Is mass surveillance a thing in Star Trek?

Question

When I thought about consequences of mass surveillance, one question came through my mind:

There are many dystopias where mass surveillance is one cause for the dark future. But can there be scenarios where mankind evolved to a peaceful high-tech species like in Star Trek although there is mass surveillance, and is mass surveillance existent in the Star Trek universe?

The situation in Star Trek is an inspiring scenario on how society could become. And mass surveillance is a current topic in our world which could decide on which path we will go.

I would like to know:

1. Is mass surveillance mentioned or found in Star Trek movies or series? (If yes: where?)

2. Is this topic and the effect on how mankind evolved addressed somehow? (if yes: how?)

Answer 1

Well, it's not exactly an example of "mass" surveillance but consider that essentially every single moment of the lives of every person aboard any starship or space station is recorded and stored in perpetuity. Nobody seems surprised about this or objects to it.

So either they have been duly warned and this has been a thing for a long time, or that's more or less the state that life has become.

There does seem to be a culture of only minimally intruding on the privacy of others. Thus when captain Picard, for example, is blinked off of the ship and into a shuttle craft by Q. You would think that the captain blinking off of the ship would set off alarms, but it doesn't. It requires someone to actually ask for the location of the captain.

I suppose it's sort of the best of possibilities- complete protection by complete surveillance but tempered by a culture that respects privacy enough to not abuse that.

Mind you, while anybody seems to be able to ask for anybody's location, I would suspect that attempting to access more intimate details would likely require a higher level of authority from the asker. We do see that Star Trek has alphanumeric codes to access certain subsystems, which would suggest a similar level of security for people's privacy.

That said, it could be argued that the culture has advanced to the point where people almost never do anything that they are ashamed of. Look at the TNG episode where Wesley and his group at the academy attempt to cover up the death of one of their colleagues. The investigators seem partially incredulous because people just don't do that sort of thing anymore.

Edit: thinking about this a little more, I would point out that our cultures typically fear those with power either for fear of them abusing that power, or simply for misusing it. There appears to be very little of that in the Star Trek universe...usually. Remember that we see the federation from the perspective of the federation, which will typically mean that they will view themselves in the best possible light. We get glimpses at times of how many people are decidedly less than happy with their treatment from the Federation. I don't recall an instance of anyone objecting to the surveillance though.

Answer 2

Yes, systems of what we would consider "mass surveillance" still exist in the Star Trek universe:

• Within the Federation, particularly StarFleet, people can be tracked via communication badges, although this form of monitoring is generally benign in nature and somewhat voluntary
• With the Romulan Empire, it is widely known that the Tal Shiar - the Romulan secret service - closely monitors its populace and descends swiftly on anything it considers dissent or treason.
• Prior to the Dominion annexation, The Obsidian Order of Cardassia performed intense scrutiny of its own populace, often with brutal consequences

On a smaller scale, an example would be the Deep Space Nine space station. Odo, the chief of security there, had cameras located heavily throughout the station and noted on several occasions that there were only a few areas he could not monitor.

Answer 3

In the TOS episode "Court Martial" Captain Kirk is tried, including a playback of the visual and audio recordings in the computer log:

[Bridge]

(On the courtroom viewscreen) UHURA: Meteorology reports ion storm upcoming, Captain. KIRK: We'll need somebody in the pod for readings. SPOCK: Mister Finney is top of duty roster, Captain. KIRK: Post him. SPOCK: Attention, Commander Finney, report to pod for reading on ion plates. FINNEY [OC]: Message Received. SPOCK: Officer posted, Captain. (The ship suddenly judders) KIRK: Stand by on alert status, Mister Spock. SPOCK: Acknowledged. HANSON: Approaching ion storm, sir. KIRK: Warp factor one, Mister Hanson. HANSON: Warp one, sir. (There's another sharp jerk, and Kirk presses a button on his chair panel.)

[Courtroom]

SHAW: Reverse. Stop. Go forward with magnification on the panel. Freeze that. Captain Kirk is now signalling a Yellow Alert. Go forward, normal view.

