Star Trek: Section 31

Agent Coulson

Teaser trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYfXhCp2UVY&ab_channel=RottenTomatoesTV

Inviere

The look and sound of multi million dollar creative bankruptcy right there.

Hard pass. It looks like it took all the awful bits of the Discovery approach, and ramped them up to 11. Completely devoid of ANYTHING that Star Trek represents. I'll be surprised if it's even worth pirating.

TheValeyard

Its 1948, the world believes Hitler is dead after murdering millions of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals & the disabled.

But now, he's joined a secretive subgroup of MI6 to save Democracy from the threat of Communism.

ednwireland

section 31 was a poor storyline in ds9 can't see me searching out this.

Loafing Oaf

Are the actors' voices going to be distorted to comply with regulations?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6UhXivPyw4

pixelburp

I'll probably check this out, but absolutely no way I'll pay for it. I've paid for Paramount+ with each show - but not this.

Said in the general thread but it looks so generic, and like some demo feel than any cohesive, actual franchise.

breezy1985

Is there absolutely any reason why that character needs to be Rachel Garrett. It's just getting so tiresome.

CramCycle

Looks like a mix of Discovery and the third nu Trek movie, mixed with a CW writers trash can

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122442961#Comment_122442961

With added sassy girl boss.

LambshankRedemption

Jesus I couldn't even get through the teaser trailer.

No-one, I repeat no-one asked for a spin off of Discovery. Initially I was excited about a series dedicated to Section 31, but while being a fan of Michelle Yeo, I really dont like the character of Phillipa Georgou. They surely have enough Section 31 material without her being the central character?

I think this will be a hard pass from me as well.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122469256#Comment_122469256

Well Discovery fans did ask and they got 3 of them.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122474180#Comment_122474180

I'm surprised they could find 3 Discovery fans.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122474200#Comment_122474200

Well there was enough of them to get Strange New Worlds made.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122479626#Comment_122479626

The difference being, SNW is actually good.

I know Discovery is not terrible, but the main and central character in ST: Picard is Picard, they should have just called Disco, ST: Burnham.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122479691#Comment_122479691

I would say it is terrible and I'm almost certain S31 will be. I was just pointing out that it's wrong to say people didn't want a Disco spinoff.

Most of us are happy it got one.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480191#Comment_122480191

Agreed per se, but I'm not sure SNW is down to 'Discovery fans' myself. It was just blindingly obvious to most watching Discovery (and likely to those funding the show) that Anson Mount was by FAR the best thing about Discovery season 2, and a show centered around him was a safe bet to expand into.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480370#Comment_122480370

Ok so fans and people who casually watched it and the people who hate watched it wanted SNW.

They definitely did not all think he was "by FAR" the best thing though because Discovery got another 3 seasons and 2 other big stars of season 2 in Tilly and Space Hitler are getting spinoffs too.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480396#Comment_122480396

I would say to those watching at the time, be they fans, fans still optimistically watching, disappointed fans, and indeed hate watchers, it was very apparent that Mount lit season 2 up in a way that the regular cast did not.

Tilly and Space Hitler getting spinoffs....Tilly certainly did have a fan base in the early days, she kind of represented the everyday person in extraordinary situations etc....that did seem to fade for me at least, and the character veered on a different path, though she still had her moments...i kinda get the clueless execs green lighting her a show based on initial reactions to her.

Space Hitler, yeah, no idea on that one. A scenery chewing theatrical villain not wholly removed from an episode of a Queen of Arachnia type affair.

Section 31 will likely be a total write-off. The academy show will be like Discovery, a complete waste of a premise I imagine.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480591#Comment_122480591

At least Academy will be honest about being a young adult show unlike Disco which was clearly written that way despite being told it wasn't.

The same crowd who loved all that over emotional crap loved the "girl boss" emperor.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122479691#Comment_122479691

"I know Discovery is terrible, but the main and central character in ST: Picard is Picard, they should have just called Disco, ST: Burnham."

FYP and yes I agree Disco might as well have been called "ST Bernham."

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480591#Comment_122480591

I remember being a fan of Tilly in Season 1. She was a lovable dork who was a excellent foil to Burnham's dark/intensive brooding in the early days. Alas, I feel that the producers somehow learned that Tilly had fans, and instead of just keeping things going natually, they doubled down on her and we get stupidity like "The Power of Math!" and her tripping over her own tongue when an Admiral is on the bridge. They never seemed to get back to Season 1 Tilly after that, and never really seemed to know how to write for her in general either. If these are the same people running Academy, I can't imagine things improving.

