Spoilers STAR TREK: SECTION 31 - Grading & Discussion

[Cyrus]

This was very disappointing. Thank god it didn't become a TV series.

The opening Terran Empire scene was good but the rest of it was bad. Even a surprise cameo from Jamie Lee Curtis couldn't salvage it. A Terran Empire movie would have been better than this.

When the title of movie was displayed it just said "Section 31", no "Star Trek", which was fitting.

Hopefully more TV movies but no more S31 movies.

 

[NCC-73515]

Terra Firma would've been a much better movie

 

[Spot's Meow]

This was bad. Very bad. I came in with no preconceived ideas or expectations. I hadn't read any news about this project in years and I had not seen the trailer or any reviews. I just saw it pop up on Paramount+ and decided to watch. I liked Discovery more than most and I found the Georgiou character to be good fun. Unfortunately I'd have to say this was the worst piece of Trek I've ever seen. I realize that sounds hyperbolic, but I honestly can't think of any episode or movie in the franchise that I've enjoyed less.

I almost turned it off after the first 20 minutes or so, and to be honest I'm not really sure why I continued besides blind loyalty to the franchise and being an obsessive completionist.

There was very little I liked. The Georgiou flashbacks were the only parts that really kept my attention. I found the rest of it really hard to follow. I didn't care for the characters much and the plot barely existed. But really it was the directing style that ruined it for me. I absolutely hated the constant zooms and weird camera movements. It was extremely distracting. It reminded me of movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, which I turned off after 20 minutes because I couldn't stand the style. It's just moving from one big action sequence to the next, which I don't find entertaining at all.

I hated the "one last job" tropes and the terrible jokes. Very bad writing. It felt like a low quality heist movie with some Star Trek cosplay thrown in.

I haven't really been visiting TrekBBS much lately, but I had to rush here to see the response because I just simply couldn't believe that this movie somehow got made. I give it a 1.5/10.

 

[NCC-73515]

Metascore 36 Generally Unfavorable
User Score 1.5 Overwhelming Dislike

Tomatometer 23%
Popcornmeter 18%

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Here's another quote "I don't know why you are all going to watch Section 31 even though you think you won't like it".

People here always try new episodes and new shows. What they end up liking is what they like.

That poster is just desperate to push the idea that anyone who may not like it should stay away so that the forum can be a happy little bubble of praise.

 

[Dar70]

You do know that Star Trek was pretty dead after the Enterprise cancellation of 2005 before Kurtzman revived it for film in 2009 and for tv with Discovery right? If he's responsible for "destroying" Star Trek, at least concede that he resurrected an already dead Trek just to "destroy" it again (per your claim)

It was dead?. Trek needed a break. It never got it. They went back into it 4 years after Enterprise cancellation and most of it has been mediocre to bad. 4 years is not a break. That's a hiatus between movies and now even seasons of tv shows that get 10 episodes every couple years.

With the exception of season 3 of Picard, the last couple seasons of Discovery and Season 1 of SNW its mostly been garbage in my eyes. Nothing has really been memorable to me. Trek is on its biggest decline in quality ever imo.

 

[Dar70]

Those people are wrong. The movie is terrible. But not a reason to let Kurtzman go. Typical fanboy overreaction.

I don't know man. Most of the Trek under his thumb hasn't been that great. They can't even keep simple continuity straight. Constantly rewriting or severely contradicting what has been established even within itself. On a scale that I never saw with Trek before.

I don't know why we just didn't get a proper Reboot of Trek. A complete blank slate with the concept only. No ties to anything produced from 1966-2005. It would have been a better route than to shoehorn in new continuity establishing it as "it's always been this way" bs.

