This Discovery Spinoff Film Is B-Movie Trash (And That’s Fine)

What is “Star Trek” in 2025?

That’s the question fans will surely be asking after they finish watching “Star Trek: Section 31,” the new Paramount+ movie that literally takes the iconic science fiction franchise where it hasn’t gone before. Set beyond the reaches of the Federation, and with barely any Starfleet characters to be found, this is a corner or the Trek universe rarely explored on screen — seedy, lawless, violent, and gleefully free of the pesky “ethics” and “utopian ideals” that the films and shows in Gene Roddenberry’s milieu so commonly lean upon. “Star Trek” has always acknowledged that the galaxy could be this nasty, but it usually showcased it through the eyes, and ideals, of stalwart leaders, scientists, and diplomats. But in “Section 31,” the universe is saved not by brave folks doing the right thing, but by violent, nasty a-holes who know how to punch, stab, and shoot their way through a bad situation.

So, once again, is it “Star Trek” if it’s set in the Star Trek universe, but deliberately avoids the typical elements that define “Star Trek” for so many? It’s the question that I imagine “Section 31” will light on fire amongst fans, and a conversation certainly worth having. But standing on its own, “Section 31” certainly delivers a specific set of goods: this is an extremely entertaining slice of B-movie action trash, one that has the distinct odor of “Gerard Butler in January,” and it’s certainly unlike anything else we’ve ever seen bear the Trek name. It’s goofy and silly and sometimes very ridiculous, but there’s no denying the simple pleasure of the whole thing.

Technically a spin-off of the recently-concluded “Star Trek: Discovery” (and largely made by “Disco” veterans, including writer Craig Sweeny and director Olatunde Osunsanmi), “Section 31” places one of the nastiest, most unpredictable characters in Trek history at the center of the action. Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou, the bloodthirsty tyrant and warlord from the infamous “Mirror Universe” who is now stranded in Trek’s prime universe, is once again recruited by Section 31 (aka Starfleet’s CIA-flavored black ops division) to embark on a mission of grave importance. Joined by a ragtag team of unhinged, dangerous weirdos (and one Starfleet overseer), she has to, you know, save the galaxy. But this team doesn’t have to worry about the things that would trouble Picard and Spock. Like morals.

It’s clear that “Section 31” is built to appeal to action fans beyond the core Trek audience, and the initial set-up screams “Mission: Impossible” or “Fast & Furious,” but the streaming budget and general sense of griminess that permeates the whole thing better recalls B-movie junkfood like “Den of Thieves.” And frankly, that’s fine. “Star Trek” is at its most pure when it’s smaller, jankier, and stranger, and despite “Section 31” seemingly trying to be the coolest thing in the room, it’s actually pretty dang dorky, leaning as heavily on nerdy franchise details as much as it does on sword fights, phaser battles, and Michelle Yeoh kicking dudes in the face. And that’s how it should be: “Star Trek” that’s not dorky isn’t “Star Trek” at all.

And honestly, “nerdy B-movie sleaze” is a flavor of Trek we haven’t seen before, and one that I found myself increasingly enjoying as the film’s whirlwind pace dragged me along through set piece after set piece.

As intended, “Section 31” is the Michelle Yeoh show, and she wears Georgiou like a spiky, vampy, blood-soaked glove at this point. Either you enjoy watching Yeoh strut and kick and smirk through action scenes, or you have no taste. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of “Section 31” is that she’s surrounded by a cast of new characters who demand equal attention. Omari Hardwick provides solid grounding as the team’s resident “normal guy,” although his backstory is un-normal enough to raise some eyebrows if you know your Trek lore. Kacey Rohl is a delight as by-the-book Starfleet rep Rachel Garrett (fans may recognize that name), whose “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” descent to her colleagues’ level provides some of the movie’s biggest laughs. And no one understands the assignment quite like Sam Richardson, whose shapeshifting, immoral scientist is hoot in just about every scene. The best thing I can say about this team of dirtbags is that I would happily watch them in another adventure, and the film isn’t shy about leaving room open for a sequel.

Still, the whole endeavor does have the distinct taste of “backdoor pilot,” which makes sense since “Section 31” was originally going to be a streaming series before it pivoted to the modern equivalent of direct-to-video movie. You can frequently see the action scenes pushing against the limits of its smaller budget, although Osunsanmi does his damndest to let the kooky action go as hard as possible, even if the visual effects budget can’t quite keep up. In this case, I found myself appreciating that the film would rather look cheap than polished if it means some of the more outrageous action beats could come to any kind of fruition. Trek fans used to the polish of “Strange New Worlds” may be taken aback, but the off-the-cuff cheapness of “Section 31” is really a badge of honor — like the Original Series back in the ’60s, “Section 31” always lets its aims outpace its budget.

So that brings us back around to the question that opened this review. What is “Star Trek” in 2025, and does something as different as “Section 31” qualify as “Star Trek”? While it’s certainly not my ideal flavor of Trek, and one that I would hate to see become the default tone, this is a franchise built upon multitudes. If “The Next Generation” could sandwich complex tales of ethics and scientific thought around goofball hours where the crew are transported into the tale of Robin Hood by a godlike alien with a bad sense of humor, surely Trek is allowed to veer into action trash mode for a TV movie. Any rewatch of the Original Series reminds us that “Star Trek,” for all of its high-minded ideals, is built upon a gleeful, wobbly foundation of outrageous junk. The beauty of “Star Trek” is that it’s kinda, sorta everything, and we’ll argue about the nature of that everything until the sun burns out.

So here I am, giving “Star Trek: Section 31” my recommendation with the knowledge that it’s going to turn off a lot of Trek fans who want this franchise to be exclusive classy hard sci-fi, and also the knowledge that its inherent dorkiness and reliance on deep cut Trek references could alienate those looking for a good time with some dumb action. What is “Star Trek” in 2025? It’s something specific and strange and alienating enough to not be for everyone. And that’s “Section 31.”

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10

“Star Trek: Section 31” is streaming on Paramount+ starting January 24, 2025.