STAR TREK: SECTION 31 (2025) Review

Review

In the era of streaming there are few legacy franchises which have been able to successfully make the jump. Star Wars struggles to maintain both film and streaming content simultaneously. Marvel’s small screen output continues to divide opinion. Star Trek however has been steadfast in dominating a corner of Paramount+ with five successful series which have clocked up over 160 hours of TV. In that time the 59 year-old franchise has used comedy, animation and family-friendly storytelling to explore the boundaries of its capabilities. But this week brings a new franchise first: Star Trek’s first streaming event movie.

Spinning out of the events of Star Trek: Discovery, the Academy Award-winning Michelle Yeoh returns as former Emperor Philippa Georgiou. In case you need a quick history lesson, the Prime Universe Philippa Georgiou was killed by the Klingons during a skirmish which saw a major escalation in their war with the Federation. Later, when the U.S.S. Discovery was thrust in to Star Trek’s famed Mirror Universe, its crew would come face-to-face with their former colleague. Only this time Georgiou’s doppelgänger just so happened to be the ruler of the Terran Empire.

Written by Craig Sweeney and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, Section 31 picks up with Georgiou after her brief trip to the future. Following an opening flashback which sets up the beginning of Georgiou’s rule the film’s opening credits do a swift job of catching viewers up on her story. Having journeyed to the Prime Universe, Georgiou took the place of her fallen twin and had taken up a role with Starfleet’s shady dark ops division. When Discovery was thrust in to the future Georgiou was left out of phase and had to return to the present day. So now, several years later and potentially around the time of Captain Kirk at the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Georgiou now hides out on a space station outside of Federation space. It’s here that our new Mission: Impossible in space story begins…

Plenty has been (and will be) written about toxicity amongst fandoms. Particularly amongst sci-fi and comic book fans. Sadly Star Trek hasn’t been immune to those issues. What Section 31 makes abundantly clear from the outset is that this isn’t your grandad’s Star Trek from the 1960’s. Neither is it your dad’s Trek of the 1990’s. In fact, Section 31 doesn’t even feel like any of the Trek series currently streaming on Paramount+ today. Its action sensibilities has more in common with the J.J. Abrams era of Star Trek movies. But it also very clearly sets out to prove this is franchise which cannot only survive, but thrive in the modern era.

As is often the case, the story of Section 31 is built around a MacGuffin. In this case a device from the Mirror Universe which has ties to Georgiou’s past. Sweeney and Osunsanmi use this apocalyptic threat as a central device to build the story around. Its sheer existence helps maintain Georgiou as the character of central focus whilst an ensemble cast is built around her. The pieces all slot together really nicely to tell a story which forces the former tyrant to face up to her past and question her future. It also grants Section 31 a license to flex is muscle well beyond what we’ve seen this often controversial group of Starfleet officers do in the past. Gone are their stoic, espionage roots. Here’s they an outright band of misfits doing Starfleet’s dirty work without the delta comm badges and sexy uniforms.

The more bombastic style will not be to everyone’s tastes. Whilst it does raise an interesting question about whether Star Trek is still Star Trek without any recognisable elements of Starfleet. There’s certainly no denying that the film has the same reverence for legacy that Discovery, Strange New Worlds and even Lower Decks have in spades. Sweeney peppers the script with narrative branches which reach out to both the past and future of this timeline. Whether it’s a recognisable alien race like Deltan Melle (Humberly González). Or the backstory of Section 31 leader Alok (Omari Hardwick). Even at its most Mission: Impossible the film never fails to wear its love for the franchise on its sleeve.

It’s a neatly written script which hits most of the right notes. Georgiou’s arc is well rounded and flows nicely from the opening flashback through to her closing moments on screen. As a vehicle which was created in order to give Yeoh – and her character – more screen time it works well. It also neatly capitalises on Yeoh’s combat stunt skills to reinforce Georgiou’s status as a lethal weapon. There is a sense that most of the other characters, Alok aside, are merely devices to spice up the plot and give it more of a Trek ensemble feel. Whilst they are all individually interesting and diverse additions to the franchise. As a group there’s little to connect them or establish how and why they ended up working for Section 31.

Therein lies my biggest issue with Section 31. In so many way it feels cinematic and has the production values to back it up. But certainly elements of its plotting and pacing mean that it still feels like an extended pilot for a new series. It leaves the origins of characters like Zeff (Rob Kazinsky), Quasi (Sam Richardson) and Melle to be told another day. It also wraps up the entire adventure by going beyond its resolution to tease a status quo for what could come next. If this were a theatrical film it would likely be more open ended. Instead Sweeney opts for something much more direct. There’s nothing wrong with that per se. But it does lessen the impact of the story, instead rendering it more like setup for future instalments.

The issues with the plotting are easily masked by the performances of the ensemble. Yeoh can always be counted on to give a spirited performance. Anyone expecting a post Academy Award-Yeoh to phone in a performance will be sadly disappointed. It’s clear that she revels in playing Georgiou particularly in this super-sized format. What is also clear is that everyone around her is also having fun playing in this sandbox. Hardwick, Richardson and Kasey Rohl (playing legacy character Rachel Garrett) get most of the screen time. Though the characters themselves have little time to bond on screen. The actors off-screen camaraderie is evident throughout. Any sense that this would be Michelle Yeoh and her supporting players is quickly dispelled thanks to Sweeney’s very balanced script.

What is most impressive is Section 31’s overall production. There are a number of different expansive sets which task both the practical and visual effects teams. The opening scene with Georgiou’s family flashback features a number of awe inspiring visual effects which amp up the theatrical scope of the film. The bar on Georgiou’s station is cavernous but could have used more extras to truly bring it to life. But the detail of the craft work which went in to building the set is evident in every frame on screen. The entire film feels a step up in production from the current crop of Trek series. It might not live up to its theatrical cousins. But for a release in the streaming landscape it’s beyond impressive.

Though the future of Section 31 and Star Trek aren’t clear. One thing which is clear is that the streaming event movie is a perfect space to tell its stories. The blueprint set by Section 31 confirms that any story which perhaps doesn’t fit a ten episode season could find new life in the 90+ minute expanded format. As for Philippa Georgiou and her new team? I’m certainly sold on watching further misadventures on the fringes of the Federation.

Verdict

Star Trek: Section 31 is the perfect litmus test for bringing the franchise in to the streaming movie event format. Scaling the franchise up from series like Discovery presents a luscious visual style worthy of the silver screen and offers the perfect opportunity to tell stories with beloved characters (and their actors) who don’t fit the usual seasonal TV style. Though the story doesn’t full land, Section 31 is an undeniably fun watch which deserves its place in the pantheon of Star Trek.

⭐⭐⭐⭐