By 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 large, but the script (by Craig Sweeny) is careful to explain them all closely. Case in point: the character of Quasi (Sam Richardson) is a Chameloid, a shape-shifting species not seen since Iman's character in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country." Viewers, however, don't need to know anything about Iman or "Star Trek VI" to understand Quasi.

Ditto the character of Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), the young Starfleet lieutenant. Trekkies know Rachel Garrett as the future captain of the Enterprise-C because we met her in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" called "Yesterday's Enterprise." The events of "Yesterday's Enterprise," however, aren't at all referenced in "Section 31." There is also a Deltan character named Melle (Humberly Gonzalez), but her character and species is very clearly explained in dialogue. One needn't know about the Deltan character Ilia (Persis Khambatta) from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" to get where Melle is coming from.

Other characters in "Section 31" are entirely new to "Star Trek." One character, Zeph, is a microscopic organism that is piloting a human-sized vessel played by Robert Kazinsky. Another, Fuzz (Sven Ruygrok), is merely a cybernetic bruiser straight out of "Alita: Battle Angel." Likewise, Alok (Omari Hardwick) is just a human with anger issues. This ragtag group of semi-evil sci-fi super-spies would be just as at home in a cheesy late-'80s B-movie like "Eliminators" as they would be in "Star Trek." Neophytes to "Star Trek" will be able to follow "Section 31" without any issues.

There is, however, a brief flashback at the beginning of the movie, explaining a little bit about the main character, Empress Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh), and some homework may be required if a viewer wants her whole backstory. Below are a few "Star Trek: Discovery" episodes that would be helpful.