186: Tragedy in Every Sense of the Word

Section 31: Control: David Mack. Section 31: The Federation's dirty little secret. Amoral, operating in the shadows, and accountable to no one, the secretive group has become a cancer in the body of the Federation. But what are Section 31's true origins? And can Julian Bashir finally succeed in bringing them down once and for all? In this episode of Literary Treks, hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson are joined by author David Mack to talk about his latest novel, Section 31: Control. We discuss the origins of the story, the surveillance state, a chapter written in computer code, the nature of the intelligence behind Section 31, the roles of Data and his daughter Lal, Sarina's part in the story, what's next for the Federation, and wrap up with some hints for future Trek novels as well as some upcoming convention appearances for David Mack. In the news segment, we preview an upcoming George Takei project with IDW comics and review issue number six of Boldly Go. News George Takei Graphic Novel (00:02:36) Boldly Go #6 (00:04:29) Listener Email (00:15:58) Feature: David Mack A Few Years (00:21:50) The Story Idea (00:23:05) The Surveillance State (00:32:02) The Origins of Section 31 (00:43:26) Uraei's Perspective (00:48:16) "Aren't You God?" (00:52:43) Data and Lal (01:04:46) Fatal Attraction (01:12:58) Upcoming Works (01:22:38) Convention Appearances (01:33:34) Final Thoughts (01:41:48) Hosts Dan Gunther and Bruce Gibson Guest David Mack Production Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Ken Tripp (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Patreon Manager) Ken Tripp (Associate Producer) Brandon-Shea Mutala (Associate Producer) Bruce Gibson (Associate Producer)