sabotage scene in star trek beyond

The Real Reason Why "Sabotage" Was Used In Star Trek

With Star Trek out on DVD today, we're reminded of the awkward insertion of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" into the 24th century. But was it as random as it seemed, or just returning an overdue rap favor?

Believe it or not, it makes sense that the Beastie Boys would appear in Star Trek , even if it is only a slightly unbelievable oldies station in a hijacked future car. After all, the Beasties haven't been shy about mentioning Star Trek in their songs. To wit:

The Brouhaha:

Communicator check one two, one two This is Bones McCoy on a line to Sulu Set the bullshit to warp factor one Check your tricorder, set your phasers on stun

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Stop That Train:

French trenchcoat wing tip going to work And you'll be pulling a train like Captain Kirk

Intergalactic:

Your knees start shakin' and your fingers pop Like a pinch on the neck from Mr. Spock

But it's not just the Beasties who like to namedrop the crew and missions of the Starship Enterprise; here're some other Star Trek cameos in rap:

MC Lars - "Space Game"

'Cause I get more play than Captain Kirk He found out and went berserk like a jealous jerk But no puny Vulcan death grip can paralyze me I said beam me up Scotty and then I got free

DangerDoom - "Space Hoes"

When it come to wreck, cruisers like them dudes Are red shirts off Star Trek, he Kirk, he Spock, he McCoy

Dilated Peoples - "Right On"

Innovator of rhyme communication with data like Star Trek, The Next Generation

Public Enemy - "Don't Believe the Hype"

They got to be beating that pipe you know what I'm sayin' Yo the Megas got 'em goin' up to see Captain Kirk

Redman - "Sooperman Luva II"

I lived in the same building with Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk Got R2D2 and Mork from Ork puttin in work

Xzibit - "Shroomz"

Pull the phone out, acceleration and we bone out In the zone out beyond Captain Kirk and Klingon

Master P - "Captain Kirk"

Are you ready to boldly go, where no family has gone before? The Ghetto Enterprise has landed. Captain Kirk has arrived, I repeat, Captain Kirk, has arrived. Women, if you're lucky, Captain Kirk will save you, and beam your loved ones to the fortune and fame you are lookin' for. I mean the next generation, ya' heard me? Are you ready? (Yes I Am!!!!)

Yes, Star Trek 's rap connections are so wide and deep that suddenly their usage in Star Trek suddenly seems a lot more... well, logical, if still entirely anarchronistic. There's really nothing else to add, apart from...

Additional research and reporting from Sarah Williams .

We’re Not Talking About The Beastie Boys Scene In ‘Star Trek Beyond’ Enough

[Spoilers for Star Trek Beyond , obviously]

There are certain memes that will continue to go viral until the end of time, or the bourbon bagel burger kills us all, whichever comes first. To use a recent example: Celine a Scene supposes that adding her 1997 titanically powerful ballad, “My Heart Will Go On,” to “epic scenes” makes them “even more emotional and epic.” It works really well, as does the Walk of Life Project , which is basically the same idea as Celine a Scene, except with “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits. It’s an effective concept for an untold amount of songs. Jurassic Park is a perfect movie… but wouldn’t it be even more perfect with “Walk the Dinosaur” playing during one of the T-rex scenes? Yes, yes it would.

Both Celine a Scene and Walk of Life Project, while clever, only work for certain moments, though. They have to be either poignant, or the final scene in the movie. Meanwhile, every film ever would be better with any Beastie Boys song at any point. Take a look at the Star Trek reboots as proof.

In Star Trek , we’re introduced to a young James T. Kirk right after he “borrows” a Corvette. As his step-father yells at him for stealing the car, Kirk ends the phone call and starts blasting “Sabotage,” which is still a favorite amongst angsty youngsters even in the mid-2240s (maybe this makes a little more sense than people in the 31st century being familiar with Beck ).

In Star Trek Into Darkness , we hear another Beastie Boys song — the Fat Boy Slim remix of “Body Movin'” — while Kirk canoodles with two nice Caitian girls.

Lastly, and most importantly, in Star Trek Beyond , “Sabotage” literally saves the Federation. That is not hyperbole — a Beastie Boys song from 1994 protects the good people and aliens of Yorktown from Krall’s Swarm; if it hadn’t, the Swarm would have moved on to other parts of the universe, leaving behind only death and destruction. It’s insane, so insane that if you haven’t seen Beyond , first off, sorry for ruining the ending for you, but also, it’s really hard to explain.

“Okay, so,” one would hypothetically begin, “Stringer Bell destroys the Enterprise with assistance from his bee-like alien ships, and also there’s this bioweapon artifact that’s going to kill everyone, or something, and the only way Kirk and his crew, including an alien named after Jennifer Lawrence , can stop Stringer’s bees is by playing a 20th century ‘classical’ music song, which disrupts the aliens. That song is by Jewish punks-turned-rappers Beastie Boys.” I don’t know how many cans of Romulan ale Simon Pegg had downed when he came up with that, but I’m glad he did.

I’m not the only one.

