As the “Star Trek: Section 31” movie made its way to audiences on Paramount Plus, members of the Starbase118 Play By Email community have shared their thoughts, opinions, and ratings on this latest addition to the Star Trek franchise. The spectrum of reactions ranged from outright disappointment to moments of reluctant appreciation; the film has sparked significant agreement within the community, and unfortunately, that agreement is not toward the positive.
The Star Trek: Section 31 scored an average of only 1.67 out of 5 stars from our 12 reviewers, and none said that they would recommend the movie to their friends or family.
When asked to rate the film on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, the majority leaned towards the lower end of the scale, with responses like Captain Karrod Niac’s blunt rating of “1” encapsulating the general sentiment. Others, like Ensign Ollie Bergmen, offered a slightly more forgiving “3,” suggesting a middling experience.
So What Did The Community Enjoy?
Despite the overall dissatisfaction, there were moments that resonated with viewers. For some, it was the small glimpses of character work or nostalgia. Bergmen praised “Empress Georgiou”; others echoed that statement with variants of Georgiou, or of the actor Michelle Yeoh, with one person in Discord screaming “MOTHER!”
Ensign Skye Shepherd found humour in certain characters, particularly the Chief Engineer, noting, “The characters I found funny, especially the Chief Engineer, were enjoyable.”
Ensign Lyara Alroyo mentioned, “The concept of exploring Section 31 has always intrigued me, and while it wasn’t perfect, I appreciated the idea they were going for.”
What Fell Flat?
The community had a lot to say about Star Trek: Section 31’s shortcomings, such as Niac, whose favourite part of the movie was: “The credits.” Aine Sherlock echoed this sentiment with their favourite moment being, “The fact it ended.”
Niac also criticised nearly every aspect: “The writing, dialogue, cinematography, acting – all felt subpar.”
Alroyo expressed a desire for more depth and cohesiveness: “The only thing I liked was that it was Star Trek, but even that felt like a stretch. I think what could have been done better is making it feel like Star Trek at all.”
Budget constraints and production quality were also highlighted as major issues. Shepherd lamented, “The whole film looked like it was shot on a shoestring budget.” Velina Soran also pointed out the pacing issues: “The plot dragged at times, making it hard to stay engaged.”
Ambassador Rivi Vataix who also shared their thoughts in this video, had a different perspective, noting that “The movie lacked anything to say about whether Section 31 is necessary for the greater good, which seems odd to ignore if you’re going to make a movie about a morally questionable organization. I hope this film though isn’t the last of experimental standalone Trek projects. There are plenty of ideas for Star Trek that might not warrant a whole series but could be fun to explore in a one off movie or miniseries.
Would you recommend Star Trek: Section 31?
For most respondents, the answer was a firm “No.”
Niac summed up his thoughts succinctly: “I’m not quite that spiteful.” Jared/Aine Sherlock went further, stating, “Because it was objectively one of the worst Marvel movies in the guise of Star Trek.”
Arlill offered some nuance: “If you’re a star trek fan, you still need to watch it, it’s kind of an unwritten rule, but I do not recommend going in with high hopes.”
Bergmen offered a more moderate take, suggesting, “Maybe, but only for the good moments and if you have a sense of humor about it. It’s great with alcohol and friends.”
Shepherd concluded, “This is not the Trek I know.”
Final Thoughts
Despite occasional bright spots like the humour or the portrayal of Empress Georgiou, the film’s execution left much to be desired. For many, it failed to capture the essence of what makes Star Trek resonate: compelling moral questions, thoughtful storytelling, and a sense of hope for the future.
Lieutenant Commander Luxa Lorana optimistically stated, “I hope this doesn’t end the special event movies and they finally begin to listen to people (not just fans) as this movie is just bad.”
I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the simmers who took the time out of their day to respond to the survey, if you have thoughts you’d like to share about Star Trek: Section 31, leave them in the comments below.