Spoilers STAR TREK: SECTION 31 - Grading & Discussion

[James Cole]

Ideally you want bad things to have low numbers and good things to have high numbers so they're encouraged to make more good things.

There kinda is a goldilocks zone of showing there's a degree of viability to the idea of streaming Star Trek movies, but not have it be so successful that S31 becomes the template to the future of the franchise.

Various trends over the last half decade or so have largely killed off the mid budget studio film. It's all megabudget blockbusters or low budget arthouse. The Abramsverse Star Trek movies ultimately burned out because they were too expensive relative to the potential audience.

Star Trek movies have only been sustainable in the mid budget range. So if mid budget movies have become streaming movies, then this is how we get more Star Trek movies.

 

[Nerys Myk]

TOS got cancelled though. It needed better numbers

and yet here we are nearly half a century later…

 

[fireproof78]

TOS got cancelled though. It needed better numbers

Or needed to be cancelled because it wasn't doing the business.

This is business first

Ideally you want bad things to have low numbers and good things to have high numbers so they're encouraged to make more good things.

Here's the thing. Despite protests by those of us here people still watch the thing. Nobody thus far is actually willing to go without Star Trek to demonstrate this isn't the product desired.

People still watched it and still streamed it and still talk about it.

 

[Firebird]

“SECTION 31 SUCKED AND HERE IS ALL THE EVIDENCE THAT PROVES IT!”

 

[Detached Nacelle]

I'll just sit quietly in the corner with my collection of reasons why it's better than 10 of the other star trek films.

 

[HotRod]

I'll just sit quietly in the corner with my collection of reasons why it's better than 10 of the other star trek films.

Really!? I get that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I can respect that. And I've been one of the least harshest people on the film, giving it a very charitable 6 out of 10 and likening it to a Fast and Furious film. Big, dumb and loud, but mildly entertaining.

But... as a Trek film? I can't help but place it very near the bottom of the pile. People are right when they say that if you changed or removed a few names from the script, you'd never know it had anything to do with Trek.

I'm honestly curious why you ranked it so high in comparison to other Star Trek films.

 

[cooleddie74]

It's the current nadir of cinematic Trek.

 

[Farscape One]

I'll just sit quietly in the corner with my collection of reasons why it's better than 10 of the other star trek films.

Please share your reasons. I'm genuinely curious what they are.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I can do even better than that! I will now prove that Section 31 is actually the best Star Trek movie of them all:

• The Motion Picture - Section 31 moves at a quicker pace and realises that visual effects alone aren't spectacular enough to hold an audience's attention.
• The Wrath of Khan - Section 31 puts the villain and protagonist in the same room so they're able to actually respond to each other's performances.
• The Search for Spock - Section 31 has a far more convincing bar.
• The Voyage Home - Section 31 doesn't have any blatant product placement.
• The Final Frontier - Section 31's comedy may be just as embarrassing, but it has far more competent visual effects.
• The Undiscovered Country - Section 31 has one quote, right at the start, and doesn't have its villain continually quote Shakespeare throughout the final battle.
  
  
• Generations - Section 31 didn't let the death of the protagonist's family drag the mood of the whole movie down.
• First Contact - Section 31 didn't spoil the Borg by introducing a queen.
• Insurrection - Section 31 is supposed to feel like a TV movie.
• Nemesis - I feel like the director of Section 31 would know that Geordi isn't an alien.
  
  
• Star Trek 09 - Section 31 only has half as many absurd coincidences.
• Into Darkness - Section 31 actually did a good job of recasting its returning character.
• Beyond - Section 31 didn't cast Idris Elba and then waste him.

 

[HotRod]

It's the current nadir of cinematic Trek.

I still put Insurrection below it, if only because Section 31 doesn't put me to sleep like Insurrection does every single time I try to rewatch it.

Depending on the day, I'll also put Section 31 over Nemesis. Though occasionally, I could see myself putting Nemesis above it, if only because I like seeing an Enterprise in a desperate battle for its life.

The Final Frontier is saved from the bottom entirely because I'm an absolute sucker for the Kirk, Spock, and McCoy scenes.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

Section 31 is immensely fun with good lore development for Georgiou and especially Garrett who even in beta canon didn't get masses of attention. It has great fight scenes and is a nice refreshing glimpse into the galaxy outside of Starfleet's patrol range, something only glimpsed on the odd occasion but ultimately it helps make the galaxy feel bigger. The rest of the cast are also fun and won me over very quickly. The pacing of the film is really good as well it feels much shorter than 90 minutes to me. I would say it's negative aspects are just that it was too short and more should have been in it but I am a glutton so I will always want more if something meets my needs. While still in mourning for Legends of Tomorrow I found that niche met with Section 31 and the only shame is the potential that sequels could bring not likely to be met due to its reception. It doesn't need fixes or alterations in my eyes, it's chapter 1 of a larger story.

For your lynch mob considerations I order our dear Star Trek films as follows:
1: First Contact
2: Generations
3: The Voyage Home
4: Section 31
5: The Wrath of Khan
6: The Undiscovered Country
7: Nemesis
8: Insurrection
9: The Search for Spock
10: The Motion Picture
11: XI
12: Beyond
13: The Final Frontier
14: Into Darkness
Please note emotional whims may result in mild reshuffling outside of the top three and last one.

