Section 31 director says the movie is a great place to start for those who've never seen Star Trek

Section 31, the movie that will explore the shadowy agency that does things Starfleet cannot do, will premiere on Paramount+ next year. The teaser trailer has taken a beating from Star Trek fans who aren't happy with how far away the film appears to have strayed from typical Star Trek. Yet, to director Olatunde Osunsanmi, Section 31 could be easily watched by those who haven't seen even one episode of the Trek franchise.

In an interview with CinemaBlend [via Trekmovie], the director called it "its own contained movie."

"“You can hop right in. If this is your first Star Trek that you’ve ever seen, it is a great way to start. It is its own contained movie.”"

- Olatunde Osunsanmi

Section 31 has its roots set in Starfleet Intelligence which isn't easy to jump into if you've never seen one episode of Star Trek. It wouldn't be easy without having seen several episodes, especially those that contained information about the section and how it operates behind the scenes. But perhaps this has all been accounted for in the film, and this is going to be something of a beginner course for those looking to watch a sci-fi movie.

Of course, Starfleet will have to play a big role in the movie so that will have to understood by viewers, although the hierarchy might not be explained. The way one of the film's stars, Sam Richardson, explains it, it sounds like Section 31 still has the chain of command, so to speak, but that chain is a little rusty.

"“The other iterations of Trek are very naval. It’s a ship that has a hierarchy and protocol and chain of command, whereas this ragtag bunch… they have all these things, but it’s a little bit murkier. And so, they also kind of let us play with that and improvise a little bit, while still sticking to Craig’s script, a brilliant script.”"

- Sam Richardson

There are plenty of fans who have high hopes for this movie, and while I'm certainly hoping they won't be disappointed, I'll remain cautiously optimistic. But as for a great place to start if someone has never seen Star Trek, I'd vote for Star Trek: Prodigy first.