This is the Daystrom Institute Episode Analysis thread for Lower Decks 5x05 Starbase 80?!.
Now that we’ve had a few days to digest the content of the latest episode, this thread is a place to dig a little deeper.
I would have struggled to date the station given just the exterior, personally. A 2260s (or earlier) origin seems well within the bounds of possibility.
How many Starbases does Starfleet have? It seems that their numbering system is not truly sequential, as SB343 was existant in 2256, while SB173 was brand new in 2365. SB80 could be quite old, or relatively new but using a repurposed spaceframe from an older space station which had received a major upgrade.