Section 31

Infobox fictional secret organisation
organisation_name=Section 31
organisation_logo=
organisation_type=
universe=Star Trek universe
foundation=Established in Starfleet charter
location=unknown
key_people=Agent Harris (2150s)
Agent (2370s)
purpose=Defend the United Federation of Planets by any means necessary
technologies=
powers=
revenue=
operating_income=
net_income=
num_employees=
affiliations=none
subsid=
homepage=
footnotes=

In the Star Trek fictional universe, Section 31 is the name of an unofficial intelligence and defense organization. It is presented as a special security operation, manned by United Federation of Planets citizens, that is not subject to the normal constraints of Starfleet ethical protocols.cite book|title=Star Trek: The Human Frontier|author=Michele Barrett and Duncan Barrett|pages=65–66|year=2001|publisher=Routledge|id=ISBN 0415929822] The organization appears, or is mentioned, across eight episodes of ' and '.

Overview

Within Star Trek, Section 31 exists outside Starfleet Intelligence's influence and deals with threats to Earth's and, later, the Federation's security.Inquisition (DS9 episode)"] Its operating authority stems from a provision of the Starfleet charter — Article 14, Section 31, from which its name is derived — that makes allowances for "bending the rules" during times of extraordinary threats.ENT: "Affliction (ENT episode)"]

Section 31 is comparable to other secret police organizations in the "Star Trek" universe, such as the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order. Unlike those organizations, Section 31 does not exist to enforce government policy or punish traitors, but rather to defend against external threats. Also, unlike the Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order, both of whom are greatly feared within their populaces, most people in the "Star Trek" universe have never heard of Section 31 and will never encounter it.

Little of Section 31's history has been revealed on-screen. Since the concept of Section 31 was created for the ' episode ', most references to the organization appear in episodes of "Deep Space Nine", although Section 31 also appears in '. Several works of Star Trek spin-off fiction expands on Section 31's operations; Pocket Books published a four-part series profiling connections between Section 31's operations and the missions of James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, and the crews of Deep Space Nine and the USS "Voyager". These novels explicitly link Section 31 to Fleet Admiral Cartwright's actions in ' and Vice Admiral Matthew Dougherty's actions in "". Section 31 is also heavily featured in the "Star Trek: Enterprise" novel "The Good That Men Do", in which Trip Tucker joins the organization after his supposed "death".

Controversial topics

The implications of Section 31 have been described as "troubling" and its goals and methods "deeply questionable". Its methods include brainwashing, torture, and, as revealed by the end of the Deep Space Nine TV series, genocide, the crime that is most opposed by the Federation. The genocide involves the creation, by Section 31, of a disease designed to kill a single species, the Founders, with the aim of destroying the Dominion.

Agents

Throughout the series, several Deep Space Nine officers, including Captain Sisko, infiltrate Section 31, aiming to obtain from it a cure for the disease in order to save the life of Odo, but themselves collude in hiding the crime. This is part of a pattern of overall loss of moral credibility by Starfleet, in comparison to that which it had in the original series and "The Next Generation". The "Deep Space Nine" series and the film "" both "position the Starfleet authorities in a very dubious light".

Section 31 agents include the following characters:
*Luther Sloan - ""
*Harris (portrayed by Eric Pierpoint) - ""
*Malcolm Reed - ""
*Novels only:
**Charles Tucker III ("Star Trek: Enterprise"; novel "The Good That Men Do")
**Admiral Cartwright ("Star Trek VI"; novel "Section 31: Cloak")
**Admiral Dougherty ("Star Trek: Insurrection"; novel "Section 31: Abyss")
**Commander Cortin Zweller ("Star Trek: The Next Generation";novel "Section 31: Rogue")
**Ambassador Aubin Tabor ("Star Trek: The Next Generation";novel "Section 31: Rogue")
**Ensign Roberta Luke ("Star Trek: Voyager";novel "Section 31: Shadow")

Appearances

;"Star Trek: Enterprise":Although produced later, these episodes come chronologically before the above Deep Space Nine episodes.
*"Affliction"
*"Divergence"
*"Terra Prime"

;"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
*"Inquisition"
*"Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"
*"When It Rains..."
*"Tacking Into the Wind"
*"Extreme Measures"

;"Star Trek novels"
*"The Good That Men Do" (Enterprise novel)
*"Section 31: Cloak" (Original Series/movie era novel)
*"Section 31: Rogue" (Next Generation/movie era novel)
*"Section 31: Abyss" (Deep Space Nine novel)
*"Section 31: Shadow" (Voyager novel)

;"Star Trek Comics"
*Star Trek Year Four Enterprise Experiment issue 2 published by IDW.

References

External links

*Memoryalpha
* [http://startrek.wikia.com/wiki/Section_31 Section 31] at [http://startrek.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page The Star Trek Non-canon wiki]

Further reading

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