star trek picard easter eggs

Easter Eggs In Star Trek: Picard Season 3

After two seasons of half-hearted attempts to endear audiences to a new cast of supporting characters, the final ten episodes of "Star Trek: Picard" will reunite the Starfleet legend with his old crew from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." 

Season 3 of "Picard" is essentially a fifth "The Next Generation" movie and a third attempt at giving one of the most popular casts from "Star Trek" a satisfying farewell. Not that there was anything wrong with the first try, of course, as the series ending "All Good Things..." still ranks amongst the best TV finales of all time. However,  "Star Trek: Nemesis"  was such a bummer that "Star Trek: Picard" spent most of Season 1 attempting to redeem it, and fans weren't exactly wild about how that went, either .

As such, Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" sees showrunner Terry Matalas spilling over the toybox and giving fans what they always want — more of the same thing they liked 20 years ago. That means a full "The Next Generation" cast reunion, nostalgia-fueled marketing, and, of course, about a million Easter eggs to reward longtime Trekkies for their encyclopedic knowledge of the canon. We've put our decades of obsessing over "Star Trek" minutiae to the test cataloging as many winks, nods, and name-drops as we can find in "Picard," from the obvious to the extremely obscure. Here are all the Easter eggs fans may have missed in "Picard" Season 3.

The season premiere wastes no time citing The Wrath of Khan as an inspiration

The series opens with the text "In the 25th Century..." in stylized blue typeface over black. This will be familiar to fans of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," which begins with the phrase "In the 23rd Century..." in that same print. This is the first signal that this season of "Star Trek: Picard" (particularly Episode 1) will borrow liberally from the popular film. In addition to a few plot beats throughout the season, the series has a definite aesthetic fondness for the entire "The Original Series" movie era.

There are several subtle nods in the production of the season premiere alone. The alarm klaxon in Beverly Crusher's ship indicating a security breach is the same one that sounds when Spock's quarters are invaded in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock." Likewise, the style of the jacket that Beverly wears in the episode's teaser is reminiscent of the away team jacket from "The Wrath of Khan," which has a similarly broad collar. Later, when we get a look at the redesigned hand phasers, we can see that they've reverted to something closer to the swept-back models from the classic era, very much like those seen in "The Search for Spock" and "The Undiscovered Country."

Of course, there's also the design of the USS Titan-A, which Redditors have identified as a Neo-Constitution Class refit. It cuts a silhouette that's closer to the refit Constitution-Class of "The Original Series" films than any of "The Next Generation" era ships, and throughout the season, it appears that rectangular warp nacelles have come back into fashion at the turn of the 25th century.

The series premiere of Picard gets a nod in the season's opening minutes

Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" is plainly designed to be consumed independently from the first two seasons of the series. Most of the original characters introduced earlier are absent or have reduced roles, and there's even a new opening title sequence. Still, the series does make a subtle acknowledgment of its own origins.

Our first images of the season are a brief montage of beautiful and peaceful images of stellar phenomena, with an early 20th-century ballad playing underneath it. This is also how the first episode of the series, "Remembrance," begins. In that episode, the soundtrack was "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin, as performed by Bing Crosby — a song that Data sang at Riker and Troi's wedding in "Star Trek: Nemesis." Season 2 of "Picard" also uses a 20th-century ballad in its opening episode, in that case, "Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaf.

This time, our opening number is "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by The Ink Spots. This tune has no prior history with "Star Trek," but might be familiar to gamers in the audience, as it features in the "Fallout" series . It was the center of a TikTok meme in 2022 , in which users painted their noses and flared their nostrils as if they were the singer's mouths. This is probably — unrelated.

Fans are prepared to meet Beverly Crusher before she appears

Episode 1's first scenes are set aboard an unfamiliar starship, the Elios, where the camera pans across a cluttered desk. Eagle-eyed fans will quickly put together that this workspace belongs to Dr. Beverly Crusher, thanks to a number of obscure visual clues. 

These include classic drama masks (recalling Crusher's love of theater) and the same sort of flowers that she tends in her quarters in "The Next Generation" episode "Cause and Effect." Her computer is playing back one of Captain Picard's log entries from "The Best of Both Worlds," and the following log in the queue is the one that opens "Encounter at Farpoint," the premier episode of "The Next Generation." She has a plaque awarded to a medical away team as honorary citizens of Cor Caroli V, likely in recognition of a mission that we hear about (but never actually see) in "The Next Generation" episode "Allegiance." 

Since these are all pretty obscure references, we then pan down to a more obvious one — the foot locker of Beverly's late husband, Lieutenant Commander Jack Crusher.

Picard's office is a The Next Generation museum

Just as in previous seasons of "Star Trek: Picard," Jean-Luc's home in La Barre, France, displays a number of artifacts that are familiar to Trekkies. A few of these items receive some special attention in the scene where Picard does some spring cleaning with his girlfriend, Laris. 

First, of course, is the large painting of the USS Enterprise-D that used to hang in his ready room in "The Next Generation," which he considers giving to Geordi La Forge and the Starfleet Museum. Just below it there's also a sextant on the mantle that may be the one from Picard's quarters. The Mintakan tapestry from "Who Watches the Watchers" that used to drape over his chair on both Enterprises still adorns the chair behind his desk at home. There's a Bajoran memento, gold models of both Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E, and, finally, his Ressikan flute from "The Inner Light," perhaps the most precious of all his mementos as it is his only keepsake from his lifetime of memories on the long-dead planet Kataan.

Later, he sits handwriting a note (whose print we don't get a good look at), and the Kurlan naiskos — a precious archeological artifact and a gift from his mentor Professor Galen — can be seen on his table. We get one additional reference here, as the authorization code that Picard uses to decrypt Beverly's message is "Picard 4 7 Alpha Tango," the same security code that he uses to activate the self-destruct sequence on the Enterprise-E in "Star Trek: First Contact."

Riker and Picard's conversation has nods to multiple past Star Trek stories

After receiving Beverly's encrypted distress call, Picard meets up with his old friend Riker at the Ten Forward lounge in Los Angeles. While reminiscing, Riker mentions that the crew of the Enterprise had previously used Beverly's "myriad" codec to encrypt their transmissions while on a mission to Rigel VII. However, Rigel VII is a planet whose first and only appearance is in the original "Star Trek" pilot, "The Cage," from 1965 (though this footage would later be reused in the classic 1966 two-parter "The Menagerie"). The incident to which Riker refers has never been depicted or mentioned before on screen.

The "hellbird" virus that offers the final clue to decoding Beverly's location is another new addition to the canon, a background plot retconned into "The Best of Both Worlds." We learn that the Borg attempted to foul the Enterprise's navigation using a computer virus while Picard was held captive as Locutus of Borg.

References to never-before-mentioned incidents such as these are a pleasant reminder that our heroes have had adventures beyond those that have been the center of existing "Star Trek" episodes and that even the stories we know have complications to which the audience isn't always privy. The Enterprise is a big ship, after all, in an even bigger galaxy.

Frontier Day is celebrating Star Trek's least-loved prequel series

When Picard summons Riker to the Ten Forward bar in Los Angeles, we learn that there is an upcoming celebration planned for Frontier Day, described as Starfleet's 250th anniversary. For this date to line up with where we appear to be in the show's timeline, it would have to be a celebration not of Starfleet's founding, but of its first deep space mission, which launched in 2151 under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer. 

The adventures of this first Starship Enterprise (also known as the NX-01) are the subject of the prequel television series "Star Trek: Enterprise," which aired on UPN from 2001 to 2005. Out of the five "legacy" live-action "Star Trek" series, "Enterprise" is the one that tends to get the least love from the current crop of creators, though there is the occasional nod to its historical significance in the universe, such as the christening of Archer Spacedock on Season 4 of "Star Trek: Discovery."

Incidentally, the souvenir starship models up for sale in Ten Forward appear to be items from the Eaglemoss Collection of "Star Trek" starships. Eaglemoss declared bankruptcy during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic after producing over 400 unique starship models from across the "Star Trek" canon.

M'Talas Prime brings showrunner Terry Matalas full circle

M'Talas Prime, the neon-lit city planet where Commander Raffi Musiker is working undercover for Starfleet Intelligence, is named for Picard showrunner Terry Matalas, who also wrote this episode. However, he didn't name the planet after himself — the planet was first introduced in dialogue on a 2002 episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" by showrunner Brannon Braga, for whom Matalas was working as an assistant. Matalas would return to "Star Trek" years later to become co-showrunner of "Picard" Season 2 with Akiva Goldsman before finally taking the reins for its final run.

Matalas' fingerprints are all over this season. Fans of his previous series, Syfy's "12 Monkeys," will recognize the actor playing Captain Shaw. That's Todd Stashwick, who played the villainous Deacon on "12 Monkeys." He also guest starred on a 2004 episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" as Talok, a Vulcan officer who turns out to be an undercover Romulan spy. Don't be surprised if you see a few other cast members from "12 Monkeys" crop up over the course of the season.

The arrival on the Titan mimics famous sights and sounds from Star Trek films

Picard and Riker's shuttle approach towards the USS Titan is very evocative of similar sequences in which Captain Kirk and company return to the refitted USS Enterprise in the various chapters of the original "Star Trek" film series. Once Picard and Riker are aboard the Titan, references to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" continue as a crewman blows into a digital boatswain's whistle to signal their arrival. The same ritual is performed when Kirk is welcomed aboard the Enterprise in "The Wrath of Khan," and the prop used is almost identical to the one played by Yeoman Burke in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

The influence of the "The Original Series" era of "Star Trek" films extends to non-diegetic sound choices as well. The arrangement of the musical score when Picard and Riker enter the bridge of the Titan — and the entire sequence of the ship's departure from Spacedock — are extremely reminiscent of James Horner's score from a parallel scene in "The Wrath of Khan." Though composer Stephen Barton also incorporates an original motif for this series and Jerry Goldsmith's famous theme from "The Motion Picture" and "The Next Generation," his arrangements evoke the feeling of "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Search for Spock" for viewers who may not recognize it outright. 

