Spoilers Section 31 the reason for the Treaty of Algeron?

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

It always seemed improbable to me that the Federation hadn't dabbled with cloaking technology before the Pegasus, and we just got a look at some of the covert tech in action courtesy of S31.

Given that Section 31 was there on the Klingon homeworld when the Federation was about to be defeated, could they have used cloaking technology - in a separate conflict - to bring about a catastrophe on Romulus that so horrified the Federation that they were willing to give up cloaking altogether, leaving it to the Romulans? There wouldn't have been an official admission from the Federation about it, of course, but all of the top brass would've been in-the-know as they signed the accord.

If they did something to Romulus that was anything close to what they were planning for the Klingons, it seems likely that the Federation would be willing to backpedal on something like cloaking.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I was thinking, Section 31 and the spin-off if it happens is gonna be their excuse to feature Romulans. If it's all black ops top secret silliness, they can know who Romulans are and it not violate continuity. Or something.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

Some of what was said in DS9 made it sound like they had been very proactive against a great number of threats to the Federation over the course of many years, and it seems probable that the Romulans were in their sights at some point. I was a big fan of the show "The Americans," and I think there's a way to do top-secret without it being too silly, but we'll have to wait and see. If they did something horrific to the Romulans, it wouldn't be in the official record, but it would explain why the Federation was willing to sign such a 1-sided treaty.

 

[DEWLine]

Blackmail leverage: "Sign this or 31's atrocities come into the light of day. And see how long your Federation lasts in the wake of that."

And it's likely that whatever 31 did to the Romulans during those quiet decades was no less than atrocity.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

Exactly. Up til now, I've always found the explanations to be lacking, in regards to the Treaty and cloaking. But this would be a superb way to resolve that question mark in a definitive way that would make sense as a moral issue as well.

 

[Ovation]

All the Romulans would need to do is make Georgiou’s true origins public.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

All the Romulans would need to do is make Georgiou’s true origins public.

What do you mean?

 

[Agony_Boothb]

I don't think you need Section 31 to explain the Treaty of Algeron. The Federation probably didn't want a war with the Romulans especially at a time when things were still icy with the Klingons. Giving up the cloak was a small price to pay for peace. All the while elements of Starfleet would continue working on cloaking technology in case the Romulans reneged on the deal.

It got me thinking though, why didn't Sisko just ask the Klingons for a cloaking device for Defiant?

 

[Tuskin38]

I don't think you need Section 31 to explain the Treaty of Algeron. The Federation probably didn't want a war with the Romulans especially at a time when things were still icy with the Klingons. Giving up the cloak was a small price to pay for peace. All the while elements of Starfleet would continue working on cloaking technology in case the Romulans reneged on the deal.

It got me thinking though, why didn't Sisko just ask the Klingons for a cloaking device for Defiant?

Because it was the Romulans they had the treaty with.

 

[Agony_Boothb]

Because it was the Romulans they had the treaty with.

Oh yes. Pretty sure sisko even says that in the episode d'oh

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

Because it was the Romulans they had the treaty with.

If Section 31 committed a catastrophe against Romulus by means of using the cloak, maybe the cloak itself was given to the Romulans. Maybe that's why it was so compatible with a Starfleet ship's systems when that time came in DS9, and never required another Romulan to tinker with it after T'Rul was taken out.

 

[Dukhat]

If Section 31 committed a catastrophe against Romulus by means of using the cloak...

Good idea so far.

...maybe the cloak itself was given to the Romulans. Maybe that's why it was so compatible with a Starfleet ship's systems when that time came in DS9, and never required another Romulan to tinker with it after T'Rul was taken out.

This I'm not so sure about. I would think that Starfleet would just destroy their research and tech rather than hand it over to the Romulans.

 

[Tuskin38]

Well the cloak we see them use in episode 3 doesn’t seem to be a traditional Trek cloak.

It looks like the actual panels or skin of the ship is reflecting the light, it’s not just turning invisible

But it will be hard to say until they show it again.

 

[Lord Garth]

I feel Section 31 would only pretend to care about the Treaty of Algeron. They're only violating the treaty if they get caught. If they're caught, they're acting "rogue" instead of "for the Federation".

Starfleet is the Angel to Section 31's Devil.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

I feel Section 31 would only pretend to care about the Treaty of Algeron.

The premise I'm making is that the Treaty (specifically about cloaking) was *because* of S31, meaning that Section 31 committed something terrible against Romulus, and then later the treaty was signed with that in-mind. Maybe it left Romulus too vulnerable to the Klingons, so the Federation thought it would also balance that out.

 

[Lord Garth]

The premise I'm making is that the Treaty (specifically about cloaking) was *because* of S31, meaning that Section 31 committed something terrible against Romulus, and then later the treaty was signed with that in-mind. Maybe it left Romulus too vulnerable to the Klingons, so the Federation thought it would also balance that out.

I agree with your premise. Maybe they are the reason. But like I said: they'd only care on paper. Starfleet and the Federation say they'd keep all elements in check. Then Section 31 would continue to secretly go the "ends justify the means" route. It's all about putting on a face and becoming a lot more careful. So careful that by the late-24th Century hardly anyone even knows of them.

You could even have the myth that Section 31 doesn't exist after the Treaty of Algeron. That allows a window for Section 31 to become better known in DSC than in DS9. Section 31 would be known to few and the few who do know about it could scoff about how it has no place in their Enlightened 24th Century Federation. Only fewer even still would know the actual truth.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Exactly. Up til now, I've always found the explanations to be lacking, in regards to the Treaty and cloaking. But this would be a superb way to resolve that question mark in a definitive way that would make sense as a moral issue as well.

While not canon, I have to highly recommend David R George III's novel Serpents Among the Ruins.

It depicts the events leading up to the Treaty of Algeron and while Section 31 isn't a part of the story, there were some serious shenanigans involved on the Starfleet Intelligence side, and the real story and the official story have almost nothing in common.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

I think there's plenty of room for it, and it's practically ideal for that kind of storyline. It could shed light on Federation-Romulan-Klingon dynamics overall and how they became what they were in TOS and TNG.

 

[Ovation]

What do you mean?

As leverage to force the signing of the treaty by the “goody two shoes” Federation, all the Romulans would need to do is threaten to reveal MU Georgiou to the public. Just an example of potential blackmail material.

 

[NewHeavensNewEarth]

As leverage to force the signing of the treaty by the “goody two shoes” Federation, all the Romulans would need to do is threaten to reveal MU Georgiou to the public. Just an example of potential blackmail material.

Sure. But how would they know she's MU?