Before I get to my thoughts on Star Trek: Section 31, I have to say that if there is one subscription service I fail to see the point of, it is Paramount Plus! I keep intending to cancel my Paramount Plus subscription, but I always end up getting some kind of three months for one or even an extra month free offer. However, if I had to cut one of my subscription services, it would 100 percent be this! There are just far too many these days, and this one here is the “one too many” for me.
How to Star Trek: Section 31
Star Trek: Section 31 was released on January 24, 2025. You can or stream the film from Paramount+. Click on the button at the end of this review. Are you a Star Trek fan? Here’s what you should watch:
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
- Star Trek Generations (1994)
- Star Trek: First (1996)
- Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
- Star Trek (2009)
- Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
- Star Trek Beyond (2016)
The Movie Review
I have had a lot of fun reviewing the Star Trek movies over the last few months, and I always look forward to watching a new one. The TV series, Star Trek Discovery, was ok, so Star Trek: Section 31, a spin-off of that, had me interested. However, as I hardly ever fire up Paramount Plus, I forgot all about this until I started my Star Trek movies rewatch, and I finally got around to watching this. I had not heard many good things, and let me tell you, those people were right.
A Letdown for Star Trek Fans
Let’s not beat around the bush here, right now, as it stands, Star Trek: Section 31 is the worst Star Trek movie I have seen. The thing is, this does not feel like a Star Trek movie and if it were not for the what feels like forced name dropping references to Enterprise and the United Federation of Planets, this could be any random sci-fi action movie. I used to say that Star Trek V was my least favorite, but this now takes that place.
Focus on Michelle Yeoh’s Character Feels Shallow
The movie is about Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou. We get to see the early days of Georgiou and the start of the movie gave me a lot of hope as we saw how she came to be what she was in Star Trek Discovery. Well, Georgiou ends up coming from the Mirror Universe to the “Prime Universe”.
It is here that Georgiou who now owns a space bar, ends up working with Starfleet in their Section 31 which is an underground unit that can operate outside of the usual laws that Starfleet upholds. The idea is to keep the Federation of Planets safe by any means necessary. The stuff with Georgiou trying to atone for her past on paper sounds interesting, but it is skin deep at best.
Star Trek: Section 31’s Missed Potential
There are some new alien species to the Star Trek universe here, and while that sounds cool. Star Trek: Section 31 is a pretty short movie, coming in at around 90 minutes. On the one hand, this is good as any longer, and it would have been a massive chore to sit through. However, it also means that they introduce these characters and races and never flesh them out in any meaningful way.
This Should Have Been a Series, Not a Movie
I felt that you could tell, this was not supposed to be a movie. This was originally planned as another Star Trek TV series and from what I understand, it would have been eight episodes long. Part of me wonders if this would have made this a better story, but then I also think that with the tone they have here, I am not sure I would have wanted to spend eight plus hours with this.
Final Verdict on Star Trek: Section 31
While I do think that Star Trek: Section 31 is the worst of all the Star Trek movies. I think had this just been its own thing, with no ties to Star Trek, it could at the very least have been a able sci-fi action movie. As it stands, I am interested to see if they make more in this universe or if they just go in a whole new direction with Star Trek. As of me writing this, I cannot think of another new movie in 2025 that I disliked more than this.