If you want to hear the inspirations for these compositions, listen to "Enterprise Clears Moorings" from "The Wrath of Khan" soundtrack. There's even a brief quote from Cliff Eidelman's score from "The Undiscovered Country" as the ship emerges from the space dock doors.

Raffi's search for the Red Lady is an Easter egg hunt of its own

When Raffi asks the computer to name all the "big events" coming up in the next few months (an pretty ridiculous request considering we're talking about the entire galaxy here), the computer displays a whopping three results. First, the Gratitude Festival, a Bajoran holiday first seen in the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Fascination." Empire Union Day is a Klingon holiday mentioned only in a quasi-educational audio tape called "Power Klingon," released in 1993 as part of a series of books and tapes about the Klingon language by its inventor, linguist Marc Okrand. Long out of print and remembered only by those who study the language , this is about as deep as deep-cut references get.

The "Red Lady" Raffi learns about from her contact on M'Talas turns out to be a codename for a statue being dedicated at a Starfleet Recruitment Center. The statue honors Captain Rachel Garrett, commander of the USS Enterprise-C, whose only appearance is in "The Next Generation" episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." Garrett is killed in battle while coming to the aid of a Klingon colony under Romulan attack. This is a more pivotal moment in history than it seemed, as Garrett and her crew's sacrifice helped to avert decades of war. 

Also on-screen during this scene are images of a few starships that have not made canon appearances before, including the Odyssey-Class USS Enterprise-F, which was designed via a fan contest for the video game "Star Trek Online."

The show's credits are loaded with hints and references

Even the end credits of "Star Trek: Picard" offer a few Easter eggs, some of which don't become apparent until after they've been paid off later in the season. To avoid spoilers, we'll highlight just one, which doesn't require any foreknowledge to interpret. Under the co-executive producer credits, a few staves of musical notation are briefly highlighted. It's a melody in 6/8 time in the key of D Major. If you can read music, you might recognize this tune as "Pop Goes the Weasel," which Trekkies will remember is the song that Data is trying to whistle when Will Riker first befriends him in "Encounter at Farpoint." Riker fondly recalls this moment after Data's death in "Star Trek: Nemesis."

Of course, there's the music that plays under the credits themselves, which contains Jerry Goldsmith's theme from the most beloved of "The Next Generation" films, "Star Trek: First Contact." Like in the end credits of that film, it eventually segues into Goldsmith's tried and true "Star Trek Main Title" fanfare. Once the animated credits have ended, the final set of closing credits are displayed in the blue typeface used in the credits for "Star Trek: The Next Generation." This same font was borrowed for the credits of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," which is likewise awash in "The Next Generation" nostalgia.

Shuttlecraft Saavik pays tribute to a fan favorite

In the opening episode of Season 3, Admiral Picard and Captain Riker commandeer one of the USS Titan's shuttlecraft for an unauthorized rescue mission to Dr. Beverly Crusher's ship, the SS Eleos. However, In the following chapter, "Disengage," the shuttle is destroyed. As the wreckage flies towards the camera, we get a clear look at the shuttle's name: the Saavik.

The vessel's namesake is a junior officer introduced in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," where she was portrayed by Kirstie Alley in her first major film role. Lt. Saavik was Spock's protégé and seemed positioned to take his place as a regular member of the Enterprise crew after Spock's death at the end of that film. However, when Spock actor Leonard Nimoy decided not to leave the franchise, Saavik was gradually given smaller roles (and a different actor, Robin Curtis) in the next two films before disappearing altogether. That is, until a recent official "Star Trek" franchise Instagram post revealed that Saavik eventually rose to the rank of captain and took command of the first USS Titan in the late 23rd century, making the shuttlecraft's name a tribute to her legacy.

In our universe, the original actress to play Saavik, Kirstie Alley,  passed away from colon cancer in December 2022 , and the shuttle may have been christened in her memory.

Ferengi broker Sneed has some famous friends

Any time you see a wall of text on a display in "Star Trek," you're bound to find a few Easter eggs. "Disengage" features quite a few in the criminal record for the Ferengi gangster Sneed. Sneed's list of known associates includes some familiar names from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Quark of Ferenginar is, of course, the series' nefarious bartender, though by this point in the "Star Trek" timeline he's also the owner of a franchise of bars and gambling establishments bearing his name, as seen on "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and in previous seasons of "Picard." Brunt is Quark's nemesis from the Ferengi Commerce Authority, played by Star Trek's man of a thousand faces, Jeffrey Combs. Morn of Luria is Quark's most steady customer, appearing in 93 episodes of "Deep Space Nine" and never speaking a word.

The final name on Sneed's list of known associates is Thadiun Okona, a smuggler and playboy who first appeared in the infamously campy episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" called "The Outrageous Okona" and has since appeared in animated form on both "Lower Decks" and "Star Trek: Prodigy." We can now add a reference in "Picard" to his surprisingly illustrious resumé.

As for Sneed himself, he's portrayed by Aaron Stanford, who starred as James Cole on "Picard" showrunner Terry Matalas' previous series, "12 Monkeys." The name James Cole also appears on Jack Crusher's list of aliases in this episode.

T'Luco's rap sheet references Star Trek Online

While investigating the destruction of the Starfleet Recruitment Center, Commander Raffi Musiker looks into the criminal record of the Romulan outlaw Lurak T'Luco, who Starfleet has named as the perpetrator. Raffi disagrees, believing him to be too small time for such a serious crime. Over Raffi's shoulder, we get a quick look at T'Luco's history, which references two worlds that have never been seen in canon but nevertheless have long histories in the "Star Trek" franchise.

The planets Vendor and Rator III were both first mentioned in a 1973 episode of "Star Trek: The Animated Series," entitled "The Survivor." The shapeshifting Vendorians introduced in that episode wouldn't make another appearance until "Lower Decks" brought them back for a gag in 2020 , but Rator III has taken on a more important role in "Star Trek" history via the massively multiplayer role-playing game "Star Trek Online." 

In the game's backstory (expanded upon in the tie-in novel, "Star Trek Online: The Needs of the Many") Rator III briefly becomes the seat of the Romulan Empire after the destruction of Romulus. Though "Star Trek Online" is not considered canon, this Easter egg would seem to verify Rator III's location and prominence within the shattered Romulan Empire.

Amanda Plummer is a Star Trek legacy

Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard" pays homage to the style and tone of the original six "Star Trek" feature films, so it's only appropriate that the season's antagonist be cut from the same cloth as those classic movie villains. The casting of Amanda Plummer as the dastardly Captain Vadic is surely no accident — her late father,  Christopher Plummer, portrayed the Klingon General Chang in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" in 1991. Their characters have no direct relation, but there are definitely some stylistic connections beyond their actors' family ties. Both antagonists plainly relish in their villainy, indulging in flowery speeches and theatrical intimidation.

The fact that both Chang and Vadic twirl around in their big captain's chairs and order their crews to open fire with casual flicks of the wrist might just be a coincidence, or it could be a knowing tribute from a daughter to the father in whose footsteps she treads. However, it's almost certainly deliberate that, during Vadic's menacing viewscreen conversation in "Disengage," the sound designers for "Picard" have brought back the same ominous communications klaxon used to punctuate General Chang's hails in "Star Trek VI." It's exactly the sort of detail that someone would only notice if they'd watched "The Undiscovered Country" a dozen times — which, of course, we have, and we appreciate it.

Little production flourishes like this, combined with Plummer's performance, make Vadic a delightful throwback to the franchise's illustrious past.

Beverly and Jean-Luc's split has echoes of The Wrath of Khan

"Picard" Season 3 isn't shy about borrowing from "The Wrath of Khan," but the reveal of Jean-Luc's long-lost adult son might be the most blatant reference to the franchise's most popular film. In "Star Trek II," the audience learns that Kirk fathered a son before the events of "The Original Series," but that the boy's mother, Dr. Carol Marcus, retained sole custody in order to assure him a stable upbringing. In "Picard" Season 3's third episode, "Seventeen Seconds," we finally hear from Dr. Beverly Crusher about her decision to drop off the map and raise their son alone rather than have Jean-Luc be a part of his life.

While telling her tale, Beverly also name-drops a few curios from the "Star Trek" universe. Her last date with Jean-Luc was on Casperia Prime, a planet mentioned on Deep Space Nine as being "The Vacation Capital of the Horvan Sector." Both DS9's Jadzia Dax and Julian Bashir have planned to visit there but neither actually made the trip, and thus the audience has never had a first-hand look. Beverly also mentions the Donatra Sector, which shares the name of a Romulan Commander from "Star Trek: Nemesis."

It's also worth mentioning that, in the alternate "First Splinter Timeline" of Star Trek novels, Beverly and Jean-Luc have a son named René Jacques Robert Francois Picard who is born around the same time as the Prime Timeline's Jack Crusher.

Beverly's lost a lot of family to the stars

While explaining her long absence, Beverly lists the family members that she has lost. First, her parents, whose cause of death has never been mentioned in canon. Previously, we've known only that she was raised by her grandmother, but this seems to confirm the backstory established in "Star Trek" novels that her parents were space explorers whose vessel was destroyed in an attack by hostile aliens.

