Michelle Yeoh returned to the “Star Trek” universe in its latest film, “Star Trek: Section 31.” The movie followed Yeoh’s character Philippa Georgiou, once a tyrannical empress in another universe, turned agent with the shadowy organization Section 31.
Georgiou first appeared in “Star Trek: Discovery.” The film was directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, who also worked on “Discovery.” “Section 31” was made for the streaming service Paramount+.
Highs
“Section 31” created a vibrant space, making use of bright colors and strong lighting. Though some of the CGI could have been better, theaters have shown worse. For a movie made for streaming, it either had a high budget or a strong design direction.
Lows
It would not be surprising if this entire cast came out saying they disliked “Section 31,” as no one gave a good performance. The acting was on the nose, over the top, and lacking genuine emotion. They broke immersion in the show. Instead of watching alien people in the “Star Trek” universe, it felt like watching actors playing alien people against their will. Yeoh was the only one who occasionally gave a decent performance, but even she was struggling.
None of the actors themselves could really be blamed. Look at the script they were given! Their characters were one-dimensional, annoying caricatures. Their dialogue was laughably bad. Not a single one talked like a normal person, and attempts at humor or emotion came off as flat.
Along with refusing to explore characters, it couldn’t explore Section 31, the thing the movie is named after- a spy organization with morally questionable practices and operations, notable when “Star Trek” was usually about exploration. Though all the main characters were part of Section 31, Section 31 itself didn’t play uniquely into the plot.
As for the plot, it was hard to understand not due to complexity, but due to its pacing. The movie moved at a breakneck speed, not taking breathers to let the audience understand or connect to the characters and plot points. Pacing aside, it was simply a mess, just a series of random action sequences and twists that didn’t build well on each other.
Verdict
“Star Trek: Section 31” was embarrassing for the “Star Trek” world. The movie’s messy plot and annoying characters made it tough to watch. More headache inducing than entertaining. Not even Michelle Yeoh was able to pull this off. The only parts that weren’t a wreck were the cinematography and set design, which would have been better served on a better “Star Trek” project.
Rating: 2 out of 10
Frank Remski is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces.
