Star Trek: Section 31 Review

Star Trekkers of every universe will be tuning in to the premiere of Star Trek: Section 31 on Friday January 24th, 2025 on Paramount Plus! The effervescent spin-off follows a secret division of Starfleet called Section 31 composed of colourful characters from all over the cosmos. The film stars Academy Award Winner Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a take-no-prisoners genocidal overlord with fabulous hair and sparkling outfits. Though she has taken many lives, destroyed countless planets and clearly cannot be tamed, the Emperor reluctantly joins this ragtag team once an old enemy steals a weapon that could destroy the multiverse. 

What is Section 31? A secretive, off the books spy organization made of rogue agents, assassins and scientists who do whatever it takes to protect the Federation. Whatever it takes. While also keeping their wrong doings secret from the Federation. Star Trek: Section 31 takes place in what fans might know as Star Trek’s Lost Era, sometime between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Starring Omari Hardwick as Agent Alok Sahar, Sam Richardson as Quasi, Robert Kazinsky as Zeph, Kacey Rohl as Rachel Garrett, Sven Ruygrok as Fuzz and Humberly Gonzalez as Melle, these are the black ops agents who haunt the outskirts of the bright and untarnished Starfleet space force. But each member of the team has dark pasts of their own, along with some quirky powers.

Hardwick’s Alok is the leader of Section 31 and brings the team together to execute this critical mission. But once everyone’s true intentions come into play, who can the rogue agent trust? Richardson’s Quasi is a Chameloid, a fascinating physicist and shapeshifter who provides as much scientific insight as he does comic relief. Ruygrok’s Fuzz is a mouthy Vulcan who loves a good time and a spicy special operation. Kazinsky’s Zeph is an armoured warrior who packs a punch, as well as a few punchlines. Gonzalez’s Melle is a tactically seductive Vulcan, calling fans back to Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Fans will recognize the name Rachel Garrett, who appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, played then by Tricia O’Neil. This is an exciting development, as this captain’s return might just explain a missing era of the infamous USS Enterprise. Being the only official Starfleet Officer on the team, Garrett is forced to be the rule maker. But how far will she bend in order to save the cosmos?

The movie is a fun action packed spectacle with excellent set pieces and combat sequences. The story is constructed similarly to the classic heist movies we grew up loving, bringing together a group of highly skilled individuals who are each wildly different in order to achieve a common goal. But halfway through, Section 31 changes gears and surprises audiences (as any good spy movie does) by becoming a murder mystery. The film gives Yeoh’s Georgiou a thorough arc that explores how she came into power as Emperor and how she lost it, all while giving her plenty of opportunities to kick some alien ass.

Watch the trailer for Star Trek : Section 31 below

Star Trek: Section 31 will be streaming on Paramount+ on Friday, January 24th! Enjoy the movie and live long and prosper, my friends.

[Review by guest blogger Jurgen Sosa]