On another subject, i REALLY enjoyed Star Trek. Best use of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" EVER. Adam Yauch would be proud. #RIPAdamandAnton — The Dō Hø (@NectarousD) July 26, 2016

Ever since I saw the new Star Trek movie i've listened to Sabotage by the Beastie Boys at least 10 times a day — wesley (@built4ourthis) July 25, 2016

I saw Star Trek Beyond. I can't believe the Beastie Boys saved the universe. — Wee Babby Jaso (@BabbyJaso) July 25, 2016

Star Trek: Beyond wins the award for best use of a Beastie Boys song in a film. — Ramez Naam (@ramez) July 25, 2016

Things that J.J. Abrams has brought to both Star Trek and Star Wars that can never be undone? @greggrunberg and Beastie Boys (Ello Asty) — Da7e Gonzales (@Da7e) July 25, 2016

https://twitter.com/BeggarsSon/status/757346933463654401

https://twitter.com/walkselizabeth/status/756539545261408256

A lot of comparisons have been made between Star Trek Beyond and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (not only because J.J. Abrams’ name is attached to both), and how we’re living in a “ Star Wars world.” But having a pop song save millions of lives is unique to Star Trek . It can get away with using contemporary (for us in 2016) references like that because, well, Earth exists in the Star Trek universe; English isn’t even English, it’s “Galactic Basic Standard,” in Star Wars . The franchise, which is now 13 movies deep, should be taking these kind of goofy chances. It’s no crazier than Spock swimming with whales in Star Trek IV:  The Voyage Home , and that’s the most beloved Star Trek movie.

Star Trek is also working at a disadvantage. Before the Abrams reboot was released in 2009, the franchise was creatively drained and commercially ignored. Enterprise was a bust, and Nemesis barely made its $60 million budget back. The 1990s and 2000s weren’t a good time for Star Wars , either, but the dreaded prequels were still massive hits, and also, this is Star Wars we’re talking about. Everyone’s seen the original trilogy. (Do not @ me on Twitter if you haven’t seen the original trilogy.) The first three Trek movies? Not so much. The Empire Strikes Back earned $209 million at the box office in 1980. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , released two years later: under $100 million. Casual movie fans don’t have the same familiarity with Kirk, Spock, and Bones as they do Luke, Han, and Leia. Add the eternally cool and universally beloved Beastie Boys into the mix, though (especially a song as well known as “Sabotage”), and Star Trek Beyond suddenly appeals to a lot more people.

We know there’s going to be a Star Trek 4 , with Chris Hemsworth returning as Kirk’s father. How can it top Star Trek Beyond ‘s use of the Beastie Boys? It can’t, unless Greg Grunberg — Abrams’ good luck charm who’s also been in all of the films — raps “So What’cha Want.” Start from there, Simon Pegg.

I would also accept Public Enemy.

Star Trek : Beyond reminded me of something important. And it goes like this, "Fight the powers that be!" – Public Enemy @StarTrekMovie — Broad Smile 33 (@EddiewilsonLevi) July 24, 2016

'Star Trek Beyond' Spoiler Review: This Is The Most Positive Blockbuster Of 2016

In a summer seemingly defined by how disappointing so many movies have been, Star Trek Beyond is an oasis. It's crowd-pleaser that has something on its mind, a sequel that's not painfully beholden to massive franchise plans, and a story about the power of positivity overcoming darkness. In short, it's a unique release for 2016...and the right antidote for 2016.

And since it's Monday and you've had a chance to see it, let's take a deeper dive into what makes this movie tick.

What is Star Trek, Anyway?

When Star Trek Beyond first began screening, an old argument was dragged into the public yet again: what is Star Trek ? And who is it for? And does this, the latest iteration of a 50-year old franchise, actually count as Star Trek or is it something the more serious fans, the aficionados who have studied Enterprise blueprints, should write off as not mattering in the grand scheme of things?

The truth is that this discussion is inherently silly. Star Trek isn't so easily identifiable as a single thing. It's too big for that. Even creator Gene Roddenberry couldn't make up his mind and his original "wagon train to the stars" pitch evolved over the years, transforming from heady, spacey, pulpy science fiction into something of a social document that used sci-fi as a backdrop for a utopian portrait. The original series is a different beast than Star Trek: The Next Generation . Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a different beast than most of the movies. The Kelvin Timeline, the rebooted series created by J.J. Abrams, is its own animal.

And it is an animal that suits new director Justin Lin 's sensibilities just fine. Although he grew up a Star Trek fan, Lin's interests are more varied. In Star Trek  Beyond , you can see the other facets of his personality shining through. He likes fast vehicles and intense action. He has a soft spot for goofy humor. The blockbuster-friendly pacing that he perfected while transforming the Fast and Furious series from a terrible movie franchise into a hugely entertaining one is on display here. Lin may like Star Trek , but he's a jock at heart, the kind of kid who left the house to play basketball when other Trek fans cracked open those technical manuals. Star Trek Beyond is the obvious work of a casual fan – he's aware of the iconography, but nothing is sacred. Him blowing up the Enterprise in act one feels like statement.

Star Trek Beyond is Star Trek because it doesn't feel quite like what came before. That's the whole point of Star Trek . There are shades of the original series in how Kirk and the crew solve a trick problem on the Planet of the Week. There are shades of The Next Generation in how it holds humanity's unlimited potential up on a pedestal. There are even shades of Deep Space Nine , a show that continuously questioned the purpose of the Federation and Starfleet and explored what it means to function in a society where perfection is the norm. But most of all, Star Trek Beyond is a spirited adventure, an optimistic romp, a tale of colleagues, a makeshift family, coming together and fighting for what they believe in. Lin is a jock. His Captain Kirk, who even gets to drive a motorcycle like a more traditional action hero, is also a total jock. However, they're the kind of jocks who fraternize with the nerds and rely on them and treat them with the utmost respect. Star Trek Beyond isn't Trek at its smartest, but it's the first Trek movie in a long time that stands in awe of what a mixed team of experts from all different backgrounds can accomplish.