[Bridge]

(On courtroom viewscreen.) UHURA: Call from the pod, sir. KIRK: Tie in. FINNEY [OC]: Finney here, Captain. Ion readings in progress. KIRK: Make it fast, Ben. I may have to go to Red Alert. FINNEY [OC]: Affirmative. KIRK: Hold our course, Mister Hanson. HANSON: Aye, aye, sir. Natural vibrations, force two, Captain. Force three. KIRK: Engineering, then ion pod. UHURA: Aye, aye, sir. CREWMAN [OC]: Engineering. KIRK: One third more thrust. CREWMAN [OC]: Working. FINNEY [OC]: Ion pod. KIRK: Stand by to get out of there, Ben. FINNEY [OC]: Aye, aye, sir. HANSON: Force five, sir. KIRK: Steady as she goes, Mister Hanson. (And the close up on the Captain's panel shows...)

[Courtroom]

SHAW: Freeze that! If the court will notice, the log plainly shows the defendant's finger pressing the jettison button. The condition signal reads Yellow Alert. Not red alert, but simply Yellow Alert. When the pod containing Lieutenant Commander Finney was jettisoned, the emergency did not as yet exist. KIRK: But that's not the way it happened.

Thus we see that all the time, or under some conditions, the computer logs include sound and images of events happening all over the ship, or at least on the bridge (and other important spaces?). Note that those playing the computer log can have it display images from at least two different angles on the bridge and at different magnification levels.

In Spock's court martial in "The Menagerie, Part 1":

MENDEZ: Why? What does it accomplish to go there or to take Captain Pike there? I want to know why.

SPOCK: Are your comments a part of the record, sir?

MENDEZ: Yes, it's on the record.

SPOCK: Thank you. Request monitor screen be engaged.

MENDEZ: For what purpose?

SPOCK: To comply with the request you just made, sir, that I explain the importance of going to Talos Four.

KIRK: By asking why, you've opened the door to any evidence he may wish to present. Apparently what he had in mind.

MENDEZ: Present your evidence. Screen on.

SPOCK: This is thirteen years ago. The Enterprise and its commander, Captain Christopher Pike.

SPOCK [on screen]: Definitely something out there, Captain, headed this way.

KIRK: Screen off. Chris, was that really you on the screen? (flash) That's impossible. Mister Spock, no vessel makes record tapes in that detail, that perfect. What were we watching?

SPOCK: I cannot tell you at this time, sir.

MENDEZ: Captain Pike, were any record tapes of this nature made during your voyage? (flash, flash) The court is not obliged to view evidence without knowing its source.

SPOCK: Unless the court asks a prisoner why, Commodore. You did ask that question.

Unless "Court Martial" and "The Menagerie Part 1" happen in alternate universes where Starfleet starship record tapes and/or computer logs have great differences in their degree of detail, there must be a difference that Kirk could spot within seconds between computer log visual recordings and the images from Talos IV in "The Menagerie Part 1".

In "Court Martial" the images come from an overhead position and do not switch angles until a reverse angle and magnification are asked for. In "The Menagerie Part 1" the images from Talos IV play like a television episode (like the one they were filmed for and edited into in real life).

I believe the images in "The Menagerie Part 1" are filmed with the cameras at about eye level and cut back and forth between camera angles to show whoever is speaking at the moment. I think that they also start with a tracking shot showing the exterior of the Enterprise zooming in on the bridge and showing the interior of the bridge.

Later on the images from Talos IV show a private discussion between Pike and Dr. Boyce in Pike's cabin. If nobody had questioned the origin of the images until that moment it would indicate that events in starship private quarters were not recorded. but since it was already established that the images shown were not from official recording there is no evidence whether or not official recordings show events in crew cabins.

The Federation Starfleet is not the only organization that makes recordings. In "Errand of Mercy" Kirk and Spock enter the office of Klingon Commander Kor on the planet Organia:

[Kor's office]

KIRK: Just stay where you are, Commander.

KOR: You have done well to get this far through my guards.

SPOCK: (taking his weapon) I believe you'll find that several of them are no longer in perfect operating condition.

KOR: So, you are here. You will be interested in knowing that a Federation fleet is on its way here at the moment. Our fleet is preparing to meet them.

KIRK: Checkmate, Commander.

KOR: Shall we wait and see the results before you kill me?

