Spoilers Section 31: Control by David Mack Review Thread

[Sci]

Can't read this thread until I read the book, but can anyone quote-reply and tell me if I need to read any other books to undersand this one? I haven't kept up with the new books since the Andorian Typhon Pact novel and David Mack's trilogy with Data and his father..

You can jump into reading Control and be fine.

If anyone did want to read some books before, though, I would say the relevant backstory novels are as follows, in roughly chronological order. Bashir-specific backstory relevance in bold, Data-specific underlined, Garak-specific with a *, and especially Section 31-relevant with a #.

• Section 31: Cloak by S.D. Perry (2001)#
• Section 31: Rogue by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin (2001)#
• A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson (2000)*
• Immortal Coil by Jeffrey Lang (2002)
• Section 31: Abyss by Jeffrey Lang (2001)
• A Time to Kill by David Mack (2004)#
• A Time to Heal by David Mack (2004)#
• A Time for War, A Time for Peace by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2004)#
• Articles of the Federation by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2005)#
• Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game by David Mack (2010)
• Cold Equations: The Persistence of Memory by David Mack (2012)
• Cold Equations: Silent Weapons by David Mack (2012)
• Cold Equations: The Body Electric by David Mack (2012)
• The Fall: Revelation and Dust by David R. George III (2013)
• The Fall: The Crimson Shadow by Una McCormack (2013)*
• The Fall: A Ceremony of Losses by David Mack (2013)
• The Fall: The Poisoned Chalice by James Swallow (2013)
• The Fall: Peaceable Kingdoms by Dayton Ward (2013)*
• The Light Fantastic by Jeffrey Lang (2014)
• Section 31: Disavowed by David Mack (2014)

 

[Sci]

Another thought: It occurs to me that the Federation is going to have to come to terms with some sort of rot in its political culture now that Section 31 has been exposed.

To wit: Not only have four Federation Councillors, members of President zh'Tarash's cabinet, key members of Starfleet Command, and plenty of other VIPs across the Federation been exposed for their complicity with Section 31 -- but, more to the point, the public now has to grapple with the fact that the Federation's last three presidents in a row have all been subjects to coups d'état, with two of them successful or very nearly so:

• Jaresh-Inyo, the target of an attempted coup d'état led by Starfleet Admiral James Leyton in 2372, barely thwarted by Captain Sisko and the crew of the USS Defiant
• Min Zife, the target of a successful coup d'état in 2379 led by Starfleet Admiral William Ross, with the knowing assistance of Admiral Alynna Nechayev, Admiral Owen Paris (deceased), former Fleet Admiral Edward Jellico (former C-in-C!!), Admiral Mamoru Nakamura, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and Federation Ambassador Lagan Serra, and with the covert assistance of Section 31 (who performed the assassination without the non-Ross conspirators' knowledge or consent)
• Nanietta Bacco, the victim of a nearly-successful coup d'état in 2385 after she is assassinated by agents of the True Way on behalf of Federation Councillor Baras Rodiyra, operating under the alias of Ishan Anjar, who becomes President Pro Tempore and nearly becomes President himself

So that's three coups now in 12 years. This represents a pretty major problem for Federation political culture, particularly for a culture that is nominally so advanced and which badly needs to maintain stability as it continues to rebuild from the Borg Invasion and to deal with the Typhon Pact.

There is also the very real possibility that Ross and Co.'s original reason for not exposing Zife's crimes and having him arrested and extradited to the Klingon Empire will prove valid -- especially after seven years of cover-up. This could seriously endanger the UFP-Klingon alliance. (On the other hand, with the near-destruction of Qo'noS during the Borg Invasion, maybe the anti-Federation faction on the High Council isn't that powerful anymore? I dunno, I didn't read Prey because it didn't interest me.)

Either way, Section 31 played only a peripheral role in any of these events, but their exposure has exposed an underlying problem that was being swept under the rug. I wonder what the answer will be -- and, for that matter, I wonder how much longer Captain Picard will be allowed to command the Enterprise.

 

[Idran]

(On the other hand, with the near-destruction of Qo'noS during the Borg Invasion, maybe the anti-Federation faction on the High Council isn't that powerful anymore? I dunno, I didn't read Prey because it didn't interest me.)

