Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 - Is Kyle secretly a Section 31 operative spying on Jay-Den? Fan theory explained

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7 is titled Ko’Zeine. It dropped on Paramount+ on February 19, 2026.

The Episode is written by Alex Taub and Eric Anthony Glover and directed by Andi Armaganian. It takes a more subdued course following the bombastic happenings of Episode 6. The Academy is closed on All Worlds Day, a holiday throughout the galaxy, and the cadets are dispersed.

Darem Reymi (George Hawkins) is kidnapped into a portal during a Khionian wedding ceremony, and Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané) is on board the ride. Meanwhile, Genesis Lythe (Bella Shepard) and Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) remain back at the Academy and find themselves in a life-threatening situation by trespassing onto the bridge of USS Athena.

The growing relationship of Jay-Den with Kyle Jokovich (Dale Whibley), a War College cadet who has been pursuing Jay-Den since he debuted early in the Season, is also a spotlight in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 7. The two share a cheek-kiss and embrace each other, with the show now explicitly stating that the two are a couple.

However, as most viewers are absorbed in the love triangle developing between Jay-Den, Kyle, and Darem, some fans are posing a much larger question: what if Kyle is not merely romantically interested in Jay-Den? What if he is spying on him?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Is Kyle secretly a Section 31 operative spying on Jay-Den?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy takes place in the 32nd century, which is over 800 years in the future. A disaster called “The Burn” destroyed a major part of the dilithium and paralyzed warp travel, ending up shattering the galaxy. Now, Starfleet is still in the process of rebuilding. In Episode 6, a villain character, Nus Braka, attacked a Federation black-site space station called J19-Alpha, where he was able to steal high-tech weapons technology. Thousands were killed. The danger in the show is palpable.

This leads fans to the question of Section 31, the mythical secret intelligence service of Starfleet. Section 31 has featured across the Star Trek universe, from Deep Space Nine to Discovery, working in the shadows and performing the kind of work that Starfleet is officially not sanctioned to do. The issue is that the 32nd-century setting of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has not given the slightest reference to Section 31. Fans on forums such as TrekBBS and discussion boards have been posing the question: Where did they go? Did they disband? Or did they go further underground?

Here is where Kyle comes in. Kyle has been referred to as “one of the most physically adept” cadets in the War College, right from the start of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. He is an attractive, relaxed person, and it appears he is always there when Jay-Den needs him. In the first few Episodes, he was flirting with Jay-Den at the Academy bar and dancing together, all while there is supposed to be a campus turf war between the War College and the Starfleet Academy. Kyle never appeared bothered by that competition at all, and that is suspicious to the fans.

Meanwhile, Jay-Den is not just any cadet. He is a Klingon who is becoming a healer, not a warrior, and this makes him extraordinary. His Episode-specific narrative in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 4 showed that he aided in resolving a significant crisis in Klingon refugee ships. His personal background, with his family connections to Klingon houses and the Klingon diaspora in general, is also complicated. In short, Jay-Den contains information and connections that would be of great value to an intelligence organisation.

The fan theory claims that there was a purpose in placing Kyle near Jay-Den. He crossed over the Academy-War College barrier too easily, too soon, and too painlessly. His first friendly introduction was in Episode 3, when Caleb was using Jay-Den as a distraction. That is, the very first time Jay-Den ever actually met Kyle occurred in a situation where Jay-Den was being used as a chess piece. According to fans, that’s a telling setup.

In Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 6, it got more serious. One of Kyle’s friends, B’Avi, was killed in the raid on the USS Miyazaki. That tragedy provided Kyle with a motivation to remain near Jay-Den, since Jay-Den is a healer, and Kyle is grieving. By Episode 7, Kyle is in an open relationship with Jay-Den, who is obligated to be with Kyle. The term obliged has drawn the attention of fans. Jay-Den being with Kyle because he has to, while mourning the death of B'Avi, may be just a sign that Jay-Den is merely being a good person and a dutiful man. Or Kyle might have discovered a very ingenious means of keeping Jay-Den emotionally attached to him at a time when he is weak.

The angle of Section 31 receives additional fuel through the production design of the show itself. A popular Star Trek fan site, TrekCore, noted that the corridor and quarters where War College Commander Kelrec appeared were re-purposed sets of the Star Trek: Section 31 streaming film. Plus, the show is literally putting the War College in Section 31 clothing. It can be nothing but a cost-saving recycled set, but Star Trek fans know that this franchise never does anything on a whim when it comes to visual storytelling.

What would Section 31 want with Jay-Den in particular is also a question. The Federation has recently been raided, and its stolen weapons are now in the possession of the enemy. Admiral Charles Vance has made Nus Braka the most wanted man in the galaxy. Provided that Section 31 was working quietly during this era, they would be clamoring for intelligence assets. Jay-Den, with knowledge of the Klingon world, medical expertise, and a reputation for trustworthiness among both cadets and teachers at the Starfleet Academy, would be an ideal asset for spying on or even recruiting.

The showrunners have indicated that Kyle is a “gentle soul” and a “loyal soul” and have already given hints that his character will evolve more by the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy finale. Executive producer Noga Landau has also issued a warning that the journey to true love will not be smooth sailing for Jay-Den, as more individuals will join the fray. That may be Darem, or it may be something that bursts the romantic plot open in a manner that nobody anticipates.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has not verified any information about Kyle beyond what is shown on screen. The Episodes do not contain any hard evidence that he is a spy. He might actually be just what he seems: a good-hearted War College cadet who fell in love with an unusual Klingon. Still, the bits which fans have put together: his ability to cross competitor-school lines with ease, his perfect timing, his connections with the War College which the show presents as a more militarised and darker aspect of Starfleet, the fact that Section 31 does not feature at all in the 32nd-century story, all contribute to a theory which is difficult to dismiss entirely.

As the number of Episodes in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 is now limited, the truth about Kyle Djokovic will not remain a secret long.

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Star Trek: Starfleet Academy airs new episodes every Thursday on Paramount+.

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