By the way it was written, Olatunde Osunsanmi’s new TV movie “Star Trek: Section 31” stands almost entirely on its own. There are a few references to the “Star Trek” universe at large, but the script (by Craig Sweeny) is careful to explain them all closely. Case in point: the character of Quasi (Sam Richardson) is a Chameloid, a shape-shifting species not seen since Iman’s character in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.” Viewers, however, don’t need to know anything about Iman or “Star Trek VI” to understand Quasi.
Ditto the character of Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), the young Starfleet lieutenant. Trekkies know Rachel Garrett as the future captain of the Enterprise-C because we met her in an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” called “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” The events of “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” however, aren’t at all referenced in “Section 31.” There is also a Deltan character named Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), but her character and species is very clearly explained in dialogue. One needn’t know about the Deltan character Ilia (Persis Khambatta) from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” to get where Melle is coming from.
Other characters in “Section 31” are entirely new to “Star Trek.” One character, Zeph, is a microscopic organism that is piloting a human-sized vessel played by Robert Kazinsky. Another, Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), is merely a cybernetic bruiser straight out of “Alita: Battle Angel.” Likewise, Alok (Omari Hardwick) is just a human with anger issues. This ragtag group of semi-evil sci-fi super-spies would be just as at home in a cheesy late-’80s B-movie like “Eliminators” as they would be in “Star Trek.” Neophytes to “Star Trek” will be able to follow “Section 31” without any issues.
There is, however, a brief flashback at the beginning of the movie, explaining a little bit about the main character, Empress Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), and some homework may be required if a viewer wants her whole backstory. Below are a few “Star Trek: Discovery” episodes that would be helpful.
There are a few episodes of Star Trek: Discovery that will help newbies understand Empress Georgiou
At the beginning of “Star Trek: Discovery,” Yeoh played a Starfleet captain named Philippa Georgiou, a stalwart, clear-thinking, and virtuous character who commanded the U.S.S. Shenzhou. She was killed in a starship battle with Vulcans, sadly, and it seemed that Yeoh was out of the show. Later on, however, the U.S.S. Discovery accidentally shunted itself into the infamous “Star Trek” Mirror Universe, where it turns out Georgiou is empress of the horrifying Terran Empire. Thanks to various plot shenanigans, this version of Georgiou wound up back in the main “Star Trek” universe on board the Discovery. This Georgiou was, however, a mass murderer, a sadist, and a cannibal; she loves to eat human eyeballs.
To fully catch up on the Mirror Georgiou’s origins, watch the “Discovery” episodes “The Wolf Inside,” “Vaulting Ambition,” and “What’s Past is Prologue,” all from the first season.
Georgiou actually appeared in 22 episodes of “Discovery,” but I won’t make you watch them all. There was, nevertheless, a vital two-part episode in the third season of “Discovery” that leads directly into “Section 31.” The episodes “Terra Firma” dramatize Georgiou’s semi-redemption. Know that the third season of “Discovery” take place almost 1,000 years after the previous season thanks to a time warp. It seems that time travel has been wreaking havoc on Georgiou’s body, and she needs to go back in time, post-haste. Luckily, she gets a chance to not only travel backward in time, but to also re-visit her home dimension. It seems, though, that she doesn’t like it all that much this time.
The two-part Discovery episode Terra Firma is a must-watch
Philippa eventually encounters a mysterious man in 20th-century clothes on a distant planet — Carl (Paul Guilfoyle) — who has the power to throw her back in time and back into her home dimension. Once there, she picks up her duties on her tyrannical throne and encounters the Mirror versions of characters she grew fond of back in the regular “Star Trek” universe. Having grown and changed slightly since her removal from the Mirror world, however, Georgiou isn’t quite as cruel. She finds herself wrestling with the shred of conscience she seems to have grown.
At the end of her redemption arc, Georgiou is brought back to Carl. He announces that he is actually the Guardian of Forever from the original “Star Trek” series, a semi-deity with mastery of history. Carl offers to send Georgiou back in time to an indeterminate spot. Georgiou passes through a portal and exits the show. Finally, “Section 31” reveals that Georgiou arrived back in the main “Star Trek” universe in the year 2257, finally connecting her to extant “Star Trek” lore.
If one likes the character, or simply likes the idea of watching Yeoh as a scenery-chewing villainess, then one can check out “Section 31” and determine if they want to go back to “Discovery” and view the additional 17 episodes with her character. Then, if one was truly interested, they could even delve into the many “Star Trek” episodes across the franchise that take place in the dreaded Mirror Universe. But that’s a level of dedication that a viewer will have to determine for themself.
“Star Trek: Section 31” begins streaming January 24, 2025, on Paramount+.
This post was originally published on here
