Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The 25th Century

We have been teased with the cusp of this time period in Star Trek. From 1987 until 2001, the franchise offered hundreds of episodes set between 2364 and varying dates in and around the beginning of the 2400s. We time-travelled, we cameoed, and we even hopped universes to have a look.

While Star Trek: Enterprise turned the clock back, bringing us to the years before The Original Series, Star Treks Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy all set the majority of their stories toward the close of the 24th Century and beginning of the 25th. 

What, then, have they taught us about the great unknown? With Star Treks Discovery and Starfleet Academy jumping 800 years ahead, that leaves plenty of room to dissect the history of the future. There are those events which fall somewhere in the middle of both time periods, such as the launch of the Enterprise-J, the Temporal Wars, and the last known contact with the Q Continuum. 

The early years of the 25th Century are close enough in time for several well-known characters to play a large role, be they captaining starships or otherwise. At the time of writing, there are two ongoing Star Trek series - Strange New Worlds (set in the 23rd Century) and the aforementioned Starfleet Academy (set in the 32nd). While the latter could easily offer glimpses into the things we've yet to see, the existing Treks have already given us quite a bit to mull over. 

Grab your field jacket as we engage the protodrive and explore the days of future past. 

Star Trek: Generations introduced the Nexus, a giant energy ribbon in space with the power to tear starships in half. It was, of course, much more than that, also serving as a conduit between one reality and another. When Guinan was 'rescued' from the SS Lakul, she described the experience as being 'ripped' or 'torn' away from the Nexus.

Inside the phenomenon, according to Guinan, it was like being 'inside joy.' Starfleet's first recorded encounter with the ribbon came in 2293. It returned in 2332 and then again in 2371. The latter encounter saw the destruction of the Enterprise-D, the death of the Duras Sisters, and the death of one James T. Kirk. 

The Nexus travels through that part of the galaxy every 39.1 years, meaning the next arrival would come in 2410. The events of Star Trek: Picard's second and third seasons take place nine years before this, with Jean-Luc (and Data) upgrading to a fancy golem body along the way. Picard, having visited the Nexus once before, would have the opportunity to revisit this mystical force. Though Dr Soran's methods were somewhat flawed, to put it mildly, there was much to learn in his research. 

Moving the path of the ribbon being impractical (for so many, many reasons), by the 25th Century, one could surmise that Starfleet shields have upgraded to the point where a ship could survive the stresses outside. We know that when one enters the Nexus, they can exit anywhere, at any time, they like. 

By the 25th Century, the Nexus could become the giant floating health spa of the galaxy. Consider this - Jean-Luc visiting his son as a baby, or chatting to his brother one more time. One really can understand Soran's obsession.