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There's no denying that Star Trek: Section 31 left a bad taste in the mouths of many die-hard Trekkies thanks to what they feel was a film filled with weak characters and an even weaker plot that didn't seem like a Star Trek movie. However, actor Rob Kazinskysays the film wasn't made for the hardcore fan base, and that if the franchise is to continue into the future, you have to try and make "different flavors" that will appeal to everyone to prevent it from "dying."

Kazinsky – who portrayed Zeph in Section 31 – recently appeared on the TrekCulture podcast to discuss his love of Star Trek, and his role in the new movie, which was unfortunately panned by critics and fans. Produced by longtime Trek collaborator Alex Kurtzman, Kazinsky revealed a candid conversation he had with the producer and Section 31 director Olatunde Osunsanmi about why the franchise is "dying." What it boils down to,...

In the 2025 TV movie "Star Trek: Section 31," Starfleet gathers a loose-knit group of freelance criminals and mercenaries to retrieve a doomsday weapon from a mysterious rogue a-hole. The mercenaries don't know the true identity of the a-hole, but they do know that the doomsday weapon was constructed by their own leader, the vicious tyrant, Empress Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). The character of Empress Georgiou first appeared on "Star Trek: Discovery," and she has been repeatedly established as a horrid monster. She has murdered literally billions of people, tortures people for fun, and is a cannibal. Despite this, she is presented in "Section 31" as a roguish loose cannon, capable of leading a motley crew of sci-fi misfits on a mission of heroism. 

One of the members of the Section 31 squad is a physically strong but mentally dim super-cyborg named Zeph (Robert Kazinsky). He wears a giant mechanical exoskeleton that enhances his body,...

Director Jonathan Frakes reveals new details about the upcoming Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Set in the 32nd century, the Paramount+ series follows a new generation of Starfleet cadets as they train at the legendary Academy for the first time in over a century. Unlike previous Trek series, this show will primarily take place on Earth. The cast is a mix of veteran Trek actors and newcomers, with Holly Hunter playing the Academy’s chancellor and Paul Giamatti cast as a recurring villain. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cast also features franchise stars Oded Fehr, Tig Notaro, Robert Picardo, and Mary Wiseman.

During a Star Trek panel hosted by Collider at the Indiana Comic Convention, Frakes confirmed that Starfleet Academy had completed filming and assured that it will resonate with longtime fans. Frakes, who is set to direct several episodes of the series, also revealed that Starfleet Academy has an impressive set design,...

It was almost a decade since a feature film was released under the Star Trek umbrella, which isn’t surprising as Star Trek Beyond, despite being a critical hit, was considered a commercial failure due to its massive budget. For better or worse, the wait finally ended with the Michelle Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31, which was released as a Paramount Plus exclusive in January.

Star Trek: Section 31 | Credit: Paramount

But before leading her own Star Trek feature, Yeoh feared her character, Captain Philippa Georgiou, might meet a swift end, given the growing influence of Game of Thrones at the time.

Michelle Yeoh was concerned about potential Got influence on her Star Trek debut Star Trek: Discovery | Credit: Paramount

Before the show dropped the ball with the final season, nothing compared to the hype surrounding Game of Thrones. Unsurprisingly, as a result, many IPs attempted to follow suit...

Star Trekfans are curious about the very first streaming film in the franchise, Paramount+’s Star Trek: Section 31.

Per Trek Movie, the film, starring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, has ranked in the Nielsen Top 10 for the week of Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, 2025. The story focuses on the black-ops division of Starfleet, known as Section 31, which was first introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the 1990s. The streaming movie premiered on Jan. 24, and for the first week, held the number eight spot with 170 million minutes streamed.

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Section 31 topped Frozen and Dune Part 2 for the week of Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, despite those films holding an impressive 168 million and 153 million streaming minutes respectively. The Top 10 ranking is surprising since Section 31 is the worst-reviewed film in the franchise's 14-movie history.

Stuart Baird's 2002 film "Star Trek: Nemesis" was one of the franchise's several death knells to come during the early 2000s. "Star Trek: Voyager" came to a close in mid-2001, ending a long-running period of Trek ascendancy. "Star Trek: Enterprise" debuted in late September 2001, and it served as a prequel to the original "Star Trek," set a century before the days of Captain Kirk. It looked different, had a different tone, and aimed to bring Trek to a new generation. Sadly, because of the 9/11 attacks, the world was no longer in the mood for a long-in-the-tooth sci-fi franchise that focused on diplomacy, making peace, and living in harmony. Audiences were now more intent on war, retribution, and violence, and "Star Trek" no longer had a place in the world. 

In 2002, "Star Trek: Nemesis" was released to unenthused audiences and low box office receipts. Made for a budget of $60 million, "Nemesis" only earned $67 million worldwide,...

