Michelle Yeoh headlines an unremarkable made-for-television film Star Trek: Section 31.
The Production: 3/5
Star Trek: Section 31 isn’t nearly as bad as the hype suggests. It’s not interesting enough to be that bad. Rather, it’s a misconceived attempt to place Michelle Yeoh’s entertaining Emperor Georgiou in a stand-alone tale that dilutes the “Star Trek” brand into something more generic. The idea of making individual “Star Trek” stories that didn’t have to be sustained as series is a great concept, and worked well for the short-lived “Short Treks” series. But what makes “Section 31” miss the mark is the film’s attempt to turn Star Trek into a third-rate Guardians of the Galaxy/Mission:Impossible knock-off.
The film has a promising opening, flashing back to Georgiou as a teenager, near completion of a Hunger Games-esque competition to select the next emperor for the mirror universe she hailed from. We see Georgiou willing to sacrifice both her family and her lover to achieve victory, and it makes for a compelling backstory for a character that dealt in half-truths and deceptions on Star Trek: Discovery. But that takes up all of five minutes, and the ninety minutes or so that follow are competently made but rarely rise above the level of filler episode.
Still, the film is not a total loss. Michelle Yeoh is reliably entertaining, and if the script doesn’t give her all that much to do, her very presence elevates every scene she’s in. The action sequences are competently handled by Olatunde Osunsanmi, who previously served as Discovery’s lead director. The effects are good enough if uninventive, and the space sequences are on par with other Alex Kurtzman-era “Trek” productions. It doesn’t quite feel like a movie, but fits in comfortably stylistically with the show its been spun off from.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Star Trek: Section 31 is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio, in a presentation that is overall faithful to its original Paramount+ streaming release, but with minor improvements in sharpness, detail and color owing improvements in compression for the disc. The film’s aesthetic matches later seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, with lots of scenes in low-light environments and rooms with the lighting built into the sets. The design itself is more premium television than theatrical feature, but it’s accurately presented here.
While the 4K disc offers an uptick in detail and a slightly more colorful presentation than the Blu-ray disc, both are high quality presentations of the source material.
Audio: 5/5
Star Trek: Section 31 offers an English Dolby Atmos track (played back on an Atmos-capable receiver in a 5.1 configuration for the purpose of this review) that is mostly front-oriented in its dialogue, with surrounds coming into play for Jeff Russo’s score and the film’s action sequences. Eschewing (for the most part) the use of familiar “Star Trek” themes and taking place on non-Federation ships, Section 31 doesn’t immediately sound like most other Star Trek properties, and is more competent than inventive in its mix, but it matches the film.
It’s appreciated that Paramount provides the Atmos mix on both the 4K and the Blu-ray discs, rather than downgrading the sound for the Blu-ray as so many other releases do. Both discs also offer optional English SDH subtitles.
Special Features: 4/5
The release assembles over an hour’s worth of bonus material, that actually makes the film seem more interesting than it is. In an age when nearly every release is cutting back on new bonus material, Paramount is to be commended for doing more than just slapping the film on a disc in a fancy case. And as a nice touch, both the 4K and Blu-ray discs contain the complete set of bonus features, rather than being relegated to only the Blu-ray as so many other releases do.
Alpha Squad (26:26) – Producer Alex Kurtzman, writer Craig Sweeney, actor Michelle Yeoh and others in the cast and crew describe the film’s characters and story. Visits to different departments illuminate how costume and makeup designs go a long way towards filling in who the characters are.
Stunts Squad (12:49) – All about the film’s action sequences, with director Olatunde Osunsanmi explaining how “Star Trek” action combines real movement with fantastical environments to create something unique. There’s also a nice section dedicated to Michelle Yeoh’s martial arts skills.
Art Squad (11:08) – Paul Kirby’s art designs are explored in greater detail. Osunsanmi also describes having to build a new VR wall (the one usually used by Star Trek productions was already occupied by Strange New Worlds) allowing them to design it a little differently.
Gear Squad (11:37) – The film’s props are detailed, with the production favoring practical builds over post-production add-ons.
Georgiou (15:22) – Michelle Yeoh describes her history with and love of her character, with producer Alex Kurtzman crediting her with the idea of spinning off Georgiou from Discovery.
Gag Reel (4:16) – The usual blooper reel shenanigans.
Overall: 3.5/5
Star Trek: Section 31 works better as a brief-one off to fill some time between seasons of the ongoing “Trek” shows than it does as a destination event. While Michelle Yeoh is priceless every time she steps into Emperor Georgiou’s shoes, the writing doesn’t live up to her abilities. While I hope we see her again as this character one day, I hope it’ll be in a better developed context. Similarly, while this was not the best possible first attempt at a stand-alone television movie, I sincerely hope Paramount+ doesn’t abandon the concept entirely. A better executed version of this would be most welcome.
Paramount is to be commended for continuing with its high quality physical media releases of their recent Trek properties, and this Section 31 release is no exception. Both the standard packaging and steelbook versions (I was sent the steelbook) have identical disc content, with both sets including the film and all bonus features on both a 4K UHD disc and a Blu-ray disc. (There is no Blu-ray-only product configuration available.). The set also includes a digital copy coupon, which was not yet active for redemption at the time of this writing.
Josh’s fate as a physical media enthusiast was probably sealed the moment he figured out how to operate a top-loading VCR before he even knew how to walk. Since graduating with a degree in film production, he has enjoyed a career focused on the archival and distribution side of film and television. These days, Josh thinks of himself as a proud father of twins first. He would like to thank his wife for her unwavering support, and for every typo she’s ever caught.
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