Summary
Star Trekhas a long history of weird and wonderful alien species. Sometimes, they’re essentially humans with extra stuff on their foreheads and ears, like Vulcans and Klingons. Sometimes, they’re wild new creations, like the Medusans or the Tellarites. Whatever they may be,Star Trekaliens tend to be more than weirdos to gawk at. They’re concepts that help us explore aspects of humanity and human society.
Unfortunately, not many of those high-minded ideals make their way intothe movieStar Trek: Section 31. A loud and flashy continuation of a plot line fromStar Trek: Discovery,Section 31stars Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou, the one-time Empress from the evil Mirror Universe, who leads a rag-tag team on a black ops mission.Section 31favors snarky jokes, flashy explosions, and unearned emotional beats over philosophical exploration.
Most of the team consists of established aliens from the franchise, including a shape-shifting Chameloid and an alluring Deltan. Team member Fuzz appears atfirst to be a Vulcan, but he is in fact a Nanokin, an original alien species with a lot of storytelling potential. And he’s completely wasted.
Who is Fuzz in Star Trek: Section 31?
Played with an over-the-top accent by Sven Ruygrok, Fuzz is easily the most obnoxious oftheSection 31characters. He’s constantly picking fights for no reason, and shouting every word that comes into his mind. But something interesting happens when Georgiou calls Fuzz out for laughing more than any true Vulcan, a species known for its stoicism. At that point, Fuzz opens his mouth and the camera travels deep down his throat, through a bright blue maze of tubes, to reveal his true form. It turns out that the bleach-blond Vulcan that Fuzz appears to be is just a vehicle — a “conveyance,” to use his terms. The real Fuzz belongs to a microscopic race called the Nanokins.
Paramount+originally imaginedSection 31as a full series, not just a movie. Apparently, Nanokins would have received more development over the course of the show, likeDiscoverydid when itintroduced the Kelpiens. But in a movie that stretches a little over 91 minutes, already filled with a bunch of other characters and plot lines, there’s only time for a couple of basic Nanokin facts. The species has at least two genders, as the male Fuzz has a female mate named Wisp. Nanokins lay eggs and have several offspring per litter, with Fuzz mentioning ten children by name.
And that’s about it. Which is unfortunate, because Nanokins fit perfectly within theStar Trekuniverse.
What Can Nanokins Offer the Star Trek Universe?
When Fuzz first reveals his true nature, some viewers roll their eyes. The idea of a small alien hiding inside a ship that looks like a regular-sized human(oid) has already been explored in moviessuch asMeninBlackandMeet Dave.Section 31uses its alien nesting egg in the same way as those films: as little more than a joke.
As anyone who has seen an episode ofLower Decksknows,Star Trekisn’t above making jokes about its aliens. But even the goofiest episode ofLower Decksuses various species to explore deeper themes.Klingons offer waysof imagining honor societies and warrior systems. Vulcan stories deal with the tensions between passions and logic. Nanokins have just as many thematic possibilities. As a microscopic species, Nanokins can’t communicate with other beings in the usual ways, through sight and sound. Instead, they have to build conveyances like the Vulcan used by Fuzz, inviting debates about appropriation and identity.
Communication is a key concept inStar Trek, as demonstrated by the important communicator badges or storiessuch asStar Trek: The Motion Picture, in which theVoyagerprobe possesses Ilya to interact with people. The Nanokins must go to extreme measures just to have a conversation with others. Would others do the same for them? Would Starfleet, with all of its commitment to seeking out new life and new civilizations, consider shrinking down some members in the same way that Nanokins drive human-sized ships?
Then there’s the issue of the natural threat that Nanokins pose. During one of the many verbal sparring matches between Fuzz and hisfellowSection 31member Zeph(Robert Kazinsky), the latter refers to the Nanokin as a virus. At first, it seems like Zeph just tosses out the phrase as an insult to get under Fuzz’s skin. But when Fuzz later names his kids, he sure makes them sound like diseases, calling them “Influensina,” “Tonsilyitis,” and “Grip.”
The idea of a sentient disease isn’t completely new (see the villain DespotellisfromGreen Lanterncomics). However, the principles of acceptance and understanding that driveStar Trekmean that members of Starfleet cannot simply dismiss the Nanokins, even if they present a danger.
Finally, all the aliens inStar Trekultimately serve to help viewers understand humanity. When a Nanokin takes a conveyance in the form of another species, they must also understand that species. They must take time to learn about their culture, anatomy, and behaviors. That process is certain to uncover something surprising, even to native members of that species.
Will Nanokins Appear Again After Star Trek: Section 31?
Star Trek: Section 31has no interest in letting Fuzz do anything quite so rich. Fuzz gets to shout and cackle and even have a fight scene, but never does he come close to raising a philosophical question or posing an ethical quandary.
Given the irritating way thatSection 31deploys Fuzz, many Trekkies might be happy to never see Fuzz, his family members, or any of the Nanokins ever again. But one unsuccessful story, evena story as bad asSection 31, doesn’t ruin an entire species. Look at the Ferengi, who began inThe Next Generationas a poor substitute for the Klingons and eventually became one of the richest and most compelling aliens, thanks to some great episodes onDeep Space Nine.
The Nanokins already offermore than the Ferengi didin those earlyNext Generationepisodes. It would be a shame ifStar Trekdidn’t take advantage of another compelling alien race just because they started in a terrible film.