The overwhelming financial success of "Star Trek" can only be ironic. "Star Trek," after all, takes place in a post-capitalist utopia wherein money has become a thing of the past, and want has been largely defeated. Reallocating resources is easy in the world of "Star Trek," as they have faster-than-light starships that can bring medical supplies to the sick, and matter replicators can instantaneously create food and clothing for the hungry and cold. Here on Earth in the year 2025, however, the makers of "Star Trek" are rolling in gold-pressed latinum. The ubiquity of the popular franchise across multiple streaming platforms has continued to generate huge amounts of revenue for Paramount, its holding company, for the last few years.

The Wrap has reported (via the Parrot Analytics streaming economics platform) that "Star Trek" has — from January 2020 to December 2024 — raked in $2.6 billion worldwide.

It's worth remembering that Paramount is earning revenue from,...

"Star Trek" hasn't always been on the smoothest of journeys. "The Original Series," the best of "Trek," only lasted three seasons on NBC before the network axed it due to low ratings. Fans were bereft, but they kept the flame burning for a decade (and made do with two seasons of "The Animated Series"), and celebrated when director Robert Wise brought the crew of the Starship Enterprise back for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." But when the movie failed to perform up to Paramount Pictures' box office expectations (grossing $83 million in the United States on a budget of $44 million), the franchise appeared to be on the ropes again.

Fortunately, director Nicholas Meyer came along and righted the starship with the more sensibly budgeted "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan," which grossed $79 million in the U.S. and set the franchise on a profitable course that made "The Next Generation" viable; from there,...

Star Trek’slatest feature film, and its first released exclusively on Paramount+, is now available for pre-order on physical media, just a week after its streaming debut. A limited edition 4K Blu-ray Steelbook of the Michelle Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31, as well as a standard 4K Blu-ray will be released on April 29, per GameSpot.

The movie, focusing on the black-ops, secret Starfleet division, Section 31, which first was seen on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, is available for pre-order on Amazon and Walmart for $38 for the 4K Blu-ray Steelbook. The standard edition is available for $34 on Amazon and Walmart. The artwork for the cases of both the standard and limited edition Blu-rays has not been revealed as of Jan. 31.

Section 31 debuted on Paramount+ on Jan. 24 and stars the Oscar-winning Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou as she goes on an adventure to save the galaxy. The movie also features Omari Hardwick,...

“Star Trek: Section 31” is a Paramount+ original movie that premiered on January 24, 2025. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny, the film delves into the covert operations of Starfleet’s secretive division, Section 31, as they confront a new threat to the United Federation of Planets. “Star Trek: Section 31” boasts a stellar ensemble cast bringing to life a mix of familiar and new characters.

Star Trek: Section 31 – Complete Cast & Characters Guide of the Paramount+ Original Movie Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou

Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, the former ruler of the Mirror Universe’s Terran Empire. Known for her performances in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Yeoh brings depth to Georgiou as she is recruited by Section 31 to confront a threat tied to her past.

Omari Hardwick as Alok Sahar

Omari Hardwick portrays Alok Sahar,...

Michelle Yeoh has been wearing a lot of sleek and stylish Balenciaga ensembles while promoting her new Paramount+ movie, Star Trek: Section 31. During the recent lighting of the Empire State Building, the Golden Globes winner looked stunning in a pinstriped Balenciaga suit and the brand’s iconic pantaboots. She appeared to be sporting the same boots with a glimmering Balenciaga dress at the movie’s premiere on Wednesday.

Her wardrobe selections for this press tour are exquisite. Yeoh plays Philippa Georgiou in the movie, and I love how her character’s poised demeanor, commanding presence, and sharp sense of fashion are all perfectly captured in her clothing.

Michelle Yeoh showcases her sleek style in Balenciaga outfits while promoting her new Paramount+ movie Star Trek: Section 31 in New York City (Credit: Roger Wong / Janet Mayer / INSTARimages)

From slouchy suits with sleek boots to relaxed winter clothing with rugged boots,...

Set phasers to spoilers: This article discusses major plot details from "Star Trek: Section 31."

In many ways, "Star Trek" and its universe full of aliens, super-powered beings, the occasional godlike entity (see: Q), and heroic Starfleet officers meant to embody our highest ideals and aspirations isn't too dissimilar from the high-flying world of comic books and superheroes -- but "Section 31" puts a unique yet unmistakable spin on that entire notion. Director Olatunde Osunsanmi and writer Craig Sweeny boldly take the franchise where it has only sporadically gone before, centering the story on the devious Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) and a spec-ops team of antiheroes brought together by the dark side of Starfleet that few even know exists. With the Federation's comforting rules and regulations merely a distant speck in the emptiness of space, "Section 31" truly gets down and dirty in a far-flung corner of the galaxy. By the...