Georgio was an excellent Starfleet captain in the pilot episode. I would have totally watched an entire Trek show with her as Captain. Alas no…as you mention we get "Arachnia! QUEEEEEN of the SPIDER PEOPLE!" (…."Activate the Lightning Shield!!"). If she had a mustache she would have twirled it so much it may have become a mini-helecopter and lifted her off screen. No respect what-so-ever for this character. If the whole point of her is to be a "girl-boss bad ass" I have seen countless better examples of this. If Section 31 is just more of this, then they really shouldn't have bothered assembling Wish .com's version of Guardians of the Galaxy to hang out with her, it's just not going to be worth it.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122483745#Comment_122483745

Thats exactly it, Michelle Yeoh is a fine, versatile and strong actor. It's the stage theatrics of mirror Georgiou that just doesn't work...at all.

I'm all for strong female characters, hell I've just finished The Acolyte and loved every second of it (genuinely don't get the hate, it puts the sequel films to shame), but mirror Georgiou is just baaaaaad in every way.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122483745#Comment_122483745

I honestly could have written that post. Agree on Tilly and agree on Georgiou. Georgiou from the Pilot I could watch all day. Her alternate universe copy however, just, no.

It's also highly unbelievable that a former Empress would fit into Starfleet long enough to join Section 31. How long would Putin last in MI6 recruitment training? I reckon about 40 minutes before a "Don't you know who I am??"

Acosta

More utter wa*k from Kurtzman, by the looks of it. It surely must be nearly over for that guy

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122484562#Comment_122484562

He has been for the most part successful. His job is largely choosing which projects to run with and if needed to put the showrunner in place.

He is bad at the showrunner bit with the likes of Paradise at Discovery and the various people over Picard.

But he also signed off on Prodigy, Lower Decks and SNW. I'm sure though some people will weave some story about how it was done in spite of him or at gunpoint.

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122494793#Comment_122494793

Have no interest in the cartoons, to be honest. As for SNW, the casting and production values were decent. But it's all for nothing when the writing is dreadful. To quote someone else, "They all sound like excited kids at the mall.'' I gave up after the first couple episodes of the second season. I don't know what the viewing figures are for these shows, but they don't appear to be made for traditional Star Trek fans.

I thought I could see myself watching the S31 tv movie, as it's just a one off feature length thing. But I doubt I'll even manage that after that God awful trailer.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495698#Comment_122495698

Ah I could see why you think that then. Lower Decks and SNW were well received by older Trek fans and I was making assumptions based on that.

Section 31 was always going to be Discovery on cocaine given the setting and lead character so not at all surprised how bad it looks.

TheValeyard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122495908#Comment_122495908

I think we'll be rooting for the bad guys to finish off Section31 In this film. Send them to Starbase 80

Joe286

I never lliked the direction new trek is taking. Since discovery.

Picard was mainly terrible too bar the last season.

The only exception to this was strange new worlds

While I do like Michelle Yeo I'm not particularly looking forward to section 31.

Im just sick of prequel trek or 1k years in the future trek. Go back to the next generation /Picard time line and move it from there.

Optimus Prime

what is even the point of a show set set around TNG , DS9 time as we know now the federation is practically destroyed in the future so it’s all pointless. I’d be watching it thinking they are wasting their time every episode. They should have reset all that sh*t and made it all an alternate timeline.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122647184#Comment_122647184

It will happen some day and it will ignore everything 32nd century Discovery done.

Simple divergence in the timeline or some time traveller shooting the Buuuuurrrrrnnnn child before he crashes on that planet and all is good.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122647184#Comment_122647184

It's all set in one of these weird ass varients in my head canon anyway.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122647184#Comment_122647184

Eh because that Rubbish Discovery is not Star Trek so whatever happened in it has nothing ho do with the Trek Universe. Simples.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648255#Comment_122648255

Thats how I have it in my mind. The only original Trek character in Disco, was Spock, but not our Spock. It was a Spock who spent time in a psychiatric hospital, had a weird looking beard and had a sister. So not our Spock.

None of the events of Disco affect TNG, DS9 etc.

Blazer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122479691#Comment_122479691

not terrible…its utter shite and a stain on Star Trek…that section 31 looks to be going the same way.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648493#Comment_122648493

I find it funny you quoted a post of mine from 6 weeks ago.

