For fans of modern Star Trek, few actors or actresses had material as good as Michelle Yeoh. Playing two different versions of Captain Philippa Georgiou, Yeoh became one of the most dangerous figures of the Kurtzman Star Trek universe. After years of rumors about a Star Trek: Section 31 series, a one-off movie makes its way to Paramount+. Directed by veteran Star Trek director Olatunde Osunsanmi, the movie breathes life into the potential for new movies to celebrate characters from Discovery, Strange Worlds, and maybe even Lower Decks.
Star Trek: Section 31 — The Plot
At the end of her run in Star Trek: Discovery, Georgiou (Yeoh) was sent to a different time from the crew in order to survive. Living out her life in the “Prime” universe, Georgiou now runs a club but remains out of the limelight. Despite her plans, a Section 31 agent, Alok (Omari Hardwick), arrives with his crew. He asks her to help his team recover an object and return to the game. Georgiou agrees, but the stakes become dire when a weapon from her old universe surfaces as part of the operation. Georgiou’s past comes back to haunt her and her new team.
Michelle Yeoh drives the emotion and action
Even before her Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Yeoh has been celebrated for giving far more effort to every project than one would think. While many performers begin taking paycheck gigs, Yeoh imbues her characters with heart and accepts challenges. Star Trek: Section 31 further proves that she’s game for anything. Not only does she get to kick ass and perform great fighting choreography, but she delivers the emotional crux of the film. Once again, she proves singular among her peers as an action star and actress.
Yeoh is so good, she raises the ceiling on every actor around her. The one-two with Hardwick provides a great foil to the characters Georgiou’s connected to in the past. Yet Yeoh is best on screen with her other teammates — notably Sam Richardson as the shapeshifting Quasi and Kacey Rohl as Rachel Garrett. The two performers play well with Yeoh. The team also gets more humor, thanks to Robert Kazinsky and Sven Ruygrok. As an ensemble, the group clicks into place extremely fast, and by the end of Section 31, you’ll wish we were gearing up for more next week.
The VFX does not live up to the films or even some of Discovery.
While special effects have certainly come a long way for sci-fi in general, they do not quite reach the heights of theatrical films. However, that does not curb the ambition to tell high-octane stories with explosions and spacecraft. While the visuals look decent for these shows, it feels like Section 31 pales compared to recent Discovery episodes. This especially comes into focus during a “barge” battle, which forces a sludgy background around the main fighting sequence. While Osunsanmi tries to make the visuals work, they’re inevitably hurt by the lack of a budget.
The other aspect hurting Section 31 overall stems from its overall television-movie approach. The movie feels like a long episode of Star Trek, especially in this era. It’s hard to justify this as a movie when it feels like a slightly long pilot. We would like to see more of these characters, but it’s hard to feel this is a step towards more Yeoh on TV. Frankly, as exciting as this show could be, it’ll be even more frustrating if a show, sequel, or revisiting does not occur soon.
Is it worth watching Star Trek: Section 31?
For Trek fans, this is another Kurtzman story worth tuning into. Even if you’re not a fan of Discovery or Star Trek, the story feels isolated enough to enjoy on its own. There are a couple of easter eggs and cameos to characters with long histories in Star Trek lore. Most importantly, giving us a spy show in the Kurtzman universe is a win. Section 31 is a fun re-entry into the universe, so even if it’s not perfect, it’s well worth your time.
Star Trek: Section 31 releases on Paramount+ on January 24.
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