I have to say there isn't much to like about Star Trek's first feature-length film since 2016 - "Star Trek: Section 31" which recently premiered on Paramount+. With Academy-winning actress, Michelle Yeoh as the lead, a plot based on a secret black ops organization that moves outside of Starfleet command, and Olatunde Osunsanmi as the director, whose directing credits include the series "Sleepy Hollow", and "Star Trek: Discovery" – hopes were high for a smash hit to add to the Star Trek canon.

Previously, without the advantage of seeing Section 31, I wrote a piece on how it would likely fare much better as an animated series. Now, having seen the Paramount+ film, I still stand by that assessment. However, there are some things I do like about Section 31, and here are three of them.

#1 - Unique take on fight scenes

Fight scenes in most action movies may involve various forms of...

Even Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh can’t save Star Trek: Section 31 from the appalling reviews the new science fiction film is receiving. In fact, the majority of critics are abjectly maligning the new Star Trek movie, which has resulted in a franchise-low Rotten Tomatoes score for director Olatunde Osunsanmi’s made-for-television project.

In fact, MovieWeb’s Section 31 review (2/5 stars) suggests that Trekkies should “set your expectations on stun(ned), but not in a good way." Jeannette Catsoulis concurs, courtesy of The New York Times’ assessment, and writes the following:

"This everything-and-the-kitchen-sink movie is stuffed with so many neurotic mutants and hidden motives that even the unflappable Jean-Luc [Picard] would struggle to keep them straight."

Frank Scheck questions the continuation of the late Gene Roddenberry’s once proud science fiction saga in The Hollywood Reporter’s scathing review by writing:

"Scientists say that our universe is constantly expanding. But some...

[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for Star Trek: Section 31.] How could we not want to see more of this team — Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), Alok (Omari Hardwick), Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), Quasi (Sam Richardson), and Wisp (Sven Ruygrok) — after the end of the Star Trek: Section 31 movie showed them not only finding ways to work together but also introduced Jamie Lee Curtis as Control?! Well, everyone — the cast along with executive producer Alex Kurtzman and executive producer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi — wants to do another movie, so that bodes well. It’s a very enthusiastic “yes” from Yeoh. “First of all, I love this character and there are so many adventures to be had because that’s Section 31. It can be a standalone story because it’s a standalone adventure. It doesn’t have to be one that stretches for eight episodes or something like that,” she tells TV Insider. “And I think it...

Olatunde Osunsanmi's new TV movie "Star Trek: Section 31" involves the exploits of Empress Philippa Georgiou, an escapee from a parallel universe and the former ruler of the evil Terran Empire. Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is a wicked sadist, mass murderer, and vile cannibal who, thanks to some soul-searching adventures on board the U.S.S. Discovery, proved that she was capable of actual restraint. That was enough for Starfleet to recruit her for Section 31, the black-ops arm of the "Star Trek" universe.

Section 31 is, for many Trekkies, antithetical to "Star Trek." The organization was introduced in the sixth season of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," and it was always presented as morally dodgy. Why would an ostensibly utopian future based on pacifism, diplomacy, and scientific betterment require a CIA-like order of spies and assassins? Yes, the Federation had rivals and enemies, but throughout most of "Star Trek: The Original Series,...

In the ever-expanding “Star Trek” universe — which next year enters its seventh earthly decade — there’s room for all kinds of celestial phenomena, including the occasional underwhelming dwarf star. That status is claimed by “Star Trek: Section 31,” the franchise’s first feature since “Beyond” nine years ago, and the first going directly to home screens. A spinoff for Michelle Yeoh’s character from the “Discovery” series, whose frequent director Olatunde Osunsanmi again takes the reins here, this superficially diverting tangent is too convoluted and tonally wobbly to leave a lasting impression. Given a fairly hostile initial fanbase reaction to the Jan. 24 release on Paramount+, it may also stray too far from hitherto-consistent core elements to warrant any follow-up.

The still-nimble former Hong Kong martial arts genre star has certainly gained additional luster since her last Trekkie outing, thanks to that Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” plus the current “Wicked.

For the first time in eight years, the Star Trek franchise produced a brand new feature film, the first of the Paramount+ era. Star Trek: Section 31 debuted on the streamer on Jan. 24 and so far, critics and audiences alike don’t seem to be impressed with the latest endeavor, starring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, a character she originated on Star Trek: Discovery.

Review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes as of Jan. 24, has Section 31 sitting with a 17% Tomatometer score, based on 24 critic reviews. The audience score, or Popcornmeter, isn’t much better, at 25% based on more than 50 ratings.

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A “Different” Trek

Cbr recently published a spoiler-free review of Section 31, a...

