This was not what I expected. My only exposure to “Section 31” in “Star Trek” lore was Admiral Marcus’ reference to it in Star Trek: Into Darkness. So, not knowing that “Section 31” is included in at least two of the later series (because I have never seen them), I expected this movie to have some sort of connection to Marcus or the Into Darkness story, and it does not. I’m not sure just what this messy concoction is supposed to be about, but it isn’t traditional “Star Trek” fare.
Olatunde Osunsamni’s film purports that a secretive Star Fleet group, “Section 31,” attempts to pressure an empress from an alternative universe (Michelle Yeoh) to prevent galactic war, or galactic destruction. Her past directly affects her current actions; the group adjusts to changing conditions but also begins to disintegrate because of a mole; bad stuff happens.
What a mess. Stylistically this is more like “Star Wars” than “Star Trek,” and the whole alternative universe situation (the dreaded “multiverse”) makes much of the proceedings incomprehensible. At least ten minutes of the 95-minute running time is devoted to fights — sword fights, blaster fights, hand-to-hand fights, etc. So when the film is not confused or ridiculous, it’s boring. This is not what “Star Trek” was ever meant to be. There are no traditional Trek uniforms, space ships or moral values. The Prime Directive is referenced as a joke. Gene Roddenberry and his legacy deserve better.
To be fair, the movie might make more sense if I was aware of the “Section 31” elements referenced in various “Star Trek” series and how they interrelate with this story. This nonsensical story. Aren’t “Terrans” humans? Why would Terrans elect a teenage empress by staging a deadly “Hunger Games”-esque contest? Why would the empress create a device so destructive (and just how did she do that?) and then order it to be destroyed — and not check to see that it was? Why does the Vulcan character show more emotion than anyone else? Why should anyone care about this junk? ☆ 1/2. 24 January 2026.