Warning: Spoilers ahead forStar Trek: Section 31.Star Trek: Section 31hasn’t performed all that well since its release on Paramount+, and the franchise’s rich history is a big reason why the movie has flopped. Although theStar Trek: Section 31casthas the huge advantage of being led by Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the project as a whole ultimately fails to create much excitement among established Trekkies. It may not be quite as much of an issue for newcomers to the franchise, butthose already familiar with the iconic saga likely foundSection 31hard to enjoyfor a very specific (but legitimate) reason.
It’s quite clear fromStar Trek: Section 31’s endingthat the movie is intended to be the starting point for a new branch of the franchise. While aStar Trek: Section 31sequelwould presumably continue to star Yeoh’s character, her pivotal role in theStar Trek: Discoverycast is an incredibly minor aspect of the new movie’s plot. As a result,the project seems to be attempting to be welcoming to uninitiatedStar Trekviewerswhile also drawing in pre-existing fans. Sadly, the former group gets a much more rewarding experience.
Star Trek: Section 31’s Low Stakes Hurt The Movie
Certain character deaths were the worst thing that could have happened in Star Trek: Section 31
Throughout the movie,Star Trek: Section 31tries to make out that there is a lot on the line. Unfortunately, it’s never really all that convincing. All that can realistically happen is that the main characters can die, and not even all of them are fair game. Although most of the Section 31 team could meet their end, Emperor Georgiou, serving as the story’s main character, was always incredibly unlikely to die - especially if a sequel were to remain on the table. She’s the biggest name in the main cast by far, and therefore one of the biggest pulls.
Star Trek: Section 31is set in the early 24th century. This part of the timeline has been addressed so rarely that it’s known as the franchise’s “lost era.”
Similarly,Kacey Rohl’s Rachel Garretthas solid plot armor in the form of her character already popping up later in theStar Trektimeline. Originally played by Tricia O’Neill in a single episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation,Rachel Garrett is confirmed to captain the Enterprise-C later in her Starfleet career. So, it wouldn’t have made sense for her to die inSection 31. As for the other members of her team (other than Georgiou), they’re either too new for viewers to care all that much about, or they turn out to be villains in disguise.
Star Trek Canon Already Told You Section 31’s Villain Plot Failed
The Godsend was never going to go off (or we’d already know)
The Godsend inStar Trek: Section 31is what the movie wants viewers to believe poses an enormous threat. The lethal device, commissioned by Emperor Georgiou during her time as the Terran Empire’s leader, is capable of unprecedented levels of destruction. It was only ever intended to be used in the event of her death, whereupon she would activate it. It’s capable of destroying an entire quadrant, so the Delta Quadrant would have been reduced to ashes if it was ever used. AlthoughYeoh’s character no longer wants to use the Godsend, James Hiroyuki Liao’s villain, San, does.
If the entirety of the Delta Quadrant had been destroyed, then that is something that would have massively influenced stories set after the movie.
Weirdly,Star Trek: Section 31’s decision to use something as destructive as the Godsend guarantees it’ll never detonate. If the entirety of the Delta Quadrant had been destroyed in the Prime Timeline, then that is something that would have massively influenced stories set after the movie. For instance,shows likeStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Ninewouldn’t make any sense. Similarly, the futureStar Trek’s Mirror Universehas also been shown several times, so the Godsend was never going to go off in that reality either.
A Section 31 Sequel Needs Bigger Star Trek Stakes
Star Trek: Section 31’s potential follow-up can’t return to a threat like the Godsend
Star Trek: Section 31’s final moments teasing a follow-up movie is arguably quite worrying. If a sequel is greenlit, thenthe original movie has already started really big in terms of the “threat” posed to the Delta Quadrant, so it’s tough to see how the stakes could increase even more without the ending becoming especially predictable. So, whatever’s on the line will need to appear to viewers to be genuinely hazardous, which is difficult to do with so many established canonical events still to come. Thankfully, there is another way a sequel could approach settling on suitable stakes.
Section 31 Makes It Impossible To Root For Michelle Yeoh’s Georgiou (Even If You Saw Discovery)
With its opening flashback scene, Star Trek: Section 31 makes Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou a difficult character to root for.
AlthoughStar Trek: Section 31thrusts too many new characters on the audience at onceand expects them to be cared about, the movie’s survivors have at least one adventure now under their respective belts. So, there is at least an element of attachment there. If one of those characters were to die in the follow-up, it would be more impactful than the underwhelming death of Robert Kazinsky’s Zeph. Of course, Lt. Commander Garrett still can’t die yet, but aStar Trek: Section 31sequel could realistically be the end of Georgiou’s life.