Michelle Yeoh's Hollywood debut was Tomorrow Never Dies, the film that marked a milestone for her career. The actor explains why she passed on a chance to reprise her role in a James Bond sequel.

Michelle Yeoh would have been the third Bond Girl to reprise her role in the franchise (Eunice Gayson and Lea Seydoux each appeared in two James Bond films). Yeoh played agent Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies and was offered to return in Die Another Day; she declined due to scheduling conflicts. "I was asked one time, to come back to do a cameo," she told Radio Times. "But unfortunately I was filming, I was producing my own movie. Sometimes life throws tough choices at you."

Related Star Trek: Section 31's Michelle Yeoh Shares How Quentin Tarantino Talked Her Out of Quitting Action Films

The Oscar-winner says that Quentin Tarantino inspired her to keep going in action films.

Warning: this article contains mild spoilers for "Star Trek: Section 31."

At the very end of Olatunde Osunsanmi's new TV movie "Star Trek: Section 31," the film's scrappy, ragtag group of criminals and ethics-optional mercenaries have gone through their central adventure, and have reconnoitered at a spacebound bar/casino to drink to their success. They barely escaped their mission, but are happy to have bonded over their mutual peril. It's established that the adventure's survivors, led by Empress Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), will now become a permanent installation inside of Section 31, Starfleet's black-ops organization. "Section 31" is not a pilot episode, but it ends as if it might be, establishing a new cast of characters, their home base, and what a potential TV series would look like. At the very least, the filmmakers are teasing a sequel.

While sipping on strong spirits and joking around with each other, the film's...

Quick Links Emperor Phillipa Georgiou's Past Continues to Haunt Her Present The Mission to Save the Star Trek Galaxy Extracted a High Cost Georgiou and Her Section 31 Team Isn't Finished Saving the Galaxy What Star Trek: Section 31 Means for the Larger Galaxy and Future

The following contains spoilers from Star Trek: Section 31 now streaming on Paramount+.

2025's Star Trek film is its most non-traditional, presenting a view of the galaxy not seen before. The characters introduced in the movie are equally unorthodox, particularly those who aren't officially a part of Starfleet. Star Trek: Section 31 does have a definitive ending, but it also promises that these characters' stories are just beginning.

Had the Star Trek: Discovery heroes failed, the Prime Universe would have been decimated by a weapon of mass destruction and conquered by the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire. Former Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) was the architect of this threat,...

There’s an old adage, taken from one of our holiest texts, that all nerds know well: “As sure as day follows night,” it goes, “sure as eggs is eggs, sure as every odd-numbered Star Trek movie is shit”. Technically Section 31 is “Star Trek 14” so we should be onto a winner. Alas, it doesn’t fit the pattern. That’s probably because this straight-to-Paramount+ special never really feels like a movie at all. It’s more akin to the double TV episodes they used to stitch together for VHS release, though it falls some way short of the best of those. Section 31 doesn’t have the budget or the onscreen weight to justify the “film” label. In the old days we’d have called it a “TV movie” or “straight-to-video”.

Some critics have been absolutely savage – “unwatchably bad … the single worst thing to carry the Star Trek name in...

After a big finale to the first Star Trek film in nearly a decade, there are a lot of questions left for the franchise to explore. While Star Trek: Section 31 returns Michelle Yeoh to the popular franchise, it also opens an important door for Alex Kurtzman’s expanding universe. The various shows have never had trouble recruiting top-tier talent. You can see it most clearly in the deep cast around Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, this might be one of the more significant finales of Kurtzman’s tenure.

Olatunde Osunsanmi on the set of Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2025. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ What happened at the end of Star Trek: Section 31?

Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is forced to address her past in the most literal way possible. After putting herself face-to-face with San (James Hiroyuki Liao), the two engage...

The Star Trek franchise has stood the test of time, spanning almost 60 years, 11 spin-off television series, and two very popular film franchises. The newest film spin-off, Star Trek: Section 31, is set to premiere on the streaming service Paramount+ on January 24th, 2025. This new iteration of Star Trek stars Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, a character from the Mirror Universe who ran the Terran Empire as she travels to the main universe and joins a division of Starfleet. Fans of the franchise might be wondering where and when to watch this new spin-off, a question that this article will answer for them.

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Star Trek: Section 31 AdventureScience FictionFantasy Release Date January 24, 2025 Director Olatunde Osunsanmi Writers Craig Sweeney Franchise(s) Star Trek Cast

Michelle Yeoh

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Paramount+

Star Trek: Section 31 will be premiering on January 24th,...

The first ever non-theatrical Star Trek movie, Section 31, beams onto Paramount+ tomorrow, and the review embargo has now lifted.

Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny, Star Trek: Section 31 sees the return of Michelle Yeoh as Discovery villain Emperor Philippa Georgiou, who joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets.