I personally hope the failure of Section 31 is the begining of the end for Trek for a very very long time. Today's producers (except Matalas) just don't get it. It's been NINE years now of straight Trek and they still don't seem to get it all that well. I'm happy with 1966-2005 Trek and much of Picard. I like A bit of Disco and SNW. (Disco season 5 was a step in the right direction and I really enjoyed it) But unfortunately those two shows are where most of the problems stemmed so they are tainted in my eyes.. But whatever. I don't ever expect Kurtzman and his crew to ever get it. They want all flash and story rewrites over actual thoughtful content that would have been a natural progression of Trek.

They could have went a different better route but they chose something closer to alternate reality Kelvin Trek than Berman Trek. Tried to correct it during Disco run and than we get Section 31. Oh man it's so bad. With this film and the preview we got of SNW season 3. The end can't come soon enough.

 

[HotRod]

They can't even keep simple continuity straight. Constantly rewriting or severely contradicting what has been established even within itself. On a scale that I never saw with Trek before.

No worse than the shows that came before.

I personally hope the failure of Section 31 is the begining of the end for Trek for a very very long time.

"I don't like something, so it should die, regardless of anyone else who likes it."

Today's producers (except Matalas) just don't get it.

Of course.

The end can't come soon enough.

How very dour.

 

[BillJ]

The end can't come soon enough.

You can turn it off…

 

[Dar70]

You can turn it off…

No I cannot turn it off. It's there. Except for the kids cartoons I have seen all Trek. Im a viewing completist. Even if it freaking tortures me.

 

[Dar70]

No worse than the shows that came before.

"I don't like something, so it should die, regardless of anyone else who likes it."

Of course.

How very dour.

No worse than the shows before??? We all know there are continuity errors in Trek....but yes it is worse than what we saw before imnsho.

If people like it they can hope for it to continue. That is their right. I just hope it doesn't.

 

[oktay]

I personally hope the failure of Section 31 is the begining of the end for Trek for a very very long time.

As a new fan of Trek, I would rather watch crappy content than have Trek remain dead for 10 years. Of course, if they're going to kill the TV show side for now and focus on the 'cinema' side, I wouldn't mind if the TV shows died. The 'cinema' side has been dead for 9 years.

 

[Tiran O'Saurus]

Well, it wasn't great, but there was one bit of Section 31 I liked: the murder mystery. I'm a massive sucker for that genre, it's true, but I genuinely liked Zeph's death and the investigation into it, and the solution was quite clever and actually foreshadowed. If this was a TV show and that was a more padded episode, it would definitely be my favorite of the bunch. (Unless there was a flashback to Alok in the Eugenics Wars. Then it would probably be that.)

 

[F. King Daniel]

I personally hope the failure of Section 31 is the begining of the end for Trek for a very very long time.

I loved The Walking Dead, until Negan came along and the show became impossibly stupid. I dropped it, as did many others.

Turns out it's still going, still having new spin-offs made and more power to anyone who likes it cos I'm not going back. But I'd never wish a show ended because I didn't like it. I'd only wish that on those blatant propaganda fake news things on YouTube, because they're turning idiots into fascists. But an entertainment show?

 

[DarKush]

I want someone to do the rewrite and same stories and lines and trip to the MU and see no problems.

I doubt that.

I think that's a simple fix. Sometime after the Terrans freed themselves in the DS9 Mirror episodes, some reinstituted the Terran Empire. They could keep the original Starship Defiant from "The Tholian Web" or better yet just use the 24th century Defiant replica that Smiley made as that Easter Egg.

The biggest differences would be with Burnham's backstory. They couldn't tie her to Spock and Sarek. Though she could've been Tuvok's adopted child. She also could've been Saavik's adopted child. At the time they even could've brought back (the late) Tony Todd as Jake and made Burnham his child or grandchild. The other big thing is that you couldn't use Pike (unless there was some time travel episode that led to a spin off), but there were a plethora of 24th century legends they could've used in his stead, depending on how far in the future they set the story.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

I don't know man. Most of the Trek under his thumb hasn't been that great. They can't even keep simple continuity straight. Constantly rewriting or severely contradicting what has been established even within itself. On a scale that I never saw with Trek before.