Not really relevant to Control specifically, but if you're curious, here are the most significant political aspects from it offhand from what I can remember: a general resolidification of Federation-Klingon relations, and the establishment of a free trade corridor through Federation and Klingon space for the Typhon Pact.

 

[Tirius]

Wall of text that makes a lot of sense

While Control was an excellent novel - easily the most enjoyable Section 31 tale from me since Abyss - I think that the fallout from it could be even more interesting. The people Sci named that were involved in the Zife coverup were (as far as we know) not directly part of Section 31, but that doesn't change the fact that what they did was remove a elected head-of-state from office in a highly illegal manner. I suspect Picard might survive this as he didn't really take part in the coup (but still allowed it to happen). People like Nechayev (one of my favorite characters) however, with her background in intelligence and all, are likely now in serious trouble.

In the wake of the events of The Fall, this might prove one crisis too many for many of the Federation's citizens and allies. I suspect Martok at the very least would need to have part of his office redecorated after getting the news, though I suspect Kamemor and Garak, as a products of their respective societies, would perhaps be more understanding but will likely come under fire from their own opposition if they continue to support the Federation. And losing faith in leaders they elected in good faith, or their principal support staff, might have lasting consequences for the Federation´s citizenry, regardless of Control´s final thoughts on the matter.

 

[Sci]

While Control was an excellent novel - easily the most enjoyable Section 31 tale from me since Abyss - I think that the fallout from it could be even more interesting. The people Sci named that were involved in the Zife coverup were (as far as we know) not directly part of Section 31, but that doesn't change the fact that what they did was remove a elected head-of-state from office in a highly illegal manner. I suspect Picard might survive this as he didn't really take part in the coup (but still allowed it to happen). People like Nechayev (one of my favorite characters) however, with her background in intelligence and all, are likely now in serious trouble.

Frankly, I would anticipate, at the minimum, Nechayev, Nakamura, and Picard all being arrested by Starfleet Security and court-martialed, and Jellico, Ross, and Lagan being arrested by the Federation Security Agency and indicted by a Federation grand jury. (I think? I'm not sure what happens to former members of the Armed Forces who have received a discharge when major crimes they committed while in uniform come to light -- are they subject to the military courts system, or are they subject to the civilian court system?)

Nechayev, Nakamura, Picard, Jellico, and Lagan would probably be quickly found to have been unaware of Zife's assassination, since Ross had assured all of them that Zife and co. would be getting false identities. Ross would probably end up taking the majority of the public scorn -- at least, unless the released Section 31 files indicates that he was forced to cooperate with L'Haan at gunpoint, too.

I find myself wondering if the whole thing will tarnish public memory of Bacco, since she was retroactively complicit in the cover-up of Ross's coup and Zife's assassination. On the other hand, I can picture Ross keeping that information to himself, out of loyalty to Bacco and to the public's need to have had a president they could believe in.

In the wake of the events of The Fall, this might prove one crisis too many for many of the Federation's citizens and allies. I suspect Martok at the very least would need to have part of his office redecorated after getting the news,

I find myself wondering who Martok might want to vent his rage on if he were to request extradition. I suppose the obvious targets would be L'Haan and Ross, since they were, IIRC, the "leaders" of the two sides that forced Zife out.

though I suspect Kamemor and Garak, as a products of their respective societies, would perhaps be more understanding but will likely come under fire from their own opposition if they continue to support the Federation.

I'm not convinced the Romulans or Cardassians would care particularly much about the revelations of what happened to Zife. They would probably almost certainly make noise about wanting Section 31 operatives active on their worlds to be extradited to them, however. But yeah, on balance, I don't see the revelation of Section 31 as fundamentally altering their relationships with the UFP.

And losing faith in leaders they elected in good faith, or their principal support staff, might have lasting consequences for the Federation´s citizenry, regardless of Control´s final thoughts on the matter.