KIRK: I don't intend to kill you unless I have to.

KOR: Sentimentality, mercy. The emotions of peace. Your weakness, Captain Kirk. The Klingon Empire shall win. Think of it, as we sit here, in space above us the destiny of the galaxy will be decided for the next ten thousand years. Can I offer you a drink? We can toast the victory of the Klingon fleet.>

SPOCK: You may be premature. There are many possibilities. >

KOR: Today we conquer. If some day we are defeated, well, war has its fortunes good and bad. Do you know why we are so strong? Because we are a unit. Each of us is part of the greater whole, always under surveillance. Even a commander like myself, always under surveillance, Captain. If you will note.

KIRK: Cover, Spock! Back!

(The Klingons burst it, then suddenly everyone drops their weapons. Everyone.)

The difference is that at least some of the Klingon recordings are watched in real time as they are made instead of merely being available for later study.

John M. Ford's novel The Final Reflection told the story of Klingon space navy officer Krenn and showed that naval security was always watching aboard a Klingon ship, and that the Klingon naval officers and crew feared and hated the rival Imperial Intelligence service even more than they did the naval Security service.

Answer 4

1. Is mass surveillance mentioned or found in Star Trek movies or series? (If yes: where?)

There is an entire episode in the original series that revolves around the crew being monitored - the monitor logs were altered to make it appear as if Kirk panicked during an ion storm resulting in the death of crew member. "Court Martial", season 1, episode 20.

Answer 5

at the very least mass surveillance is normal and extensive in the kelvin timeline. In into darkness we see kirk playing with video of the bombing scene during the meeting where admiral pike is eventually killed.

Answer 6

Section 31 is the only real canon example of mass surveillance within the Federation. They are portrayed as a shadowy organisation responsible for garnering intelligence on planets and stations outside the jurisdiction of the Federation, but little information is given within the TV series or films other than that they are somewhat similar to the NSA or GCHQ. The "partial canon" books go into much more detail, demonstrating deniable acts within the Typhon Pact and the Romulan homeworld (Trip Tucker, after faking his death aboard NX-01, and Julian Bashir/Sarina Douglas a few years after the events of DS9) wherein Section 31 is demonstrated actively trying to dupe Bashir into joining them.

It might also be argued that early renditions of Section 31 are present during the events of Enterprise, although this is entirely speculative.

In short, yes. There is surveillance, and it is an internal organisation conducting it.

Answer 7

The 23rd Century Klingon Empire has mass surveillance.

In the TOS Episode "Errand of Mercy" Kor tells Kirk that even leaders are under surveillance.

description from Memory Alpha:

Darkness falls, and Kirk and Spock begin their assault, resolving to stun and not kill, as "we're after the top dog." They disable the Kor's lieutenant and gain entry to Kor's office. Kirk doesn't plan to kill Kor; Kor wants to discuss the prospects for war, on the surface and in space. For example, even Kor's office is under surveillance.

Answer 8

Answer: Certainly not everywhere

There's an entire TNG episode about establishing what happened on an orbitting station leading up to the accidental death/murder/suicide of one character. They re-create simulations of multiple different versions of the the events based on the (conflicting) testimony of the various individuals involved.

Evidently there was no surveillance at all, otherwise the episode would have lasted ~ 5 minutes.

Cited Episode: Season 3 Episode 14: "A Matter of Perspective"

Answer 9

Yes.

You're looking for Section 31, which first appeared in the later seasons of DS9. Section 31 is Federation counterpart to the Cardassian Obsidian Order or the Romulan Tal Shiar.

There are other examples throughout each series, but Section 31 is the only fully fleshed-out setting element I am aware of, and appears to have been written specifically to explore those themes.

Answer 10

You know, there's a meta-question here.

As all the other answers show: yes. But not only that, it's not really addressed as a problem, because the basic premise of the entire universe is that, as technology progresses, and humans mature as a species, life will get better. So much better that abuse of power is not a possibility? I find that unbelieveable. The whole vision has become dated.

Surveillance, replicator abuse, bioterrorism, the absence of the internet-- these are more than just plot holes. They are imaginative failures of the people in charge of the canon.

Fiction is finite; Rick Berman is only human. What does the community call these issues? "Universe holes"?