I was being diplomatic because I felt sure if I declared it as terrible, someone would flame me because they liked it.

Joe286

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122435963#Comment_122435963

Michelle Yeo is generally worth a look. I will do so because of her

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648698#Comment_122648698

I love her as an actress, but I hate her character in all Disco episodes except the pilot. I cannot sit through alternate-universe Georgeu, practically twirling her moustache every 5 minutes.

Joe286

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122648754#Comment_122648754

You have a point

AMKC

New trailer out,

https://youtu.be/5yyQsFwjNvc?si=AijVEZnmybSM0JA8

Its certainly looks better in that than the Teaser Trailer. Still not very Trek like though.

breezy1985

Looks the exact same level of sht.

Also (and I know you can find reasons) why do they have a half black half white person when we know their species are dead. Fukin amateur level memberberries.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122934718#Comment_122934718

I guess we only assume that everyone on Cheron was killed in their Civil War, and some might have been off planet at the time. However, that does kind of ruin the dramatic punch of "Let that be your Last Battlefield"

(Can already imagine the fluff-pieces for this declaring: "Section 32 Trailer finally solves 50 year old mystery!!")

It's a better put together trailer than last time for sure, and does seem to at least imply that Space-Hitler will have a solid team to work with her. But…I sense from the scenes here that we'd get the same empty caloies we got with Discovery and the low-points of Picard. Flashy Trek-adjacent special effects with superficial character beats that might sound good, but have little else going on.

I could be wrong, but I don't find myself any less dubious about this show or my potential to enjoy it. If people start reporting that it's good, I might watch…but I'm still of the mind of giving this a miss.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122948305#Comment_122948305

And you wouldn't be too far off.

I just Googled "Charon Star Trek" and all the usual clickbait sci-fi sites are talking about it.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122948318#Comment_122948318

Dammit. I hate being right sometimes…

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122948305#Comment_122948305

Yeah same, I'm not even gonna bother with it unless it appears to be some bizarre diamond in the rough (it's not, the trailer shows it's as soulless and shallow as Discovery et al.)

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122948616#Comment_122948616

The thing about trailers is that the art of making good trailers seemed to be lost eons ago. Personally I think it all went to hell when we lost the legendary voice of Don LaFontaine (The "In a world…" guy. He could make anything sound awesome)

The past couple of decades have been rough when it comes to trailers. Some of the movies I really enjoyed happened to have pretty bad trailers and that seems to be pretty universal regardless of the end product.

A trailer will either:

• Be a bit tone deaf and try to (badly) generate excitment with flashy visuals.
• Contain scenes that don't even exist in the final work
• Or, worst of all, simply tell you the entire movie, destroying the point of even watching it.

The fact that trailers are usually so very bad at their job means that sometimes a bad trailer might be attached to a good project. So there's a slither of a possibility that a bad Section 31 trailer is somehow attached to a good show.

However since the people who made this show have form for doing a bad job with Trek, I'm inclined to believe that the trailer is showing us the quality we should expect from a Discovery spin-off.

Inviere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122948888#Comment_122948888

Exactly, this is coming from the same slurry pit that Discovery came from. In fact, it appears to encompass the very worst parts of the Discovery style. Expect zero character development, zero depth to the writing and story, and zero substance. It's already about a character I strongly dislike, working for an organisation that the writers made an absolute balls of, so it's off to a very poor start in my books.

I used to watch Discovery just hoping beyond hope that it'd improve, and it never really did. I'm gonna save myself the time on this one.

I've come to accept that "my" Star Trek is TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT....and that those days are never, ever coming back. Its a shame, but that's how it feels these days. Is it that the audience isn't there for more cerebral Star Trek anymore? Or is it that the studios choose not to make it any more? Who knows.

Yes SNW is good, but when the bar is set so low, is it truly great? Of course Lower Decks is brilliant too (it's a love letter to Trek, but it'll always be a parody to me and I have a hard time accepting any of those characters truly belong in the uniform as portrayed by TNG Picard etc.) Picard was only saved by industrial strength nostalgia in its final season. Prodigy is another good showing, but the hyperbole around it is a bit eye rolling (the recent one stating that S2 may be the best serialised season in the franchises history....i mean cmon.)

So yeah, any hope I may have held has dwindled now do to what I can only call apathy at best. Section 31, if that's the show to change my mind, I'll eject my own warp core.