 

[HotRod]

and especially Garrett

Really? What significant character development?

She was kinda uptight.

Learned to embraced chaos.

Got promoted.

Not exactly a stunning character arc. This was my personal biggest disappointment. Her character was the one thing that got me interested in the project, and while Kacey Rohl did well with what she had, it wasn't much. I'd still love to see the character and actress again, though preferably as far from Section 31 as possible.

For your lynch mob considerations I order our dear Star Trek films as follows:
1: First Contact
2: Generations
3: The Voyage Home
4: Section 31
5: The Wrath of Khan
6: The Undiscovered Country
7: Nemesis
8: Insurrection
9: The Search for Spock
10: The Motion Picture
11: XI
12: Beyond
13: The Final Frontier
14: Into Darkness

 

[Detached Nacelle]

I have talked before about the insight into this being the origin story for Rachel Garrett. But also consider we know so little of the character outside of was captain of the C. Died. The end. Anything new is good.

 

[James Cole]

• Generations - Section 31 didn't let the death of the protagonist's family drag the mood of the whole movie down.

That's quite the creative burn you have going on there...

 

[cooleddie74]

Detached Nacelle placed STID dead last. Good enough for me, however else they arrange the 13 other movies.

 

[cooleddie74]

 

[Farscape One]

I can do even better than that! I will now prove that Section 31 is actually the best Star Trek movie of them all:

• The Motion Picture - Section 31 moves at a quicker pace and realises that visual effects alone aren't spectacular enough to hold an audience's attention.
• The Wrath of Khan - Section 31 puts the villain and protagonist in the same room so they're able to actually respond to each other's performances.
• The Search for Spock - Section 31 has a far more convincing bar.
• The Voyage Home - Section 31 doesn't have any blatant product placement.
• The Final Frontier - Section 31's comedy may be just as embarrassing, but it has far more competent visual effects.
• The Undiscovered Country - Section 31 has one quote, right at the start, and doesn't have its villain continually quote Shakespeare throughout the final battle.
  
  
• Generations - Section 31 didn't let the death of the protagonist's family drag the mood of the whole movie down.
• First Contact - Section 31 didn't spoil the Borg by introducing a queen.
• Insurrection - Section 31 is supposed to feel like a TV movie.
• Nemesis - I feel like the director of Section 31 would know that Geordi isn't an alien.
  
  
• Star Trek 09 - Section 31 only has half as many absurd coincidences.
• Into Darkness - Section 31 actually did a good job of recasting its returning character.
• Beyond - Section 31 didn't cast Idris Elba and then waste him.

While Kirk and Khan not being in the same room is a complaint I have heard before (and it's a good one), I can actually defend that decision.

As vengeful and mad as Khan was, there is no way Kirk would have gotten out of that room alive if that happened. In Kirk's prime, he almost lost to Khan. If he hadn't gotten that pipe out and surprised Khan, he very likely would not have won.

And even though Khan also aged those 15 years, Kirk was a desk jockey for at least 10 of those years, while Khan was physically fighting to stay alive on Ceti Alpha V. That's a big edge in Khan's favor. So physically, Kirk would have no chance. (And I say this as a fan of Kirk.) Short of there being some hidden thing or object he could use, Kirk would not have survived in a room with Khan.

 

[Dukhat]

Really? What significant character development?

She was kinda uptight.

Learned to embraced chaos.

Got promoted.

Not exactly a stunning character arc. This was my personal biggest disappointment. Her character was the one thing that got me interested in the project, and while Kacey Rohl did well with what she had, it wasn't much. I'd still love to see the character and actress again, though preferably as far from Section 31 as possible.

This. The character as shown in the movie could have been anyone. The fact that they used the Rachel Garrett name for her was just fanwank and did little to make me any more interested in the character than before, or link her to the woman I saw in "Yesterday's Enterprise."

I have talked before about the insight into this being the origin story for Rachel Garrett. But also consider we know so little of the character outside of was captain of the C. Died. The end. Anything new is good.

It's not an origin story for Rachel Garrett, any more than it was an origin story for Fuzz. It was an origin story for Georgiou. The movie wasn't about Garrett; Garrett was just another cardboard character like all the rest of the cast.

And no, anything new is not necessarily good.

 

[fireproof78]

I have talked before about the insight into this being the origin story for Rachel Garrett. But also consider we know so little of the character outside of was captain of the C. Died. The end. Anything new is good.

Agreed.

I enjoy learning about characters.

 

[Detached Nacelle]

This. The character as shown in the movie could have been anyone. The fact that they used the Rachel Garrett name for her was just fanwank and did little to make me any more interested in the character than before, or link her to the woman I saw in "Yesterday's Enterprise."



It's not an origin story for Rachel Garrett, any more than it was an origin story for Fuzz. It was an origin story for Georgiou. The movie wasn't about Garrett; Garrett was just another cardboard character like all the rest of the cast.

And no, anything new is not necessarily good.

And that's perfectly fine if unfortunate that that's your opinion. No one really wants to not like an entry in a franchise they like. Not if they actually like it anyway, some people are failure fetishists because it's fashionable and gets them internet attention.