10 Biggest Missed Opportunities in Star Trek: Section 31
In a Long Trek full of eyebrow-raising moments, here are the things that were sorely missed.
So it's safe to say that Star Trek: Section 31 is divisive!
The Long Trek, which was released on Friday 24th of January 2025, holds, at the time of writing, an 18% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Is this because it missed the mark in almost every way? Or is there something else behind it?
Star Trek is no stranger to struggles or lofty ideas that don't always make the final cut. Every iteration from TOS to SNW has moments and scenes that feel forced but Section 31 seems to have gotten under the audiences' collective skins.
Our own Ups & Downs video broke records, both in numbers and runtime. There were things simply missing from the film that could have helped to shore up the overall piece.
Whether it was interconnectivity with the franchise or additional moments within the final product, there were golden opportunities to fill out the film, which its truncated runtime simply didn't allow for.
If your mind is open and your heart can take it, let's dive together into some of the great what-ifs of Section 31.
10. When In Doubt, Daniels!
Star Trek: Section 31 was advertised as something separate from Starfleet. This allowed the production more creative freedom, which they grabbed with both hands. New stories within the Star Trek universe are a positive thing, Section 31 ended up taking it further than anticipated.
The film feels completely separate. This is explained by the setting, with the action taking place outside of Federation borders, but as presented - there is very little reason for the agency to involve themselves in proceedings. No more, in fact, than the Tal Shiar, the Obsidian Order, or any other covert ops.
Star Trek: Discovery shocked audiences with the revelation that David Cronenberg's Kovich was, in fact, Agent Daniels all along. Daniels, originally introduced in Star Trek: Enterprise, then played by Matt Winston, could have been the glue that tied the franchise together.
As Kovich, Daniels interacted with Georgiou in the 32nd Century. As Daniels, he could easily have served as the intelligence officer - or indeed 'Control' itself - appearing in his Winston-guise. The Temporal Accords need not have been set in stone at this point in his timeline, so a little future knowledge would go a long way to placing the protagonists where they needed to be.