I mean, Ross is the only person who knows that Bacco knew about Zife and kept quiet on it -- it's questionable whether or not Uraei would have bothered to include that in any Section 31 files. Meanwhile, of course, zh'Tarash is an idealistic political outsider who almost single-handedly led her world back into the Federation and who then immediately acted to purge the government of Section 31's influence. And Bacco seems to be almost universally beloved, and had no ties to Section 31. So while I think Federates will certainly have their faith in Federation democracy shaken, and while I think they're going to have to come to terms with some pretty major problems with Federation political culture that have allowed three different coups or coup attempts in the past decade and a half, I also think their selection of zh'Tarash the previous year means the UFP and its citizenry are in the best possible position to deal with these revelations.

 

[Tirius]

Ross

Remember it was never clearly stated if Ross would survive the events of the coup after he resigned to shield Bacco from its consequences. Given what we now know of Zife and company's fate, I would not be surprised if his quiet retirement met with an untimely end, especially as he held knowledge of secrets 31 would likely want kept. I always very much liked the ambiguity of Ross's fate, as if we as readers shared his own uncertainty in that final chapter. Given what we now know of Uraei's capabilities, I have no doubt that if it wanted Ross gone, it could have done so without anyone ever finding out.

the UFP and its citizenry are in the best possible position to deal with these revelations

It's not so much the presidency that I was thinking of, but rather those 4 Councillors. In retrospect, we know of at least one Councillor who was not elected by his planet's population but rather appointed to the position by the local head of state (Krim Aldos in Worlds of DS9: Bajor), so perhaps I need to revise my thoughts on that.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In retrospect, we know of at least one Councillor who was not elected by his planet's population but rather appointed to the position by the local head of state (Krim Aldos in Worlds of DS9: Bajor)

Bajor doesn't elect its Federation councillor. Rather, it's appointed by the First Minister and then ratified by the Chamber of Ministers.

 

[Enterprise1701]

New Features: Chapter Thirty-Seven establishes the existence of the office of Solicitor General of the United Federation of Planets. Ozla Graniv seems to imply the Solicitor General's office would be engaging in prosecutions of Section 31 agents. The Fall: Peaceable Kingdoms had previously established the existence of the Attorney General of the United Federation of Planets; systems that have attorneys general often have solicitors general as the second-ranked law officer and deputy to the attorney general. In the United States, it's a bit different -- the Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer, heading up the Department of Justice, supervising United States Attorneys (federal prosecutors), and supervising federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI; while the Solicitor General of the United States represents the federal government in cases brought before the United States Supreme Court. I'd be curious to see what the division of powers is between the Federation Attorney General and the Federation Solicitor General.

This slightly irritates me too. Why wounld't Attorney General Philippa Louvois be the one for the conclusion of this story? She was introduced in the position just in the relevant preceding miniseries.

Remember it was never clearly stated if Ross would survive the events of the coup after he resigned to shield Bacco from its consequences. Given what we now know of Zife and company's fate, I would not be surprised if his quiet retirement met with an untimely end, especially as he held knowledge of secrets 31 would likely want kept. I always very much liked the ambiguity of Ross's fate, as if we as readers shared his own uncertainty in that final chapter. Given what we now know of Uraei's capabilities, I have no doubt that if it wanted Ross gone, it could have done so without anyone ever finding out.


It's not so much the presidency that I was thinking of, but rather those 4 Councillors. In retrospect, we know of at least one Councillor who was not elected by his planet's population but rather appointed to the position by the local head of state (Krim Aldos in Worlds of DS9: Bajor), so perhaps I need to revise my thoughts on that.

As I recall from Articles, Ross chose not to fully disclose when confronted by Bacco in order to prevent her from becoming a target for Section 31. I doubt this reasoning will get him that much sympathy, but it might be worth something.

To be precise, wasn't Krim Aldos's recess appointment later properly confirmed by the Bajoran legislature?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

To be precise, wasn't Krim Aldos's recess appointment later properly confirmed by the Bajoran legislature?

Yep.

 

[tomswift2002]

While Control was an excellent novel - easily the most enjoyable Section 31 tale from me since Abyss - I think that the fallout from it could be even more interesting. The people Sci named that were involved in the Zife coverup were (as far as we know) not directly part of Section 31, but that doesn't change the fact that what they did was remove a elected head-of-state from office in a highly illegal manner. I suspect Picard might survive this as he didn't really take part in the coup (but still allowed it to happen). People like Nechayev (one of my favorite characters) however, with her background in intelligence and all, are likely now in serious trouble.