The death of her husband, Jack, is a well-established but barely-explained piece of "Star Trek" lore that goes all the way back to the first episode of "The Next Generation." Jack Crusher (Sr.) was the first officer aboard the USS Stargazer under Jean-Luc's command and was killed on an away mission. Jean-Luc has been weighed down with guilt over his death ever since, further complicating his romantic feelings for his late friend's widow. Further details about this tragedy have only been explored in non-canonical novels, such as 1991's "Star Trek: Reunion" by Michael Jan Friedman.

Her other son, Wesley, left to explore inter-dimensional time and space with the being called the Traveler at the end of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Apart from dropping in to attend Riker and Troi's wedding in "Star Trek: Nemesis," Wesley has been seen only once since, in the finale of "Picard" Season 2 , where we learn that he has continued to serve as a member of "the travelers," an inter-dimensional watchdog group that protects the timeline from incursions.

Worf's resume summarizes his history across two series

When Worf introduces himself to Raffi Musiker on M'Talas Prime, he reads off a list of impressive-sounding titles, accumulated over the course of his unprecedented 281 appearances across "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," and the feature film series. To begin with, he is, of course, the Son of Mogh, a Klingon dignitary who was killed by Romulans when he was a young boy (his biological mother has never been named in canon). He is also the Son of Sergei, of "House Rozchenko," referring to his adoptive human parents Sergei and Helena Rozchenko of Earth.

Worf also names himself as a member of the House of Martok, the family that he was inducted into during "Deep Space Nine" after breaking out of Dominion prison with General Martok. Worf is the "Slayer of Gowron," referencing when he defeated the dishonorable Klingon High Chancellor in single combat and installed Martok in his place in the late DS9 episode "Tacking into the Wind."

Finally, he's "Bane to the Duras Family," his nemeses since early in "The Next Generation." Duras is the house of the Klingons who betrayed his parents to the Romulans and later murdered his mate, K'Ehleyr. Worf, in turn, has killed three of the last four heads of the House of Duras — Duras himself and his two sisters, Lursa and B'Etor — and bested their heir, Toral, in combat.

A departed friend from Deep Space Nine plays an invisible role in this season of Picard

The episode, "Seventeen Seconds," reveals that the masterminds behind the attack on the Starfleet Recruitment Center are Changelings, major antagonists from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." As their name suggests, Changelings are shapeshifters whose natural state is a liquid but have the ability to perfectly imitate any person, creature, or object they choose. They command the Dominion, an empire even more vast and powerful than the Federation, located in the distant Gamma Quadrant. The Dominion War takes place over the course of multiple seasons of "Deep Space Nine," but they haven't been heard from since.

Here, Worf tells Raffi that he has been contacted by a friend from the Changelings' Great Link who warned him that a splinter group of Changelings is aiming to attack the Federation. This "man of honor" could be none other than Odo, the former Chief of Security of space station Deep Space 9. Though a Changeling himself, Odo fought on the side of the Federation in the Dominion War, serving with then-Lt. Commander Worf throughout the conflict.

After the Dominion's surrender, Odo returned to the Great Link in order to cure his people of a deadly virus and help to foster a lasting peace. Sadly, Odo will not be making any appearances in "Picard," as actor, René Auberjonois, passed away  in 2019.

Picard encounters a Voyager villain off-screen

The episode "No Win Scenario" opens with a flashback to five years before the events of this season, in which retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard is enjoying a meal at Guinan's Ten Forward lounge in Los Angeles. Fans will note that there are still Frontier Day posters on the wall despite the event being five years away, which is likely a production oversight. 

While there, a group of young officers asks Picard about his encounter with the Hirogen, a species of ritualistic hunters who made their debut in "Star Trek: Voyager" — hence the mention of Admiral Janeway. The adventure in question isn't one that we've seen or heard of before and would have taken place between the film "Star Trek: Nemesis" and the earliest flashbacks in "Star Trek: Picard." This isn't the only reference to a Hirogen on "Picard," however, as one of the ex-Borg seen on the Artifact in the Season 1 episode "Nepenthe" is an assimilated Hirogen .

Later in the episode — when we cut back to this conversation — Picard is regaling his admirers with the story of the classic "The Next Generation" episode "Darmok," in which Picard attempts to survive on a hostile world with an alien captain who speaks only in impenetrable references to his own popular culture and mythology. Of all his famous adventures aboard the Enterprise-D, it's the one that Picard would seem most likely to enjoy recalling, as it's a dilemma that was solved through patience, compassion, and communication. It also happens to be one of the best episodes of "The Next Generation."

Ensign Foster's quarters contain artifacts from DS9 and Voyager

When Seven of Nine first searches transporter officer Foster's quarters near the start of "No Win Scenario," there's a familiar artifact on his desk: a messy stack of thin metal cylinders arranged in a shape like a tumbleweed. This is kal-toh, a Vulcan strategy game enjoyed by Voyager's Lieutenant Commander Tuvok and other members of the Voyager crew. Seven is particularly adept at the game and can be seen effortlessly demolishing veteran player Tuvok in the episode "The Omega Directive." Seven has also been seen teaching the game to then-girlfriend Raffi Musiker in the final moments of the "Star Trek: Picard" episode "Et in Arcadia Ego."

Later in "No Win Scenario," Captain Shaw suggests that Seven search Foster's quarters again to find a pot or vase in which Foster's changeling imposter may have hidden while sleeping in liquid form. Lo and behold, Seven checks inside a light fixture and finds a bucket that's more or less identical to the one that Constable Odo of "Deep Space Nine" used to sleep in. 

This is a pretty silly inclusion, given that Odo's bucket is not a traditional Changeling artifact but something he would have acquired from the Cardassians long before he even knew that other Changelings existed. While Odo has since joined the Great Link, which would immediately share the knowledge of this habit with the entire species, it's unlikely that the Changelings — whose goal is to destroy the Federation — would want to honor his peoples' one and only traitor.

Picard explains away one of Voyager's silliest contrivances

"Star Trek: Picard" finally clarifies a baffling piece of "Star Trek" canon involving the franchise's famous simulator room, the Holodeck. On "Star Trek: Voyager," the titular vessel is hurled halfway across the galaxy and must brave a long, dangerous journey back to Federation space with no allies or support. Despite concerns about the ship's limited energy supply leading to replicator rationing, USS Voyager's holodecks — a purely recreational system — remained in service for the entire seven-year mission. The series handwaves this by explaining that holodecks have their own independent power source that is incompatible with the rest of the ship, but it feels a lot more like an excuse for the writers to continue to tell "The Next Generation" style holodeck fantasy stories despite the more dire stakes of "Voyager."

"No Win Scenario" finally offers an explanation as to why Starfleet would give its holodecks their own power source — so that they can be used as a pleasant sanctuary in the event that the ship should be damaged beyond repair. There, the crew could enjoy a nice diversion while, say, plummeting hopelessly into the heart of a gravity well, as the Titan does during this episode. This allows Jean-Luc and his son Jack Crusher to share a quiet moment in a simulation of Ten Forward while the rest of the ship's systems are on the blink. It's a flimsy explanation, but it's better than the nothing we had before.

Vadic's knife is familiar, and not just from Star Trek

In "No Win Scenario," the mysterious Captain Vadic uses an ornate dagger to slice off her own hand, which transforms into the face of her Changeling overlord. If this dagger looks familiar, it should — this is the Jackal , crafted by knife smith Gil Hibben and employed in an assortment of genre cinema and television. For instance, it's the rogue vampire hunter Faith Lehane's signature weapon on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

It's also not the first time the Jackal has appeared in "Star Trek" canon. It played the role of a ceremonial Reman dagger used by Tom Hardy's Praetor Shinzon in "Star Trek: Nemesis," even featured on the film's theatrical poster. We'd be surprised, however, if this is meant to hint at anything in Vadic's origins. It's likely just an Easter egg for fans, as well as a nod to one of the most maligned movie installments in the franchise and one of the cooler custom blades of the silver screen.

Captain Shaw was present for Star Trek's darkest hour

During his tirade in the Ten Forward holodeck simulation, the Titan's Captain Shaw reveals that he is a veteran of the Battle of Wolf 359, the Federation's devastating defeat at the hands of the Borg. This battle takes place during the famous "The Next Generation" two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds," in which Jean-Luc Picard is assimilated by the Borg and forced to lead their invasion force, though only the aftermath of the massacre is seen in that story. Our first and only canonical glimpse at the battle comes in the opening scenes of "Emissary," the first episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," in which we learn that Benjamin Sisko is also a survivor of Wolf 359.

Shaw served aboard the USS Constance, which joins the still-incomplete list of the 39 vessels destroyed during that battle. Diagrams of the Constance also appear during the closing credits of the season, which identify it as a Constellation Class starship. This is consistent with its one non-canonical reference in the video game "Birth of the Federation."

Incidentally, Shaw also mentions that, despite the creation of a new, more benign offshoot of the Borg during Season 2 of "Star Trek: Picard," the "real" Borg are still out there somewhere, waiting to menace the Federation once again. This is an important clarification, given the time travel antics that brought about the new hive, which was created by Dr. Agnes Jurati and the temporally-displaced Borg Queen in the early 21st century.

