Star Trek: Section 31 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Star Trek: Section 31 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 22, 2026

Oof. That's my honest gut-reaction to the mildly entertaining but totally vapid Section 31 a "Star Trek" spinoff that really has almost nothing to do with Star Trek. That's why I put "Star Trek" in quotation marks because it bears the name, but that's really about it. Sure, fans get some little bits of fan service, like a look into the early career of one Captain Rachel Garrett (see TNG's third season) and the black-and-white aliens from the TOS episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" (see TOS season three). But this is otherwise "random Sci-Fi that barely looks or feels like Star Trek. At all." I can't imagine too many hardcore franchise fans thinking that this is in the same spirit of Star Trek. It's not even in the same ballpark, the same league...the same anything, really. Yes it bears the name of Starfleet's covert operations branch, it features a prominent character from Discovery in the lead, but Star Trek this is not.

Section 31 follows a ragtag group of individuals who have been collected together to carry out Starfleet's dirty undercover work outside of the normal channels of procedure. These are the kinds of things they can't just send the Enterprise to take care of, because, well, Starfleet always plays by the rules. But when a dangerous bioweapon is detected on the fringes of Federation space, a team is assembled to go retrieve it. The team is eventually led by Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), leader of the Teran Empire who has an intimate connection with the dangerous weapon. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there is one in their ranks working for the wrong team, and it becomes a race against time to secure the weapon before it can kill billions.

That's the plot in the vaguest of terms, and it's not really worth exploring beyond that. It's the most trite and simplistic, lame-brained and poorly executed plot Star Trek has seen in quite some time. It's so vapid that it makes it the worst of any Trek film -- think The Final Frontier (which I really don't mind) and Insurrection -- look like The Wrath of Khan in comparison. There are a few good ideas sprinkled in here, with a healthy dose of revenge driving the plot, but between the somewhat compelling opening and the somewhat passable plot twist is a bunch of junk that has no business bearing the name Star Trek.

Lame characters sprinkle the film, all of whom are infinitely and immediately forgettable, including Georgiou herself who brings nothing but a connection to Star Trek to the film and the impetus for the plot. There's also a Vulcan with an Irish accent...really. But the film suffers from a serious identity crisis, both within the larger Star Trek universe, to which it is tangentially connected at best and never even looks the part, never mind feels like, and within its own narrative, as it shifts from the "build the team" phase to the "there's a mole in the bunch" phase to the "action packed plot twist" finale phase. Honestly, about the time it hit the "there's a mole in the bunch" phase, I had just about forgotten this was Star Trek, and by the time it hit the "action packed plot twist" finale phase, I had forgotten entirely until a few of the familiar Star Trek theme notes floated out of the speakers. In an absolute bubble, I might be inclined to give this a 2.0 score, max, because no matter in which universe this exists, it's repetitive tripe, but as part of the Star Trek universe, it's really "the final frontier" in the worst possible way.

Star Trek: Section 31 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

The movie isn't anything great, but at least it looks absolutely gorgeous. On both the UHD and the Blu-ray, the movie looks super sharp, super clear, extraordinarily well detailed and defined. The 2160p resolution obviously amplifies the image, producing noticeably clearer and better defined details, but one can't go wrong with either image here. Colors are bolstered with the Dolby Vision grading, but again, there is good pop, vibrance, stability, and accuracy with whichever disc one puts into the player. But the UHD does push things into that next gear, evident in detail complexity and color rendition but also skin tones, whites, and black levels. Both are practically free of any source faults or encode flubs.

Star Trek: Section 31 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount brings Section 31 to both formats with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. There's lots of opportunity for high engagement surround activity, and the track is always taking full advantage of everything at its disposal. Excellent clarity is in evidence from start to finish, especially during the first extended action sequence about a third of the way through the movie, where plenty of punches, crashes, and smashes fly into the listening area. Action scenes throughout are a delight for high energy intensity while maintaining stellar clarity. Surrounds and overheads are used extensively, bass hits hard, and the balance is above reproach. Music is crisp and lifelike, as is dialogue. No complaints here.

Star Trek: Section 31 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Section 31 contains a few extras.

• Alpha Squad (1080p, 26:26): A look at the place and role of Section 31 in the Federation, characters and motivations, costumes, actors and performances, and more.
• Stunts Squad (1080p, 12:49): As the title suggests, this piece looks more closely at the making of the stunts and action scenes from the film.
• Art Squad (1080p, 11:08): Exploring the diverse production design on the film.
• Gear Squad (1080p, 11:37): A peek at the props seen throughout the film.
• Georgiou (1080p, 15:22): A look at the character's arc, Michelle Yeoh's work, from Discovery to Section 31.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 4:16): Humorous moments from the shoot.

Star Trek: Section 31 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm going to shelve my copy of Section 31 with all the other Star Trek stuff because I'm a Star Trek fanatic and a series completist, but it's going to be hidden way on the back end of the shelf, probably never to be pulled out again. I don't see any redeeming value with this one, sadly. It might look and sound snazzy, but it looks and sounds nothing like Star Trek. But for those who love it, like it, or want to check it out on physical media, the discs both look and sound great, and few extras are here, too. Collectors can check out the companion SteelBook. Sad to say, my recommendation is "hard pass" to everyone but Star Trek people like me who "gotta collect 'em all," to borrow a phrase from a totally unrelated, but similarly sprawling, franchise.