I don't know why we just didn't get a proper Reboot of Trek. A complete blank slate with the concept only. No ties to anything produced from 1966-2005. It would have been a better route than to shoehorn in new continuity establishing it as "it's always been this way" bs.

I personally hope the failure of Section 31 is the begining of the end for Trek for a very very long time. Today's producers (except Matalas) just don't get it. It's been NINE years now of straight Trek and they still don't seem to get it all that well. I'm happy with 1966-2005 Trek and much of Picard. I like A bit of Disco and SNW. (Disco season 5 was a step in the right direction and I really enjoyed it) But unfortunately those two shows are where most of the problems stemmed so they are tainted in my eyes.. But whatever. I don't ever expect Kurtzman and his crew to ever get it. They want all flash and story rewrites over actual thoughtful content that would have been a natural progression of Trek.

They could have went a different better route but they chose something closer to alternate reality Kelvin Trek than Berman Trek. Tried to correct it during Disco run and than we get Section 31. Oh man it's so bad. With this film and the preview we got of SNW season 3. The end can't come soon enough.

Matalas didn't get it either. Picard season 3 was essentially just the manatees from South Park picking out random Easter eggs and throwing them at a page.

 

[Daedalus]

Well, it wasn't great, but there was one bit of Section 31 I liked: the murder mystery. I'm a massive sucker for that genre, it's true, but I genuinely liked Zeph's death and the investigation into it, and the solution was quite clever and actually foreshadowed. If this was a TV show and that was a more padded episode, it would definitely be my favorite of the bunch. (Unless there was a flashback to Alok in the Eugenics Wars. Then it would probably be that.)

I actually thought it was Garrett, but it turns out it was Mirror Garrett all along, sort of thing. I wish we had more time with that plot.

 

[Dar70]

I loved The Walking Dead, until Negan came along and the show became impossibly stupid. I dropped it, as did many others.

Turns out it's still going, still having new spin-offs made and more power to anyone who likes it cos I'm not going back. But I'd never wish a show ended because I didn't like it. I'd only wish that on those blatant propaganda fake news things on YouTube, because they're turning idiots into fascists. But an entertainment show?

Negan was a high point in TWD. The problem was they decided to keep him around and humanize him. I will get around to watching the little mini series one day. I fully expect to see Negan and Maggie to eventually zombie mambo. Probably whilst inebriated.

As for wishing something would end??? That's just what it is wishful thinking. My wishes won't come true anymore or less than yours.

 

[Dar70]

Matalas didn't get it either. Picard season 3 was essentially just the manatees from South Park picking out random Easter eggs and throwing them at a page.

I'm assuming you are talking about all the callbacks or "Fanwank" as many like to call it? Imo It worked better than when Disco or SNW does the same thing. How many TOS references or story did we get with Disco?. Mirror universe, Guardian of Forever, Pike and the Talosians etc. all in the first season I think. Heck they even used a clip from TOS and said previously on Star Trek...

they even have Khan's relative on SNW serving under Pike...

 

[Dar70]

As a new fan of Trek, I would rather watch crappy content than have Trek remain dead for 10 years. Of course, if they're going to kill the TV show side for now and focus on the 'cinema' side, I wouldn't mind if the TV shows died. The 'cinema' side has been dead for 8.5 years.

It doesn't make me feel good to want it dead for 10-15 years. I'm getting old bro. If I waited that long for new GOOD Trek I would not live long enough to get nostalgic for that Trek...

But you know If it does end I won't lose any sleep over it. I have 3 seasons of TOS, 7 TNG, 7 DS9, 7 Voyager, 4 Enterprise and 10 films and Picard Season 1-3 all within The Roddenberry/Berman era. (Yes I consider Picard 1-3 in those eras since it didn't really overlap with SNW or Disco.) ST: the animated series.

Thats a LOT of viewing content and much of it good.