And if he did...................
Thoughts: Did Siko Know Ross Worked for 31?
- Thread starter He'sDeadJim
- Start date
I seriously doubt it. But hey--think of the story possibilities....
Technically, Ross didn't work for Section 31 - at least that's what he said. It was a temporary alliance. I believe him.
The big question is how far that alliance goes back. I believe the Sloan/Koval/Ross alliance predates 'Inquisition' and that Julian was specifically recruited for the mission in Inter Arma Einem Silent Leges. Furthermore, I think Sisko was an unwitting pawn in 'In The Pale Moonlight' in a similar way as Geordi in 'In The Mind's Eye'. Garak was involved too. It was Koval who provided him with Vreenak's itinerary and the information he needed to plant the bomb on the shuttle without being detected. Probably provided him with the bomb too.
The big question is how far that alliance goes back. I believe the Sloan/Koval/Ross alliance predates 'Inquisition' and that Julian was specifically recruited for the mission in Inter Arma Einem Silent Leges. Furthermore, I think Sisko was an unwitting pawn in 'In The Pale Moonlight' in a similar way as Geordi in 'In The Mind's Eye'. Garak was involved too. It was Koval who provided him with Vreenak's itinerary and the information he needed to plant the bomb on the shuttle without being detected. Probably provided him with the bomb too.
While logical, I think some of the moral ambiguity of 'In The Pale Moonlight' is lost if you just say Section 31 did it. It gives that 'evil face' to Vreenak's murder that kind of undermines the problem Sisko is dealing with. Now that being said he had no qualms about making a Maquis planet inhabitable so its all a moot point.
Here I'm obligated to point out once again that we don't really have objective proof that S31 even exists.
Really (and discounting ENT which would be a separate issue), there has only ever been a single operative who has identified himself as S31: Sloan himself. All other personnel and activities of the purpoted organization have been mere stories told by Sloan, or people personally deceived by Sloan. Oh, there were all sorts of covert operations going on in DS9 - but those would have happened without the existence of S31, and would probably be more simply and logically explained without assuming the existence of S31.
Really, it seems to me that S31 would be one of two things: a fictional organization created by Starfleet Intelligence for purposes of plausible deniability if and when the genocide project against the Founders came to light - or a personal delusion by a somewhat psychotic, perhaps guilt-ridden former SFI operative Sloan.
The latter would be the more touching story, and one familiar from reality, too (witness the countless "secret orders" with "millennia of history" that grown-up people play today). Perhaps Sloan created the organization simply to maintain the illusion that he was important, even after being kicked out of SFI. Or perhaps he had greater plans from the very start. But towards the end of his tragic little charade, he would certainly be engaged in an almost messianic self-sacrifice: single-handedly taking the fall for the genocide plan and saving Starfleet's reputation.
Both the interpretations could be true at the same time, of course. Sloan could be played by SFI for the purpose of deniability, and given the resources he needed for the messiah charade. Not much: a small ship with a good holodeck and one of those soundless transporters that we already saw in "Devil's Due" would suffice just fine, along with some crumbs of information every now and then.
Timo Saloniemi
Really (and discounting ENT which would be a separate issue), there has only ever been a single operative who has identified himself as S31: Sloan himself. All other personnel and activities of the purpoted organization have been mere stories told by Sloan, or people personally deceived by Sloan. Oh, there were all sorts of covert operations going on in DS9 - but those would have happened without the existence of S31, and would probably be more simply and logically explained without assuming the existence of S31.
Really, it seems to me that S31 would be one of two things: a fictional organization created by Starfleet Intelligence for purposes of plausible deniability if and when the genocide project against the Founders came to light - or a personal delusion by a somewhat psychotic, perhaps guilt-ridden former SFI operative Sloan.
The latter would be the more touching story, and one familiar from reality, too (witness the countless "secret orders" with "millennia of history" that grown-up people play today). Perhaps Sloan created the organization simply to maintain the illusion that he was important, even after being kicked out of SFI. Or perhaps he had greater plans from the very start. But towards the end of his tragic little charade, he would certainly be engaged in an almost messianic self-sacrifice: single-handedly taking the fall for the genocide plan and saving Starfleet's reputation.
Both the interpretations could be true at the same time, of course. Sloan could be played by SFI for the purpose of deniability, and given the resources he needed for the messiah charade. Not much: a small ship with a good holodeck and one of those soundless transporters that we already saw in "Devil's Due" would suffice just fine, along with some crumbs of information every now and then.
Timo Saloniemi
Interesting, very interesting. I have to admit, this all sounds quite logically plausible to me, except for one thing. Sloan tells Bashir that Section 31 was part of the original Starfleet Charter.
Surely Bashir, once back on the station in "Inquistion," could simply have read the charter and saw those few lines in Article 14, Section 31 about "allowances in times of extraordinary threat." If those lines weren't actually there, which ENT later confirmed were there, it would be a huge mistake, or mis-step, on Sloan's part. It would distory any credibility he thought he had with his potential recruit.
Either way you slice it - if it's a personal delusion on Sloan's part, some massive strategic move on the part of Starfleet Intelligence, or Section 31 really exists - you have to admit that Section 31, whatever it is, knows it's stuff. Sloan is always twenty steps ahead of the genetically enhanced Bashir. I doubt that someone that acutely in tune with the situation at all times would make such a serious mistake.
I'm not sure I can spot the mistake here.
Whether any organization really made use of that loophole, or whether Sloan just found said words nicely supportive of his fantasy and thus liked to promote them, is unknown.
ENT of course deals with the Charter of United Earth Starfleet. That document should lend no legitimacy to an organization operating within the United Federation of Planets, a completely different political entity that at the very least ties the United Earth in all sorts of legal obligations that are likely to be in gross contradiction with the old UESF Charter.
Timo Saloniemi
It's more like Sloan tells him the original Charter featured some loose wording that theoretically (and if one read the wording with perverse enough intent) allowed something like S31 to be loopholed in. If the Charter really had something about "founding a secret organization" there, the organization wouldn't be secret...
Whether any organization really made use of that loophole, or whether Sloan just found said words nicely supportive of his fantasy and thus liked to promote them, is unknown.
ENT of course deals with the Charter of United Earth Starfleet. That document should lend no legitimacy to an organization operating within the United Federation of Planets, a completely different political entity that at the very least ties the United Earth in all sorts of legal obligations that are likely to be in gross contradiction with the old UESF Charter.
Timo Saloniemi
This isn't canon, but:
Not only do the novels have Section 31 as a legit orginization, but Section 31: Cloak has Kirk discover, in the Federation Starfleet Charter, Article 14, Section 31, the authorization of the creation of an "autonomous investigative agency", with non-specific powers....
Kirk noted that is was there unnoticed for so long precicely because it was hidden in plain sight....
But again, books aren't canon.
Not only do the novels have Section 31 as a legit orginization, but Section 31: Cloak has Kirk discover, in the Federation Starfleet Charter, Article 14, Section 31, the authorization of the creation of an "autonomous investigative agency", with non-specific powers....
Kirk noted that is was there unnoticed for so long precicely because it was hidden in plain sight....
But again, books aren't canon.
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