Section 31

[2takesfrakes]

Introduced in ST: DS9, Section 31 is meant to represent that part of the Federation that does its dirty deeds ... covertly and independent of oversight. And, just to make sure STAR TREK fans view TOS differently, ENT even included it as part of Malcolm's narrative. So ...

What do you think of this addition to the franchise lexicon? Does it make the presented Utopia work for you? Does it change your views, at all, about things like The Prime Directive, in the various series? Do you feel that it betrays Gene's Vision™?

 

[Timo]

I like to think that S31 was just the lunatic fantasy of Luther Sloane. We never saw any other S31 operative, after all, and got no verification that the organization would actually have done or achieved something besides Sloane's personal doings. Perhaps Sloane was a SF Intelligence operative gone mad, diving head first into a fantasy world and reviving the century-old and long defunct Earth cabal by that name for the purpose?

It was Starfleet proper that tried to kill all the Founders with the bioweapon, and ended up winning the war that way. No secret cabal required. Although SF Intel no doubt took full advantage of Sloane's ailment and blamed half of their shady dealings on his fantasy organization. The other half they just didn't bring up.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[wayoung]

I like to think that S31 was just the lunatic fantasy of Luther Sloane. We never saw any other S31 operative, after all, and got no verification that the organization would actually have done or achieved something besides Sloane's personal doings. /QUOTE]

? We saw Section 31 in both ENT and NuTrek.

 

[The Wormhole]

I like Section 31.

 

[UnknownSample]

The Federation is so vast, with so many trillions of people, that it could exist as Gene R wanted it to be, but with also this Section 31 thing going on, with almost no one knowing. The greater a society they might have been to live in, the more frantic and cynical some people will be to protect it by throwing the rules away, even if they're taught about the moral and practical pitfalls of it.

 

[Timo]

? We saw Section 31 in both ENT and NuTrek.

In ENT, there was an organization calling itself S31. There's no need to assume that Sloane's "organization" was related to that one, just like there's no reason to assume the Freemasons really are related to anything from ancient Egypt or even the Middle Ages, despite attempts at say-so.

Significantly, Sloane claims that his organization draws legitimacy from "the original Starfleet Charter*". Since the ENT organization does the same, though, we either have to assume that the Charter for UFP Starfleet is identical to the Charter for UE Starfleet, down to Section numbering, or then may deduce that Sloane is at the very least completely off his rocker in pretending to be legitimate.

The same applies to the organization seen in ST:ID. But they don't make claims of legitimacy; they might use the name S31 in a completely ironic sense, as a funny bit of professional jargon (intel agencies today do that quite a lot, or at least did in the past century). There's no mention of them bending the rules, either, or being "autonomous" or anything.

Thus there's little need to see continuity between the three separate appearances of S31. Two belong to different governments and historical eras altogether, and one stands out as more renegade than the others.

Timo Saloniemi

* In theory, Sloane might mean the UESF Charter by his "original", but Bashir says the original was "200 years ago" which jibes better with the 2161 UFP organization, and does not seem to contest the concept of Sloane referring to an organization that no longer even exists.

 

[wayoung]

We have 3 out of 6 branches of the franchise acknowledging on screen a heavily funded, powerful secret intelligence organization working for the same people (starfleet/federation) with the same goals and the same name. Trying to say they are all different organizations with a bunch of conjecture is a pretty big stretch.

 

[Timo]

Just pointing out the key differences, is all. There's quite a bit of discontinuity there - but that's true of just about every aspect of Trek, and of the real world as well.

Admiral Marcus, the head of all Starfleet, isn't ashamed or even too secretive about his S31. Sloane is the only proof we have of his S31 even existing. And Harris says his organization fights for Earth. These could all be aspects of one and the same organization, but it's still supposed to be a niche organization, thus probably not as vast and complex and self-contradictory as, say, Starfleet.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[fireproof78]

No, they are just complex and self-contradictory. You don't get to be a secret cabal by being vast.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if S31 was a cluster of cells, each task with "terrible purpose" and built up to be the last line of defense for the Federation.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

I like Section 31.

Star Trek Online certainly agrees with you. First part of that game is almost entirely Section 31 related missions.

 

[wayoung]

No, they are just complex and self-contradictory. You don't get to be a secret cabal by being vast.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if S31 was a cluster of cells, each task with "terrible purpose" and built up to be the last line of defense for the Federation.

That's a good theory.

 

[KelisThePoet]

I don't approve of Section 31 as an organization and have no problem with them being in the stories. They're not the first or only instance of something rotten or corrupt in Starfleet and the Federation that the heroes have to work against. I think it's a dramatically limiting mistake to assume that for Star Trek to sincerely espouse an ideal, Starfleet and the Federation have to operate by it; that the vision or ethos of the show must be synonymous with the operations of those fictional organizations. Many of the strongest social commentary in the original series of Star Trek was made by stories in which Starfleet (and sometimes even Kirk) was portrayed as doing wrong.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I don't buy the Federation being a Utopia for a second. I don't mind Section 31, but I don't like them being overdone (like the novels retconning S31 as being behind every dubious act in Federation history)

 

[wayoung]

I don't buy the Federation being a Utopia for a second. I don't mind Section 31, but I don't like them being overdone (like the novels retconning S31 as being behind every dubious act in Federation history)

Small world syndrome is a pet peeve of mine in fiction.

 

[bajorangirl]

I like Section 31. In fact I've just ordered a couple of the books and pre-ordered the newest one coming out next year. I like the fact that theres something going off behind the scenes at Star Fleet that even some of the highest ranking officers don't know about.
But thats just me I love a conspiracy

 

[Jedi_Master]

Section 31 is a hoot, and it makes the Federation way more interesting.

 

[-Brett-]

Concept could have been interesting, but the execution was kind of lacking. Their appearances were too few, usually sharing the episode/movie with more interesting concepts that distracted from Section 31, not really allowing the idea to develop. Klingons, Romulans and Borg didn't become the franchise's most iconic antagonists by sharing the spotlight.

 

[Ghel]

I liked the idea of a Section 31. When TNG aired, I couldn't help but wonder how the Federation would compete when opposing powers have groups like the Tal Shiar and the Obsidian order. Ideals are great, but if your enemy is willing to use spies, treachery, and deceipt, it seems a little goofy to assume the Federation simply got by on the whole "humanity perfected" ideal with no intelligence agency to speak of.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If anything it points out the hypocrisy of a handful of upper brass, and supports DS9's thesis that human progress and idealism has difficulty standing up to real danger.

It doesn't negate the entire accomplishment of the Federation establishing a peaceful society.

@Ghel

I think it's incorrect to suggest that secretive fascist organizations are the only way to protect the security of a state. In TNG it showed that the Federation was willing to defend itself and protect its interests through military action.

 

[Nyotarules]

I like the idea of an imperfect Federation, the Utopian aspect of humans progressing works for me (compared to 1316, 2016 London is Utopia) but human reaching perfection in behaviour? Nah.