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Matt Belinkie, and Pete Fenzel, and Matthew Wrather rummage through the sci-fi spare parts that comprise Section 31, the Emperor Philippa Georgiou spin-off movie that you never knew you wanted, because you never wanted it. Assembled under the aegis of Star Trek, this up-tempo outing hacks together the remnants of a possible streaming series shortened by Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win and mutually agreed upon better things to do into what can only be described as “A Paramount Plus Original Movie.” The jaunty action comedy that starts with the protagonist killing her own family and a 90s video game cutscene narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis beams to and fro among a stinging slam on traditional Trek institutional optimism, a potpourri of borrowings from other more successful movies and shows across genres, and a pastiche of wild guesses at what “the kids are into these days.” The Matts, and Pete track influences, predecessors, ways to approach considering what this movie is or might be for those who watched it or liked it, and how different works balance the eclectic and the shared in the construction of fictional teams of misfits.

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Further Reading

• Introduction to Lexx, from the VHS Video vault
• FADE IN: The Making of Star Trek Insurrection – A Textbook on Screenwriting from Within the Star Trek Universe, by Michael Piller
• The Best of Emperor Georgiou – Top 10 Moments | Star Trek Discovery, from Milky Way Flier
• Let’s Play Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (Mission 1 briefing)
• An instance of one of “The Devices” from 24, sold at auction in July 2020, at Propstore
• The Fifth Element (1997) – The Diva Dance Scene, posted by Screen Themes