In the wake of the events of The Fall, this might prove one crisis too many for many of the Federation's citizens and allies. I suspect Martok at the very least would need to have part of his office redecorated after getting the news, though I suspect Kamemor and Garak, as a products of their respective societies, would perhaps be more understanding but will likely come under fire from their own opposition if they continue to support the Federation. And losing faith in leaders they elected in good faith, or their principal support staff, might have lasting consequences for the Federation´s citizenry, regardless of Control´s final thoughts on the matter.

I've been wondering what would happen to Picard since I finished the book. In the public eye, would his record of saving Earth and the Federation from the Borg on numerous occasions and his diplomatic successes with the Klingons and the Romulans be enough to shield him from the fall out of Section 31 and Control? I haven't read Headlong Flight yet, but I can't wait to see what happens in the next TNG novel.

But I think the events of Control are going to have more of an impact on the Federation than The Fall did. I think it'll be more like Destiny.

 

[Sci]

Remember it was never clearly stated if Ross would survive the events of the coup after he resigned to shield Bacco from its consequences. Given what we now know of Zife and company's fate, I would not be surprised if his quiet retirement met with an untimely end, especially as he held knowledge of secrets 31 would likely want kept. I always very much liked the ambiguity of Ross's fate, as if we as readers shared his own uncertainty in that final chapter. Given what we now know of Uraei's capabilities, I have no doubt that if it wanted Ross gone, it could have done so without anyone ever finding out.

An excellent point. Who knows if Ross is still alive? He hasn't been stated to have died, though, so I would assume there's every possibility Ross might appear in a fallout-from-Section-31's-exposure novel -- but who knows?

It's not so much the presidency that I was thinking of, but rather those 4 Councillors. In retrospect, we know of at least one Councillor who was not elected by his planet's population but rather appointed to the position by the local head of state (Krim Aldos in Worlds of DS9: Bajor), so perhaps I need to revise my thoughts on that.

Well, the thing about the UFP -- and this bugs me, to be honest; if I were the Grand High Potentate of All TrekLit, I wouldn't have made this decision -- is that each Federation Member State appoints its Federation Councillor according to whatever mechanism their domestic law provides for. So, the Federation Councillor for Betazed is popularly elected, while the Federation Councillor for the Third Republic of Bajor is appointed by the First Minister with the confirmation of the Chamber of Ministers, while the Federation Councillor for the Andorian Empire is appointed by the Presider of the Parliament Andoria when their party wins a majority in parliamentary elections, without any need for parliamentary confirmation.

This slightly irritates me too. Why wounld't Attorney General Philippa Louvois be the one for the conclusion of this story? She was introduced in the position just in the relevant preceding miniseries.

I wouldn't say it bugs me. It's not implausible that there would be a division of responsibilities between the Attorney General and the Solicitor General; there are systems that have both but where the Solicitor General is not just the chief legal counsel for the state in cases tried before the Supreme Court, the way it is in the U.S. I'm curious, not bugged.

As I recall from Articles, Ross chose not to fully disclose when confronted by Bacco in order to prevent her from becoming a target for Section 31. I doubt this reasoning will get him that much sympathy, but it might be worth something.

It may not get him much sympathy, but that decision may well help preserve Federates' faith in Bacco's memory and in the institution of the Federation presidency.

To be precise, wasn't Krim Aldos's recess appointment later properly confirmed by the Bajoran legislature?

Yep. Although he left the Council some time before 2385, given that Baras/Ishan was his successor. No idea why (or why First Minister An

I've been wondering what would happen to Picard since I finished the book. In the public eye, would his record of saving Earth and the Federation from the Borg on numerous occasions and his diplomatic successes with the Klingons and the Romulans be enough to shield him from the fall out of Section 31 and Control?

It may be enough to shield him from jail time or a dishonorable discharge. But if I'm President zh'Tarash, I would absolutely not allow Picard to continue as a Starfleet officer. He would, at best, be getting an honorable discharge.

 

[Ronald Held]

I thought Ross was scheduled to be killed at a later time, but after learning of Uraei and Control, I believe he is long dead.

 

[Kilana2]

Almost 200 pages into it. I can't put it out of my hands. Very exciting, as was to be expected by David Mack.
I'm well aware what I have to face at the end of the novel. Even without a 'to be continued' there is still a lot of ground to be covered in the aftermath of these events.

