Out of all the upcoming Trek projects on the docket for 2025, it's fair to say Star Trek: Section 31 had the most hype. As the first movie for the franchise in almost nine years, there was a lot of pressure for it to perform, especially with Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh returning to the role of Philippa Georgiou after being written off of Star Trek: Discovery. Critics have seen the latest entry for Georgiou following her return to the past, and they're all saying the same thing about Yeoh's return to the franchise.
David Opie of GamesRadar praised Michelle Yeoh's performance, which makes it all the more bittersweet that this couldn't have been a series as originally planned. Unfortunately, he felt the movie suffered from not having any clear identity, which brought down the quality of the movie drastically:
Star Trek: Section 31 doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a serious exploration of the criminal underbelly, a camp throwback to the noughties, or a tonally off combination of the two? Whatever it is, it doesn't work half as well as it should.
Frank Scheck of THR had the same thoughts, noting that Michelle Yeoh thrives when she's able to lean on her abilities as an action actress. With Section 31 being one of the only upcoming Yeoh movies promising action and big fight scenes, it should be a treat to witness, but the movie falls short of delivering a script as worthy of its star:
The actress has such a commanding and darkly amusing screen presence that the pedestrian film can almost, but not quite, be forgiven for letting her down so completely.
Alex Maidy of JoBlo.com echoed the idea that the movie does not live up to the Star Trek name. He also noted that Georgiou, while a compelling character, is one that many have questioned for some time is worthy of redemption given she's slaughtered billions of people on Terran before coming to the Prime Universe. All that said, he hoped this movie and its reception wouldn't discourage the franchise from trying other adventures set within the universe that doesn't follow the same formula of following a Starfleet captain and its crew:
As amazing as she is, Michelle Yeoh cannot save Section 31 from being a bad project from start to finish. This movie will debut and disappear just as quickly, and hopefully, it will not put a damper on better ideas coming through the franchise in the years to come.
The most scathing critique of Star Trek: Section 31 hailed from IGN's Jordan Hoffman, who noted the low-budget effects of the movie. Perhaps it's because we're used to seeing Michelle Yeoh in movies like Wicked (see our review here) now, but this feature available to stream on Friday with a Paramount+ subscription does not hit the mark for what one would expect from a theatrical release. Hoffman did say that, perhaps, more casual viewers would enjoy the film, provided they don't know much about Star Trek:
Though it would still be boring, Section 31 might actually be better if you come to it with no knowledge of Star Trek lore. This way, at least, you won’t end up wondering how writer Craig Sweeny and director Olatunde Osunsanmi completely bungled the entire Trek ethos – its admittedly corny core tenants of exploration, optimism, and the pursuit of righteous achievement. (There’s a reason we Star Trek dorks got bullied a lot in junior high.) Section 31 is nothing but a lousy, uninteresting caper picture with middling special effects, bad acting (yes, even Yeoh), cringeworthy dialogue, and characters you don’t care about.
Of course, there are always outliers, and while there are many negative reviews, a couple of positive ones praised Star Trek for trying to do something new. Joshua Patton of CBR applauded the attempt in Section 31 and even made the case that we should see these characters again in the future, should Paramount want that to happen:
In many ways, Section 31 is a test case for Star Trek's future. The story and characters are new to this universe, which could attract new viewers along with diehard fans. It expands what kinds of stories this universe can tell, as well. It takes a dynamic approach to the foundational values the larger saga upholds. Put another way, Section 31 shows there's more than one path to heroism in the Star Trek universe. These characters should come back, either for a sequel or as part of other projects.
As a Star Trek fan who saw Section 31 ahead of its release, I'll admit I had similar thoughts as those listed above... but would still like to see a sequel. The premise could certainly be tweaked and polished in a future installment, but I think there's potential in sticking with this Michelle Yeoh-led spinoff that could eventually lead to something great if it's given another chance.
Readers will be able to decide for themselves when Star Trek: Section 31 premieres on Paramount+ on Friday, January 24th. I'm eager to see what the rest of the public has to say about this movie, and whether they'll align with critics or have an entirely different take on the movie.
