Debuting on Paramount+ today is Star Trek: Section 31, a made-for-streaming film that brings back Michelle Yeoh as Georgiou.

And the real question some of the fans will be asking is ‘but is it Star Trek?’

I fall into the group that feels that all Trek is Star Trek, and while this iteration may not be my Star Trek, it will be someone’s. And it may encourage them to seek out more of the ever-expanding universe.

My thing with Section 31, the concept, not the movie, has been around since they were first introduced in the season six episode, Inquisition, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It seems to go against everything that has been created by Starfleet and the Federation, and seems more reflective of our own modern-day trends of using dark ops for control and power.

Following her departure from Discovery through the Guardian of Forever, Georgiou seemingly disappeared. Now she’s popped up outside of Federation space, and Section 31 wants to recruit her to help stop a new threat to the universe.

Alok Sahar (Omari Hardwick), Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), Zeph (Robert Kazinsky), Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), Quasi (Sam Richardson) and Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl) – yes, that Rachel Garrett – persuade Georgiou to join them and they are off on an adventure that ties directly into Georgiou’s past in the Mirror Universe.

The film moves along at warp-speed, and some of it works really well. Gonzalez and Rohl quickly prove to be shining stars in the cast, and will no doubt become fan favorites.

The whole of the film is designed to set up this new corner of the Trek universe and plays like a pilot. Some of it works, some of it doesn’t, but it definitely comes out swinging. It works hard to tie itself into existing Trek with characters, like Garrett, familiar-looking aliens (as well as new ones), and concepts the franchise have established.

Yeoh feels a little restrained this time out, and there are moments when you really want her to cut loose. I realize they are taking the character in a new direction, and it’s early days for this iteration, so I’ll be patient.

But some of the characters don’t work for me at all, and hopefully they either change or leave the potential series as it progresses.

And I can guarantee that there are going to be fanboy haters coming out of the woodwork for this one. And that’s too bad. all Trek is Star Trek, and I love this universe, even some of the darker corners that don’t always appeal to me.

There is a lot of potential in this, and I can see it there. If Paramount gives this the time it needs to develop solid stories, and build their characters, there could be something really cool here. And to follow Georgiou on a new redeeming arc, that could be interesting.

And honestly, I’m curious as to how Garrett gets to where she ends up.

Did I love it? No, but I do like Osunsanmi’s directing style! There’s a lot of movement in his storytelling and camerawork and I like the energy he brings to the franchise. So let’s see what happens with Section 31.

Star Trek: Section 31 drops today on Paramount+

Boldly go!