10 Biggest Missed Opportunities in Star Trek: Section 31

4. A Meditation On The Mechanics Of Mobility

Star Trek Section 31 Zeph
CBS Media Ventures

Rob Kazinski is a die-hard Trekkie, evidenced by the many interviews he's given in the lead-up to this film's release. While at a screening of Section 31 in London, he proceeded to deliver Picard's speech from The First Duty almost verbatim, while highlighting the relationship between Section 31 and Starfleet.

In a recent interview for SFX Magazine, Kazinski spoke about his character Zeph. The mecha-donning man explains that he is his suit and his suit is him. There is a throwaway name-drop of 'mecha-dysmorphia' and it never gets deeper than that.

Kazinski wrote a backstory for Zeph that involved the man losing the ability to move, and then acquiring a new lease on life via the machine. This is firmly headcanon, as it is not revealed on-screen.

Zeph, likeable as he is, is a casualty of the truncated runtime. This idea of mecha-dysmorphia is both fascinating and prescient, as discussions of neural links and augmented bodies exist today. Zeph was an opportunity to extrapolate what this would look like in a few centuries, rather than reducing him to 'the muscle', for the little screen time he has. 

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"