Warning: Spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Section 31.Star Trek: Section 31 made some brave choices, but even though I respect one of the more prominent creative decisions, I also think it did the franchise’s first straight-to-streaming movie more harm than good. I really liked certain moments in the feature-length effort, and the chemistry between the various members of the Star Trek: Section 31 cast caught me off-guard because of how good it was. However, the movie only dipped its toes into the waters of something I expected far more of, and it left me feeling incredibly disappointed overall.

By the end of Star Trek: Section 31, I very much felt like the project had missed several huge opportunities. Not only would they have pleased the established fan base, but they would also have opened up far more interesting story opportunities than the low-stakes heist we got. Sure, the Godsend technically posed a risk, but Star Trek canon has already told me that the Delta Quadrant was never reduced to ashes. If a Star Trek: Section 31 sequel is ever confirmed, it would do well to learn from one of its predecessor’s specific shortcomings.

I Wanted More 24th-Century Star Trek Cameos In The Section 31 Movie

Section 31 wasted its “lost era” setting

Star Trek: Section 31‘s place in the franchise timeline puts it in the early 24th century. Although the latter portions of the 24th century have been covered pretty extensively in other Star Trek TV shows (and movies), Section 31 made me especially excited because it was set to unfold in the saga’s “lost era.” Taking place 40 years before the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation means there were plenty of chances for established characters to be shown during their earlier years, but Section 31 focused almost exclusively on introducing original figures.

Other than one character making a return to the franchise after decades away, Star Trek: Section 31 settled for deep cuts and references to underused species from earlier points in the Star Trek timeline. It was cool to see the story delving so deep into Star Trek‘s bag of tricks, but pretty much every nod to the larger canon contributed almost nothing to Section 31‘s narrative. When many high-profile characters like Hikaru Sulu and Jean-Luc Picard are canonically alive during the movie, the minimal effort to acknowledge Section 31‘s rarely-visited era seems to me to be a mᴀssive waste.

Rachel Garrett’s Presence Proves Star Trek: Section 31 Made The Wrong Decision

Section 31 didn’t completely avoid pre-existing Star Trek characters

Kacey Rohl’s character would be very easy to miss as a long-awaited comeback even for long-standing Trekkies. I’ll admit, although I recognized the name Rachel Garrett, I couldn’t quite place it at first. I even thought for a little while that she was just a new character. Thankfully, I eventually realized that Rohl was a brilliant recasting of a Starfleet officer played just once by Tricia O’Neill in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” Like the rest of Section 31‘s references to the rest of Star Trek, it’s a deep cut, but this one works.

Although Lt. Garrett’s fate in Star Trek: Section 31 was always going to be influenced by her plot armor, I found it fascinating to see the character at an earlier stage of her career. In fact, her promotion to Lt. Commander at the end of the movie pretty much proves that Section 31 intends to fill in more blanks between Rohl’s version of the character and the iteration who appears in “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” The fact that Garret is one of the most appealing parts of the movie stands as evidence that more 24th-century cameos would have been welcomed.

Section 31’s Decision To Focus On A Standalone Story Should Still Be Praised

The Star Trek movie didn’t rely on fan service to build its story

I’d be surprised if those making Star Trek: Section 31 didn’t have a long list at their disposal, with characters who could realistically show up. There are many famous in-universe figures alive during Section 31‘s runtime, so it must have been very tricky to decide whether to capitalize on these opportunities. While I’m not the biggest fan of the decisions that were made to lead to the movie we got, I would be remiss if I didn’t also say how great I think it is that Star Trek: Section 31 at least had a vision, and followed through with it.

Star Trek‘s first movie to make its debut on streaming services could easily have turned into little more than a vehicle for fan service. It also would’ve been difficult to settle on which beloved characters could be used, while others were left to their lives offscreen. Ultimately, I think Star Trek: Section 31 started to do the right thing by including Rachel Garrett in the movie if the standalone approach is the direction in which the writers were set. Her status as an established character had little influence on the story, but it at least ticked a box.

Although the story itself didn’t excite me all that much, it was true to itself as a largely isolated Star Trek story. So, it deserves points for that. It would have been all too easy to use the early 24th-century setting as an endless toolbox and fill the movie with Easter Eggs and references that could have cheapened the entire experience. Sure, there would have been a lot more Trekkies pointing excitedly at the screen, but that would have been a flimsy achievement.

Would More Star Trek Origin Stories Have Saved Section 31?

Section 31 could only improve so much in its current form

Star Trek: Section 31 had a premise that would have been very solid if it were a regular sci-fi movie without connections to a mᴀssive sci-fi franchise. Sadly, because of the high standards that have come to be expected from the saga, the movie fell very short of what much of the fan base wanted. Between being introduced to too many main characters at once and a threat that never posed any realistic danger, Section 31 lacks much to get all that excited about. Having said that, the winks to the larger franchise are undeniably its best aspect.

So, because the movie was so committed to its attempts at starting a new branch of the franchise, the only way it could really have been improved would have been to fold in more cameos like Garrett. It’s arguably a cheap and predictable way to aid the movie’s reception, but it would also have at least given it a better sH๏τ at making a positive impact rather than the poor-to-lukewarm reviews it has received. It’s difficult to think of any version of Star Trek: Section 31 where it’s somehow a masterpiece, but the franchise’s rich legacy could have helped more.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes