Look, I’ll watch Michelle Yeoh in almost anything, including this, but I can’t get past the fact that they’re using “genocidal tyrant” as shorthand for “lovable badass” to characterise Georgiou. It was a glaring problem in Disco, and it continues to be so here.
“But, but… She redeemed herself!” Nope, you don’t get to pull that card for a character who “murdered her own people by the millions”. There is just no coming back from that.
setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I fundamentally disagree with how Section 31 has been handled by writers. It should be a conspiracy of like-minded individuals that exists parasitically within Starfleet. Starfleet already has an intelligence agency, which everyone seemingly forgets about. Section 31 is not an operation being run by them. Section 31 should be treated less like “Starfleet’s CIA”, and more like Bohemian Grove as it exists in the mind of Alex Jones. The only post-DS9 Section 31 stuff that really clicked was, surprising, the ENT subplot of Malcolm being a Section 31 asset, because it understood that it was the kind of conspiracy that embedded itself deep within Starfleet personnel and didn’t flash its ass at the universe.
This trailer does not give me confidence that the treatment of Section 31 as CIA action heroes is turning around.
astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 4 months ago
I agree. When 31 was first introduced, and Sloan explained that Section 31 was sanctioned by Starfleet under Article 14, Section 31 of the Starfleet Charter, the implication was that they were people who misinterpreted or construed a (probably minor) part of the Starfleet Charter and used it to justify damn near anything.
Personally, I hate how Section 31 has been changed to be misunderstood, cool good guy/anti-hero types who are doing the wrong things for the right reason. DS9 had it right with portraying them as the villains within who should be snuffed out because the ends don’t justify the means.
ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 4 months ago
The only current show that hasn’t portrayed them as villains is arguably Lower Decks…
geolaw@lemmygrad.ml 4 months ago
Yes it basically “they might be assholes, but at least they are OUR assholes”, which is normalisation of being an asshole
ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 4 months ago
In fairness, Sloan said they were a branch of Starfleet Intelligence with an official designation in his very first appearance on DS9, and nothing that came after that really contradicted him (other than his obvious lies in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges”.
Whatever liberties have been taken since then, that wasn’t one of them.
setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 4 months ago
I always took that explanation as the thinnest of lie meant to give an air of legitimacy. Given the methods used to control Bashir, they seemed to clearly be working not just to hide their operational details, but their existence from the legitimate chain of command.
Indy@startrek.website 4 months ago
Hear, hear!!
I realize I’m not adding much value by saying this, but… I still wanted to support this with a comment and not just an upvote.
MrPhibb@reddthat.com 4 months ago
This, it seems like they forgot the original intention as shown in DS9, it’s not an official organization nor anything approaching it, it’s basically just a long standing group carving hiding in Starfleet justifying doing what they want by pointing to a paragraph in the Constitution… Sovereign Citizens with phasers and photon torpedoes anyone?
RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 4 months ago
You are very correct in everything you wrote. That said… it’s got Sam Richardson so I’m probably going to watch it.
FrostyCaveman@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Yes. I hate Section 31. Feels like a justification for the CIA. It’s really sickening.