The supporting cast includes Omari Hardwick, Sam Richardson, Robert Kazinsky, Kacey Rohl, Sven Ruygrok, James Hiroyuki Liao, Humberly Gonzalez, Joe Pingue and Miku Martineau.

Though there are a handful of positive verdicts, it's fair to say that the majority of critics decided not to set phasers to stun, as Section 31 has landed the worst Rotten Tomatoes score (22%) in Star Trek history, just behind the infamous Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (23%).

Star Trek: Section 31 is nothing but a lousy, uninteresting caper picture with middling special effects, bad acting, cringeworthy dialogue,...

Olatunde Osunsanmi's new TV movie "Star Trek: Section 31" is weirdly retro in its setup, feeling reminiscent of delightfully corny B-movies of the 1980s like Peter Manoogian's low-budget time-travel lark "Eliminators." The main character is Empress Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), the genocidal tyrant of the Mirror Universe, and she has been enlisted to be part of Section 31, Starfleet's ethics-free black ops organization that handles dangerous secret missions.

The film's cast, however, is rounded out by a rogues' gallery of diverse aliens and specialists, each one enlisted to help the Empress on a vital mission to retrieve a doomsday device. There is the shapeshifter Quasi (Sam Richardson), a none-too-bright cyborg bruiser named Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), a microscopic organism named Zeph piloting a human-sized robot (Robert Kazinsky), an ultra-seductive Deltan named Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), and Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), a straight-laced Starfleet officer who is there to make sure...

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...

We’ve waited nine long years for a follow-up to Justin Lin’s Star Trek Beyond. S.J. Clarkson’s sequel faltered and failed. Noah Hawley’s reboot never got out of space dock. Even Quentin Tarantino’s unexpected foray got sucked into a pre-production black hole. So, in the absence of a big-screen voyage to please the Trekkie faithful, the franchise has since set phasers to streaming, ushering in a vibrant new era of TV Trek under the auspices of Alex Kurtzman. It’s from that side of the aisle that Paramount+ draws its first Trek TV movie, with this long-gestating spin-off from Star Trek: Discovery.

Smartly seizing upon Discovery’s most interesting character — the sociopathic former Emperor of Star Trek’s dystopian Mirror Universe, played by a now Oscar-wielding Michelle Yeoh — Section 31 weaves a surprisingly accessible (for Star Trek) story that’s part heist caper, part spaceespionage romp, drawing...

What is "Star Trek" in 2025?

That's the question fans will surely be asking after they finish watching "Star Trek: Section 31," the new Paramount+ movie that literally takes the iconic science fiction franchise where it hasn't gone before. Set beyond the reaches of the Federation, and with barely any Starfleet characters to be found, this is a corner or the Trek universe rarely explored on screen — seedy, lawless, violent, and gleefully free of the pesky "ethics" and "utopian ideals" that the films and shows in Gene Roddenberry's milieu so commonly lean upon. "Star Trek" has always acknowledged that the galaxy could be this nasty, but it usually showcased it through the eyes, and ideals, of stalwart leaders, scientists, and diplomats. But in "Section 31," the universe is saved not by brave folks doing the right thing, but by violent, nasty a-holes who know how to punch, stab, and shoot their way through a bad situation.

Scientists say that our universe is constantly expanding. But some universes should know when to quit, as evidenced by the first television film (well, technically streaming film) and the 14th overall in the venerable Star Trek franchise. Premiering on Paramount+, Star Trek: Section 31 is a spinoff of the series Star Trek: Discovery but mainly seems designed to exploit the talents of Michelle Yeoh, who, since she created the character of Philippa Georgiou, has added the term “Academy Award winner” to her bio.

Helmed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, the film was originally conceived as another series, but Oscar winners tend to have busy schedules. Hence this one-off, although its conclusion makes it obvious that if the fans demand it, we’ll be seeing plenty more of Philippa and the other figures from the titular rogue organization that defends the United Federation of Planets in ways they would prefer not to know about.

Many “Star Trek” fans were more than a little skeptical of the announcement of a new television film in the franchise focused on Section 31. For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of “Trek” lore, Section 31 is a covert black ops department within the United Federation of Planets (which includes Earth), dedicated to eliminating threats to the integrity and even the supremacy of the Federation using any means necessary. Since Section 31’s introduction in the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” episode “Inquisition,” fans have been conflicted about the inclusion of a morally ambivalent —sometimes outright fascist — group that is allowed to operate, albeit in secret, within the utopian-leaning Federation. Many felt that Section 31 was a betrayal of the ideals held up in the series as inherent to Federation culture and Starfleet operations, although they were comforted by the fact that Section 31 often acted as an antagonist in its various iterations in the franchise.

