In the

fictional universe A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly associated with works of fantasy and scie ...

of ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'', Section 31 is an autonomous intelligence and defense organization that carries out

covert operations A covert operation or undercover operation is a military or police operation involving a covert agent or troops acting under an assumed cover to conceal the identity of the party responsible. US law Under US law, the Central Intelligence Ag ...

for the

United Federation of Planets In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly re ...

. Created by

Ira Steven Behr Ira Steven Behr (born October 23, 1953) is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his work on ''Star Trek'', especially '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', on which he served as showrunner and executive producer. He was th ...

for the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode "

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

", the organization was intended to act as a counterbalance to the utopian portrayal of the Federation. Section 31 settings and characters have appeared in dozens of episodes, novels and comics, including the 2025 television film, '' Star Trek: Section 31''.

Production

was inspired by a line of dialogue from ''Deep Space Nine'' episode " The Maquis" spoken by Commander Benjamin Sisko: "It's easy to be a saint in paradise." Behr said in the 1999 reference companion to the series, "Why ''is'' Earth a paradise in the twenty-fourth century? Well, maybe it's because there's someone watching over it and doing the nasty stuff that no one wants to think about." He expressed an interest of exploring what life was really like for those living the fictional 24th century, saying "Is it this paradise, or are there, as

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

said, 'Weasels under the coffee table'." The name, Section 31, is explained in the story as being taken from the Starfleet Charter: Article 14, Section 31. The article, according to agents, allowed for extraordinary measures to be taken in times of extreme threat. Such measures included malicious sabotage of enemy installations and technology, biological warfare, and preemptive assassination. According to Ronald D. Moore there was considerable debate on the origin of the organization, in particular on how it was formed and how long ago. Costume designer Bob Blackman chose the black leather costumes worn by Section 31 agents to appear

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

ic. Behr had asked for dark black, severe, hostile-looking costumes. In ''Star Trek: The Human Frontier'', Michèle and Duncan Barrett explain that Section 31 agents not wearing Starfleet uniforms or dressing as Federation citizens further enhanced their role as an organization that is not constrained by ethics.

Reception

Writer David Weddle said many fans felt Section 31 betrayed the value system intended by ''Star Trek'' creator

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer who created the science fiction series and fictional universe ''Star Trek.'' Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up ...

, while others were indifferent or intrigued. "Fans would get into these long ethical and political arguments, really struggling with issues like that, which was great to see." Moore replied to criticisms of betrayal saying, "The idea that there's a rogue element within the Federation doing dark deeds outside the normal chain of command is certainly a provocative one." Actor

Jeffrey Combs Jeffrey Alan Combs (born September 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Herbert West in the ''Re-Animator'' film series (1985–2003) and portraying multiple characters in the ''Star Trek'' universe, most notably the ...

, who portrayed numerous characters throughout ''Star Trek'', enjoyed the appearances of Section 31, saying the stories "gave everything a real flair."

Characters

In order of appearance:

Appearances

''Deep Space Nine'' (1998–99)

''Enterprise'' (2005)

''Discovery'' (2018–19)

''Lower Decks'' (2020–2024)

''Picard'' (2023)

Films

* ''

Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise ...

'' (2013) * '' Star Trek: Section 31'' (2025)

Tie-in media

Novels

Section 31 characters appear in the following novels:

''Section 31'' crossover series

''Star Trek: Section 31'' is a crossover miniseries that includes four thematically linked novels from each of the television series which had aired before 2001, excluding ''Enterprise''. The series was relaunched in 2014 as part of the ''Deep Space Nine'' book line.

''Section 31'' relaunch series

Novels linked to '' Deep Space Nine'' and '' Next Generation'' relaunch book lines. The story continues in ''Collateral Damage'' (2019), also by David Mack.

Graphic novels

All comics published by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...

''Star Trek Online''

''Star Trek Online'' is a

massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

developed by

Cryptic Studios Cryptic Studios is an American video game developer specializing in MMORPG, massively multiplayer online role-playing games. It is headquartered in Los Gatos, California, and was a wholly owned Perfect World (company), Perfect World subsidiary, a ...

. The game has continued to receive updates which are organized into episodes containing five to seven missions each. All Section 31 missions are introduced by Franklin Drake, a character created for the game.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Section 31 Star Trek organizations Fictional intelligence agencies