Splitting Up

Whenever I start watching a new television show, I give it a simple test. Could you take any two characters and separate them from the rest of the ensemble and enjoy their interactions? For the best shows, the answer is generally yes. A strong cast isn't made up of individuals – it's a team. Each actor, each character, serves a unique function. Watching those functions mix and match and bounce off one another must be a pleasure.

The crew of the Enterprise has been the chief draw of Star Trek since 1966. Watching this assortment of personalities gel on the bridge or on an away mission has always been a delight. At its best, Trek has always been an ode to teamwork. Remove one member of the bridge crew and watch things start to crumble. Everyone has one another's back. J.J. Abrams recognized this. Even through 2009's Star Trek struggles through its myriad of story speed bumps, Abrams inspires great joy by showcasing people doing their jobs well. Orders are issued and actions are performed and everyone looks like they know exactly what they're doing. There is a great deal of pleasure to be had in watching a well-oiled machine.

Star Trek Beyond shakes up the formula by removing the bridge, and the entire Enterprise, from the picture. Simon Pegg and Doug Jung 's screenplay scatters the Enterprise crew across an uncharted planet, creating a few odd couples. Kirk and Chekov set out to locate the rest of the crew. Dr. McCoy struggles to save an injured Spock. Uhura and Sulu do some detective work from prison. Scotty meets a new ally in Jaylah, a stone-faced survivor and warrior. While all of these people are a blast in the same room, the dynamics that are created when they are paired off is immensely satisfying. Without backup, they must rely on one another and the film finds joy in how everyone steps up to fill the void of their missing crew mates. The temptation to create artificial drama in each pairing much have lurked over Pegg and Jung at all times, but they craft drama from characters coming together in the face of a desperate situation. It's a breath of fresh air after the overbearing negativity of Star Trek Into Darkness . People, Star Trek Beyond argues, can and will rise to the occasion.

While each pairing is fun, it's the McCoy and Spock scenes that rise to the top. There has always been a natural friction between these two – one lets his emotions lead the way while the other is, by the nature of his species and upbringing, a being of pure logic. The dynamic here isn't about these two coming to an understanding or learning that they're friends. They are already friends. They've reached an understanding ages ago. These two push each other's buttons in ways that only people who have been working together for three years can get away with. Their loyalty to one another is paramount and their affection obvious. They bicker and debate and insult like only true friends can. Star Trek Beyond 's action scenes are already fading from my mind, but Spock and McCoy's conversations and gripings continue to linger. Cooperation is a thrilling thing, especially when its two parties with such different world views.

The New Additions

By now, the Enterprise crew feel like old friends and that's a combination of 50 years worth of reverence for these characters and the fact that the new cast is nothing short of a miracle. Recasting characters this iconic was a fool's errand and they somehow pulled it off. These men and women are as fun to watch now as they ever have been. Star Trek Into Darkness proved that they're still an effective bunch even when they're saddled with a total dog of a movie.

Star Trek Beyond introduces two new characters into the mix and the results are uneven. Without existing affection for these people, it's harder to forgive their flaws, especially when certain aspects of their storylines simply don't make much sense.

Let's start with Krall, the new villain played by Idris Elba . Conceptually, he's fantastic. As we learn late in the movie, this mysterious alien is actually Captain Balthazar Edison, a soldier whose career become obsolete when Starfleet was formed and a more traditional military was put out to pasture. Eventually, Captain Edison finds himself stranded on a planet with a very convenient super-weapon, a very convenient army of drones, and some very convenient technology that allows him to absorb the life-force of other beings to stay alive. For some reason, that life-giving tech seems to transform him into a monster...until he starts using it more and begins to resemble his old human self again. However, it's not clear exactly what he wants and it's not clear who makes up his army of henchmen. His motivations are intentionally vague at first and remain opaque even as he's battling Kirk in hand-to-hand combat to the death.

But think about Krall/Edison on paper! In a movie about how much we can achieve by pushing into the future, here's a literal relic from the past who is so hateful of change that he wants to kill millions of people. Here's a troubled soldier, a guy who only knows war, unable to comprehend a galaxy where peace is suggested before anyone even thinks of pulling a trigger. He's a powerful physical threat (he destroys the Enterprise for crying out loud), but he's also a symbolic threat. He's an enemy of the future. He's an enemy of progress. It's a genuine shame that this collection of fascinating ideas never quite gel on screen and that the movie never gives Elba a truly defining moment.

More successful is Jaylah, the alien refugee and scavenger played by Sofia Boutella . In addition to looking amazing (her make-up is a refreshing riff on Trek's "every alien has a weird forehead" tradition), she passes the most important test: she can hold her own amongst the Enterprise ensemble. She's tough and she's funny and she's hugely entertaining no matter who she's paired off with. Her final scene, where she is offered a chance to attend Starfleet Academy, is a big 'ol tease. Yes, of course I'd like to see her in a yellow or red uniform and working alongside everyone else.

Jaylah is so much fun and Boutella such an arresting screen presence that it's easy to overlook just how half-baked her storyline can be. Introduced as a tough-as-nails warrior of few words, the film teases out her backstory, puts her on a mission of personal redemption and then...drops it completely, canceling her arc in mid-stride to give Kirk an action beat. The intention is clear: Jaylah lost her family, but she has found a new one with the Enterprise crew. In execution, it's inelegant at best.

Action vs. Camaraderie

In his four Fast and Furious movies, Justin Lin proved himself adept at two things: shooting insane, creative action and shooting charismatic people you really like having conversations that you want to go on forever. One of those aspects made it into Star Trek Beyond .

