| Universe | Star Trek universe |
|---|---|
| Type | Intelligence agency |
| Founded | Established in Starfleet charter |
| Location | unknown |
| Key people | Agent Harris (2150s) Agent Luther Sloan (2370s) |
| Purpose | Defend the United Federation of Planets by any means necessary |
| Technologies | Classified, United Federation of Planets' technologies |
| Affiliations | United Earth (superseded) United Federation of Planets |
In the Star Trek fictional universe, Section 31 is an autonomous intelligence and defense organization. It is presented as a special security operation, manned by Federation citizens, that is not subject to the normal constraints of Starfleet ethical protocols.[1] The organization appears, or is mentioned, across eight episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise.
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Within Star Trek, Section 31 exists outside Starfleet Intelligence's influence and deals with threats to Earth's and, later, the Federation's security.[2] 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.[3]
Unlike other secret police organizations in the Star Trek universe, such as the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order, Section 31 is not an actual branch of government. Accountable to no one, Section 31 focuses on external threats, and pursues those it identifies by whatever means it sees fit.
Little of Section 31's history has been revealed on-screen. Most references to the organization appear in episodes of Deep Space Nine, although Section 31 also appears in Star Trek: Enterprise. Several works of Star Trek spin-off fiction expand 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 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Vice Admiral Matthew Dougherty's actions in Star Trek: Insurrection. 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".
The implications of Section 31 have been described as "troubling" and its goals and methods "deeply questionable".[1] Its methods include brainwashing, torture, assassinations 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 virus designed to kill a single species, the Founders, with the aim of destroying the Dominion.[1] Section 31 deliberately infected Odo with this virus, knowing he would spread it to other founders.
Throughout the series, several Deep Space Nine officers, including Julian Bashir, infiltrate Section 31.[4] One of their aims was to obtain a cure for the virus which was threatening Odo's life,[5] however, under orders from Captain Sisko, they ultimately collude in hiding the crime.[6] 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.[1] The Deep Space Nine series and the film Star Trek: Insurrection both "position the Starfleet authorities in a very dubious light".[1]
Section 31 agents include the following characters:
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