STAR TREK TNG: THE SPACE BETWEEN #6: Inconvenient Truths

[starwolf_oakley]

STAR TREK TNG: THE SPACE BETWEEN #6 is the last issue of the miniseries. It sort of resolves everything.
Except it doesn't. I vent a little bit about this and provide links to Star Trek reviews.




The issue starts with the Enterprise-D crew wandering around a secret base, which is on or near Earth. We don't know how the crew found it because apparently that isn't important.





Some info on Alynna Nechayev. She's more "practical" than Picard in her appearances.

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Alynna_Nechayev

So, what's in the secret base we know nothing about?



It's a trap!

Picard talks to Boothby, the Starfleet Academy groundskeeper. A character so popular he showed up twice on Voyager, although impostors both times.



So... Section 31? Which is one of the odd additions to "Trek Mythology."

Beverly Crusher in the Center Chair!











The conspiracy members teleport in and there is a stand off.



According to Memory-Beta, this facility includes
1. A Borg alcove. Maybe recovered from debris from the destroyed Borg Cube in "Best of Both Worlds Part 2"?
2. An Iconian gateway from TNG's "Contagion" and DS9's "To the Death."
3. A Xindi super-weapon from Season 3 of Enterprise.
4. Images of Ferengi and schematics of a Ferengi shuttle originating from DS9's "Little Green Men."
5. The Starfleet/Borg/Romulan mish-mash drone-ship, similar to the one that attacked the Enterprise in issue #3.

The dialogue from Conspiracy Guy says the organization was originally begun in response to threat of aliens made evident by the Ferengi during the Roswell incident. That doesn't explain why they attacked the Enterprise, or anything else really. If they were using the Enterprise logs to create weapons for political reasons, what are the political reasons?




"Journey's End" says that those canapes are Nechayev's faovrite. Which means that Nechayev saved Picard from the Tellerite, transported him into the secret base with the rest of his crew, and then let the conspiracy members escape. And leaving the various "weapons" behind.

Insert Val Kilmer saying "It just raises too many questions" clip here.



And the day is... not really saved and nothing is resolved. Cheers!

Now, some links and reviews regarding Section 31.

http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Starfleet_conspiracy

Section 31 was introduced in the Deep Space Nine episode "Inquisition."

http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s6/inquisition.php

The Deep Space Nine episode "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" suggested that Luther Sloan started Section 31 after the murder of his mentor. But Star Trek: Enterprise said Section 31 started in the 22nd Century. So maybe Sloan decided "I'll start my OWN Section 31! With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget Section 31!"

Which is an interesting idea. Various Starfleet people hear rumors about Section 31 and "hard people making hard decisions" to "protect the Federation," and decide to start their own version of Section 31.

http://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s7/interarma.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhkfuyBLDlY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KonWH1hg1ok

Comments

[plastefuchs]

I quite like the possibility (or rather, the original one mentioned in the show itself) that Sloan was working alone. It allows for the idea of the Federation to still strive for the betterment of all and exploration and all that.

It is also a neat plot thread, since the writers can throw in a lot of cloak and dagger tropes, without having to go into the holodeck.

Now I miss watching DS9 for the first time again. So many great characters (Garak ...). I really hope that the new Trek series takes a book out of DS9 (the later seasons mostly ....)

[laughing_tree]

"The dialogue from Conspiracy Guy says the organization was originally begun in response to threat of aliens made evident by the Ferengi during the Roswell incident."

Does it? He says "two centuries ago," which would be the 22nd century.

Section 31 is one of those less-is-more things, where every subsequent usage after DS9 just makes it less interesting, it seems to me.

Anyway, I do like some of the mystery man's conversation with Picard, especially the "I agree" part.

[icon_uk]

Given the number of corrupt Admirals and conspiracies throughout Starfleet the existence of Section 31 seems entirely plausible. I've never found it that interesting, but it's plausible.

[scorntx]

Well that was a big pile o' random.

(And Admiral Nechayev being helpful? Lawks, what strangeness is this!)

Hmm...

[chortles81]

Which is an interesting idea. Various Starfleet people hear rumors about Section 31 and "hard people making hard decisions" to "protect the Federation," and decide to start their own version of Section 31.

Whereas I'm just left wondering how that didn't leave UFP intelligence crippled by the other Alpha Quadrant states exploiting the 'DIY black ops' angle as a cover for their own assets.

[thanekos]

Section 31: Third-Order Simulacra could work.

(Or just a Stand Alone Complex/second-order simulacra, if you'd prefer an original Section 31 exist.)