The best thing about the Section 31 series is that it'll have a big neon sign up front telling people, "Leave your mock outrage at the door. You knew what you were getting into when you decided to watch this."
That's pretty much it. The writers wanted to do ethically questionably undercover spy-stuff in Star Trek. What spy agency has a name? Section 31. That's what they are gonna' use.
It was inevitable. Had TNG (or DS9) introduced a proper Federation spy agency with a name and faces (as in, actual actors acting as spies) and not just "Starfleet Intelligence" (which was only ever a source for exposition, never a plot thread), they would have used that. Since that never existed - and S31 actually was the first and only human spy agency introduced to Trek - it's now going to be "THE" spy agency onwards. Even if the original concept was 100% detrimental to this idea.
I like the idea of Section 31 as a covert ops group WAY more than the crappy "we exist but nobody knows about us" secret society envisioned in DS9. It was one of the only elements of DS9 I thought was lame.
Glad ID and DSC are retconning the whole idea.
It's great, if you watch DS9's section 31 version only, you can imagine Sloane as this deeply manipulative sociopath who draws others into his delusions and his one man mission to "save" the Federation. Is Starfleet covering it up, or is there nothing to cover up? Starfleet's own responses start to play into the idea of a cover-up, but is that just confirmation bias on our heroes' parts?I did like the idea that Section 31 was all in Sloane's head.
if they doing it the way I think they’re doing it, that can still work.But as a legitimate arm of Starfleet with badges and ships and official visits to starships, it ceases to 'work' for me. It is so contrary to the 'Trek future' that I can't reconcile it in my brain
I did like the idea that Section 31 was all in Sloane's head.
I would have been fine with it all being in his head at the end, not sorry it ended up being true though, I think the Section 31 storylines in DS9 were very realistic, same goes for Garaks plan to bring the Romulans into the war.It's great, if you watch DS9's section 31 version only, you can imagine Sloane as this deeply manipulative sociopath who draws others into his delusions and his one man mission to "save" the Federation. Is Starfleet covering it up, or is there nothing to cover up? Starfleet's own responses start to play into the idea of a cover-up, but is that just confirmation bias on our heroes' parts?
But then ENT confirmed the real existence of s31 and it went downhill from there....
That's exactly the part I don't like - that very implication. Star Trek has maintained that someone doesn't need to do the dirty jobs. That the institutions of society can be above board, accountable, and driven by morality. Having something like section 31 undermines that fairly fatally because it says that it was always a naive fantasy. Picard is just blowing hot air, a pompous figurehead with no real power or real lesson to teach us. I find that quite sad.Someone has to do the dirty jobs so that others can swan about the galaxy believing in pink clouds and rainbows,
The organization's title came from the original Starfleet Charter, Article 14, Section 31, which allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat. (ENT: "Divergence") At some point before 2151,
Sloan did say that S31 was part of the original Federation charter.
Section 31 is a bylaw in the Starfleet Charter.
"Section 31" is an excuse for acting like a Romulan, more so than any one institution.
Point of order.
"Original Charter"?
Seems like we have a National Treasure situation on hands.
Although...
Everyone in Starfleet "today" swore an oath to uphold the "revised" Starfleet Charter, so it doesn't really matter what was said in a secret draft of the Starfleet Charter that no one knows about.
They were folded into Starfleet after the Romulan War, as per BeyondYou know what I wonder about. What happened to the MACO"S from "Enterprise. " I assume they eventually were turned into the Starfleet Marines but I don't even think the Starfleet Marines were ever established as canon. Closest we got was those different looking uniforms like ones some wear in the DS9 ep where Jake and our Bashir respond to a Klingon attack and work in a makeshift hospital and the "Siege at AR-78" or something like that.
Jason
As canon? No. Behind the Scenes sources for TFF do refer to the guys in blue turtlenecks seen during the Nimbus III mission as Marines, but they weren't identified as such on screen.I don't even think the Starfleet Marines were ever established as canon.
Since those guys used naval ranks, they likely aren't Marines.Closest we got was those different looking uniforms like ones some wear in the DS9 ep where Jake and Bashir respond to a Klingon attack and work in a makeshift hospital and the "Siege at AR-78" or something like that.
You know what I wonder about. What happened to the MACO"S from "Enterprise. " I assume they eventually were turned into the Starfleet Marines but I don't even think the Starfleet Marines were ever established as canon.
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