The nebula's newborns recall The Next Generation's first adventure

As the USS Titan sinks deeper into the gravity well of a strange nebula, Dr. Crusher realizes that the pulses of energy that are rocking the ship are actually contractions and that the anomaly around them is a womb that's about to give birth. While explaining this phenomenon to the crew, she and Admiral Picard reference an earlier encounter with a space-dwelling life form, dating way back to the first episode of "The Next Generation," titled "Encounter at Farpoint." In their maiden voyage together, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D discovers that a remarkable new space station is actually an imprisoned shapeshifting space jellyfish.

In "No Win Scenario," the beings born in the nebula also turn out to be space cephalopods, though more closely resembling octopi. It's a cute callback to the very beginning of Picard, Riker, and Crusher's service together, one that restores a sense of hope and wonder to the weary Starfleet legends.

Those weird red tendrils may hint at an additional villain

In Episode 5, "Imposter," we see that Jack Crusher is having waking nightmares about betraying the crew of the Titan, the first evidence that he might be some sort of enemy sleeper agent. In his dreams, he sees a strange red door creak open and vein-like tendrils spread across various surfaces. In one vision, he sees those tendrils appear on the face of Titan's operations officer, Ensign Esmar. This image is evocative of the "Star Trek: Voyager" two-parter "Scorpion," in which Ensign Harry Kim (also an ops officer) is infected with a deadly virus by the aliens known as Species 8472. This is probably a coincidence, or maybe a cute production nod, but it might also be a clue to what's happening with Jack and the nature of this season's major foe.

Species 8472 is a hostile species that hails from Fluidic Space, an extra-dimensional realm once invaded (unsuccessfully) by the Borg. When we last saw 8472 in the "Voyager" episode "In the Flesh," they were experimenting with human DNA to create and train shapeshifting double agents to infiltrate Starfleet. By the end of the episode, the Voyager crew seems to persuade 8472 that the Federation doesn't present a threat, but is it possible that they went through with their infiltration plan after all and that 8472 has joined forces with the Changelings? The Changeling who was interrogated by Raffi and Worf did say that the Federation's new foes were a group of "like-minded souls," implying that there may be more than one faction involved.

It seems unlikely that 8472 would make an appearance, but on a show as reference-happy as "Star Trek: Picard," we certainly can't count them out entirely.

Changeling blood tests have never been reliable

"Imposter" reveals that this latest crop of Changeling infiltrators has mastered the ability to replicate the internal structure of whatever species they've morphed into, thus circumventing any existing method of detection the Federation put in place during the Dominion War. This is meant to demonstrate that the typical process for proving someone isn't a Changeling — by extracting blood from them and ensuring that it doesn't turn into goo — isn't effective any longer.

This isn't as huge a development as it seems to be, as bloodletting has never actually been a reliable way to determine whether or not someone is a Changeling. The shapeshifters had already found a way around the standard blood test midway through "Deep Space Nine" — in the episode after the test was devised. In the Season 4 premiere, "The Way of the Warrior," Klingon General Martok cuts his hand to prove he is who he claims to be. A year later, we learn that this Martok is, in fact, a Changeling and that the real Martok has been imprisoned in the Gamma Quadrant since before his doppelganger's first appearance on the show.

Captain Sisko's father, Joseph, has his own theory as to how this works. In the episode "Homefront," Joseph decries the uselessness of subjecting citizens to blood screenings, given that a Changeling could easily store real blood within its assumed body in case it ever needed to prove its identity. The Changelings we see in "Picard" are definitely more advanced, given their ability to retain their form even when dead or unconscious, but the ability to fool a blood test isn't actually a major feature of the upgrade.

Captain Shaw runs through a list of Picard's most public disasters

In "Imposter," the USS Titan's Captain Liam Shaw retakes command of his ship from the mutinous Admiral Picard and Captain Riker. As he gleefully escorts Picard and Riker to their hearing with Starfleet Intelligence, his two rivals defend themselves by mentioning the number of times they've saved the entire galaxy. In response, Shaw lists off a few examples of when the crew of the Enterprise (D or E) broke bad, arguing that saving the Federation a few times has, at best, made their service records a wash.

Shaw chooses to highlight three blemishes on Picard and Riker's records. First, he mentions the crash-landing of the Enterprise-D's saucer section in "Star Trek: Generations." This may be an iconic moment of "Star Trek" cinema, but it really shouldn't be held against them, as an emergency saucer landing is just one of the ship's safety features working exactly as designed. We accept no slander of Counselor Troi's piloting skills! Shaw also brings up Picard's rebellion against the Federation in "Star Trek: Insurrection," which he implies was motivated by Picard's desire to sleep with charming Ba'ku villager Anij. Then again, seeing as Picard was disobeying orders to save the Ba'ku helped to prevent Starfleet from participating in a genocide, it's a little disingenuous to frame Picard as the bad guy in this one, too.

As for the third incident he mentions, in which Picard almost wipes out all life in the galaxy by creating a spacial anomaly that grows backward through time in the "The Next Generation" finale "All Good Things...", Shaw may have a point. It's hard to give Picard credit for preventing pan-galactic doom when the threat was the result of his own time-traveling.

Michelle Forbes never shows up with good news

"Imposter" boasts the long-awaited return of fan-favorite character Ro Laren, who hasn't been seen since "Preemptive Strike," the penultimate episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Picard's most complicated mentee, Ro joins the crew of the Enterprise during Season 5 and appears in a total of eight episodes. The character was popular enough amongst fans and writers alike that she was intended to feature in the spin-off "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," but actor Michelle Forbes was reluctant to sign an extended contract. This led to the character of Kira Nerys being created in her place. A different fate was written for Ro, who closes out her run on "The Next Generation" by defecting from Starfleet to join the human and Bajoran resistance group called the Maquis. 

Now, Ro has returned as a Commander in Starfleet Intelligence, and she arrives on the Titan to interrogate Picard about his effort to commandeer the ship to pursue his agenda. This gives Ro and Picard the opportunity to resolve the tension created by their unpleasant parting in "Preemptive Strike" and puts a bow on Ro's canonical "Star Trek" tenure. With her death in this episode, it now appears that we've really seen the last of Ro Laren after a 29-year hiatus.

However, that doesn't mean that Michelle Forbes hasn't set foot on the deck of a starship in all of that time. The last time sci-fi fans saw Forbes don a scowl and a spacesuit was on "Battlestar Galactica," where she guest-starred as Admiral Helena Cain. Just like in "Picard," Forbes' character challenges the authority of that show's commander and patriarch. It didn't work out great for her on that show, either.

The 12 Monkeys cast rules M'Talas Prime

"Imposter" introduces another of the crime lords of the planet M'Talas Prime, a Vulcan gangster named Krinn. Krinn is a close associate of the Ferengi baddie Sneed, who was played by Aaron Stanford — the star of "Picard" showrunner Terry Matalas' previous show, "12 Monkeys" There, Stanford played time-traveling protagonist James Cole. Appropriately, Krinn is also played by another actor from "12 Monkeys," Kirk Acevedo, who played apocalypse survivor José Ramse. The relationship between Sneed and Krinn closely parallels the friendship shared between Cole and Ramse. Both sets of characters grew up together in hostile environments, the mean streets of M'Tala Prime's District Seven and the plague-ravaged future United States, respectively.

It wouldn't be surprising if all of the most prominent figures on M'Talas Prime turn out to be buddies with the planet's namesake. It would certainly underline the joke if co-stars Amanda Schull, Emily Hampshire, or Barbara Sukowa turned up as members of this bizarre interspecies crime family by the time the season comes to a close.

Further "12 Monkeys" alums working on this season of "Star Trek: Picard" include composer Stephen Barton, actor Tiffany Shepis as the Titan's Dr. Ahk, and of course, Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw.

Daystrom Station's Easter egg collection is unmatched

"The Bounty" sees Captain Riker, Commander Musiker, and Worf sneak through the vault at Daystrom Station, hoping to learn what the Changelings were really after when they burgled the facility before the start of the season. As they search the secret archive of spooky technology, they pass by several displays containing artifacts from throughout the history of the "Star Trek" franchise.

The label of the first display we see is too blurry to identify for certain, but it appears to be a Thalaron weapon like the one used by Shinzon in "Star Trek: Nemesis." The rest of the artifacts, however, are clearly labeled for the audience. There's the "Genesis II Device," apparently an upgraded version of the planet-changing machine from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," as well as the body of James T. Kirk, recovered from Veridian III after his burial in "Star Trek Generations." We also see a Borg Vinculum, the device that processes the thoughts of assimilated drones as originally seen on "Star Trek: Voyager," and a genetically modified Tribble .

While no specific items from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" are seen aboard the station, it's not entirely left out of the fun. The collection itself is curated by Section 31, the amoral covert ops organization introduced in Season 6 of "Deep Space Nine." Section 31 also plays a role in the backstory for this season of "Picard," having created the deadly virus that crippled the Changelings and forced an end to the Dominion War. This atrocity is doubtlessly to blame, at least in part, for the fury of the Changeling faction that currently terrorizes the Federation.

Data's presence on Daystrom Station is apparent from the beginning

Towards the end of "The Bounty," the audience learns that the advanced artificial intelligence which guards the vaults of Daystrom Station is, in fact, a new synthetic android that houses the restored memories of Data, his siblings Lore, B-4, and Alton Soong, and his daughter Lal. However, the clues as to the AI's identity are laid almost from the moment Riker, Raffi, and Worf arrive at the station. When Worf swaps out the computer's security key with the hacked copy he acquired on M'Talas Prime, the computer says "Thank you" in a number of different voices. The first of these voices is that of Data himself.

