The Borderlands failure may be a sign of things to come for Star Trek: Section 31

The failure of the Borderlands film can't be undercut enough as it was a massive failure on every level. Bad casting, poor plot, a total lack of understanding of the source material, and shoehorning in elements from another franchise to try and make a new and different one relevant. This is the byproduct of an unoriginal Hollywood landscape. Where everyone is looking for their next Guardians of the Galaxy.

Here's the problem with that, firstly; you can never duplicate a then-original concept. Secondly, no one wanted another Guardians of the Galaxy film. Least of all one that wasn't a direct sequel. So to try and continue to fall into this gimmick of trying to make a new IP in the same formula of a successful prior film will rarely if ever work. Quality, not concept, that's the way to win over fans.

Borderlands failed because it just wanted to be the next Guardians of the Galaxy and it's exactly why Star Trek fans should be concerned. Star Trek: Section 31 is not trying to be Star Trek after all. It's trying to be the next Guardians of the Galaxy. Why else would you try and shoehorn Sam Richardson, a fantastic comedic actor, into a film that revolves around espionage?

Remember, Section 31 is the torture unit of Star Trek. They're sadists. They're the villains. Yet, Richardson is clearly in the trailer providing comedic relief. Clearly, the film creator and the studio aren't trying to capture the dark essence of a fly-by-night para-military unit like Section 31.

They're trying to make a fun, action-centric, shoot-em-up, banking on the star power of Michelle Yeoh and quippy writing. The Killjoys nearly pulled something like that off, but even an original IP couldn't contend with the brand and label of a "wannabe Guardians clone".

Star Trek, an established IP, with its own established personality, will fail even harder. Imagine if Weird Al Yankovic tried to go the Michael Bolten route. Or if Sabrina Carpenter created a SlipKnot cover band. People wouldn't follow them to their new sounds, because that's not what drew them to the artist in the first place.

Star Trek tells morality plays. They aren't sardonic, one-dimensional characters who play up violence for laughs. Section 31 may not be as close to a Guardians clone as the trailer suggests, but we're not pulling this concern out of the air for no reason.

The trailer set up the film to be viewed as such. It wanted you to see that they were fun, with poppy music behind shots of violence and more, only for it all to fade away for a quip or joke. That's what the trailer is telling us to expect from this film. It may not be an accurate depiction, that does happen, but no one is saying it's not.

There should be genuine concern that this film fails, especially considering how handily Borderlands was rejected for failing at the same things. They took a beloved IP, changed it up at its core into something it wasn't, and completely missed the point in their attempt to cash in the Guardians of the Galaxy concept. A concept, I should mention is nearly a decade old at this point.

It is time to move on.