Is "Star Trek" Dying? The Failure Of Section 31 And The Franchise’s Future

Paramount+ recently released Section 31, a Star Trek spinoff film starring Michelle Yeoh. Positioned as a fresh take on the franchise, it attempted to modernize Star Trek with a heist-style narrative and a new tone. However, the film was widely rejected by longtime fans and failed to make a significant impact on streaming charts.

The Intent Behind Section 31

Actor Rob Kazinsky, who played Zeph in the film, revealed in an interview that Section 31 was deliberately different from traditional Star Trek—not to cater to fans, but to attract new audiences. Kazinsky noted that the franchise is losing relevance, particularly with younger generations. At his gym, he found that most kids hadn’t even heard of Star Trek, confusing it with Star Wars instead.

He adds that trying to get kids to watch TNG isn’t likely as those first two seasons production values were so much lower than from the third season onwards, while the original series is “just not going to happen”. What brought him onboard “Section 31” was how the team explained the new film to him:

Producers reportedly saw Section 31 as a necessary evolution, hoping to reinvent Star Trek for modern viewers. According to Kazinsky, the goal was to create “different flavors” of Star Trek, similar to the upcoming Starfleet Academy series, to bring in fresh audiences.

A Risk That Didn't Pay Off

Despite this intention, Section 31 struggled. While it wasn’t the biggest streaming flop of the year, its lukewarm reception suggests that Paramount’s approach may not be working. The film’s 170 million streaming minutes during its debut week placed it eighth among streaming movies—far from a breakout success.

The negative response raises questions about Star Trek's future. If traditional fans reject the new direction while younger audiences remain uninterested, can the franchise survive? Paramount's next moves will determine whether Star Trek can find a new audience or fade into obscurity.

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Source: Dark Horizons

Photo Credit: Paramount