Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)

Movie · 2025 · Science Fiction, Adventure, Action · 1h 36m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 0.1/10 (31.4K ratings)

To protect the light, they fight in shadow.

Overview

Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.

Ratings

Director

Olatunde Osunsanmi

Production

Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment, CBS Studios, Action This Day!

Cast

Michelle Yeoh, Omari Hardwick, Sam Richardson, Kacey Rohl, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly González, James Hiroyuki Liao, Miku Martineau, Augusto Bitter, Joe Pingue, James Huang, Nikita Kim, Cindy Goh, Houston Wong, Sonja Smits, Emily Mei, Adam Kenneth Wilson, Jimmy Chimarios, Shani Scherenzel

Where to watch

fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential

Curator Review

Verdict

A muddled, low-energy Star Trek spinoff that leans on spy-movie swagger without the wit, momentum, or character clarity to make it work. Even if you’re curious about Michelle Yeoh in full antihero mode, the consensus suggests a noisy, awkward misfire rather than a fun franchise detour.

Best for

  • Completionist Star Trek fans who want to see every corner of the franchise
  • Viewers specifically curious about Michelle Yeoh in a darker, action-forward role
  • People who enjoy campy sci-fi failures as conversation pieces

Skip if

  • You want classic Star Trek optimism, moral debate, or ensemble chemistry
  • You’re hoping for sharp espionage plotting or stylish action
  • You’re easily frustrated by thin characterization, clunky dialogue, or brand-misfire franchise entries

Overview

Star Trek: Section 31 tries to graft a covert-ops thriller onto the franchise’s future utopia, but the result feels more like a branding exercise than a story with a pulse. The premise has a built-in hook — a morally compromised emperor pulled into a secret Starfleet black-ops unit — yet the film reportedly squanders it with flat dialogue, scattered tone, and action that never quite lands.

Worth noting

The appeal should have been obvious: Michelle Yeoh, a shadowy antihero, and a chance to explore the uglier machinery behind Federation ideals. Instead, the movie seems to mistake cynicism for edge and motion for momentum. The reviews point to a production that looks and sounds generic, with little of the wit, wonder, or philosophical tension that makes Star Trek endure.

Bottom line

For franchise devotees, it may still be worth sampling as a curiosity, if only to see how far the brand can be stretched before it snaps. For everyone else, this is an easy pass: a sci-fi spy movie that feels both overcooked and underdeveloped at the same time.

Top Letterboxd reviews

Benjamin Morse (0.5★) · 603 likes

this summer, Michelle Yeoh IS: Girlboss Hitler in the Woke CIA the single worst piece of discrete STAR TREK content I have ever seen, maybe not reaching the cumulative nightmare of the second season of PICARD but as a single 90 minute work it is worse then any prior movie or individual episode I've experienced before. was worried this was going to be some sort of CIA apologia action trash but it's somehow actually worse then that, 95 minutes of… more

Brandon-Shea Mutala (1★) · 455 likes

Do yourself a favour and instead of watching this, just slam your testicles in a car door. Fuck this shit.

Mister Cap (0.5★) · 281 likes

ENGLISH VERSION below „Star Trek: Section 31“ ist das cineastische Äquivalent eines abgestandenen Replikator-Kaffees: geschmacklos, lauwarm und, wenn man ehrlich ist, niemand wollte das. Wirklich niemand. Trotzdem steht es jetzt vor uns wie ein Teller Kalorienarm-Eintopf im Casino der Sternenflotte. Als jemand, der sich stolz Trekkie nennt, frage ich mich: Warum hasst Paramount uns? Was hier als „Film“ durchgeht, fühlt sich mehr wie die zynische Resteverwertung einer einst geplanten Serie an. „Star Trek: Section 31“ ist alles, was „Star Trek“… more

Matt Singer (1★) · 205 likes

I had a really intense Trekkie phase as a teenager. I’m talking reading the Star Trek Pocket Books in spine number order levels of nerdery. While I eventually turned my attention other dorky stuff, I still harbor a lot of affection for this franchise. I haven’t watched most of the Paramount+ Trek, but what I have watched (mostly Strange New Worlds) I’ve liked. This, on the other hand, sucks. It looks bad, the dialogue stinks, the action is a mess.… more

theFilmTripper (1★) · 194 likes

that irish accent felt offensive, and i’m not even irish

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Topics

science fiction, space opera, espionage, action, antihero, dystopian, franchise misfire, moral ambiguity, ensemble

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