Although the Starfleet order of special operatives, Section 31, was created by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, its earlier Federation history was explored in the movie, Star Trek: Section 31. This is despite that there are more than four decades of time between the two properties in-universe. In Deep Space Nine, Section 31 is a high-functioning secret organization unknown to most members of Starfleet. The characters in Section 31 are part of a much scrappier operation. Simply put, a lot changed in those 45 years.
And indeed, a lot changed for Starfleet in that time period. Star Trek: Section 31 takes place in a relatively unexplored period of the greater Star Trek timeline. Star Trek: The Original Series ended in 2269, and the following movies run from the 2270s to 2293. But no Star Trek content has covered the era between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 2293 and Star Trek: The Next Generation in 2364 until Section 31, set in 2334. Michelle Yeoh's movie gives us some clues about that time period, but a lot of the details can only be discovered in flashbacks from later shows.
Where DS9’s Captain Sisko Is During Star Trek: Section 31
Ben May Have Been Young, But Sarah Sisko Was Changing Fast
Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) was very young during Star Trek: Section 31. At the start of Deep Space Nine, then-Commander Ben Sisko was 37 years old. Extrapolating backwards, this means that Captain Sisko was born in 2332. That would make Captain Sisko all of two years old during the events of Section 31. With the exception of the short-lived Ocampans in the Delta Quadrant, two-year-olds don't usually do very much in Star Trek.
But Captain Sisko's youth doesn’t mean anything important wasn't going on in his life. Captain Sisko's mother, Sarah Sisko (Deborah Lacey), was possessed by one of the Bajoran Prophets sometime in the early 2330s, and when Sarah returned to herself in 2333, she left the Siskos with no explanation. In 2334, during Star Trek: Section 31, Ben Sisko and his father would have been looking for Sarah and trying to live without her. These tragic events early in Captain Sisko's life would be taking shape during Section 31, even if he wouldn't understand them until the events of Deep Space Nine.
One Of Star Trek’s Greatest Tragedies Is Happening During Section 31 Movie
And Section 31 Could Reveal More About Federation Involvement On Bajor
One of the great tragedies in the Star Trek galaxy of the 2330s, not just for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine but for the entirety of the Federation, was the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor. Although Cardassia would not fully annex Bajor until 2338, they maintained a military presence on the planet for a decade before annexation. So, during the events of Star Trek: Section 31, Cardassia was ramping up to commit the atrocity of subjugating Bajor for the next five decades.