For fans of modern Star Trek, few actors or actresses had material as good as Michelle Yeoh. Playing two different versions of Captain Philippa Georgiou, Yeoh became one of the most dangerous figures of the Kurtzman Star Trek universe. After years of rumors about a Star Trek: Section 31 series, a one-off movie makes its way to Paramount+. Directed by veteran Star Trek director Olatunde Osunsanmi, the movie breathes life into the potential for new movies to celebrate characters from Discovery, Strange Worlds, and maybe even Lower Decks.

Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou and Joe Pingue as Dada Noe in Star Trek: Section 31, streaming on Paramount+, 2024. Photo Credit: Jan Thijs/Paramount+ Related Star Trek: Discovery Final Season SXSW 2024 – An Action-Packed Premiere Never Loses Character Star Trek: Section 31 — The Plot

At the end of her run in Star Trek: Discovery, Georgiou (Yeoh) was sent to a different time...

Early on in Star Trek: Section 31, Michelle Yeoh’s crafty Emperor Philippa Georgiou is confronted by a visitor with ties to the Federation. She looks the guy over and purrs: “Starfleet... where fun goes to die.” Great line. Ironically, it acts as a kind of foreshadowing of what viewers — especially Trekkies — might experience while watching this long-awaited offering, which started out as a spin-off series for Star Trek: Discovery then morphed into the movie-event iteration we see here. One would never call Star Trek: Section 31 boring, but it’s not altogether all that fun either. That’s because there’s a vital component missing: Star Trek.

Sure, it's easy to understand that director Olatunde Osunsanmi (Falling Skies) and Discovery writer Craig Sweeny wanted to feature a grittier side to the Federation space with a flurry of rebellious characters, but lost in the process are the kind of sci-fi...

The Gene Roddenberry-created, 60-odd-year-old franchise called “Star Trek” has had its own share of ups and downs. While the franchise had been rightly praised for its thoughtful exploration of conceptual ideas and unending possibilities, its worst endeavors are sometimes comically awful and sometimes tone-deaf.

But post-2016, with the release of “Star Trek Discovery,” under the purview of Secret Hideout, there arose a clear demarcation and division of “Star Trek” and its fandom. Under Alex Kurtzman’s jurisdiction, “Star Trek” would be catering to a larger fanbase and thus would have a higher budget and a larger focus on set pieces and action-driven storytelling, rather than striving for smart, thoughtful, and subtle writing. Messaging had always been an integral aspect of the DNA of “Star Trek,” but the bluntness of the messaging would reach a fever pitch with these newer iterations of Trek, barring a few exceptions. More importantly, the...

Star Trek: Section 31 director Olatunde Osunsanmi has opened up on the movie's controversial nature and the furor that has surrounded it. The TV movie is the 14th overall in the Star Trek franchise, and Section 31 stars Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, reprising her role from Star Trek: Discovery. Section 31 sees Georgiou join the titular secret division of Starfleet, which is tasked with conducting covert operations for the United Federation of Planets. The upcoming movie has caused consternation among many Star Trek fans, and there are concerns about how it fits into Star Trek canon.

In an interview with TV Line, Osunsanmi opens up on the backlash that the movie has received prior to its release, and the fact that many fans are concerned with the direction the movie will take, and how it differs from creator Gene Roddenberry's original vision. Addressing the concerns of fans claiming "Not my Star Trek!

Michelle Yeoh’s influence shaped the visual design of Star Trek: Section 31, as explained by the film's director and executive producer, Olatunde Osunsanmi. Set to premiere on Paramount+ on January 24, the film focuses on Captain Philippa Georgiou (portrayed by Yeoh), a key figure who previously appeared on Star Trek: Discovery, as she is tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets. Following Yeoh’s Oscar win in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All at Once and involvement in the 2024 hit Wicked, her return to Star Trek brings renewed attention to the covert operations of Starfleet's Section 31.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Osunsanmi shared that Yeoh’s performance directly influenced Star Trek: Section 31's visuals. Philippa Georgiou's fiery, relentless nature inspired an unpredictable and cinematic style, marking a departure from typical Star Trek aesthetics. This design approach reflects Georgiou’s duality and her journey of redemption, setting Star Trek: Section 31...

We spy an espionage-themed Star Trek movie on the horizon. But will fans of the long-running sci-fi franchise welcome it with open minds?

Premiering this Friday, Jan. 24, on Paramount+, Star Trek: Section 31 finds Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh reprising her Star Trek: Discovery role as Philippa Georgiou, the onetime Terran emperor who allies with the titular secret division of Starfleet — and in turn must face the sins of her past.

