Olatunde Osunsanmi's New TV Movie Star Trek: Section 31 it features the exploits of Empress Philippa Georgiou, a fugitive from a parallel universe and former ruler of the evil Terran Empire. Georgiou (Michelle Yeo) is a vicious sadist, mass murderer and vile cannibal who, thanks to some soul-searching adventures aboard the USS Discovery, has proven herself capable of true restraint. That was enough for Starfleet to recruit her for Section 31, the black ops arm of the Star Trek universe.

Part 31 is, for many Trekkies, the opposite of Star Trek. The organization was introduced in the sixth season of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and was always presented as morally objectionable. Why would a seemingly utopian future based on pacifism, diplomacy, and scientific improvement require an order of spies and assassins like the CIA? Yes, the Federation had rivals and enemies, but for most of Star Trek: The Original Series, war was to be avoided at all costs. Episode 31 shows Starfleet as an organization willing to bend its own rules in times of war. It didn't fit the ideals of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

But we got a Section 31 movie regardless, and the filmmakers — mercifully — took a wise approach to the controversial material. Instead of connecting "Part 31" directly to the rest of the Star Trek canon, or connecting it to an existing Star Trek story arc (such as the Klingon War), it's completely separate, making only scant references. for the larger Star Trek universe. This allowed Section 31 to stand as an independent sci-fi action caper, free from the stranglehold of Starfleet diplomacy. It's more like a heist movie, mostly featuring new aliens and characters.

So we have a Star Trek movie that isn't set among Starfleet officers, isn't set on a starship, doesn't possess any of the franchise's well-worn utopian principles, isn't paced like Star Trek, doesn't look like a Star Trek series and features a simple action plot that Star Trek doesn't usually do.

Wait. Why is this even Star Trek?

Star Trek, I've always felt it works better when it avoids action. The more traditionally action-packed Star Trek movies, while exciting, seem to miss the point. Star Trek is always at its best when grappling with ethical dilemmas or presenting truly cerebral sci-fi stories. The characters are capable of fighting and the starships are equipped with weapons, but no Starfleet officer or ship is ever attacked in a situation with phasers blazing. Action movies present violence as an easy solution to difficult problems; just kill the bad guy. Star Trek, often refusing to adopt moral absolutes, often tries to go beyond simple solutions, seeing each enemy as a complex, complete person with their own motivations.

Section 31 is an all-around action movie full of random kills, multiple fight scenes and last-minute escapes. It doesn't feel very Star Trek at all.

But that's just a tonal problem. Hell, the movies of Calvin's lyrics had a similar problem. More than anything, Episode 31, being so disconnected from the Star Trek universe in general, doesn't feel like it should be Star Trek. The characters are broad archetypes, and "Section 31" screenwriter Craig Sweeney seems to have created them from whole cloth. There's a Cameloid (Sam Richardson), yes, but he could have been any shape-shifting case from any sci-fi story. There's Deltan (Humberly Gonzalez), but I've seen alien sex goddesses before. Rachel Garrett (Casey Rolle) appears in "Part 31". but she doesn't look or act like the older version of the character Trekkies might remember from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This movie could have been released as an original action/sci-fi caper, with all-new characters and aliens, and it would have worked just as well. Star Trek's imprimatur doesn't improve or even change the story one iota.

Of course, the main reason Section 31 feels completely divorced from Star Trek is that it doesn't take place on a starship. Most of the Star Trek series so far have been workplace shows, following officers who have the most interesting job in the universe: piloting spaceships to strange new worlds. There are engineers, science officers and commanders who, using their professional acumen and interpersonal skills, solve complex diplomatic issues and unlock unusual scientific secrets. Everyone works together and they answer the chain of command. The military formality of Starfleet is the most vital detail of Star Trek.

But it's rare for Trekkies to see what life is like outside of Starfleet. What is life like for the average citizen in the Star Trek universe? How does Roddenberry's utopia appear on a non-military, everyday scenario? The Star Trek franchise has never defined that part of its mythology, at least not very well. "Section 31" opens in a hotel-like space station where people gather to watch nightclub action and drink. They wear wild fashion and appear to pay with real money. None of the aliens are terribly famous. When a new character is introduced, they are given an overview of their history and characteristics as a Suicide Squad. Here's the Cyber-Hulk with a temper (Sven Ruygrok). Here is the gearbox. Here's the mysterious FBI-like dude (Omari Hardwick). Here is the microscopic creature that controls an android in human form (Robert Kazinsky). I would recommend not getting killed by him.

However, the civilian world of Star Trek seems disappointingly generic. Starfleet's magical utopia hasn't reached the world of Chapter 31, so it could happen anywhere. This could have been a Rebel Moon spinoff, for all the Star Trek ties it has. With a few tweaks, it could have even been a "Valerian" spinoff or a "Babylon 5" offshoot. As a whole, Episode 31 is as far from Star Trek as Star Trek has ever been.

Star Trek: Section 31 is now streaming on Paramount+.