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Section 31 poll

Does Section 31 underpin or undermine Federation values?

  • Underpin

    Votes: 19 34.5%
  • Undermine

    Votes: 36 65.5%

  • Total voters
    55
  • Poll closed .
I don't think Berman had much to do with it. From what I understand, he was pretty hands off of DS9 after the first couple of seasons. If you want to blame someone, blame Ira Steven Behr.
Well, then ... I have a message for one Mr. Steven Behr ...

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I hate Section 31 more than anything in Star Trek. It was tolerable when it could have been just a figment of Sloan's sick imagination, but as an actual existing organisation it pollutes the very concept of Star Trek.
 
^Isn't that the point, though? To show that utopia is something you need to actively maintain?
Maintain against things like S31, not by them. And if S31 can exist in Federation for centuries and have considerable influence (and their own secret super ships!) then the Federation is basically a lie.
 
Maintain against things like S31, not by them. And if S31 can exist in Federation for centuries and have considerable influence (and their own secret super ships!) then the Federation is basically a lie.

That was my point, that S31 isn't a necessity, but rather something to be fought against.
 
Even in a perfect world, someone has to handle the sanitation.

And someone will - Starfleet Intelligence.

Whatever needs to be done, and deserves to be done, SI can do. If they can't do it, then it shouldn't - it MUST not - happen.
 
It isn't so much a lie, as it (with section 31) is just a little more a real place.
Just no. We don't need that sort of cynical 'realism' in Star Trek. If Star Trek can't be optimistic, then there is no point in Star Trek.

And with section 31 there is a back-up plan.
Right. And here we are. Even though they're obviously bad guys, some people will always think they serve a purpose and basically agree with them.
 
And someone will - Starfleet Intelligence.

Whatever needs to be done, and deserves to be done, SI can do. If they can't do it, then it shouldn't - it MUST not - happen.
The assumption being Starfleet Intelligence or Federation intelligence operates morally. I bet there is also an Aenar selling ice caves on Andoria to offworlders.
 
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^ Nobody's perfect. :shrug:

But at least Starfleet, and all of its associated sub-entities, are accountable to the Federation government. They have to justify their existence and budgets. They are subordinate not only to the government, but to the Federation citizenry at large. Their actions are public knowledge. Absolutely NONE of these criteria apply to Section 31.

Starfleet Intelligence may not always operate on a strictly moral level - but they're far more trustworthy to do so than Section 31 ever could be. (To put it another way: SI isn't always moral, but Section 31 never is.) That alone makes SI better.
 
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Starfleet Intelligence could easily go rogue too. It wouldn't be that hard to fool the politicians if an intelligence chief did decide to go maverick and (unlike in Pegasus) was clever about it.

That's the thing with intelligence services in full spectrum mass technological societies - they are very vulnerable to going rogue & there's often not alot an unwieldy, slow witted political executive can do about it. .
 
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