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Star Trek: Section 31 breaks away from a Star Trek movie tradition that began in 1979. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny, Star Trek: Section 31 premieres Friday, January 24, on Paramount+. Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming, and it marks the return of Michelle Yeoh as her fan-favorite anti-heroine, Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery. With Section 31, Yeoh becomes the first woman to headline a Star Trek movie.

Before Star Trek: Section 31, there were 13 Star Trek movies, all of which were theatrically released. Starting with 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, every decade since has enjoyed at least one Star Trek movie. The first six Star Trek movies starred the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series. Star Trek: The Next Generation then took over the movie franchise with four films. In 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek, setting new adventures of the...

Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, who is starring in the upcoming Paramount+ feature film Star Trek: Section 31, recently said there was a time she considered quitting action films, but an Oscar-winner helped her to change her mind. Per People, Yeoh, appearing on an episode of The Graham Norton Show told the host that she almost decided to step “back” from action films after a bad stunt accident, but Quentin Tarantino advised her against it.

“I was in Hong Kong and depressed as I had had a bad accident while filming the stunt,” Yeoh said on the show. “I felt hopeless and was re-thinking the whole action thing and thought maybe I should take a step back. When I met (Tarantino) he was so enthusiastic and said if you love something you have to find a better way to do it,” said the actress, who won an Academy Award for 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once...

The first Star Trek streaming feature film and the first Trek film in the Paramount+ era is set for a Jan. 24 debut, and the director of Star Trek: Section 31 is teasing the film in a new interview. Olatunde Osunsanmi, who also serves as a producer on the movie, tells Entertainment Weekly that “99 percent” of the scenes belong to the movie’s star, Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, who reprises her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, a character that was first introduced on Paramount+’s Star Trek: Discovery series.

“At the end of the day, each scene usually belongs to one particular character,” Osunsanmi said. “In Section 31, 99 percent of those scenes belong to Michelle Yeoh’s character, Philippa Georgiou. So then what you have is a movie that is visually inspired by who she is. She is unpredictable, she is dangerous, she is relentless, she has also discovered that she is kind...

Star Trek: Section 31 officially makes Michelle Yeoh's impact on Star Trek movies the equivalent of what Kate Mulgrew's Captain Kathryn Janeway meant to Star Trek TV shows. Premiering January 24 on Paramount+, Star Trek: Section 31 is directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny. Section 31 is the first Star Trek movie made for streaming on Paramount+, and it marks the return of Michelle Yeoh as her iconic anti-heroine, Emperor Philippa Georgiou from Star Trek: Discovery.

There have been 13 theatrical Star Trek movies since Star Trek: The Motion Picture brought Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi franchise to the big screen in 1979. Every previous Star Trek movie has been about a version of the USS Enterprise. The first six Star Trek movies were about Admiral/Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the cast of Star Trek: The Original Series. Star Trek: The Next Generation then had four movies...

With the Paramount+ streaming movie Star Trek: Section 31 premiering on January 24th, anticipation for an exciting new addition to the Star Trek universe is high. Academy award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou heads the cast as leader of the Terran Empire from the Mirror Universe. Yeoh is reprising her role as the complicated, battle-ready leader who was introduced in the series Star Trek: Discovery. Section 31 refers to a covert intelligence organization that carries out shadow missions outside the jurisdiction of the United Federation of Planets, that has been in existence since the beginning of Starfleet in the 22nd Century.

According to Inverse, Section 31 will occur in the 24th Century. It will reveal where the intrepid mirror Georgiou ended up after stepping through the Guardian of Forever in Season 3 of Discovery. This standalone movie was originally slated to be produced as a television series, but it’s my bet...

Star Trek: Section 31 marks the official comeback of Star Trek movies after a 9-year wait. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny, Star Trek: Section 31 is headlined by Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, who returns as her Star Trek: Discovery antiheroine, Emperor Michelle Georgiou, alongside a new team of Section 31 black ops agents. Before Section 31 streams exclusively on Paramount+, the last Star Trek movie was Star Trek Beyond in 2016.

In 1979, Star Trek jumped to the big screen when Star Trek: The Motion Picture kicked off a new era of Star Trek movies. Since then, every decade has enjoyed at least one Star Trek movie, with the 1980s and 1990s serving as the apex of the Star Trek movie franchise. J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek movies in 2009, directing the 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, and producing 2016's Star Trek Beyond, directed by Justin Lin. After nearly a decade of waiting,...

A great premise for a Star Trek movie about Section 31, Starfleet's clandestine black ops division, was already set up in Star Trek: Lower Decks, but that's not the Section 31 movie that Paramount+ is actually making. Coming January 24, Star Trek: Section 31 is the first feature-length movie in Star Trek's streaming era. Star Trek: Section 31 is a spinoff of Star Trek: Discovery featuring Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, and directed by Discovery's Olatunde Osunsanmi, with the darker and edgier tone that earlier seasons of Star Trek: Discovery embraced.

