Star Trek: New Space Station Raises Questions About Section 31’s 32nd Century Fate

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 6, “Come, Let’s Away.” The episode introduces a hidden space station, raising questions about the current status of Section 31 in the 32nd century. Written by Kenneth Lin & Kiley Rossetter and directed by Larry Teng, the sixth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy features the return of Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti), who delivers a crushing blow to Starfleet and results in a tragic outcome for Captain Nahla Ake’s (Holly Hunter) cadets.

Nus Braka created a dangerous situation where cadets from Starfleet Academy and the War College were attacked by the Furies – creatures that were a horrifying mix of alien and human – during a training exercise on the abandoned starship USS Miyazaki. As he intended, Starfleet asked for Braka’s help to deal with the Furies, but this was all a trick. Braka’s real target was J19-Alpha, a highly secret space station belonging to the United Federation of Planets.

In the final moments of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6, Nus Braka and the Venari Ral attacked J19-Alpha, resulting in thousands of deaths. Braka escaped with highly confidential weapons created by the Federation. While Admiral Charles Vance (Oded Fehr) hasn’t disclosed the specifics of the stolen technology, the threat is so significant that Braka is now considered the galaxy’s most wanted fugitive.

What Happened To Daystrom Station In Star Trek’s 32nd Century?

The sixth episode of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces space station J19-Alpha, which is reminiscent of Daystrom Station revealed in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard. Daystrom Station was a hidden facility holding centuries of Starfleet secrets, including strange creatures, advanced technology, and even the remains of Captain James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner).

There’s a gap of almost 800 years between the time periods of Star Trek: Picard (the 25th century) and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (the late 32nd century). During that time, Daystrom Station was probably either destroyed, fell into disrepair, and was left abandoned. But it’s also possible that Daystrom Station still exists, perhaps with its original secrets preserved and even more discoveries made by the time of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.

As seen in Star Trek: Discovery, the space station from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine still exists near Bajor. This suggests that Daystrom Station might also still be around, as well as the Fleet Museum from Star Trek: Picard season 3. Alternatively, Daystrom Station could have been destroyed, with its information transferred to J19-Alpha and now controlled by Nus Braka and the Venari Ral.

Does Section 31 Still Exist In Star Trek’s 32nd Century?

As a big Star Trek fan, the reveal of J19-Alpha as a black site really got me thinking. Where’s Section 31 in Starfleet Academy, which is set in the 32nd century? We saw a lot of them in the first two seasons of Discovery, but since then – and like what happened with the redesigned Klingons from Discovery – Section 31 has just completely disappeared from the timeline after the Burn. It’s strange to not even get a mention of them in this new era.

Section 31 may have been eliminated before the events of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which takes place in the 32nd century. Alternatively, the organization could have simply gone into hiding, operating secretly and perhaps even being forgotten. Section 31 first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and has since been featured in Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.

According to the events of Star Trek, the secretive organization Section 31 was last known to be active when William Boimler (Jack Quaid) was chosen to captain the starship Anaximander, which travels through different universes. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, set in the year 2401, Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) simply described Section 31 as a part of Starfleet Intelligence.

Michelle Yeoh’s Star Trek: Section 31 movie didn’t perform well, and that likely explains why Paramount+ is moving away from focusing on Section 31 storylines. The truth is, the idea of Section 31 has been used too often since it first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and it’s lost its intrigue and appeal.

The highly classified J19-Alpha, featured in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, builds on the lore established by Daystrom Station in Star Trek: Picard and the secrets of Section 31. However, it works better as a subtle element in the background of a show about young Starfleet cadets than as the main focus.

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2026-02-17 14:08