What the hell happened to Star Trek Beyond 's action? Lin shoots every fistfight and every phaser battle in cluttered, shaky close-ups cut together without rhyme or reason or attention to geography. I think there's a scene where the saucer of the ruined Enterprise tips over and crushes a villain, but it's so poorly staged that I just had to assume that was what happened. This is especially baffling because it's not like Lin is an action amateur and it's not like the rest of the film is so incompetently made. When the Enterprise enters a nebula, he stages the scene with the right notes of dread and wonder. When his characters first visit the Yorktown starbase, the sense of scale is palpable. Lin can sell spectacle and he sells it repeatedly throughout Star Trek Beyond , but this is a movie where the scenes involving everyone standing around and making plans for a prison break are far more exciting than the actual prison break.

But let's dwell on the optimistic angle here: this is a movie where characters standing around making plans for a prison break are exciting! Every dialogue-heavy scene is a treat, especially since the actors know their characters well by now and Pegg and Jung know Star Trek well enough to put the right words in their mouths. Lin has the perfect touch for these kinds of scenes. There's a quiet skill in directing conversations where every participant gets to shine and everyone from Scotty to Sulu gets their fair share of killer lines and beats. Lin treasures his ensemble and gives them the room they need and it pays off in a big way.

Hope, Optimism, and a Future Worth Fighting For

Every version of Star Trek has had its divergences from what has been established before, but there's one concept that forms the umbrella that hangs over the entire franchise: the future is a better, brighter place and mankind will work together to create a new standard. This was peppered throughout the thrilling roller coaster that is 2009's Star Trek , but it was almost entirely absent from Star Trek Into Darkness , which painted Trek's future as an illusion, a front illegal wars and false flag operations and everything else in your conspiracy theory handbook. Star Trek has featured bad apples before ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country being the most obvious example), but the pervasive darkness and hopelessness of Into Darkness remains depressing. Star Trek has been critical of its own universe before, but that was the first time it has been portrayed as so profoundly broken.

Coming after Into Darkness , and arriving in a year where every real world headline brings with it another wave of despair, Star Trek Beyond is a rallying cry for rising above the muck. I've already discussed how the film mines so much drama and comedy from a cast of characters getting along and helping each other out to tight spots, but this general optimism, this can-do attitude, pervades every frame of the movie. It's in Kirk's final fight with Krall, where he pauses the punching to explain to the mass-murderer that he can find peace in this progressive future. It's in the care the Enterprise's command team showcases for the fellow members of their crew, risking life and limb to ensure their safety and rescue them when they're captured. It's in the scenes where characters come together and become smarter, braver and generally more efficient because they are actually listening to one another and acting as a unit.

Star Trek Beyond is obsessed with the value of change. It's the most positive, upbeat blockbuster in years, a rallying cry for people to come together and rise up. The action is a choppy mess and the two of the new characters are uneven, but this is what matters. This is what Star Trek is all about: social consciousness occasionally interrupted by someone punching an alien in the jaw.

A Special Note On Sabotage

There's one scene in Star Trek Beyond that sounds so disastrous and ends up working so well that it deserves special consideration. Late in the movie, our cast of heroes must devise a way to defeat the swarm of drones that made quick work of the Enterprise before Yorktown can be destroyed. With only the antique USS Franklin at their disposal, options are limited...until the crew brainstorms an idea so crazy that it just may work. If they used radio signals to override the drones, they could create mass chaos amongst the swarm and destroy Krall's entire fleet. All they need is to broadcast something very loud in the exact right way.

And that's when a throwaway gag earlier in the film comes into play. The Franklin's music selection becomes the only weapon that can save the day, with "Sabotage" being aimed directly at the enemy. It works and a Star Trek movie manages to get away with a scene where the Enterprise destroys an intergalactic threat using the power of the Beastie Boys.

Let's break down why this works. First, it was the climax to an amusing joke from earlier in the movie and the sudden realization that Jaylah listening to "Fight the Power" was more than a simple laugh moment is deeply satisfying. Second, it showcases Kirk and his crew thinking outside of the box, using their minds and ingenuity to win an un-winnable fight. Third, it allows for the moment where McCoy and Spock hear the song of choice and refer to it as "classical music," which manages to justify the use of a song that should otherwise have no place in a Star Trek movie (and I say that knowing good and well that it was previously used in the 2009 movie, as well as this movie's teaser trailer).

It's a scene that will many fans something to grumble about, but it also represents the unique touch Justin Lin brings to this movie. It's bombastic and silly, but it's in service of characters being wily and intelligent. It's the crowd-pleasing, literally-explosive result of some very smart men and women saving the day because they're a fully-functioning unit powered by positivity. It's so weird. It's a little dumb. But it's totally Star Trek .

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Star Trek Beyond

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Watch Star Trek Beyond with a subscription on Paramount+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Star Trek Beyond continues the franchise's post-reboot hot streak with an epic sci-fi adventure that honors the series' sci-fi roots without skimping on the blockbuster action.

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Sabotage (song)

" Sabotage " was a 20th century classical music song produced by the Human musical group Beastie Boys .

