So what's up with the black badges?

[JoeCabby]

I doubt its section 31. Why would a secret organization advertise themselves like that? Its like the illuminati who dont want anyone knowing they control the whole world and dont want anyone to know it, but they apparantly leave calling cards everywhere.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Black badges, black alert, mysterious Captain and ship trying to win a war. Cool stuff.

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[EmoBorg]

From what i know Section 31 is black ops. A section of Starfleet Intelligence. They do the covert nasty stuff. They don't go around flashing badges or letting people know who they are. Complete secrecy on their part.

Those with the black badges might be Starfleet Security special forces or something. They guard top secret facilities. They are more overt.
A Federation version of Russian OMON or French Gendarmes.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

From what i know Section 31 is black ops. A section of Starfleet Intelligence.

Section 31 is in no way a legitimate organization. It has no authorization, no authority, no allegiance to anyone except itself. It's no better than terrorists, really.

Section 31 is not a part of Starfleet Intelligence; it's a rival to it.

 

[EmoBorg]

Fine . Maybe those black badges could be special forces of either Starfleet Intelligence or Starfleet Security then.

 

[The Caped Crusader]

My vote: MACOs

 

[F. King Daniel]

Perhaps they're there in case one of Discovery's "black alert" spore jumps manifests a giant monster, as happened on the USS Glenn.

 

[Commishsleer]

Na Na Na Naa

Can't wait to find out.

 

[Ithekro]

Troopers who don't want to give away their position to say the Klingons with their highly reflective metal badges?

 

[Philip Guyott]

My first thought was that the black badges could be what is worn over the top of the body armour.

That being said, it is implied that this particular badge is new or unfamiliar, so who knows.

This - why would section 31 have their own logo?!

Same reason why they would have their own uniform!

 

[Paul Weaver]

Perhaps Starfleet in this era has combat and security units similar to United Earth's MACOs? In the Kelvin timeline Scotty says Starfleet isn't a military service and thus had no use for the MACO after the founding of the Federation, but then - this series isn't set in that timeline.

I suspect that starfleet had no need for MACOs from the end of the Romulan war until this 2250s war with the Klingons, where discovery paves the way. In the Kelvin timeline this war didn't happen, thus still no need for them, and no Colonel West.

Same reason why they would have their own uniform!

Were those minions ever confirmed not to be holodeck characters?

Either way the uniforms could just be the equivelent of a lounge suit. Perhaps they got the idea from watching "keeping up with the Cardassians"

 

[Philip Guyott]

Were those minions ever confirmed not to be holodeck characters?

Sloan wears it more then once. Also agent Harris was seen wearing it in 2154.

 

[Arpy]

Sloan wears it more then once. Also agent Harris was seen wearing it in 2154.

*than. Therefore = Not Canon




Also, not how nondescript they are. They don't signal any specific affiliation, let alone broadcast Starfleet. ...And how they do shout gestapo. Are these really the people we actually want more of?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

 

[Phily B]

No one knows Discovery exists, the 3 convicts that do are going to be at the bottom of a mine being beaten daily and suffer one of those "accidents" they mentioned if they talk. And she's classified 'above top secret' on ultra secure Starfleet channels.

That's not nearly "open". And Lorca will kill people just to get what he wants from the second we meet him.

They have Starfleet personnel and academy cadets serving on the Discovery, not a handful of handpicked, highly intelligent operatives like S31 is supposed to be. I hardly imagine you'd have Saru or Tilly mingling with S31 in the open. Only in Into Darkness have we seen them as a big and open operation with giant ships and Starfleet admirals on board.

 

[locborg]

Pretty sure we are dealing with temporal cold war black ops soldiers, activated by 34nd century Starfleet. The mushroom drive was installed by Daniels in order to support Starfleet during the Klingon War, which was accidentally started by mirror universe Burnham.

 

[Jayson1]

This - why would section 31 have their own logo?!

Well they are part of Starfleet and at this time and maybe this universe if you believe the rumors of the show being in a alternate universe that Section 31's existence is not so secret. It's seen as just another branch of Starfleet that people don't know what is really going on behind closed doors.

I think we might need to start looking at "DIscovery" in terms of basically being a flying version of Area 51. Black badges could be almost be seen as a key card in showing who is able to go to certain area's of the ship or who is privy to different levels of information. Regular starfleet most likely doesn't have the same access as Section 31 members might unless Lorca allows it.

Jason

 

[Jayson1]

Starfleet black ops makes sense. There is already a Starfleet Intelligence and a Starfleet Tactical.

The whole point of Section 31 is that no one knows they even exist, which doesn't make sense them having regulation uniforms and hanging out for random crew and visiting prisoners to see.

EDIT: Kamaiku, who says no one knows The Discovery exists? The war only started 6 months earlier, whereas the work to design and build it started much earlier. There's a war going on, so they can't broadcasting their position, and it's away from the front lines doing wartime research, but I didn't get the impression that it's a secret ship. The prisoners were sent back to prison at the end of the episode, not suffered an accident. We know that they were because Saru seemed to think Michael was on the shuttle too, heading back to prison.

Well we don't know for sure those prisoners were sent back to prison. The shuttle taking them back could have easily had a "accident" where they all died. Also it's possible they had their memories erased.

Jason

 

[Timo]

When the prison shuttle departs the ship, Saru's spines pop out. I guess we are supposed to think he is sensing three approaching deaths...

For all we know, the black badges are for cons, and Lorca has a 30% criminal crew to keep his ops more secret. The black badge was spotted on a random security goon, after all, and getting those from prisons would be simpler than getting Burnham-caliber material.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[cultcross]

That didn't really fit with Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges though - Sloan wasn't working alone, at several points.

Well, sort of - all we know is that others believed Sloan - such as Ross. Sloan was good at getting others to go along with him (even Bashir). But what we can't be sure of is whether section 31 actually exists in the manner he said it did, at least until ENT came along and couldn't resist using every single 'cool' thing from the earlier series.