10 Star Trek Villains Who Were Actually Right

Although never confirmed on-screen, a bit of gentle retconning would place Pressman firmly in the camp of Section 31. His experiments aboard the USS Pegasus on interphase cloaking technology could have saved countless lives as the years went on, but it was his methods, once again, that proved to be his undoing.

Remember, this is a man who not only conducted experiments on board a ship that eventually mutinied against him but also felt confident enough in what he was doing that he tried again, years later. This is not a man who operates in isolation, and he clearly had the backing of some higher-ups in Starfleet.

The biggest issue was the violation of the Treaty of Algeron. This agreement expressly forbade Starfleet from developing cloaking technology. The thing is - they already had it, or at least a version of it. Section 31 was in possession of cloaked ships in the 23rd century, so could this not simply be seen as an amendment to the agreement? If we are harsh for a moment and say absolutely not, then look at what came of the experiments.

Starfleet was locked into the treaty for the rest of the 24th century, even after the Romulan supernova a mere two decades after this incident. This, combined with the fact that Romulans, Klingons, and several other empires utilised cloaks, while Starfleet lagged behind, certainly adds a bit more sympathy to a retelling of Pressman's story.