Star Trek: Section 31 remains a film that is sure to tug the fandom in different directions. Though, no one should be surprised about that. Section 31 has, for the entirety of Star Trek up until and to a point including Star Trek: Discovery, been the bad guys. They torture murder, steal, lie, and do their depraved things. The group was only really created to be an authority figure for some captains to stand up to who isn't an admiral.
They were introduced as a plot device and a little more. Now, someone with enough power and clout will attempt to turn them from torturous traitors of everything Starfleet is supposed to be against, into a plucky, rag-tag group of heroes. Similar to that of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Each of the trailers for the movie has really embraced that marketing. Things are quippy, with a lot of humor, and even more action. It's like a science fiction show from SyFy in the mid-2010's.
But the Killjoys and Dark Matter had the freedom to be more than their original ideas. They weren't burdened or supported by 60 years of fandom love. So they could be anything they really wanted to be. Yet, for Star Trek to follow a similiar path has rubbed fans the wrong way. Yes, there are many fans who are intrigued by the new film, especially after the latest trailer.
But many, many more are just as upset as those other fans are intrigued.
It's a flawed concept. It's a movie that spits in the face of Star Trek's ideals. At least, that's the idea that we're sold. In an attempt to keep pace with the Star Wars of the world, Star Trek has expanded its universe into new areas. Areas fans never wanted to go, because that's what other brands have done.
Yet, after watching the second trailer, Section 31's marketing team has done very little to sell me or others on the concept of the film. If it wasn't my job to watch it, I wouldn't. I hope it's good. I didn't like the idea of Star Trek 2009, but I enjoyed it. There's a possibility that this film is much more serious than it's being advertised as. If it is, then the people who handled the promotional work should be fired.
If it's not more serious and it's exactly what we think it is; a weak clone of films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Killjoys, then the people who pitched it should be fired. Either way, the film hasn't hit home with all of us. Though with stunning performers like Michelle Yeoh and Omari Hardwick there is hope. Hope that they can make the most middling of scripts into something impressive.
Only time will tell if this overly-produced, action-heavy trailer, filled with one-dimensional character archetypes proves itself to be the shallow by-product of a creatively lacking leadership group, or if it's a bold new step forward into an area of Star Trek ripe with possibilities.