The rest of the clues are sussed out by Riker throughout the adventure. A holographic crow appears in a corridor, which is an echo of one of Data's dreams from "The Next Generation" episode "Birthright." Later, the team is confronted by Professor Moriarty, a fictional character who became a sentient life form when the computer attempted to create a worthy adversary for Data in his Sherlock Holmes holodeck program in "Elementary, Dear Data." 

There are also a few audio cues. The sound of a violin — Data's primary musical instrument — begins echoing throughout the station, and when Riker recognizes that it's playing excerpts from "Pop Goes the Weasel," he flashes back to his first meeting with Data in "Encounter at Farpoint," when Data is struggling to whistle that very tune. Riker previously recalled Data's whistling at the android's wake in "Star Trek: Nemesis" but couldn't remember what song Data was attempting. Thankfully, this adventure jogged his memory.

The fleet museum hides one particularly important starship

While on the run from the Changeling-infiltrated Starfleet and looking for a way to rescue the away team from Daystrom Station, the USS Titan pays a visit to the fleet museum, the final resting place of many legendary vessels. In addition to the ships that get a shout-out — the Defiant, the Enterprise-A, Voyager, and the HMS Bounty — there are also a few other ships visible around the perimeter of the old spacedock. Eagle-eyed viewers will make out two examples of the fan-favorite Akira-class from "Star Trek: First Contact," a Nebula-class ship originating from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," an old-style Romulan Bird-of-Prey from "Star Trek: The Original Series," and a Klingon Battle Cruiser as seen in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

However, one noteworthy ship is visible only in a few shots and never gets a close-up: the Enterprise NX-01, from "Star Trek: Enterprise," which is parked behind the Klingon Battle Cruiser. We get a decent look at it during the montage that plays under Altan Soong's personal log, and from there we can see that the NX-01 has received a refit since its last appearance on "Enterprise," with the addition of a familiar drive section like the one found on the Constitution-class. 

This refit never made it to "Enterprise," but it has been seen in books and merchandise . Young Jean-Luc Picard even has a model of the refit on display during a flashback in "Picard" Season 2 . This would seem to confirm that this refit did, in fact, occur in canon. Hopefully, we'll get a better look at the updated NX-01 during the Frontier Day parade.

Mica Burton's casting isn't The Bounty's only backstage nod

All season long, we've been following the adventures of Ensign Sidney La Forge, daughter of the famous engineer Geordi La Forge. Sydney is portrayed by Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut, a newcomer to the "Star Trek" family. "The Bounty" brings LeVar Burton back to reprise the role of Geordi, who is now a Starfleet Commodore and the curator of the fleet museum. Geordi brings along another familiar face: Sidney's sister, Alandra, portrayed by Burton's real-life daughter, Mica Burton.

This, however, isn't the only backstage bonus that this episode has to offer. When the Daystrom Institute AI (which we later learn is Data) scans Will Riker's face, we see his service record appear on our screen. This confirms some apocrypha from official reference materials (like Riker's mother's name, Betty), and also gives us Riker's birthday — August 19th, the same as actor Jonathan Frakes.

The names of the two Starfleet vessels dispatched to pursue the Titan are also tributes to behind-the-scenes figures from the show's art department. One is the USS Sternbach, almost certainly named for artist  Rick Sternbach , designer of countless starships during "The Next Generation" era. The other is the USS Cole, likely named for Lee Cole, an art director and graphic designer who helped define the interior aesthetic of "The Original Series" film era. She worked on the aborted "Star Trek: Phase II" series before joining the production teams of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

The Chin'toka System is a battleground of the Dominion War

At the start of "Dominion," the Titan is hiding in a scrapyard in the Chin'toka System. Located at the edge of Cardassian space, Chin'toka is the site of two pivotal battles in the Dominion War, as seen in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." In the episode, "Tears of the Prophets," Captain Benjamin Sisko and the crew of the USS Defiant led the allied Federation, Klingon, and Romulan fleets in a successful invasion of Chin'toka, winning the allies their first offensive victory of the war (sadly, while Lt. Commander Worf was aboard the Defiant in this battle, his wife Lt. Commander Jadzia Dax, was back on DS9, where she was murdered by Gul Dukat).

The Dominion wouldn't be on their back foot for long, however, and the following year, in "The Changing Face of Evil," they would retake the system with the aid of their new members, the Breen. The Second Battle of Chin'toka was a devastating defeat for the allies. Using their deadly energy-dampening weapons, the Breen tore through the Federation and Romulan forces, including the USS Defiant, whose wreckage can be seen floating in the window of the Titan's conference lounge. Also visible in the scrapyard are the remains of a massive Jem'Hadar warship.

Speaking of junked ships, the Vulcan wreckage against whom the USS Titan stages the aftermath of a fictional battle is a design first seen in "Star Trek: Discovery," in an episode set nearly 150 years earlier. This was likely done to spare the "Picard" effects team from having to build a brand new CGI model for a handful of shots.

Seven of Nine tests Captain Tuvok's authenticity

In an effort to find someone in Starfleet she can trust with intelligence about the Changeling's plot to attack the Frontier Day ceremony, Seven of Nine reaches out to Captain Tuvok, her old shipmate aboard the USS Voyager. During this conversation, she attempts to trip up a potential imposter using leading questions and misinformation, knowing that only the real Tuvok will be able to parse her meaning. First, she feels reassured when Tuvok mentions that she used to routinely defeat him in the Vulcan game kal-toh. Her assertion that only Tuvok would remember their games of kal-toh is a bit of a stretch, as the two played at least once in the Voyager mess hall in full view of the crew. It's possible that this was also a checkpoint Seven's test, a point at which she could feign total trust and lull a possible imposter into a false sense of security.

However, when she suggests meeting at a planet disavowed by Vulcans, she realizes that she's actually talking to a Changeling infiltrator. Seven also deliberately misidentifies this planet as the place where her neural patterns were stabilized, while that actually occurred on "Voyager" in the episode, "Infinite Regress." This is the second reference to "Infinite Regress" this season, the first being the Borg Viniculum stored aboard Daystrom Station in "The Bounty."

Tim Russ's appearance in "Dominion" isn't actually the first we've seen of Tuvok since Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. He also makes a wordless, animated cameo in an episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," "Grounded," in which we learn of his involvement in a secret operation to exonerate Captain Carol Freeman of destroying Pakled Planet. This episode is set two decades before "Picard," and presumably features the real Tuvok.

Troi learns to take some of her own advice from The Next Generation

While Counselor Deanna Troi and her husband Captain William Riker are imprisoned together aboard Captain Vadic's ship, the Shrike, they reflect on the way they've each handled the death of their son, Thad. We first learned of the tragic loss of their firstborn in "Nepenthe," a first season episode of "Star Trek: Picard." Since then, their marriage has hit the rocks, and in Season 3's "Surrender," we learn a bit more about their difficulties. Managing grief is hard enough for two human parents, but it's tougher still when one parent is a half-Betazoid with empathic abilities, meaning that she feels both her own grief and her husband's. In an effort to ease the process, Deanna apparently uses her abilities to siphon off some of Will's pain. This led to a period of separation.

When conversing about this conflict, Deanna realizes that she's broken what she calls the first rule of being a therapist: "You can't skip to the end of grief." This is something we actually see her working on with one of her patients in an episode of "The Next Generation," "The Loss." Here, we sit in on Counselor Troi's therapy sessions with Ensign Brooks, who recently lost her husband and is in denial about her own pain. Over the course of the episode, we see Troi pull Brooks out of her false sense of contentment and truly feel what's happened to her. Only then can Brooks truly heal. Now, it seems that Deanna's going through the same sort of struggle, and she has had to learn this lesson for herself.

Data's computational speed has been upgraded

In "Surrender," the Changelings led by Captain Vadic have hijacked the USS Titan, locking the crew out of the ship's command functions. Only a few of our main characters have eluded capture, and they are struggling to find a way to retake the bridge. While brainstorming a solution, Ensign Sydney La Forge mentions that breaking Vadic's lockout codes would require a processor with a capacity of more than 90 trillion operations per second. Picard's eyes light up at this, as he recalls that the new synthetic golem containing Data, Lore, and all their Soong-type android siblings is currently lying dormant in one of the ship's science labs.

This heavily implies that Data's current processing power is at least 90 trillion operations per second, and considering how quickly and totally he seizes control of the Titan's computer, it may be much more than that. This is a serious upgrade from his previous stated computational speed. In the "TNG" episode "The Measure of a Man," Data is said to be able to perform 60 trillion operations per second. That means his new positronic brain is at least 33% faster than the one in his old body.

It's worth noting, however, that the storytellers in both that 1989 episode and this one from 2023 have likely underestimated the processing power of a cutting-edge android being from the distant future. Bear in mind that the 16-core Neural Engine found in current Apple computers can perform 15.8 trillion operations per second. Surely the legendary Lt. Commander Data should be more than six times smarter than your Mac?

Data's memories are represented by familiar props from The Next Generation

Commodore Geordi La Forge reactivates the new Data and deactivates the partition between his different personalities in the hope that his friend Data will win out over his malevolent brother Lore, with whom he currently shares a brain. Data is a gentle soul and has no interest in destroying Lore, whereas Lore is only too eager to take his brother apart piece by piece. Data realizes that he can use this to his advantage and wilfully offers up his memories for Lore to steal. As Lore gobbles up aspects of Data's life, he unknowingly becomes Data, allowing the two personalities to fuse into a single being who has Data's wisdom and kindness as well as Lore's capacity for emotion and whimsy.

