[Opinion] John Orquiola (SCREENRANT): "I'm Afraid Section 31 Just Killed Star Trek Streaming Movies" | "There were hopes Star Trek: Section 31 would launch a new Star Trek on Paramount+ movie franchise, but Section 31's woeful performance among critics and fans may have dashed them."
SCREENRANT:
"[...] Star Trek: Section 31 was not well-received by critics or audiences. Star Trek: Section 31 has a 23% Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, although this has ticked up from the 18% low it garnered earlier in its premiere weekend. Section 31's Rotten Tomatoes score now ties the lowest Star Trek movie Rotten score belonging to Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Reviews overall were not kind to Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek streaming movie.
Perhaps even more damning is Star Trek: Section 31's 17% Popcornmeter audience score, which is abysmally low and reflects the general online consensus of the film, especially among hardcore Star Trek fans. Even Star Trek V: The Final Frontier's 25% audience score skews higher than Star Trek: Section 31. While Section 31 does have fans who appreciate its attempt to bring a Mission: Impossible meets Guardians of the Galaxy vibe to the Star Trek universe, the overall consensus pans the first Star Trek streaming movie.
In Star Trek: Section 31's defense, it was the #2 movie streaming on Paramount+ for the weekend of January 25 & 26, right behind Gladiator II. Michelle Yeoh's Star Trek movie is being watched, and perhaps even appreciated beyond the online and critical reaction. Yet such a vitriolic response from both critics and the Star Trek fandom is not the welcome for Section 31 that Star Trek on Paramount+ hoped for. A Star Trek: Section 31 sequel now seems unlikely, but the real concern is the future of other Star Trek streaming movies.
It's Hard To See How Star Trek: Legacy Can Happen Now
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Why Section 31's Reviews Are So Bad
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The consensus about Star Trek: Section 31 is that while it can be a fun sci-fi flick with a likable cast, Section 31 is just a generic action movie. Section 31 lacks the moral quandaries that the best Star Trek stories explore, preferring to pay off with fist-fights and explosions. Even those who favor Star Trek: Section 31 agree Michelle Yeoh deserves a better and more memorable comeback as Emperor Georgiou. Worse, if there's no Section 31 sequel, it leaves Georgiou in limbo because Section 31's early 24th-century timeframe has no easy connections to the rest of Star Trek's canon.
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Another hope for Star Trek streaming movies is reuniting the casts of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise in live-action, the way Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast came back together for Star Trek: Picard season 3. While this feels like a pipe dream, the potential for Star Trek streaming movies seems limited only by creativity and budgetary considerations. But now, Star Trek streaming movies are a question mark after Star Trek: Section 31."
John Orquiola (ScreenRant)
Link:
https://screenrant.com/star-trek-section-31-kill-streaming-movies-legacy-op-ed/