Rogue: Section 31

by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels

Book Overview

Amoral, shrouded in secrecy, answerable to no-one, Section 31 operates outside the constraints of either conscience or the law. They are the covert operations arm of Starfleet. Their mission: to protect the Federation at whatever cost.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671774778
• ISBN13: 9780671774776
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 0.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Section 31: Conspiracies in the Trek universe

I should start this review by saying at the outset that I didn?t believe in Section 31. That is to say I didn?t believe that an extragovernmental agency was tasked *from the founding of the Federation in 2161* to circumvent rule of law, to commit murder, to interfere in scientific research, to be accountable to no one but themselves in order to preserve the Federation?s utopian culture. What I wanted to believe was that there was a relatively small cell of Federation officials and Starfleet personnel whose perspective was so skewed that they felt no restraints on their actions in order to preserve a particular vision of what the Federation and Starfleet should be. (To use a movies analogy, more ?Seven Days in May? than ?The Manchurian Candidate.? Or, in science fiction terms, a combination of the Cigarette-Smoking Man and his cronies from ?X-Files? with the ARM from Larry Niven?s stories.) In May and June of 2001, Pocket Books released four novels that showed Section 31 in action and noted incidents cited in aired Star Trek (even prior to the DS9 episode, ?Inquisition,? which introduced the shadow organization).Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin?s _Rogue_, set six months before the events of ?Star Trek: First Contact,? reintroduces Jean-Luc Picard?s Academy classmates Marta Batanides and Corey Zweller. Batanides is now a vice-admiral with Starfleet Intelligence while Zweller is now chief science officer on the USS Slayton. One of those old friends is assigned to interfere with the Federation?s negotiations with Chiaros IV so that the latter world will go over to the Romulan Empire. In _Shadow_ by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Seven of Nine meets with a series of accidents while Voyager?s officers and crew race to save millions from the explosion resulting from three suns colliding.In _Cloak_ by S.D. Perry, set during the original Star Trek?s third season, the Enterprise crew is present at a scientific station?s efforts to synthesize an Omega particle. At the same time, Dr. McCoy is secretly dealing with the revelation that he may not live for long._Abyss_ by David Weddle (author of ?Inquisition?) and Jeffrey Lang, Dr. Bashir is recruited by Section 31 to actually stop one of their own. Like Bashir, Ethan Locken is genetically enhanced. Unlike Bashir, Locken wants to create a new culture in the style of Khan Noonien Singh, the Eugenics Wars dictator.All four of the novels make a good case for Section 31?s tendrils reaching farther than just the ?relatively small cell? I thought plausible. Section 31?s existence does explain the actions of such people as Admiral Cartwright and Col. West in ?Star Trek VI,? or Admiral Dougherty in ?Star Trek: Insurrection.? As well, Janeway?s discovery of Section 31?s existence -- and how it offends her sensibilities and ideals -- explains the anger with which she pursued Captain Ransom in ?Equinox.?Of the four, I enjoyed _Rogue_ and _Abyss_ the most. In the former, Mangels and Martin (who will be w

A great Star Trek book

I really enjoyed this book. The authors start the story shortly after the events in First Contact, then go back about 6 months. The story deals with Star Fleet's version of the Obsidian Order or the Tal Shiar. Section 31 is shrouded in secrecy and mystery. They were the subject of several DS9 episodes. They were the ones who infected the Founders with their virus. The story also shares the focus with Lt. Hawk, who was killed in First Contact. The authors make no attempt at pushing any social issues. They present this character with dignity. He's a loyal Star Fleet officer first, and a gay man second. Star Trek is all about acceptance of different people and different cultures. To malign this character would be very un-Star Trek. This story boils down to intrigue, espionage and mystery. The Romulans (my favorite bad guys) play a big part in the story. As usual, they are up to no good. For those hung up on the gay thing, get past it. You'll be in for a good read if you do.

Excellent

An outstanding novel. The best Star Trek book I've read in a long time. I enjoyed the character of Lt. Hawk. They treated Star Trek's first gay character with respect.

Essential for TNG Fans!

I am so impressed with this book. It's been far too long to actually have an adult TNG book put out that not only stays true to the original characters, but that is both thought provocing and well written. The authors keeps you rivited to the story and make you want to keep reading to see what happens. The gay characterization was extremely well written and thought out. I certainly hope that Pocket Books leaves the story of Section 31 to be told by these two fine authors, for these men do justice to their treachery and the shade of gray the member of this organization walk to justify their actions.

Total Surprise

This is not typically the type of book I read, but felt the story was interesting and the cover intriguing enough to try it out. What a surprise! This book was absolutely terrific! I was so impressed with the writing and the flow of the entire book. I honestly couldn't put it down! The writers stay true to the characters (a reason why I don't like to read a lot of these types of books) and the story was very well developed. The gay characters are handled superbly and not overdone at all. Definitely a winner in my book!