Star Trek: Section 31 (novel series)

Star Trek: Section 31 is a series of novels that revolve around the shadow organization known as Section 31. Each novel takes place in a different series as Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.

In Voyages of Imagination, Pocket Books editor Marco Palmieri remarked on Star Trek: 31: "From the moment the concept was introduced in the Deep Space Nine episode 'Inquisition,' I knew I wanted to do Section 31 stories. Here was a secret, autonomous black ops agency, willing to take whatever action was needed for the safety and security of the Federation, and the elimination of all threats to it. The controversy that eruped in fandom over Section 31 didn't surprise me; in fact, it only fueled my desire. Some fans argue that it goes against the fundamental ideology and the basic philosophical assumptions that Star Trek is built upon. Others say it adds texture and greater complexity to the Star Trek universe by retroactively introducing the idea of a necessary evil. What I realized is that this very argument is what's so compelling about the concept in terms of storytelling. These were the kinds of questions the familiar heroes of Star Trek would wrestle with in the novels, because Section 31 is an enemy their training doesn't prepare them for."

On the format of the series, Palmieri states "The reason I wanted to do Section 31 as four novels was in part to explore the organization's effects upon different crews beyond the DS9 milieu, and in part because I thought too many of our miniseries in those days were multipart stories, where the reader would have to sometimes read four, six, or more volumes in order to get a complete story. By contrast, Section 31 is four standalone novels. No connecting story, no numbers on the books to denote a reading order, just the unifying theme. The idea was to give the reader the option to read as many or as few of the Section 31 novels as he or she wanted, in any order. I think readers appreciated that approach; the Section 31 novels ended up being the top-selling mass-market Star Trek titles that year."

Covers

On the covers, Palmieri remarked, "I was really pleased with how the covers turned out. They were simple, elegant, conveyed just the right mood, and were completely unlike anything we'd done up to that point."

Sequels

On continuing the series past Abyss, Palmieri said, "My boss at that time, associate publisher Scott Shannon, urged me to follow up with more Section 31 books right away. I resisted the idea for several reasons. I hated the thought of beating a story concept into the ground—I hated it then, and I hate it now. I also think Section 31, like the Borg, works best when used sparingly, and only when the right story presents itself. Lastly, I wanted to develop other Star Trek story concepts. I'm glad the miniseries was popular, but I'd much rather go on to the next cool idea than repeat myself so soon. I think that's one of the key ways to keep the Star Trek fiction line fresh and interesting."

Reception

John Tenuto of TrekMovie.com praised the series for its "excellent narratives which weaves Section 31 to all the eras of Star Trek (series released before Enterprise premièred)."

Novels

• Star Trek: Section 31: Rogue by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels (June 2001)
• Star Trek: Section 31: Shadow by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (June 2001)
• Star Trek: Section 31: Cloak by S.D. Perry (July 2001)
• Star Trek: Section 31: Abyss by David Weddle and Jeffrey Lang (July 2001)
• Star Trek: Section 31: Disavowed by David Mack (November 2014)
• Star Trek: Section 31: Control by David Mack (May 2017)

External links

• Star Trek: Section 31 at Memory Alpha