Around the early 2240s of the alternate reality , a young James T. Kirk played this song as he drove his stepfather 's vintage Corvette on a joyride through the Iowa countryside . It was listed under the category of " oldies ." ( Star Trek )

Later in 2263 , the crew of the USS Enterprise used the song "Sabotage" as a source of discordant noise, transmitted at very high frequency from aboard the USS Franklin to disrupt the cohesion of Krall 's bee -like Swarm ships , which were attacking the Starbase Yorktown . This destroyed many of the ships. The song was picked by Jaylah out of the Franklin 's music library. As a song Kirk was familiar with, he reacted to hearing it, stating, " That's a good choice! " ( Star Trek Beyond )

• 2.1 Background information
• 2.2 External links

I can't stand it, I know you planned it I'm a' set straight, this Watergate I can't stand rocking when I'm in here 'Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear So while you sit back and wonder why I got this fuckin ' thorn in my side Oh my god , it's a mirage I'm tellin' y'all it's sabotage So listen up 'cause you can't say nothin' You'll shut me down with a push of your button But I'm out and I'm gone I'll tell you now I keep it on and on 'Cause what you see you might not get And we can bet so don't you get souped yet You're scheming on a thing that's a mirage I'm trying to tell you now it's sabotage Whyyyyyyyyyyy!?

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

"Sabotage" was also used in the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond . According to Pegg, its inclusion in the film was supposed to have been a surprise, one which was spoiled by the trailer's usage of the song. " I was really angry about that ," he says, " because it used 'Sabotage,' which was our surprise moment in the end. It was supposed to be a very fun and heightened twist, and something that was a big surprise and they blew it in the first trailer, which really annoyed me. They also made the film look like a boneheaded action film. " [1]

For the scene in Beyond , two other tracks were considered, with Creedence Clearwater Revival being Justin Lin 's initial preference. [2]

External links [ ]

• " Sabotage " at Wikipedia
• " Sabotage " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)
• 2 Jamaharon

Den of Geek

Why Star Trek Needs to Forget Section 31

Modern Star Trek writers sure love Section 31. But they really shouldn't focus so much on Starfleet's cynical shadow.

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In 1966, Gene Roddenberry and his co-creators gave the world Star Trek , an adventure series that imagined humanity overcoming its racist and sexist and class divisions, which inaugurated a new age of exploration. Corny? Sure. Imperfect? Of course. But that fundamental optimism remains a key aspect of Star Trek , presenting a challenge to those future creators tasked with keeping the franchise alive beyond the years of its birth.

That doesn’t mean the optimism can’t be challenged or re-contextualized. Indeed, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine did exactly that, and many put that series at the top of their franchise rankings. But Deep Space Nine also introduced Section 31, a black ops organization within Starfleet and the darkest alternative to Star Trek optimism this side of the Terran Empire.

Sadly, later Trek creators have jumped onto the Section 31 concept, resulting in darker, much more pessimistic (and paranoid) stories that forget the best parts of great Star Trek adventures.

The Secret Origin of Section 31

Starfleet has always had its offshoot divisions, such as the Exploratory Division or Stellar Imaging Division, both commemorated on starship plaques. But Section 31 operates differently as an independent division that’s almost totally unknown to the rest of Starfleet.

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Section 31 first reared its head in the Deep Space Nine season six episode “Inquisition,” written by Bradley Thompson and David Weddle and directed by Michael Dorn . Posing as Starfleet Internal Affairs, Luther Sloan attempts to recruit Bashir into Section 31, first by charging the Doctor with passing secrets to the Dominion and later by blackmailing him with evidence of his augments.

Played by character actor great William Sadler, Sloan became a regular feature in the final two seasons of Deep Space Nine , as did Section 31. The organization made sense in that series as the farthest limit that Starfleet would go to protect its vaunted ideals during a time of war. Even if the actual mechanics didn’t make sense (seriously, no one noticed or remembered these guys walking around Federation ships?), it worked on a thematic level for the show. Yes, Sisko could live with moral compromises in pursuit of protecting the rest of the Federation, but Section 31 showed both the extreme end and the limit for him.

In other words, Section 31 played a specific role within the specific circumstances of Deep Space Nine . The show put Starfleet in a totally new situation, pitting humanity against an enemy unlike any other. Showrunner Ira Steven Behr and the writers put Starfleet and Federation principles to the test. Although Sisko and his crew fell short of that test time and again, Section 31 stood as a reminder of what Starfleet would become if they ultimately failed.

That function is most pronounced in the resolution to the Dominion War. In the final episodes of DS9 , Bashir discovers that the virus killing the Founders came from Section 31. Sloan had his team develop the virus and inject it into Odo while the Changeling was in Starfleet Medical care. When Odo joined the remaining Changelings in the Great Link, he spread the virus to them.

To hear Sloan tell it, the virus plot was necessary, as Starfleet and the Federation would be destroyed by the Dominion. When they fell, all their ideals would die with them. Sloan saw himself as an ironic hero, one who protects Starfleet and the Federation by violating its principles.

So devoted to this concept was Sloan that he committed suicide before Bashir could find a way to cure the virus. Rather than accepting defeat, Bashir maintained that most important of Federation ideals. He kept hope. He and Chief O’Brien worked tirelessly to find a cure, saving not only their friend Odo but what was left of the Changelings in the Great Link.

In short, DS9 showed Starfleet rejecting Section 31 and all it stood for. The series did not bring on Section 31 for cool action and edgy stories, but to reinforce the importance of Starfleet ideals. If only the rest of Trek did the same.

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Star Trek (Deeper) Into Darkness

Things didn’t get too far out of hand, at first.

To retroactively explain the difference between Klingons on The Original Series and Klingons on The Next Generation , the Enterprise two-parter “Affliction” and “Divergence” had a reason to bring back Section 31. In this story, the secret division kidnaps Doctor Phlox to heal the augment virus (which is why the TOS Klingons look different) and gain an edge over Starfleet’s rival empire.

