It’s a fun vibe that gives the entire cast a chance to ham things up, but whenever Section 31 slows down to zoom in on Georgiou’s inner turmoil, you can sense how much more substance there could have been to these characters if they were fleshed out over the course of a series.

It would be understandable to describe “Space Seed” as a prequel to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, given the way that film looms large in the franchise’s history. But there’s a reason that Nicholas Meyer chose Khan as the TOS villain to bring back for a movie. It’s because “Space Seed” is a really, really good episode of Star Trek.

The cast and crew of Section 31 tell io9 why stories about the controversial Star Trek organization are necessary for the franchise's utopian vision.

Section 31, a feature film that's a spinoff of the series Star Trek: Discovery, will soon be available to stream on Paramount+. The movie immediately grips its audience by the throat, delivering a cold open about the brutality necessary to acquire power that almost rivals Anakin Skywalker's march on the Jedi temple in Revenge of the Sith.

Section 31' on Paramount+, we list the franchise's entire film slate from worst to best.