Even Michelle Yeoh can’t save this

Scientists say our universe is constantly expanding. But some universes should know when to stop, as evidenced by the venerable’s first TV movie (well, technically a streaming movie) and fourteenth overall Star Trek franchise. Premiere on Paramount+, Star Hiking: article 31 is a spin-off of the series Star Trek: Discovery but especially seems intended to exploit the talents of Michelle Yeoh, who, since creating the character of Philippa Georgiou, has added the term “Oscar winner” to her biography.

Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, the film was originally conceived as another series, but Oscar winners tend to have busy schedules. Hence this unique piece, although its conclusion makes it clear that if fans demand it, we’ll see a lot more of Philippa and the other figures in the titular organization who defend the United Federation of Planets in a way that ‘they would rather not see. namely.

I admit to having lost track of the Byzantine chronology of the Star Trek universe, so you’ll have to look elsewhere to find the details of Yeoh’s character, who started out as a respected Starfleet captain before transitioning to an alternate version as an evil Emperor in the Mirror Universe.

She’s now back in the Prime Universe, albeit in a different timeline — watch out, there will be a quiz at the end of this review — and operates a nightclub in a distant region of the galaxy (it’s good to know that live entertainment continues to exist). thrive even in space). The film begins with a voiceover note to the members of Section 31, presumably designed to put the audience as much in the loop as they are, with the warning about Philippa: “Make no mistake, the dog bites, so watch your back.

Philippa really feels in her element at her club, where her martinis feature raw eyeballs instead of olives. So she’s less than enthusiastic when she’s approached by Section 31’s dashing leader, Alok Sahar (Omari Hardwick), and recruited to join them on a secret mission to prevent the United Federation of Planets from being attacked by a ultimate weapon. The name of this weapon leads to an unamusing exchange over whether it should be pronounced “Godsend” or “God’s End”.

The other members of Section 31 are an eclectic group, including Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), who struggles to instill Starfleet values ​​into the mission (and who was first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation); Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), a Vulcan who isn’t really a Vulcan, as evidenced by his emotional volatility and tendency to speak with a very bad Irish accent; Quasi (Sam Richardson), a cameloid shapeshifter (originally played by Iman in Star Trek VI: The Journey Home); Mell (Humberly Gonzalez), who joined Section 31 after Starfleet refused to allow him to use his natural charms; and Zeph (Rob Kazinsky), who gloats irritably about the benefits of his mechanical body modifications.

Craig Sweeny’s screenplay struggles to extract humor from the eccentric characters with little success, and plot elements such as the revelation that one of the members of Section 31 is a mole are also disappointing. So that pretty much leaves the diversion in the numerous action sequences, with Yeoh once again demonstrating his trademark fighting skills (albeit here augmented by distracting digital trickery). The actress has a screen presence so commanding and so darkly funny that one can almost, but not quite, forgive the pedestrian film for letting her down so completely.

Not that she won’t return, as evidenced by the ending, with an appearance from one of Yeoh’s co-stars in Everything everywhere at the same timethis clearly shows that more films featuring Philippa are almost inevitable.