Again, no one necessarily needed an explanation (and the weird Discovery Klingons threw that all out the window anyway), but if you’re going to explain it, then Section 31 makes sense. Plus, the episode reveals Malcolm Reed’s association with the organization, which helped flesh out his character a bit more — something that anyone who wasn’t Archer, T’Pol, or Trip desperately needed. We can even accept Section 31 Harris showing up in later episodes to sabotage the proto-Federation.

The true problems with Section 31 became clear in the J. J. Abrams reboot movies. The 2009 Star Trek gets by with a breathless pace and glossy filmmaking, ensuring that everyone is having too much fun to get upset about the many shortcomings in the script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman .

But the wrongheaded 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness positioned Section 31 as the movie’s big bad. Not only is Section 31 head Admiral Marcus the movie’s ultimate villain but the Kelvin Universe Khan Noonien Singh is a Section 31 agent, operating under the name John Harrison. The organization allowed Abrams and returning Orci and Kurtzman, now joined by Damon Lindelof , to indulge in the darker side of Trek , leaving behind the shiny optimism of the TOS -era they claimed to adapt.

Disastrous as Star Trek Into Darkness was, Kurtzman carried those ideals into his tenure as franchise head. For all of its wonderful weirdness, Star Trek: Discovery also really leaned into being dark and edgy in its first two, weaker seasons, focusing on the Mirror Universe for season one and then Section 31 in season two. Heck, it combined the two by making deposed Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou into a Section 31 agent in the Prime Universe.

After the Discovery shoots into the future for its third season, Section 31 gets left behind (but not the secret forces undermining the Federation). But the division has popped in other new Trek shows since, albeit as a joke on Lower Decks . Even the largely upbeat third season of Picard could not resist invoking Section 31 in its DS9 callbacks, using Changelings who suffered the division’s experimentations during the Dominion War as secondary antagonists.

Still, despite the beauty of having Michelle Yeoh in the Star Trek universe, the prospect of a Section 31 movie starring her Georgiou seems more like a threat than a promise.

The Limits of Section 31

Section 31 defenders will insist that because the division has been involved in some good stories, which justifies the increased attention over the years. Indeed, the story of Trek is, in many ways, the story of exploring initially underserved aspects of the universe, whether it be characters such as Data and Seven of Nine or the Federation itself. Heck, the holodeck/holosuite episodes or the musical episode of Strange New Worlds are all extensions of the Earth-like planets that the Enterprise visited for budget reasons in TOS .

However, those worthy off-shoots worked because they lent themselves to the type of storytelling that Trek does best: fundamentally optimistic, about people overcoming their fear and prejudice to work together. As most time-travel episodes demonstrate, the optimism of Trek stands contrary to our current skeptical age. Darker, more grounded stories have more immediacy and can be more powerful, which is why Battlestar Galactica outdid Enterprise in the 2000s.

But as the world gets worse and the ideals of peace-seeking, community, and overcoming xenophobia become harder to see, Trek optimism grows all the more important. For all of his flaws, Roddenberry’s initial vision of humanity working together still resonates and is even more necessary today.

To be clear, I’m not saying that Section 31 should never come up again. However, it does present a temptation to Trek writers who can’t do the hard work of telling good stories in an optimistic future. Section 31 allows them to fall back on easy tropes about secrets and conflict, which work great in other settings, but undermine Trek .

Writers need to put Section 31 on the shelf for a while and explore other aspects of the universe, aspects that give us the hope we so desperately need today. And when they bring back the division, it should be used like it was in Deep Space Nine , as a limit that we cannot reach, a warning against the compromises we’re so often tempted to make.

Only then can Section 31 fit within the hopeful, unlikely, but oh-so-needed world of Star Trek .

Star Trek: Section 31, a streaming movie starring Michelle Yeoh, is currently in production and is set to release on Paramount+.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

10 Best Star Trek: Enterprise Episodes, Ranked

It's been a long road for Star Trek: Enterprise from its legacy as the show that ended the second-wave of the franchise to being an underappreciated classic. Much like other now-canceled shows, Enterprise was a series that most fans skipped the first time around. As the fourth Star Trek series in 18 years, some fans may have simply chosen to skip it. However, as the flagship of the now-defunct United Paramount Network (UPN), it's unceremonious end had more to do with that than its substance. Enterprise deserves its second chance, and these 10 episodes are a great example of why.

In ranking the 10 best Enterprise episodes, one should turn to its fans. When looking at the aggregate rating from IMDB users, there's something of a tie for 10th place. Honorable mentions include the first half of "Shockwave," a two-parter tying directly to Star Trek: Disocvery 's Doctor Kovich . The episodes "Council," in Season 3, and Season 4's "United" also ranked equally high, which are interestingly conflicting episodes. One is about destroying a council of alien species, while the other is about creating one. Enterprise truly contained multitudes of distinctive styles of storytelling that fit perfectly into a Star Trek framework.

'Similitude' Is a High Concept Episode About the Value of Life

Enterprise delivered a fresh take on a common star trek theme, scott bakula saved star trek: enterprise before the pilot filmed.

Star Trek: Enterprise had a long road getting from Season 1 to 4, but Scott Bakula saved the show before the pilot filmed by signing up as Captain.

During the third season of Enterprise , the ship is far away from any allies or help, and Commander Trip Tucker is mortally wounded. The only solution is to use a unique alien creature to create a clone of him. While the second Trip would only have a 15-day lifespan, he existed so Dr. Phlox could harvest neural tissue for a transplant. As a sci-fi ethical allegory, "Similitude" mirrors the infamous "Tuvix" episode of Star Trek: Voyager .

