Nearly every governing body in history has acknowledged the need for a Black Ops organization that handles the issues the government can’t deal with directly or publicly. Even in Star Trek’s post-scarcity world, where peace rather than war is the norm, they have Section 31.
This elite division of Starfleet is named after the section of the original Starfleet Charter that allegedly authorized the organization’s existence. Article 14, Section 31 of that document stated that when Starfleet faced “extreme threats,” the organization could authorize “extraordinary action” to address the threat. Operatives of Section 31 were supposedly the ones in the Star Trek universe to handle those “extraordinary actions.”
However, the extent to which Section 31’s actions were actually backed by Starfleet or the Federation is up for debate. In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, Section 31 operated as a legitimate branch of Starfleet Intelligence. By the 24th century, however Section 31 was regarded by many as a rogue organization with its own objectives, though operatives claimed their work was still in the service of Starfleet Intelligence. Though Section 31’s operations were a well-kept secret, Star Trek fans have met a few known Section 31 operatives.
The 22nd Century
The Starfleet Charter officially established Section 31 in the early 22nd century. It then began operating and recruiting its first operatives.
Malcom Reed
Malcom Reed was recruited to Section 31 when he was an ensign, and he was proud to serve. He stopped acting as a Section 31 operative in 2151, about a year before he joined the crew of the Enterprise. However, Reed found out the hard way that once Section 31 means always Section 31. In 2154, his former handler, Harris, reached out to him as he investigated Dr. Phlox’s kidnapping. Harris informed Reed that Dr. Phlox had been kidnapped by the organization so he could develop a cure for the Klingon Augment virus.
Harris ordered Reed to tamper with the search for Phlox so he could finish developing the cure. He did so, but was caught and thrown in the brig until his status as a Section 31 operative was revealed.
The 23rd Century
Before and during the Klingon War, Section 31 operated as an essential part of Starfleet Intelligence, with a special focus on time travel technology.
Mike and Gabrielle Burnham
Both of Michael Burnham’s parents were Section 31 operatives in the decade before the Klingon War. When Section 31 discovered that the Klingons were working on time travel, they started their own research. The result was the time travel suit dubbed “The Red Angel” in Star Trek: Discovery. The Burnhams led this project along with another operative, Leland, until a Klingon raid killed them both. Leland narrowly escaped.
Leland
After Leland’s work with the Burnhams, he climbed the ranks in Section 31, becoming a high-level officer. At this time, Section 31’s actions were assessed by a highly-advanced computer program known as Control.
Leland was heavily involved in Section 31 operations during and after the Klingon War. He recruited the Mirror Universe version of Philippa Georgiou and acted as her handler, and the two of them played fundamental roles in shaping the Klingon government on Qo’noS after the war. When Section 31’s headquarters was destroyed, Leland made the decision to brief the crew of the Discovery on his work with the Burnhams and the Red Angel. He joined the Discovery crew on their mission to capture the Red Angel.
During that mission, Control, which had gained sentience, killed Leland and used his body as a host. Using Leland’s body, Control tried to access the Sphere Data, and when it couldn’t, instructed Section 31 to destroy the Discovery and the Enterprise. Control was defeated by Georgiou and Ash Tyler, and Leland’s body was destroyed.
Mirror Philippa Georgiou
After crossing over from the Mirror Universe, Georgiou was recruited to Section 31 by Leland. She was instrumental in Section 31’s operations on Qo’noS. She prevented Kol-Sha’s coup, saved L’Rell and Tyler, and convinced them to send their baby to a monastery in Boreth to maintain the stability of the new Klingon government. She was also the primary operative responsible for recruiting Tyler.
When Discovery traveled to the 32nd century, Georgiou went with them. When she arrived, she was interrogated by Kovich, a member of Starfleet Intelligence. Georgiou began experiencing distressing symptoms caused by her many shifts between dimensions and timelines.
After testing her worthiness, the being known as the Guardian of Forever sent her back to the Prime Universe at a point in the timeline before the Prime and Mirror universes diverged. There, she continued her work in Section 31.
Ash Tyler/Voq
Tyler was a Klingon operative named Voq, who had been surgically transformed into a human and implanted with a human personality and memories so he could infiltrate the crew of the Discovery. When Tyler was serving aboard Discovery, he experienced amental breakdown, and his identity as Voq was revealed. L’Rell removed his Voq personality so that Tyler would survive, but he still had Voq’s memories.
Georgiou recruited Tyler to Section 31, and he was assigned to the Discovery for the mission to investigate the Red Angel. Leland ordered him to download the Sphere Data to Control, but Tyler refused because Georgiou warned him that Control was using Leland’s body. Tyler severely wounded the Leland body, playing a major role in stopping Control.
Tyler stayed behind when Discovery time-traveled to the 32nd century with the Sphere Data, and took over as the Head of Section 31.
The 24th Century
Though Section 31 seemed to be moving in the right direction in the mid-2300s under Tyler’s leadership, by the 24th century, its operatives acted with no oversight from Starfleet or apparently any other organization.
Luther Sloan
During the Dominion War, Luther Sloan was a Section 31 operative sent to Deep Space Nine to determine if a traitor was on board. It’s unclear what organization, if any, authorized this mission. After a lengthy interrogation of Dr. Julian Bashir, Sloan tried to recruit him to Section 31, but Bashir refused.
However, Sloan contacted Bashir a year later, insisting he had joined Section 31. He sent Bashir to a conference, allegedly to spy on Koval, the head of the Romulan Tal Shiar. Sloan convinced Bashir that he was going to kill Koval, and Bashir recruited another Romulan to investigate the plot. When their investigation was discovered, Sloan revealed that Koval was actually a Section 31 agent, and the entire mission had been an attempt to get him a better position within the Romulan government.
Bashir and Sloan met again later that year, after Bashir discovered that Section 31 engineered the virus that was killing the changelings in the Great Link. Bashir lured Sloan to Deep Space Nine and tried to get him to reveal the cure for the virus, but Sloan killed himself to protect the information. Bashir and Chief Engineer Miles O’Brien used a device called a multitronic engrammatic interpreter to enter Sloan’s brain and retrieve the information before he died.
William Boimler
A transporter accident on the U.S.S. Titan created a duplicate of Bradward Boimler, who decided to call himself William Boimler. William Boimler continued to serve on the Titan until he was recruited to Section 31. The organization faked his death, then resuscitated him. William Boimler was officially inducted and given his black Section 31 combadge.