We see this struggle take place inside the new android's head, as Data manifests his memories in the form of recognizable props from "The Next Generation." First, we see the hat and pipe from his Sherlock Holmes costume, which he first wore in the episode "Elementary, Dear Data." He also summons a small holographic statue of the late Lt. Tasha Yar, with whom Data had a brief intimate relationship in the episode "The Naked Now." This memorial hologram was first seen in "The Measure of a Man," and later in "The Most Toys."

Finally, Data offers up his cat Spot as a representation of his capacity to love. Longtime fans may chuckle to hear Spot referred to as a "he," as the cat's sex inexplicably changed from male to female during "TNG" Season 7. Spot is now a boy cat again — at least in Data's memory.

The Frontier Day fleet includes some familiar names

Season 3's penultimate episode, "VÕX," shows us the long-advertised Frontier Day ceremony in which the entire active Starfleet assembles for a single demonstration over Earth. Naturally, this calls for the cast of "Picard" standing in front of a big map so that fans can pause the show and take note of as many of the involved starships as possible. We even get an extended shot of just the fleet map. Director and showrunner Terry Matalas certainly knows his audience.

None of the assembled ships are old enough to have appeared on earlier "Star Trek" series, but a few of them have been featured in previous armada scenes in Seasons 1 and 2. These include the USS Zheng He, which Captain Riker commands in the standoff with the Romulans in "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2." Most of the fleet that investigates the anomaly in "The Star Gazer" is present here, including the Gilgamesh, Sutherland, Ibn al-Haytham, and the new Excelsior.

Some of the ships are also named for prominent figures in the history of "Star Trek" special effects and production design. The USS Okuda, which also appears in "The Star Gazer," is certainly named for production designers and authors of multiple "Star Trek" reference books, Michael and Denise Okuda . The USS Drexler pays homage to the longtime "Star Trek" ship designer Doug Drexler, while the USS Trumbull likely pays tribute to the late Douglas Trumbull, a pioneer in special effects who passed away in 2022.

We've also got ships named for important figures in "Star Trek" history, like the USS Cochrane (for warp drive inventor Zefram), the USS John Kelly (an astronaut from the "Voyager" episode "One Small Step"), and the USS Hikaru Sulu,  who needs no introduction.

Fan-favorite guest star Shelby's first name is finally canon

"VÕX" features a surprise appearance by Elizabeth Dennehy as Shelby, a beloved guest star from "The Next Generation" two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds." In that episode, Shelby joins the crew of the Enterprise-D to confront the Borg threat, even becoming the ship's new first officer after Captain Picard is captured by the Borg. Though Shelby's role in the two-parter is memorable, she never appears on the series again. Her only other canonical appearance is a cameo in the animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks," by which time she has been promoted to captain.

While she remained unused on television for decades, Shelby became a main character in "Star Trek: New Frontier," a long-running series of novels by Peter David and John Ordover. In the novels, she receives a first name, Elizabeth (after Dennehy) and is eventually promoted to the rank of admiral.

"VÕX" makes a point of establishing Shelby's name and rank as canon, even placing her in command of the USS Enterprise-F during the Frontier Day ceremony.

Shelby gives the events of this season an exact Earth date

In the future of "Star Trek," Federation starships aren't in the habit of measuring time by the same calendar that the viewers use at home. Sure, they still use the same minutes, hours, and years — but when someone asks what day it is, a Starfleet officer is bound to respond with something like, "Stardate 47988." Over the years, fans have engineered ways to roughly translate this into Earth dates, but this isn't an exact science. Every once in a while, however, circumstances provide us with the tools we need to pin the events of a given episode to an exact date on our calendar.

We've known all along that Season 3 of "Picard" is set in the year 2401, as confirmed by showrunner Terry Matalas in interviews. It's also implied by nature of the Frontier Day festivities, celebrating the 250th anniversary of Starfleet, since the maiden voyage of the Enterprise (NX-01) began in 2151. In "VÕX," Admiral Shelby gets even more specific and notes that the NX-01's mission began "250 years ago today." Luckily for us, that launch predates the transition to the stardate calendar, so thanks to Captain Archer's log entry from "Broken Bow," the first episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise," we know that this episode of "Picard" takes place on April 16th. Funnily enough, that's only three days after the episode itself debuted, on April 13th, albeit in the year 2023.

The cast of VÕX includes some familiar voices

Several "Star Trek" alumni make their return in this episode exclusively in voice over. Most prominently, Alice Krige, who originated  the Borg Queen in "Star Trek: First Contact" and reprised it in the series finale of "Star Trek: Voyager" is back to provide the voice of the Borg Queen during her confrontation with Jack Crusher. Krige succeeds actor Annie Wersching, who portrayed the queen in Season 2 of "Picard." Wersching died of cancer in January of 2023 at the age of 45, and this season's premiere was dedicated in her memory.

The late Majel Barrett can also be heard in this episode reprising the role of the Enterprise-D computer via clips of archival audio. Barrett portrayed the default voice of the Starfleet computer across a plethora of "Star Trek" series, films, and video games, and fan works from 1966 until her death in 2008. She also originated the roles of Nurse Christine Chapel and Number One on "The Original Series," both of whom are now regular characters on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." She might be best remembered as Lwaxana Troi, Deanna's mother, on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and as the wife of series creator Gene Roddenberry.

Finally, the voice of Captain Benbassat of the ill-fated USS Excelsior is provided by prolific voice actor Nolan North, who has played multiple characters on "Star Trek: Lower Decks." He's best known as the voice of Nathan Drake in the "Uncharted" video game series.

Worf destroyed the Enterprise-E off-screen

Since the entire modern Starfleet has been hijacked by the Borg, Picard and his old crew are forced to flee to the fleet museum and bring an old starship out of mothballs to confront them. As luck would have it, Commodore Geordi La Forge has been secretly reconstructing the USS Enterprise-D, on which he and his surrogate family served during "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Obviously, the real reason why Picard's crew will be riding into battle aboard the Enterprise-D and not the more advanced Enterprise-E is because, by and large, the viewing audience doesn't have as much nostalgia for the dimly lit, battle-hardened E as they do for the cozy and familiar D. The characters do, however, offer a funny in-universe explanation.

While en route to the Enterprise-D in Spacedock, Geordi mentions that it's a shame that they're unable to use the Enterprise-E, after which everyone side-eyes Worf. "That was not my fault," says Worf, implying that he is somehow responsible for the loss of Picard's second Enterprise. This actually lines up with some backstory provided in a "Star Trek: Picard" tie-in novel, "The Last Best Hope" by Una McCormack. There, we learn that Picard chooses Worf to succeed him as captain of the Enterprise-E after his promotion to admiral. The exchange in "VÕX" implies that this is canon, and that Worf's tenure as captain of the Enterprise had an explosive conclusion. In the Enterprise's Star Trek: Picard Log on Instagram , the ship's final mission is listed as "CLASSIFIED."

President Chekov's warning is its own basket of Easter eggs

The series finale, "The Last Generation," opens with the crew of the refurbished Enterprise-D listening to an audio distress call sent by the President of the United Federation of Planets, Anton Chekov, voiced by original "Star Trek" cast member Walter Koenig. Koenig's casting, along with a reference to his father, implies that President Chekov is the son of Commander Pavel Chekov, former navigator and weapons officer of the Enterprise under James T. Kirk. Chekov says that his father was fond of saying, "There are always possibilities," a phrase favored by Pavel Chekov's shipmate Spock. President Chekov shares his first name, Anton, with late actor Anton Yelchin, who portrayed Pavel Chekov in the rebooted "Star Trek" film trilogy. Yelchin was killed in an accident in 2016.

The text of President Chekov's message also closely resembles one sent by a previous Federation President in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," when the Earth is under attack by a strange alien probe. Both messages include the phrases "Do not approach Earth" and "Save yourselves ... Farewell." In both "The Voyage Home" and "The Last Generation," our heroes are fugitives from Starfleet who must return to Earth in a stolen vessel to prevent a global disaster.

While playing the audio message, the text on the Enterprise-D's view screen mentions General Order 12, a Starfleet directive mentioned in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" that requires that vessels go to red alert when any vessel approaches without first establishing communications. Also noted are Starfleet Order 104, which requires that commanding officers exhibiting strange behavior be relieved of duty, and Regulation 19, Section C, which allows another officer to take command in an emergency.

Raffi invents the portable transporter (unless she didn't)

To retake the bridge of the USS Titan from the assimilated junior officers, Seven, Raffi, and a few other grown-ups rig phasers with transporter technology in order to instantly beam anyone they shoot into the secured transporter room. The plan works, allowing them to capture their Borgified shipmates without harming them. Impressed with the ingenuity of Raffi's new weapons, Seven tells her that she "may have just invented the portable beam-me-up." This particular use of transporter technology is, in fact, something new for "Star Trek," but it's not the first time we've seen portable transporter technology or the use of a transporter as a weapon.

On "Star Trek: Voyager," the Vidiians use weapons similar to Raffi's new rifles, which fire a phaser-like beam at their targets that transports individual organs out of their victims. Voyager's cook, Neelix, falls victim to one of these weapons in the episode "Phage" when a Vidiian makes off with both of his lungs. (In fairness, this happens years before Seven joins the Voyager crew.) Similarly, in "Star Trek: Insurrection," the Son'a employ drones that fire small transporter tags, beaming whatever they hit up into holding cells aboard their ship. Raffi's rifles seem to be an evolution of this technology, as they do not appear to require any kind of projectile to lock onto a target.

Seven's reference to a portable transporter might actually be a call-forward to a technology that we know to be commonplace in the distant future of Starfleet. In later seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery," set over 600 years after "Picard," tiny transporters become integrated into Starfleet badges, allowing officers to instantly beam between any two points.

