But espionage organizations don't work like that. The entire point of Section 31 is that it was sanctioned by the government. That it wasn't some secret society that was manipulating the government, but that it was allowed to exist by the Federation. Otherwise there would be no point for Article 14, Section 31 to exist, since it would operate whether or not the Charter allowed it. There wouldn't need to be this hidden vague line justifying its existence.
I don't agree. I don't believe for a second that Article 14, section 31 was actually written with the
intention of authorizing an organization like this; I think it was just a vaguely worded clause that some people chose to
interpret as permission to found an organization whose entire purpose for existing was to break the law with Earth or Federation security as their excuse. Just because Section 31's members
claim that their existence is justified, that doesn't mean we should believe them, because they obviously have a vested interest in that interpretation.
And no, it isn't sanctioned by the government, not in any legal or legitimate sense. Some government officials who learn of it may tolerate its existence in the belief that it serves a purpose, especially in desperate times like the Dominion War, but they're doing so extralegally.
No, espionage organizations don't work like that, but
Section 31 is not an espionage organization. People keep forgetting that Starfleet Intelligence is the Federation's actual espionage organization. Section 31 is an extralegal cabal within Starfleet. It's a conspiracy, not an agency.
It's not some shadow organization floating around in history bending the government to its will:
Here I'l agree, because there's no way that Section 31 could've remained hidden for centuries if it were
constantly imposing its will. There was
a recent scientific study that demonstrated mathematically how impossible it is for a large conspiracy to maintain its secrecy for a great length of time. The larger the conspiracy needs to be, the shorter the length of time that it can plausibly avoid being discovered. In order to last a century, a conspiracy could have no more than 125 participants. Imagine how tiny it would have to be in order to go undiscovered for three centuries.
So the only way Section 31 could work is if, most of the time, it keeps its head down and does nothing. If it only activates its operatives at times of extreme need, like after the Xindi crisis or during the Dominion War. I actually had Harris say that in
Tower of Babel, I think it was -- that they needed to be the recourse of last resort when all else failed, rather than constantly meddling and risking exposure. And really, it's during such extreme times that the superiors in Starfleet and the Federation would be most inclined to tolerate their existence. It doesn't make sense to think of it as an unchanging constant throughout history, because nothing in government is that invariant.
It's a blot because it's part of the Federation, as much as the Tal Shiar is part of the Romulan Star Empire or the Obsidian Order is part of the Cardassian Empire.
Again, no. Those are both overtly known agencies that answer to the state. They're the equivalent of Starfleet Intelligence, or whatever civilian intelligence agency the UFP government operates.
This just turns it from the KGB or the Stasi into something more like the Illuminati.
Yes, exactly -- or SD-6 from
Alias, except it's a conspiracy that operates inside the military.