Star Trek: Section 31 is finally available to watch on Paramount+. This film marks a significant moment for the Star Trek franchise. It’s the first Star Trek movie in nine years.
It’s also the first Star Trek movie to be released on the Paramount+ streaming service, making this platform the main home for all things Star Trek. While fans were excited to see a Star Trek movie again, the story behind the film is just as interesting as the film itself.
At first, Section 31 was supposed to be a TV show. But due to various reasons, including Michelle Yeoh becoming a big star after winning an Academy Award, the show turned into a movie.
This decision surprised many, but it also gave the movie a unique opportunity to show deeper parts of the Star Trek universe. So, what happens in Star Trek: Section 31? How does the movie end?
Georgiou Faces Her Past and a Deadly Secret
In Star Trek: Section 31, Michelle Yeoh returns as Philippa Georgiou. Georgiou is a character who was first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery.
She is the former ruler of the Mirror Universe’s Terran Empire, a universe where everything is the opposite of what it is in the Prime Universe. Georgiou is a strong and ruthless leader in this alternate universe, and she has made many enemies along the way.
The movie begins with Georgiou being approached by Section 31, a secret division of Starfleet responsible for handling delicate and dangerous matters. The division wants Georgiou’s help because a secret from her past is threatening to destroy the entire universe.
This secret turns out to be a weapon called the Godsend, a weapon that Georgiou herself helped create. The weapon is powerful enough to wipe out entire civilizations, and it has no failsafe to stop it once it is activated. The worst part? Only Georgiou’s DNA can activate the weapon, making her directly responsible for its power.
The movie reveals flashbacks of Georgiou’s past. These flashbacks show her early days and explain what led her to become the Emperor of the Mirror Universe. In the opening scenes, a teenage Georgiou (played by Miku Martineau) returns home to her family.
She tells them that she has one final trial to face before she can officially become the Emperor. But instead of proving herself nobly, Georgiou poisons her entire family and scars the face of her former lover, San. This cruel act helps her ascend to the throne and become the powerful leader she is known as today.
The Team in Section 31 Includes Familiar Faces and New Heroes
Georgiou is not alone in her quest to find and stop the Godsend. Section 31 has sent an elite team to work with her. This team is made up of highly trained individuals who are experts in different fields. The leader of the team is Alok Sahar (played by Omari Hardwick). Alok is a skilled fighter and strategist, and he becomes Georgiou’s main ally in the mission.
Other members of the team include Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), a microscopic infiltrator; Zeph (Robert Kazinsky), who has cybernetic enhancements that give him extraordinary strength; Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), a Deltan, a species first introduced in Star Trek: The Motion Picture; Lt. Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), a Starfleet officer with deep connections to Star Trek lore; and Quasi (Sam Richardson), a Chameleoid, a species first seen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
The movie does a great job of connecting these characters to the broader Star Trek universe. For example, Lt. Garrett, though a relatively new character, eventually becomes the captain of the Enterprise-C in the Star Trek timeline. The Enterprise-C is a ship that was destroyed in battle, and its loss became a significant moment in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Alok Sahar, on the other hand, has an even deeper connection to the Star Trek story. Alok is an Augment, which means he is genetically enhanced. Augments are a race of humans who were made stronger and smarter through genetic engineering.
The most famous Augment is Khan Noonien Singh, who became one of the most dangerous enemies in Star Trek history. Although Alok is an Augment, he doesn’t share the same violent tendencies that Khan and other Augments have shown in the past. Alok is a more compassionate character, which makes him an interesting addition to the Star Trek universe.
Twists and Turns Lead to a Shocking Climax
As the movie progresses, things start to fall apart. An unknown assailant attacks Georgiou and her team, and the Godsend is stolen. During the attack, Melle is killed. Worse yet, the Section 31 team discovers that there is a mole in their ranks. This mole turns out to be Fuzz, the microscopic infiltrator.
Fuzz can travel in and out of people’s bodies using a small pod, using this power to spy on the team. The real surprise comes when it is revealed that Fuzz is working for someone even more dangerous: San (played by James Hiroyuki Liao), Georgiou’s former lover who faked his own death.
San plans to use the Godsend to destroy Georgiou and the universe. He blames Georgiou for the loss of everything dear to him, and he wants revenge. In the end, Georgiou must stop him. She sets off the Godsend inside a wormhole connecting the Mirror Universe and the Prime Universe.
The explosion kills San and destroys the weapon. However, Fuzz doesn’t escape unscathed. He is seemingly killed, but Quasi and Garrett manage to use their quick thinking to save themselves and stop Fuzz’s plans.
A Surprise Cameo by Jamie Lee Curtis
In a final twist, the movie ends with an unexpected cameo by none other than Jamie Lee Curtis. She appears as Control, a character first introduced in Star Trek: Discovery. Control is an artificial intelligence used by Section 31 to manage and analyze threats to the galaxy.
In Star Trek: Discovery, Control became a dangerous force, deciding that the only way to achieve peace was to destroy all organic life. This led the crew of the Discovery to jump forward in time to stop it.
Control’s appearance in Section 31 ties the movie back to the larger Star Trek canon. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi explained how the cameo came to be, saying that after the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, where Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis worked together, it seemed natural to bring Curtis into the Star Trek universe.
Osunsanmi said, “We were discussing as producers who should play this part… We went through a few names, and then we landed on, ‘What if it were Jamie Lee Curtis? Okay, well, who among us knows Jamie Lee Curtis? Oh yeah! Michelle knows Jamie Lee Curtis.’ Michelle’s like, ‘Of course, I’ll put in a good word.’”
A Nod to Other Star Trek Shows
At the end of the movie, we see the Section 31 team once again, now with Georgiou fully integrated into the team. The team receives orders from their mysterious handler, Control, setting up the possibility of more adventures in the future.
Control mentions the planet Turkana IV, a planet that was first introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation as the home of Tasha Yar, a character who met an untimely death in the series. Turkana IV is known for being a dark and dangerous place, unlike most of the other planets in the Federation.
Reception and Future of Star Trek: Section 31
Despite its connections to the Star Trek universe, Star Trek: Section 31 has received mixed reviews. Some critics have not been impressed, and it has even been ranked among the worst Star Trek movies, alongside Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which is often criticized by fans.
However, Star Trek has gone through many ups and downs over the years, so it’s possible that Section 31 could have a future, whether in the form of another film or a TV series.
Star Trek: Section 31 marks a significant return to the Star Trek universe as the first movie in nine years, streaming exclusively on Paramount+. The film follows Philippa Georgiou (played by Michelle Yeoh), a former ruler from the Mirror Universe, who is recruited by the secret Section 31 division to prevent the destruction of the universe by a deadly weapon she created called the Godsend.
As she faces her dark past, she is joined by a team of experts with deep ties to Star Trek lore, including Alok Sahar, Lt. Rachel Garrett, and a Chameleoid named Quasi.
The story twists with betrayals and shocking revelations, including Fuzz, a microscopic infiltrator, being revealed as a mole working for Georgiou’s former lover, San, who seeks revenge. The film ends with a surprise cameo by Jamie Lee Curtis as Control, setting up possible future stories in the Star Trek franchise.
Where to Watch Star Trek: Section 31
If you’re a Star Trek fan or just looking for an action-packed science fiction movie with twists and deep connections to the franchise, you can watch Star Trek: Section 31 now on Paramount+.
