Yes. The Federation shouldn't be perfect, but it's not edgy and dystopian.

It's a huge overstatement to say "every upper Federation command officer is evil" is a trope. It's not a trope and never was a trope. It was visited thematically a handful of times. Point is, the Original Series (the superior series) was based around utopian ideals reflective of its 1960s dystopian reality. But utopias being patently unachievable, Star Trek remained relevant through the 90's (it's not today, sadly) by contemporizing. Section 31 is an excellent representation of that new realization within the Trekverse that even future utopias, where "...we've eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions...," have a dark side that is part and parcel with its whole.

Nah, it's just lazy writing.

bUt WhAt iF tHe SeEmInGlY nIcE sOcIeTy hAs A sEcReT dArK sIdE?

It's hard to write stories about functional, competent, professionals who live in a functional, decent society.

It's a lot easier if there's CONFLICT because everyone is ANGRY because of their TRAUMA and starfleet is torturing refugees or whatever. But then it's just more of the same.

Not SURE what you MEAN. All stories feature CONFLICT. It's at the fundamental NATURE of all sToRyTelLiNg.

Section 31 was fun when it was just one or two episodes per series, kinda like the evil alternate universe stuff.

But like the evil alternate universe, it doesn't work when ENTIRE SHOWS are build around it. It's a bad guy, not a critical piece of the universe.

Anything Past VOY isn't Star Trek.

wE HaD to DeStroY tHe PlaNeT to SaVe iT

I was mostly bitching about Discovery and Picard. It's easy to get conflict to write stories if the federation is evil and everyone on the crew is dysfunctional, but it's not really Star Trek.

Section 31 was a fantastic addition in the context of the Dominion War and as a foil to Julian Bashir. Sloan wasn't as fun or nuanced as Garek, but he didn't need to be. DS9 had so much going on in its second and third act that Section 31 was just another condiment in a well-written televisual feast. It later became the basis for the equivalent of numerous Ketchup Sandwiches.

Also, Voyager is shit and Enterprise had more good episodes that it did.