The finale contains many small nods to Treks past, and some big ones

"The Last Generation" contains a handful of smaller nods to other "Star Trek" films and episodes, including some direct visual references. When Captain Picard plugs back into the Borg Collective, we're treated to some footage from the prologue of "Star Trek: First Contact," showing images from his original assimilation.

The shot towards the end of the episode of the Enterprise-D and the Titan-A flying side by side framed against Earth's sunrise is evocative of a similar shot towards the end of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," in which the Enterprise-A and the Excelsior fly one final time together before parting ways. The rechristening of the USS Titan as the new Enterprise parallels a reveal in "Star Trek IV," when the USS Yorktown is renamed the Enterprise-A in tribute to Kirk and his crew. Both of these reveals take place in Spacedock, as the captain of the old Enterprise approaches via shuttle.

In the final scene of the series, Worf mentions that he will be teaching a seminar about "mugato meditation." A mugato (sometimes called a mugatu), is a giant horned ape creature seen in the "Original Series" episode "A Private Little War." When asked to propose a toast, Data breaks into a saucy limerick that he once tried to recite in the Season 1 "TNG" episode "The Naked Now." Just like last time, he is interrupted before he can finish.

Finally, we close on the crew playing poker, like in the "TNG "finale "All Good Things..." and the final shot of the series under credits is patterned closely after the final shot of "The Next Generation," right down to the rotation of the camera over the poker table as Picard deals.

‘Star Trek Picard’ Season 3: All the Easter Eggs Explained, From Spacedock to That Post-Credit Cameo

There are numerous references to “Star Trek: The Next Generation” even Trekkies may have missed

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3 is finally here and boy, is it a trip down memory lane.

This season, touted as the “final voyage,” reunites Jean-Luc Picard with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise .

Their adventures were chronicled in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which ran for seven seasons from 1987 to 1994. The last time the cast shared the screen was in the 2002 feature film “Star Trek: Nemesis.”

The newest season of “Picard” picks up some 20+ years later, with Picard (Patrick Stewart) assembling his old crew to save one of their own.

Each week, we’ll break down the easter eggs and “Trek” reference from the latest episode. Of course, spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 1 Easter Eggs

• The very title of this episode, “The Next Generation,” is an homage to the show that introduced us to the U.S.S. Enterprise D, its captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew.
• The episode opens on the Eleos, an aide vessel captained by Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the former chief medical officer of the Enterprise. The camera pans through her personal items, including theater masks (Crusher formed a theater troupe on board the Enterprise and taught acting), orchids (her favorite flowers which she was seen tending in one episode) and a storage locker belonging to Lt. Jack Crusher (her first husband who was killed while serving under Picard). There’s also a glass filled with a blue liquor — unmistakably Romulan ale.
• Beverly is replaying Picard’s log during an encounter with the Borg, in which the Enterprise hid in a nebula. Beverly is hiding the Eleos near a nebula.
• The next scene features Picard at his family winery in France. In the distance, you can hear a dog barking, likely his pet pitbull “Number One.” He is looking at a painting of the Enterprise-D. His companion, Laris, says “The first love is always the sweetest.” Picard replies “Well, she wasn’t the first, but she was definitely my favorite.” Picard’s first command was the U.S.S. Stargazer, the same ship Jack Crusher served on.
• Picard tells an assistant to give the painting to Geordi, the first mention of Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), the Enterprise’s chief engineer and now head of Starfleet’s fleet museum.
• Picard looks at more memorabilia at his desk, which include a Bajoran award. He picks up a Ressikan flute, a memento of the time he lived the life of a man named Kamin on the dead planet Kataan. The story of Kamin is told in the Season 5 episode of “The Next Generation” titled “The Inner Light.”
• That evening, Picard receives an encoded message from Beverly Crusher. He’s alerted by the trill from his old Enterprise communications badge. It’s located in a box along with his red and black command uniform from the Enterprise.
• Picard meets up with his old friend/former first officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) at a bar. The bartender offers up miniatures of the Enterprise-D, which she calls “fat ones.” This is an inside joke for Trek fans; the Enterprise-D saucer was unusually oblong and large; later models were more streamlined.
• Riker reveals he is spending time apart from his wife Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), the former Enterprise counselor, and their daughter Kestra. Kestra is also the name of Deanna’s deceased sister, whose death was explored in the Season 7 episode of “The Next Generation” titled “Dark Page.”
• Picard shares the codeword “hellbird” with Riker. Riker explains that it was a term used when Picard was “incapacitated.” He’s referring to when Picard was assimilated by the Borg in the Season 3 finale of “The Next Generation” titled “The Best of Both Worlds.” The Borg gained all of Picard’s memories, so the crew had to devise a new system.
• To track down Crusher, Riker and Picard go aboard the U.S.S. Titan, Riker’s command after leaving the Enterprise. The ship has undergone a “Neo-Constitution refit.” The Constitution class is one of the most popular in Trek lore; the original Enterprise itself was a Constitution-class starship.
• The first officer aboard the Titan is none other than Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), another human who was assimilated by the Borg and rescued in the “Star Trek: Voyager” episode “Scorpion.” Seven became Picard’s ally during Season 1 of “Picard” where they helped root out Romulan spies.
• Seven introduces herself as Annika Hansen. Her commanding officer, Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) has instructed Seven to use her human name rather than her Borg designation.
• Seven was given a field commission by Picard, but officially joined Starfleet upon the advice of Picard and Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Janeway was the captain of the U.S.S. Voyager that rescued Seven.
• Seven invites Picard and Riker to the bridge, where they meet a smiling helmsman, ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). Sidney is Geordi’s eldest daughter. Riker embarrasses her by bringing up her nickname from Starfleet Academy — “Crash” La Forge — after she crashed a shuttle … twice.
• A quick pan around the Titan bridge reveals a Bajoran tactical officer, a Haiilian communications officer (with little hair) and a Vulcan science officer (with no hair). Bald crewmen (or crewwomen in this case) have had a special place in “Trek” lore, dating back to Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” Other bald crewmembers include Lt. Airiam (Hannah Cheesman) from “Star Trek: Discovery,” Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and, of course, Picard.
• Showrunner Terry Matalas identified the Vulcan science officer as Lt. T’Veen. The actor who plays T’Veen, Stephanie Czajkowski, is a cancer survivor who kept her head shaved or short.
• As the Titan leaves spacedock, Seven tells the crew to set speed to “maximum warp.” Picard asks if she should give Engineering a heads-up before doing so, but Seven tells Picard there’s no need; it’s all automated now. During “The Next Generation,” Picard would often have to inform La Forge that he was going to push the limits of the Enterprises’ engines, despite the chief engineer’s concerns.
• Captain Shaw is not impressed by Picard or Riker, choosing to not greet them upon arrival and starting dinner before they arrive. Actor Todd Stashwick is not new to the “Trek” universe; he played Torak in the Season 4 episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise” titled “Kir’Shara.”
• Shaw tells Riker he had to purge the “bebop” files when he took command of Titan. Riker is a jazz lover and was shown to play the trombone in several episodes of “The Next Generation.” Shaw says he prefers “structure.” The music playing he’s playing in the background is a piano concerto by Chopin — classical music for a by-the-books captain.
• The “steak” Shaw is eating is blue — and we don’t mean undercooked. We don’t know the significance behind that but we wanted to point it out!
• In a secondary storyline, Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) is working undercover to discover what happened to experimental weapons stolen from the Daystrom Institute. An informant gives her the clue “Red Lady” which she discovers is a red statue of Captain Rachel Garrett that will be dedicated at a Starfleet recruiting center. Garrett was the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise C, whose fate was explored in the Season 3 “The Next Generation” episode titled “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”
• Riker and Picard make their way aboard the Eleos. While exploring the ship, Riker calls Picard “Captain” and then apologizes, saying “old habits.” Picard later refers to Riker as “Number One” — the way they referred to each other during their Enterprise days.
• Riker is ambushed by an assailant (Ed Speleers) but manages to get the upper hand. When asked by Picard what his relationship is to Crusher, he responds “her son.” So far, the only son Crusher is known to have is Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), who lived and served aboard the Enterprise-D.
• The credits are filled with easter eggs themselves that will be revealed as the season progresses. The only one that is applicable right now is that display of the Shrike, the giant warship hunting the Eleos.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 2 Easter Eggs

