"Section 31" is a wildly addictive addition to "Star Trek's" legacy that does not tarnish the sci-fi property's reputation, but could be catalogued as an enticing side note. It acts as an infinitely watchable romp in the final frontier with intriguing twists tying back to the storied Eugenics Wars and the courage to try something entirely new.

Section 31” arrives full of nuance and charm. Viewers actually do not need to know any Section 31 lore or have watched “Star Trek: Discovery” — the “Trek” series from which the film is spun off — to understand what is happening in the film,

Section 31 is a spinoff of the series Star Trek: Discovery but mainly seems designed to exploit the talents of Michelle Yeoh, who, since she created the character of Philippa Georgiou, has added the term “Academy Award winner” to her bio.

But when Section 31 shifts to the movie’s present, something unexpected happens. Section 31 becomes so boring and ugly that it no longer can be seen as bad Star Trek. Heck, it can’t even be called bad sci-fi or bad genre work. It seems to have no interest or understanding in doing any of them well.