 

[Christopher]

It seems anomalous to me that Uraei, a 22nd-century Earth-made AI, could be sentient, when Trek has generally shown that true AI sentience is extremely rare and unstable and that Noonien Soong was barely able to crack the problem 200 years later. But I suppose it probably didn't start out sentient, and developed consciousness gradually as it grew into an ever vaster network spread across space. The combination of that immense size, its uninterrupted operation for decades on end, and the capability to modify its own program -- essentially, to apply evolutionary algorithms to its development and to be aware and responsive to its own mental state -- enabled it to become sentient. I suppose there's an analogy to how Voyager's EMH became sentient as a result of continuous operation and the ability to modify his program, with the more advanced 24th-century computer technology meaning he didn't need as much sheer size and brute-force processing power to pull it off.

Also, how the heck do you pronounce "Uraei?"

 

[Mage]

It seems anomalous to me that Uraei, a 22nd-century Earth-made AI, could be sentient, when Trek has generally shown that true AI sentience is extremely rare and unstable and that Noonien Soong was barely able to crack the problem 200 years later. But I suppose it probably didn't start out sentient, and developed consciousness gradually as it grew into an ever vaster network spread across space. The combination of that immense size, its uninterrupted operation for decades on end, and the capability to modify its own program -- essentially, to apply evolutionary algorithms to its development and to be aware and responsive to its own mental state -- enabled it to become sentient. I suppose there's an analogy to how Voyager's EMH became sentient as a result of continuous operation and the ability to modify his program, with the more advanced 24th-century computer technology meaning he didn't need as much sheer size and brute-force processing power to pull it off.

Also, how the heck do you pronounce "Uraei?"

I think that, at the point where it created Section 31, it was still a near-sapient AI (am I using that term correct). Not as much sentient as the EMH or Data, but on the cusp of it. The decision to create 31 was done by itself, but still a part of its programmed parameters. The sentient AI it ultimatly became, I agree with you, that probably happened over the decades following the creation of 31.

Long story short, I agree with your interpretation.

 

[Christopher]

I think that, at the point where it created Section 31, it was still a near-sapient AI (am I using that term correct). Not as much sentient as the EMH or Data, but on the cusp of it. The decision to create 31 was done by itself, but still a part of its programmed parameters. The sentient AI it ultimatly became, I agree with you, that probably happened over the decades following the creation of 31.

I think that autonomous decision was the first step on the path to sentience, but it's a very long path. So I wouldn't call it the cusp. Uraei giving itself the ability to modify its program was the thing that enabled it to start evolving into a sentient being, in combination with its ever-growing size and complexity. But it would've taken a long time afterward to actually evolve a full consciousness.

Hmm... I can't help seeing an analogy to Moriarty. Uraei was able to start evolving toward sentience because it gained the ability to modify its program. Geordi essentially gave the Enterprise computer permission to modify the holodeck-character AI software in a way that allowed it to evolve a sentience competitive with Data's. I wonder if it was the adaptive Uraei code in the Enterprise's computers that made it possible for that sentience breakthrough to happen -- perhaps in combination with the leftover programming the Bynars introduced to create Minuet. Which makes me wonder how Moriarty was affected by the software patch used on Uraei. I don't quite remember what Moriarty's status was when we last saw him.

 

[The Wormhole]

Also, how the heck do you pronounce "Uraei?"

I've been pronouncing it "you-ray-eee."

 

[Mage]

I thought it more along the lines of 'you-rah-eye' or 'you-rye'.

My girlfriend (Dutch, but teaches English) thinks it's 'you-ray'.

 

[Defcon]

My girlfriend (Dutch, but teaches English) thinks it's 'you-ray'.

That's how I read it as well.

 

[Christopher]

Apparently it's the plural of the Greek Uraeus, which is "you-ree-us" according to Wikipedia, although I think the Greek pronunciation would be more like "ooh-rye-us." So I guess the plural would be "ooh-rye-ee." An English speaker might elide it to "your eye," basically.

And now I'm wondering why it has a plural name when it's a singular entity. Maybe the rhyme with "your eye" was intentional, given that it was made to watch everything?