Section 31 Faction for Summer 2019

usskentucky

They’re rogue. They fight for the federation while bending its principals. They’ve toppled world governments and saved billions. They’re Section 31 and they’re our last, best hope of ridding the 24th century of a time traveling menace known as the “Future Builders.” Something like that. No time traveling, just the murdering of time travelers.

I think a Section 31 mini faction would be pretty sweet. They do their own thing so there’s no reason any species couldn’t be included. I mean they take Terrans and they’re not even from this dimension. Could mash things up, or have an added thread in each of the old story arcs. Lots could be done.

startrek6000

I imagine they would have insane levels of stealth -both on ground and space!

lianthelia

Do we really need a 3rd Starfleet faction? Unlike 23rd Century characters they have nothing to add to the game...no unique ships...only one known uniform and it's already obtainable.

Rather see them do a Cardassian or The Cooperative before a third fed faction is added.

where2r1

Oooooo...the un-faction faction. Do we get cool sun glasses?

jrdobbsjr

Given that probably half of the main questline is the toon carrying The "Future Builder's" water it would require re-writing large parts of the game to create a alternate campaign where you fight all three future factions (Fed Time cops from the 28th and 31st centuries, future Tholians and the TLF) rather than just two. They will also have to figure out what happens if you successfully thwart the future Feds because this isn't the BSG remake Online, folks expect to win.

reafis

I Think this is more likely than any other faction as a lot of the ships are already there. If it also introduced intelligence services for romulans, Klingons and jem'jadar that would be cool. Some of the best missions in STO are the solo "stealth" missions.

reiklingraider

I would like to see them do something with the first federation part of space that sticks out like a sore thumb in the alpha quadrant instead of another fed only faction.

where2r1

I want my "partner in crime" to look like Will Smith, please.

gaevsman

Naa... What we need is a Section 31/Klingon Inteligence/Tal Shiar specialization

The traits could be stealth, assesination and ground and space warfare (depending on factions, agains klimgons, Breen, Jem'Haddar, among others)

IllI gladly spend points on Borg additional damage, or Herald Chronitron rounds or something like that..

captainbrian11

gaevsman wrote: »

Naa... What we need is a Section 31/Klingon Inteligence/Tal Shiar specialization

The traits could be stealth, assesination and ground and space warfare (depending on factions, agains klimgons, Breen, Jem'Haddar, among others)

IllI gladly spend points on Borg additional damage, or Herald Chronitron rounds or something like that..

you mean the "intelligence officer" specialization?

artan42

What would be the point?

The Intelligence specialisation, S31 uniform, Alliance Intel uniform, Dreadnought Class, Scyer Class, Phantom Class, and Eclipse Class all currently exist ingame.

Your Fed character can already slaughter thousands for the greater glory peace and security of the Galactic Empire Federation.​​

duncanidaho11

My take: Noooooooooo, absolutely not.

Section 31 is not interchangeable with Starfleet Intelligence and they don't an ideology that extends beyond their own self interest. Take Sloan. What he does has the nominal benefit of the federation and its lifestyle but more pointedly what he does, versus what he says, violates the basic fabric by which that society depends for its basic operation (ie. accountability to a mutual power structure). The sole benefit, as far as Sloan's character is concerned (as he's realized through actions as well as dialog), is for him. The Dominion wants to change his desirable status quo (a sociopath being able to do act above society). So, Sloan and "his people" set out to do something about that. Ideology is used as an excuse (ie. pure lip service to facilitate Sloan's interactions with other DS9 characters) for exercising personal power without consequences as a parasite on the faction which he just happens to inhabit (like so many other villains.)

This cannot work as a faction in STO. As an MMO, the game is built around the player as a willing component in an organization capable of handling and reducing world developments so they can be presented within the mechanically simple structure of the game. Something happens and someone else gives us the moral authority to travel to a location and act upon it because to do otherwise would require a lot more connective tissue (ex. intervening plot points, cut scenes, and low-key story missions.) You cannot be like Sloan (which is the entirety of "being a member of Section 31") and at the same time be part of an MMO story line that, in all other respects, forces the player to defer to a social framework for their initiative and moral justification (for the game to simply work) without there being a massive and detrimental conflict between writing and gameplay. Ie. a faction that rejects the concept of factions, as they apply to the player.

Plus, the player character is already the closest approximation of what a S31 faction could be in a "fun" way (ie. associated with their faction but having no direct responsibilities to services, personnel, day to day operations, reporting, and resource allocation). What's lacking is the sledgehammer subtle "dark reflection" on the Federation from a series filled so much with that anyway. See. The Dominion, the Mirror Universe, the history of the Bajoran resistance, the Maquis, Red Squad, and Homefront. Section 31 could have been edited out of DS9 simply on the basis that it's redundant to themes and unnecessary to character motivations. It's a play off the "at any cost" evil admiral/captain plot (See. the Pegasus, Equinox, Homefront) which just ascribes generic villain motivations (ex. Duras, Minister Jaro) to someone with a friendly uniform (as a cheap way to develop internal moral conflict without deep worldbuilding and associated character development.)

So, I'm a strong no for a playable Section 31 faction in STO. Head canon as desired (you can do a lot with STO imagining your character as Section 31) but the game doesn't need to codify this with a mini faction (Mirror Universe would be a much better call if ever Cryptic wanted a "what if evil?" take on the FED.)

potasssium

Terran Empire please. Kill and impersonate out Prime Universe doppleganger. infiltrate the Federation, then play through the Temporal cold war as the other side.