Critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes show an upward trend for new Star Trek shows that has them beating out classic Trek, but is that right?

B y the way it was written, Olatunde Osunsanmi's new TV movie "Star Trek: Section 31" stands almost entirely on its own. There are a few references to the "Star Trek" universe at

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 fourth live-action "Star Trek" TV show made some mistakes along the way, but it was arguably held back by the time it was made

Watching the "Star Trek" movies in order of release also places them in proper continuity order, since the original cast handed off the film series to the "Next Generation" cast in 1994 after the final episode of "The Next Generation," and the reboot movies follow their own continuity that branches off from the main timeline.

Star Trek: Section 31 might be the weirdest Star Trek movie ever made.

When does the new Star Trek movie Section 31 take place in the Trek timeline? There are some clues to help figure out the answer.

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.