In the season 5 finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks, "The New Next Generation", the crew of the USS Cerritos thwarts a barrage of soliton energy that threatens to destroy Star Trek's Prime Universe by turning the rift into a stable multiversal portal. Captain William Boimler (Jack Quaid) and the crew of Section 31's Defiant-class Anaximander are poised to...

Section 31, the movie about a clandestine agency that works within Starfleet Intelligence, is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+ on January 24th. There has been a lot of buzz about the movie, but not necessarily all for the good. There are plenty of fans who, having seen the trailer, are dead set against watching it. But, according to director Olatunde Osunsanmi, tuning in could very well have a positive effect on those looking for future Star Trek streaming movies, like, say, even a Lower Decks film.

In an interview with SFX Magazine [via Trekmovie], Osunsanmi said "“Hopefully the fans love Section 31 and love this format, and we’re able to continue this format with other stories and be able to expand the universe so much faster, because it doesn’t have to all be television series. It can just be one pop, one pop, one pop. If the audience – the fans – they love it,...

Paramount+ will premiere its first-ever streaming Star Trek movie in January with the Michelle Yeoh-led Star Trek: Section 31, and its director Olatunde Osunsanmi says that the movie could lead to more streaming features in the future. Per Trek Movie, the director, known for his work on the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Discovery, spoke to SFX Magazine about the movie and the future of other streaming films.

“Hopefully the fans love Section 31 and love this format, and we’re able to continue this format with other stories and be able to expand the universe so much faster, because it doesn’t have to all be television series,” Osunsanmi said. “It can be one pop, one pop, one pop. If the audience - the fans - they love it, the sky’s the limit with what we can do…I think I might get into a bit of trouble if I expand upon that.

Star Trek is streamlined in 2025, but the franchise will boast a new streaming movie and the return of Paramount+'s new flagship Star Trek series to celebrate Star Trek's 59th anniversary. With the pending sale of Paramount to Skydance and the evolving state of streaming, Star Trek has tightened its belt. Compared to 2022, when five Star Trek series premiered a new episode nearly every Thursday on Paramount+, the streamer has only two Star Trek projects slotted for 2025, but both are highly anticipated.

In 2024, Star Trek on Paramount+ closed the books on Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks, both of which concluded with season 5. But Discovery and Lower Decks also bowed out with strong, crowd-pleasing seasons. In July, Netflix premiered Star Trek: Prodigy season 2, which boasts a perfect 100% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, there has been no update on whether the fan-favorite animated series will be renewed by Netflix.

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Paramount+ is ready with an entertainment-packed January next year. The upcoming month will see the premiere of some of the best Paramount+ original movies including Star Trek: Section 31 and the streaming release of the medical mystery drama series Watson. Just like every month, Paramount+ is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 5 best movies and TV shows coming to Paramount+ in January 2025.

Murder Company (January 1) Credit – Maverick Films

Murder Company is a war action drama film directed by Shane Dax Taylor from a screenplay by Jesse Mittelstadt. The 2024 film is set in the midst of the D-Day invasion and it follows a group of US soldiers who are tasked with smuggling a member of the French resistance to kill a high value Nazi target. Murder Company stars Kelsey Grammer,...

This article is part of ScreenRant's Exclusive 2025 Movie Preview. Keep an eye out for the full feature later this week!

A new Star Trek: Section 31 image shows Michelle Yeoh leading her crew on a dangerous mission in a new environment. The feature-length project, which debuts on Paramount+ on January 24, 2025, is the first streaming movie in the Star Trek franchise. The upcoming Section 31, which was directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, stars Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as the Mirror Universe version of Philippa Georgiou, the character she originated on 24 episodes of the streaming series Star Trek: Discovery. This version of Georgiou joins Starfleet on a risky mission where billions of lives are at risk.

ScreenRant can now share an exclusive first-look image from Star Trek: Section 31. It shows Georgiou, wearing a stylish jacket with spiked shoulder pads, on high alert while leading a mission into what appears to be a cave system.

In the last seven years, there has been a positive glut of "Star Trek" introduced into the world. Just as the Upn launched with the debut of "Star Trek: Voyager in 1995," so did the new streaming service CBS All Access launch with the debut of "Star Trek: Discovery" in 2017. This was the first "Star Trek" TV series on the airwaves since the cancelation of "Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005, and many Trekkies were eager to see if the franchise could be restarted. An entirely new creative team had taken over "Star Trek," and they sought to update the decades-old series for a streaming audience.

"Discovery," we would later learn, was only one of many "Star Trek" projects that would debut on CBS All Access — later renamed Paramount+ — over the next few years. To keep people subscribed, Paramount produced "Short Treks." As a hook for fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation,...