Summary
WhenStar Trekfans think of Starfleet, they probably think of the Starfleet officers aboard starships, the staff and students of Starfleet Academy, and the commodores, admirals, and administrative staff who work at Starfleet Headquarters. While the people in those roles make up the vast majority of Starfleet personnel, there are other divisions of Starfleet thatStar Trekfans see far less often. Two of those divisions are Starfleet Intelligence andSection 31, which started out as a subdivision of Starfleet Intelligence.
In the 23rd century, Section 31 was still asubdivision of Starfleet Intelligence, which still had oversight of Section 31’s activities. However, Section 31 operatives often took more liberties with those missions than Starfleet Intelligence liked, which caused problems. By the 24th century, Section 31 was its own operation.
The frequent overlap between Starfleet Intelligence and Section 31’s duties and missions makes it easy to confuse the two. Here are the major differences between the organizations, and how they function within Starfleet.
Starfleet Intelligence: Spying and Planning
Like any other intelligence organization, the primary function of Starfleet Intelligence is to gather information about threats to Starfleet, and above that, the United Federation of Planets. Their objective is then to report that information back to Starfleet Command. In ideal circumstances,Starfleet Intelligence reports to Starfleet Commandand suggests appropriate actions based on the information, leaving Command to decide on a course of action. In extreme circumstances, Starfleet Intelligence officers may reach out to high-level Starfleet officers directly to warn them of an imminent threat and work with them on an action plan with little feedback from Starfleet Command.
Starfleet Intelligence’s missions often involve gathering intelligence on the actions of alien governments, such as theKlingon Empire, the Romulan Empire, and the Dominion. However, Starfleet Intelligence also investigates suspected threats within Starfleet. One example is when the Founders took the physical forms of high-level Starfleet officers on Earth. They also take on Starfleet officers who go rogue, like the members of the Maquis.
On rare occasions, Starfleet Intelligence has been involved in cover-ups to protect the security of the Federation. The most notable example is themutiny aboard the Pegasus, which was covered up because the ship was testing a top-secret cloaking device.
Starfleet Intelligence played a major role in theDominion War. Intelligence officers throughout the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants gathered information about the Founders, the Vorta, the Jem’Hadar, the Cardassians, and other members of the Dominion. They also kept a close eye on the Romulans to determine whether they would ally with the Dominion or the Federation.
Starfleet Intelligence handles the work that Starfleet Command can justify as necessary for the security of Starfleet and the Federation. When Starfleet or the Federation need something done that isn’t quite above board, or they don’t want to answer too many questions about their actions, they call in Section 31.
Section 31: The Dirty Work
The long-timejustification for Section 31is much the same as it is for any Black Ops organization. Sometimes, governing bodies need to do things to protect their people that they can’t get away with doing out in the open. When Starfleet Intelligence can’t risk being involved in a mission, or Starfleet needs to do something just over the line of illegal, they have Section 31.
Most of Section 31’s early activities in the 22nd and 23rd centuries had to do with efforts to stabilize the Klingon Empire. They were constantly embroiled in some kind of civil war, and always one misstep away fromwar with the Federation. Relations with the Klingons were so precarious that Starfleet Intelligence couldn’t risk sending agents into Klingon territory, even undercover.
But because the Klingons were a major threat to the Federation, Starfleet Intelligence still wanted to influence the direction of the Klingon Empire. So, they had Section 31 operatives embedded in the Klingon Empire. Meanwhile, they had personnel within Starfleet, likeLieutenant Malcolm Reedon the Enterprise NX-01, carry out missions that encouraged the stability of the Klingon Empire.
Members of Section 31 were also tasked with scientific missions that Starfleet couldn’t afford to be officially tied to, like the Daedalus Project. This project, headed by Leland and Gabrielle and Mike Burnham, focused on developingtime travel technologyafter Section 31 discovered the Klingons were working on the same. The project was so crucial to Starfleet and Federation security, that Starfleet Intelligence tasked Section 31 to conceal it from traditional oversight. In addition to the need for secrecy, the Federation knew the scientists working on the project would need to use unsanctioned methods to get the information and materials they needed.
During theKlingon Wars, Starfleet Intelligence relied on Section 31 to carry out intelligence and combat missions they couldn’t afford to have traced back to Starfleet. Unfortunately, Control, the computer system that Section 31 used to guide their decision-making, became sentient. It killed Section 31’s highest-level operatives and took over the organization. After that fiasco, Section 31 was supposed to undergo a serious overhaul and its activities were supposed to be more closely monitored by Starfleet Intelligence.
By the 24th century, Section 31 had split from Starfleet Intelligence entirely. Luther Sloan, the Section 31 agent who interrogated and tried to recruit Dr. Bashir during the Dominion War, told Bashir that Section 31 was its own organization. It reported to no one, was held accountable by no one, and did whatever its members felt they needed to do to ensure the Federation’s security. WhenCaptain Benjamin Siskoasked Starfleet Command about Section 31, they insisted that there was no Black Ops division of Starfleet Intelligence, and the so-called Section 31 was a rogue organization.
The path Section 31 walked, from legitimate intelligence operations to rogue, unchecked secret society, illustrates the tightrope that Black Ops organizations walk. Without responsible oversight and structures of accountability, operatives who are used to hiding, sneaking around, and living outside the law can easily slide into becoming their own version of the law.