Shows like Star Trek: Enterprise having longevity isn't just about the fun or challenging allegorical premises. What makes "Similitude" one of the 10 highest ranked Enterprise stories is because it is also a character study. The story's participants and its viewers care about the original Trip, but they also come to care for his clone. It's also a story about how any life, even one so short-lived, can be rewarding and leave a lasting impact on those who care about them .

The Alliance Between Archer and Shran Is Tested in 'Proving Ground'

Star trek's andorians were early human allies, but trust was hard earned.

One of the fan-favorite characters on Enterprise was the Andorian Commander Shran. An enemy of the Vulcans, he became a reluctant friend to Archer and the Enterprise crew. As the NX-01 Enterprise searched for the Xindi and their weapon all alone, Shran showed up in a warship to help them defeat the enemy. While Shran is personally fond of them, the official reason for their assistance is two-fold. They want to show more loyalty to the humans than the Vulcans (who refused to help stop the Xindi). However, Shran is also under orders to steal the planet-killer weapon for the Andorian Imperial Guard to be used against Vulcan.

Because of his own frustration with Vulcans, Captain Archer was often an ally to Shran, earning his respect. Yet, the loyal soldier, Shran betrays the alliance to steal the weapon. The Enterprise crew outsmarts them, forcing the destruction of the weapon while never taking fully aggressive action against Shran. "Proving Ground" is a key episode in establishing how humanity's willingness to join forces with other species doesn't mean they are "suckers." Even at odds, Archer and Shran treat each other with respect, further deepening the positive relationship between humanity and the Vulcan's worst enemies.

Star Trek: Enterprise Examined the Beginning of the Federation in 'Babel One'

Classic star trek aliens are brought together by humanity.

When producer Manny Coto took over Enterprise , he brought with him an outsider's fan sensibilities. Much of that final season examined familiar Star Trek concepts in the series' 22nd Century setting. "Babel One" refers to an episode of The Original Series , "Journey to Babel" that introduced both the Andorian species and the Tellarites. In this episode, Captain Archer and the still Earth-only Starfleet, play a crucial role in creating a peaceful coexistence between the two races. It was a brilliant way to blend the Roddenberry vision of humanity's future with a grounded, flawed galaxy.

While Enterprise never fully told the origin story of Star Trek 's Federation , stories like those found in "Babel One," give fans a glimpse. This episode in particular (but a larger throughline for the series) is the value of humanity in the Federation society . Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites and others easily outpace humanity, venturing into the galaxy for the first time. What humans bring to the equation is compassionate reason, and the idea that diplomacy and peace are always better than war.

Enterprise Changed Vulcan Society Permanently in 'Kir'Shara'

The prequel series' vulcans started to seem more like star trek's most famous aliens, how star trek's vulcans evolved beyond gene roddenberry's creation.

While the in-universe history of the Vulcans in Star Trek is epic, the behind-the-scenes saga of their creation and development is equally important.

The final episode in a four-part arc centered on Vulcan, "Kir'Shara" is an important moment in the pre-Federation history of the Vulcans . One early critique of Enterprise was how antagonistic the Vulcans seemed to be towards humanity. While still logic-based beings, they were not the society audiences recognized from other, later-set stories. This arc focused on a deep schism in Vulcan society about the philosophy of logic and the permissibility of Vulcan's natural psychic abilities. Ultimately, the story focused on accepting the whole truth of Vulcan leader Surak rather than just the most convenient parts of his teachings .

Along with reconciling the Enterprise -era controversy around Vulcan mind-melds, it also brought back an interesting figure from the real-world past and the universe's future: T'Pau. the priestess introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series' "Amok Time" plays a major role, considerably younger because of Vulcans' long lifespans. Despite the previously antagonistic relationship, "Kir'Shara" and its companion stories help explain how humanity and Vulcans grew closer and more amiable in the time of the Federation .

'Countdown' Kicked Off the Last Battle of Starfleet's First War

Star trek: enterprise season 3 was a battle for the survival of earth.

In Enterprise Season 3, Starfleet went to war in what was then the universe's most serialized season of television yet. "Countdown" was, effectively, the first part of the season finale in which the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise must destroy a planet-killer aimed at Earth by a hostile faction of the Xindi species. It was the culmination of a controversial storyline, but one that ended in a very Star Trek -appropriate way. Rather than fighting the entire Xindi society, three of its five "species" were now aligned with humans to prevent the destruction of Earth .

It's an action-packed episode, centered around the rescue of Hoshi Sato, a communications officer. Similarly, the real "villains" of the story are present, an extradimensional species called "the Sphere Builders" who wanted to terraform Star Trek 's dimension to be more hospitable to their kind. While the threat of destruction lingered over the narrative, this episode was also about how the allied factions overcame fear and jingoism to stop a destructive tragedy. For what was seen as Star Trek 's least hopeful season at the time, Countdown was the first part of the aspirational conclusion to this story.

'Zero Hour' Was the Climactic Finale to Enterprise's Season 3

The first star trek war ended with diplomacy and explosions, why star trek: enterprise's most controversial torture scene was necessary.

One of the most controversial scenes in Star Trek is when Enterprise Captain Jonathan Archer tortures a prisoner, but it was prescient and necessary.

