the idea of a chameloid (a shape-shifter) being part of the team. I’m hopeful that at least some of them will survive Georgiou’s mission – perhaps leaving the door cracked open for a possible sequel if things go well.
So that’s it for now, I think.
Image Credit: IMDB
Section 31 is going to be an interesting project, and hopefully a successful one for the Star Trek franchise. I’d love to see it being talked about positively in the new year, and for it to serve as a gateway into the franchise for brand-new fans and folks who thought Star Trek might never be their thing. Star Trek needs a win like that – so if Section 31 is the project to deliver it, I’m on board with that!
As for me, though… I get the sense that this film just won’t be something I’ll enjoy. In fact, if I’d seen trailers like these for a project in a different franchise, I almost certainly wouldn’t be tuning in! It’s only because Section 31 is Star Trek that I’m going to get myself a month’s worth of Paramount+ and check it out. I’m crossing my fingers, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to go into this being negative and expecting to be disappointed – though having low expectations can often be a good thing! I want to judge Section 31 fairly and on its own merits when it premieres. I just feel, from what I’ve seen in the trailers, that it’s not gonna be my cup of tea.
When Section 31 premieres next month, I hope you’ll join me for a review. Maybe I’m wrong and it’ll be the perfect blend of action and humour and I won’t be able to stop watching! In any case, I’ll be sure to put metaphorical pen to paper and share my thoughts here on the website sometime in early 2025.
Star Trek: Section 31 will premiere on Paramount+ on the 24th of January 2025 in countries and territories where the platform is available. The Star Trek franchise – including Section 31, Discovery, and all other properties discussed above – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 