STAR TREK: SECTION 31 Tanks with Critics, Land Franchise’s Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score

Tomorrow marks the debut of Star Trek: Section 31 on Paramount+, which is the first non-theatrical film in the franchise’s history.

While fans were eager to see Michelle Yeoh reprising the role of Emperor Philippa Georgiou, critics seem to have curbed the hype. The review embargo was just lifted and the response has not been good.

With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 22%, Section 31 it is now the lowest score Star Trek film ever, even slipping below the much maligned Star Trek V: The Final Frontierwhich stands at 23%.

It’s a rocky start for a project that aimed to carve out a new niche in the Star Trek universe. The story follows Georgiou as she joins the clandestine organization tasked with safeguarding the United Federation of Planets.

Judging by the trailer, it’s more like Guardians of the Galaxy than Star Trek, and while the franchise has seen its ups and downs over the decades, Section 31 represents a rare low point.

Read on as we delve into excerpts from reviews that have been released:

IGN: “This isn’t Star Trek.”

Polygon: “It’s the strangest Star Trek film in tone, characters, and setting, and it doesn’t exactly work as a stand-alone Star Trek story.”

Empire: “More than a Star Trek movie, than a mediocre pilot that sets up a series that will never come, Section 31 represents a disheartening farewell to a once-great character.”

Radio Times: “What has been forgotten is that Star Trek is often most effective in the quieter moments where philosophy rather than photon torpedo firing is in the foreground.”

Collider: “With the potential of its concepts and cast, Section 31 could have been a great two-part episode of a television series that doesn’t exist. However, as a film, it is forgettable and disappointing…”

New York Times: “Set in 2333… this all-in-one film is packed with so many neurotic mutants and hidden motivations that even the unflappable Jean-Luc would have a hard time keeping them in line.”

The Hollywood Reporter: “Scientists say our universe is ever-expanding. But some universes should know when to quit, as evidenced by the first television movie (well, technically streaming movie) and fourteenth overall in the venerable Star Trek series.

io9: “A film that clocks in at just under two hours probably shouldn’t feel like a slog, but Section 31 does, without either the spectacle that dazzles the audience away from its anemic character work, nor the thematic meat on the bones for them to give sit down and chew.

Eric Goldman: “None of it has any emotional impact and there are too many jokes and overly stylized shots that feel like they’re trying to achieve a ‘cool’ feel that never lands.”

RogerEbert.com: “At best, it’s an olive branch to its contractually obligated megastar; at worst, it’s a “Rebel Moon”-level flop that doesn’t understand why people watch “Trek” in the first place.

Total Film: “Section 31 doesn’t know what it wants to be. Is it a serious exploration of the criminal underbelly, a throwback to the 2000s, or a jarring combination of the two? Michelle Yeoh deserves so much better than this empty sci-fi spin-off.

The film focuses on the Mirror Universe’s version Michelle YeohThe character of Emperor Philippa Georgiou who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Charged with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she must also confront the sins of her past.

In the film, “Emperor Philippa Georgiou, joins a secret Starfleet division tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets and faces the sins of her past.”