Many “Star Trek” fans were more than a little skeptical of the announcement of a new TV movie in the franchise focused on Section 31. For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of “Trek” lore, Section 31 is a secret black ops division within the United Federation of Planets (which includes Earth), dedicated to eliminating threats to the Federation’s integrity and even supremacy by any means necessary. Since Section 31’s introduction in the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” episode “Inquisition,” fans have been conflicted about the inclusion of a morally ambivalent — sometimes downright fascist — group allowed to operate, albeit secretly, within the utopian-leaning League . Many felt that Section 31 was a betrayal of the ideals held up in the series as inherent in Federation culture and Starfleet operations, although they were comforted by the fact that Section 31 often acted as an antagonist in its various iterations of the franchise.
So that should work as a pleasant surprise “Star Trek: Episode 31” arrives full of nuance and charm.
Viewers don’t actually need to know any Section 31 lore or have seen “Star Trek: Discovery” — the “Trek” series from which the movie is based — to understand what’s going on in the movie, but if you have some of the emotional stakes to hit harder. The film itself quickly awakens viewers via a communication from the Section 31 command to Alok Sahar (Omari Hardwick), the leader of a covert ops team. He is tasked with recruiting Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Georgiou has been a character on “Discovery” since the first season: the walkthrough quickly summarizes the revelation that she was the emperor of the Terran Empire in the Mirror Universe (you know, the evil Earth where Spock had a beard and Uhura had a thigh dagger), and that she was brought to the prime universe, became an agent of Episode 31, saved the universe, traveled forward in time, traveled back in time and now owns a nightclub (that happens a lot in “Discovery”). Alok reluctantly recruits Georgiou and they, along with their team of misfits, must track down a terrifying weapon before it can be used to destroy the Federation.
It’s a simple but effective premise. Despite its title, the movie is hardly about episode 31, the split is more of a plot to get all these characters together and on missions. The film — directed and written by “Discovery” alum Olatunde Osunsanmi and Craig Sweeny — is actually more about Georgiou herself.
One of the franchise’s most complicated characters, Georgiou is not traditional Starfleet material. “Discovery” established that when she was Emperor of the Mirror Universe, she was a terrible dictator who committed genocide on several planets. This type of character biography is usually reserved for the typical “Star Trek” villain. But she became a fan favorite in Season 2 of “Discovery,” mainly because of Yeoh’s natural charisma — “evil mom” is how I can best describe her vibe — and her chemistry with the show’s protagonist Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) . Her bond with Michael and other characters in the series caused her to begin to question her Terran values of “might do right” and act in more ethical, if not overly ethical, ways.
“Section 31” continues Georgiou’s arc from Lawful Evil to Chaotic Neutral. First, as the film’s opening flashback reveals, she became emperor of the Terran Empire after decimating her opposition in a “Hunger Games”-style battle competition, poisoning her family to eliminate any weaknesses, and subduing her boyfriend—San (played as as a teenager by James Huang and as an adult by James Hiroyuki Liao), Peeta to her Katniss – into servitude. It’s brutal, but it’s a look at why Georgiou is the way she is. To survive, Georgiou had to embody Nietzsche’s master morality that underpins the Terran Empire: “the girl I knew has been murdered,” as San laments.
The film does not excuse her past actions. In fact, she struggles with the idea of what it means to be “infected with a conscience” in this new universe where more is expected of her. This mission confronts her with her own guilt: she was the one who ordered the creation of the movie’s McGuffin—the weapon of mass destruction the team is tasked with finding—when she was Emperor, a weapon so evil that its creator committed suicide on its completion. Can she atone for it? Or at least choose to be better? Beneath all the arrogant bravado (“I’m the only one I could never defeat”) is a deeply tragic figure who can no longer deny the consequences of her actions.
For all this deep, philosophical exploration of the character, Georgiou and the film are also just plain fun. It’s a spy thriller, a genre not often used by “Star Trek,” complete with a mole hunt and the fast tempos and pulsating rhythms of a spy score, composed by Jeff Russo. While Section 31 was originally introduced as a way to subvert spy fiction with a more realistic look at how espionage works, this film leans towards a more “Mission: Impossible” fantasy, complete with gadgets and stunts. The film is divided into “chapters” with titles such as “One Night in Baraam” and “The Godsend”, reminiscent of the films of Quentin Tarantino and a nod back to the origin of the spinoff series of the film. There are some wonderful set pieces that showcase Yeoh’s formidable action chops, including a kinetic brawl at Georgiou’s nightclub where she wears the most magnificent cape ever seen in a “Star Trek.” It’s a “Star Wars” level cape.
The other characters on the team lend great support to Georgiou in their varying shades of moral alignment. One can be recognized by name to fans as Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), future captain of the Enterprise-C from the classic “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” The stalwart representative of Starfleet, she’s there to make sure the team doesn’t violate any ethical boundaries—she has to tell Georgiou multiple times not to kill anyone—but she also clearly struggles with following strict procedures for complex situations. Other characters are original to the film, including neurotic shape-shifter Quasi (Sam Richardson), Deltan honey trap Melle (Humberly González), himbo mech-head Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), and a-nano-species-inside-a-robot-Vulcan Zeph ( Robert Kazinsky), who inexplicably speaks with an Irish accent. Alok himself is a survivor of the oft-referenced Eugenics Wars; he is genetically enhanced and is therefore not allowed to officially join Starfleet. He’s suspicious of Georgiou because he’s met dictators before and is unsure if she can be redeemed, but there’s also a genuine connection and chemistry between them, an understanding of the horrors of being forced to be part of a paradigm they now regret.
The group becomes, well, maybe not a family, but definitely a team that respects each other for who they are, not who they were.
The first “Star Trek” movie in nearly 10 years — yes, Justin Lin’s “Star Trek: Beyond” was released in 2016 — “Section 31” is under a lot of pressure, but despite my initial reservations, it manages to stick the landing. My only criticism is that I wish this was a series as originally intended because I would love to spend more time with these characters. Using Section 31 is a clever way to interrogate redemption arcs and what utopias allow for inclusion, but the film resists the urge to succumb to the cynicism that has annoyed “Star Trek” fans about the organization in the past. “Star Trek: Section 31” has a distinct personality while still feeling like a “Trek” movie, with characters outside the normal scope of the franchise.
“Star Trek: Section 31” premieres Friday, January 24 on Paramount+.