Perhaps one of the most notable things about "Zero Hour," is how the cliffhanger ending forced UPN to give Enterprise a Season 4. Despite Enterprise being a prequel series, the added element of the Temporal Cold War meant that Starfleet's war against the Xindi was not part of the history the Kirk, Spock and others from The Original Series knew. The cliffhanger ending, while slightly confusing, was the first step in resolving that series-long story. It also gave Archer an iconic "hero running away from an explosion" shot at the climax of the episode.

Still, for all the unique concepts in the show, "Zero Hour" was a pretty standard type of Star Trek story. The NX-01 Enterprise had to survive a space battle, while the captain and a heroic away team tried to stop some alien antagonists from doing something very destructive. What makes it stand out, however, is how the finale built on the serialized story throughout the season. It gave the story significantly more emotional weight, and it made the (mostly) peaceful solution that much more satisfying than a devastating round of ship-to-ship combat .

'Azati Prime' Changed the Dynamic of the Enterprise's War With the Xindi

A new star trek villain provided a twist to the season-long conflict.

Towards the finale of Enterprise Season 3, the show turned around its controversial premise into one more recognizable as part of Gene Roddenberry's universe in "Azati Prime." The episode begins with the discovery of the Xindi's planet-killer weapon, and the NX-01 Enterprise is forced to destroy an observation base that took no hostile action against them. Archer is meant to destroy the weapon, but he soon discovers he's too late. He's taken prisoner and tortured.

The episode ends with the Enterprise almost destroyed in a retaliatory attack for the destruction of the lunar base. However, it's also the episode where Captain Archer is able to convince the Xindi to reconsider their unprovoked attack on Earth, inspired only by the lies of the Sphere Builders. While he doesn't convince all of the Xindi, Archer convinces enough of them to set up the final episodes in which both people are saved .

'Carbon Creek' Was a Period Piece That Changed Star Trek Canon

The nx-01 enterprise crew learned about t'pol's family history, sorry spock, jolene blalock's t'pol is star trek's most interesting vulcan.

Spock and Tuvok are great, but Star Trek: Enterprise's T'Pol played by Jolene Blalock has the most interesting arc for any Vulcan in the franchise.

Before becoming founding members of the Federation, Vulcans were explorers on their own. "Carbon Creek" is a story-within-a-story episode, in which T'Pol tells Captain Archer and Trip Tucker a story about the "true" first contact between human and Vulcans. An exploratory crew crash lands on Earth and have to assume lives there while trying to build a communicator and wait for rescue. These refugees each develop conflicting and, in some cases, negative views of humanity during that time. While ultimately successful in calling for rescue, one of the Vulcans stayed on Earth to continue to observe humans .

He could've survived past the official first contact, though Star Trek: Picard had already revealed humans were Vulcans' pet project long before 2063. The end of the episode leaves Archer and Trip curious if T'Pol was simply telling them a fictional story. They were skeptical that Vulcans arrived on the planet so early in humanity's history and that one of them was related to T'Pol. However, the final scene set in T'Pol's quarters, reveals she has a worn, 1950s-era handbag, given to her by her grandmother.

'Regeneration' Found a Loophole to Bring the Star Trek Villains to Its Past

Enterprise served as a stealth sequel to star trek: first contact.

Invented for the second wave, the Borg are fantastic Star Trek villains who simply couldn't appear in the prequel series. However, Enterprise found a loophole, thanks to the movie Star Trek: First Contact . Remnants of the USS Enterprise-E's battle with the Borg in 2063 are discovered by 22nd Century scientists. They are reactivated and, naturally, do what the Borg do. They assimilated people and tried to get back to the larger collective. Even though audiences know these Borg don't succeed (at least, not fully), the episode is thrilling.

The NX-01 Enterprise has to stop the Borg, and because they don't know anything about these aliens, it helps make the Borg a threat again. Seeing these 24th Century villains in the 22nd Century setting was exciting, and the producers rightly made sure it was a one-off special event. Even with all the space battles, Enterprise was primarily about humans connecting with new lifeforms. The introduction of the Borg, only briefly, in Enterprise 's second season gave the crew an enemy they could fight off without such larger, idealistic concerns .

'Twilight' Introduced a Heartbreaking Future for the NX-01 Enterprise Crew

A classic star trek alternate timeline episode was also enterprise's most emotional.

"Twlight" gave audiences an arguably more complete finale than the series actually got. However, thanks sci-fi convention and Star Trek 's rules of time travel , it was a tragic ending that didn't stick. Captain Archer is stricken with an affliction that prevents him from forming long-term memories. Much of the action is set far in the future, with the Enterprise crash-landed on an alien planet in a hostile part of the galaxy. However, T'Pol and Doctor Phlox develop a risky, experimental cure to help him. They learn that if successful, it wouldn't just make Archer better, it would unravel the future they lived in.

The episode has one of the best cold opens in the franchise, when Archer storms onto the bridge in the midst of a battle just to see Earth destroyed. What's strange about this beyond the planet's destruction is that T'Pol is the captain . Immediately after Enterprise 's infamous theme song , viewers see a much older Archer waking up similarly disturbed in a comfortable space-home he shares with T'Pol, his caretaker.

The complete Star Trek: Enterprise is available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, digital and streams on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Enterprise

A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

Release Date September 26, 2001

Creator(s) Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Gene Roddenberry

Cast Solomon Burke Jr., Dominic Keating, Connor Trinneer, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Anthony Montgomery

Main Genre Sci-Fi

Genres Sci-Fi, Drama, Action, Adventure

Rating TV-PG

Creator Rick Berman and Brannon Braga

Franchise(s) Star Trek