Star Trek: Section 31 * Fantastic Acting, Great Costumes, and Terrific CGI
Monday, April 28th, 2025
In Star Trek: Section 31, Emperor Philippa Georgiou joins a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, and must face the sins of her past. Star Trek: Section 31 is a 2025 American science fiction television film directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and written by Craig Sweeny for the streaming service Paramount+. It is the first television film, and the fourteenth film overall, in the Star Trek franchise and part of executive producer Alex Kurtzman’s expanded Star Trek Universe. A spin-off from the series Star Trek: Discovery, the film is set in the franchise’s “lost era” between the Star Trek: The Original Series films and the series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Charlotte L. comments, “I like Star Trek: Section 31 because the actors seem like they were made for their roles, the costuming is incredible, and the CGI is realistic… The show’s message is that, even when things go wrong, if you lean on others, you can get through it. Be aware that there are scenes showing suicide, cursing, violence, and death.” See her full review below.
Star Trek: Section 31
By Charlotte L., KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, age 14
I like Star Trek: Section 31 because the actors seem like they were made for their roles, the costuming is incredible, and the CGI is realistic.
Star Trek: Section 31 is a spin-off of Star Trek: Discovery. It follows a returning character, Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) as she assists the crew of Section 31, a division of Starfleet. She faces troubles as her past catches up to her and as a mole works to thwart Section 31’s mission.
I particularly enjoyed the actors’ performances in this show – they each have an important role to play. For example, Kacey Rohl, who plays Rachel Garret, a member of Section 31, has brilliant facial expressions, the most common ones being arrogance, annoyance, and determination. Her facial expressions truly make the film seem as if it is happening right in front of us. Another notable performance is by Sam Richardson who plays Quasi, another member of Section 31, who has fantastic voice inflections expressing determination, comedy, and annoyance. These contribute to the believability of the film.
Another aspect that contributes to the believability of the film is the costuming. The costumes help us believe that there truly are parallel universes and different human-like species. Details like the color of a character’s eyes or a character’s skin tone show a different species as well as bigger differences. For example, Virgil (Augusto Bitter), a servant to Georgiou, is half white and half black body in his body design and his attire. The CGI also draws us into the movie. There are many various explosions created with CGI and they are very realistic. Following the explosions, fire flares up or when it damages a ship, there are flickering lights and sparks flying everywhere.The sound effects and the background music help enhance the mood of the film. For example, in a bar scene, the clever combination of footsteps in the background and the soundtrack make the scene feel like a true bar – lively and a little chaotic.
The show’s message is that, even when things go wrong, if you lean on others, you can get through it. Be aware that there are scenes showing suicide, cursing, violence, and death.
Star Trek: Section 31 gets 4 out of 5 stars and I recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. It releases on digital platforms plus DVD, Blu-Ray, and Ultra HD on April 29, 2025.
