It’s true. Star Trek: Section 31 was a big disappointment
I had great hopes for Star Trek: Section 31. Michelle Yeoh is a great actress and her depiction of the Emperor Philippa Georgiou was one of the bright spots of the misbegotten Star Trek: Discovery.
Unfortunately, the final product was boring, filled with forgettable characters, neglecting the talents of Ms. Yeoh, too full of unnecessary fight scenes, and with a plot that, while it had potential, was badly executed.
For a complete evaluation of Section 31’s shortcomings, here is the snarky review by the Critical Drinker.
So, how would I have done the movie? Glad you asked.
The idea of Philippa running a bar/resort at the edge of known space was a good one. I would have had more reveals of all the shady deals being done in that establishment and how Philippa gets her cut.
The idea of Rachel Garrett, the future captain of the doomed Enterprise-C, being part of the team was an interesting one. But let’s go with it. Let’s say she does a tour of duty with Section 31 and is sent to recruit Philippa for a job, The super bio weapon is a great McGuffin if used properly and would provide some incentive for the former emperor to take on the job,
The next sequence would be recruiting the team. I suggest a Vulcan who is not shy of nonconsensual mind melds, a Klingon for the muscle, a Ferengi for obvious reasons, and a shape shifter like Odo.
The op to recover the bio weapon would more resemble Oceans 11 than the overblown plot of the movie. The team uses trickery and misdirection to get their hands on the device. We can have a conflict at the end when Garrett reveals that Star Fleet Command wants the weapon returned intact but Philippa notes that no one can be trusted with such power. “Believe me, I know,”
The end when Jamie Lee Curtis is revealed as the head of Section 31 was a good one. The sight of Garrett showing up in a skimpy costume and blue hair was not.
The idea of the next assignment would involve being sent to Tasha Yar’s home world was a fun one. The rape gangs do not know what is coming.
Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond, and, most recently, Why is America Going Back to the Moon? He is also the author of Patton in Palestine. He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. He is published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, the LA Times, and the Washington Post, among other venues.