• We finally get the full name of Ed Speleers character — Jack Crusher. He’s named after his stepfather, Jack R. Crusher. We do a deep dive into the younger Crusher here .
• Among the Eleos’ supplies is a bottle of blue Romulan ale, one of the galaxy’s most inebriating liquors. In Episode 1, Beverly has a glass next to her bed.
• The Shrike opens fire on the Eleos, destroying the shuttle Picard and Riker flew over on. The debris reveals the shuttle’s name — Saavik. Saavik was a Vulcan officer who served aboard the Enterprise-A. She was played by the late Kirstie Alley and later by Robin Curtis.
• The Titan comes to the Eleos’ rescue and attempts to transport Picard, Riker and the Crushers aboard. However, the signal is blocked due to transport inhibitors Picard setup around the bridge. Realizing what he’s done, Picard takes out a phaser and destroys the inhibitors with surprising speed and accuracy, much to Jack’s astonishment. This is a subtle reminder that Picard is in a synthetic body with potentially better reflexes.
• Back on M’Talas Prime, Raffi meets up with her ex-husband, Jae Hwang (Randy Goodwin). Viewers previously met their son, Gabe (Mason Gooding), back in Season 1. In the Season 3 opener, Raffi gets emotional while looking at a photo of their granddaughter.
• Picard, Riker and Jack make their way to the Titan bridge, where they’re scolded by Capt. Shaw. At one point, Ensign Esmar (Jin Maley), the communication officer, calls out “Captain!” Shaw, Riker (who once commanded the Titan) and Picard all respond in unison, “What?”
• Capt. Vadic (Amanda Plummer) has dossiers on all the officers. She hints that Shaw has psychological problems. She also somehow knows that Picard is not human, saying “Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, in the synthetic flesh.”
• Jack Crusher has many aliases, among which is “James Cole.” James Cole is a character from “12 Monkeys,” the show that “Picard” showrunner Terry Matalas previously produced.
• While deep undercover, Raffi meets the Ferengi broker Sneed. Sneed is played by Aaron Stanford, who played James Cole on “12 Monkeys.” Of course, he’s barely unrecognizable under all those prosthetics.
• Sneed tries to break Raffi using the synthetic narcotic Splinter, which is administered via the eye. Given Raffi’s history of substance abuse, she is able to partially withstand its effects. Splinter is name of the technology used in “12 Monkeys.”
• Todd Stashwick, who plays Captain Shaw, ALSO appeared on “12 Monkeys.”
• Raffi’s handler is revealed to be non-other than Worf (Michael Dorn). Worf rescues Raffi by slicing and dicing his way through Sneed’s goons. The Romulan thug has green blood while Sneed’s Ferengi blood is yellow.
• Jack is about to turn himself over to Vadic when Beverly appears on the bridge of the Titan. She has a wordless exchange but it’s enough for Picard to confirm that Jack indeed is his son.

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3, Episode 3 Easter Eggs

• The episode opens with the Shrike hot on the Titan’s tail. Shaw orders the Titan to delve deeper into the nebula in an attempt to shake the Shrike. It’s an evasion maneuver seen in many Trek shows and films, notably “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”
• After the opening credits, a graphic appears that reads “Before.” The scene opens with a digitally de-aged Picard and Riker. They’re older than they were on the Enterprise but younger than the present. They’re celebrating the birth of Riker’s son Thaddeus, who was born on the Titan after Riker became captain. That would date this celebration about three years after the events of “Star Trek: Nemesis” and 20 years before the events of “Picard” Season 3.
• Picard and Riker’s celebration is interrupted when Troi, Riker’s wife and Thaddeus’ mom, messages them with a fussy baby in hand. Riker apologizes and calls her imzadi , which is the Betazoid word for “beloved.”
• Back in the present, Seven of Nine is confined to her quarters for insubordination. There’s a model of the U.S.S. Voyager — the ship that rescued her — on her desk. Ensign La Forge visits her and commends her for helping Picard and Riker, which is something her dad would’ve done. Seven thanks La Forge and tells her to rest, to which La Forge answers, “Yes, Commander Seven” instead of “Yes, Commander Hansen” as a sign of friendship.
• Picard and Beverly finally have a face-to-face conversation about Jack. Picard got Beverly pregnant while on shore leave two months before she left the Enterprise. She never told him because she was afraid his enemies will target their son.
• At one point, Beverly tried to tell Picard about Jack but “two Reman assassins had intercepted the ship in the Donatra sector.” Donatra was the name of the commander of the Romulan warship Valdore seen in “Star Trek: Nemesis” played by Dina Meyer.
• After Raffi regains consciousness, she meets her rescuer/handler. He identifies himself as “Worf, son of Mogh. House of Martok. Son of Sergey. House of Rozhenko, bane to the Duras family, slayer of Gowron.” These are nods to Worf’s complicated lineage. His Klingon father was Mogh, but he was adopted as a boy by Sergey and Helena Rozhenko. Worf eventually aligned himself with House Martok, whose sworn enemies were the Duras family and notably the Duras sisters, who were killed in a battle against the Enterprise in “Star Trek Generations.” In the Season 7, Episode 22 of “Deep Space Nine,” Worf kills Chancellor Gowron for undermining Martok during the Dominion War.
• Jack and Seven discover the Shrike is tracking the Titan via its verterium emissions. Gas leaks are another “Trek” trope. It’s how the Enterprise and Excelsior were able to track General Chang’s cloaked Klingon ship in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”
• Jack knocks out the guard stationed outside Seven’s quarters, to which she responds, “You’re insane.” Remember this for later.
• Jack is attacked by the saboteur, who is revealed to be a Changeling, a species of shapeshifters that waged war against the Federation 25 years prior (the aforementioned Dominion War).
• While exposed to toxic verterium gas, Jack has visions of a woman (in the form of Seven of Nine) who beckons to him “find me!” Is he actually insane?
• Meanwhile, Raffi and Worf interrogate Titus Rikka, a criminal played by Thomas Dekker. As a child actor, Dekker appeared as Picard’s imaginary son in “Star Trek Generations.” He also played a holographic child on “Star Trek: Voyager.”
• Rikka is sweating and shaking profusely, which Raffi thinks are drug withdrawals. However, Worf recognizes them as something else. Rikka is also a Changeling who is losing the ability to hold his solid form.
• Worf asks Rikka how long he has been separated from the Great Link. The Link is the collective of Changelings in their liquid forms introduced in “Deep Space Nine.” The Link makes decisions for all Changelings.
• Worf tells Raffi about a schism in the Link and a rogue faction of Changelings that were not able to accept defeat from the Dominion War. It seems they have now infiltrated numerous parts of the Federation. Worf learned about the schism from “a close friend within the Link, a man of honor.” While Worf doesn’t name this friend, he’s referring to Odo (played by the late Rene Auberjonois), the Changeling constable on Deep Space Nine.
• Back on the Titan, Picard tells Riker to stop running and fight, despite the “instinct to be fearful of loss.” Picard is referring to the death of Riker’s son Thaddeus at a young age. Riker tells Picard he’s out of line.
• The Shrike uses the portal weapon to literally turn the Titan’s weapons on itself. The Titan is struck by its own torpedoes. The disabled ship gets pulled deeper into the nebula where it’ll be crushed by a gravity well.

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3, Episode 4 Easter Eggs

• The episode opens on Frontier Day five years prior. Picard is trying to enjoy his lunch at a pub when several Starfleet cadets gingerly approach him and ask him out the Hirogen. The Hirogen were alien hunters native to the Delta Quadrant (think Predators).
• The cadets ask Picard if he sought advice from Admiral Janeway. Janeway and the Voyager crew were the first Starfleet personnel to encounter the brutal race while stranded in the Delta Quadrant.
• With the Titan trapped in the nebula and its systems failing, Riker has a heart-to-heart with his former captain. Riker reveals he lost hope when his son Thaddeus died, and his wife Troi, as an empath, also felt his grief. Riker reveals he went on the mission to get away from Troi. He urges Picard to talk to Jack in the few hours they have left.
• Picard takes Jack to the holodeck where they enter a replica of Ten Forward – the Enterprise bar and later a brick-and-mortar bar.
• Picard offers Jack some Chateau Picard from his own winery. Jack politely turns him down and says he prefers whiskey.
• In order to trap the Changeling saboteur, Shaw tells Seven to find its “pot.” Seven assumes he is NOT referring to cannabis, demonstrating that marijuana is still around in the 25th Century.
• Shaw shows Seven an example of a Changeling “pot.” In the bottom corner of the display is a photo of Odo (Rene Auberjonois).
• Back on the Shrike, Vadic cuts off her hand, which dissolves into a Changeling face. The face instructs her to pursue “the asset,” which we assume is Jack.
• The show jumps back to Frontier Day five years ago. Picard regales the cadets with the story of the Tamarian alien he had to work with despite being unable to understand each other. The events he describes took place in the Season 5 Episode 2 of “The Next Generation” called “Darmok.”
• Another cadet references Jack R. Crusher, Beverly’s first husband. Picard later tells his son about the time he and Jack R. Crusher blindly navigated a micrometeoroid shower in a damaged shuttle together until they got home.
• Shaw interrupts Picard’s tale and reveals he was at The Battle of Wolf 359. The battle is infamous in Trek lore and is depicted in the first episode of “Deep Space Nine.” The Borg, having assimilated Picard, used his knowledge to massacre a fleet of 40 vessels. Among them was the U.S.S. Constance, on which Shaw served.
• Shaw was only a handful of survivors from Wolf 359 (11,000 people died in that single battle). He is still suffering from PTSD decades later.
• Beverly discovers the bio-electrical pulses are actually contractions and the nebula is a life form giving birth. Jack proposes the Titan ride the pulse waves out of the nebula.
• Beverly tells Riker that they’ve encountered species that thrive in space, in which Picard replies, “Farpoint!” Farpoint was the very first mission shown in the series premiere of “The Next Generation,” in which a station was actually an alien life form.
• Riker thinks the plan is too risky, but Beverly invokes Troi’s name, making him change his mind.
• Shaw and Seven work in tandem to open the warp nacelles in order to ride the wave. When La Forge appears and offers to help, Seven is able to deduce that La Forge is the Changeling after she calls her “Commander Hansen” instead of “Commander Seven.”
• With Picard and Jack’s help, the Titan frees itself from the nebula, which gives birth to space babies. Beverly quotes the Enterprise mission, “to seek out new life,” which they have done.
• It’s revealed that Jack was in the bar five years ago listening to his father’s story. Jack asks if Picard had a life outside Starfleet, to which Picard replies, “Starfleet has been the only family I have ever needed,” which crushes Jack.
• Riker reaches out to Troi and apologizes for his behavior.
• Back in his quarters, Jack experiences visions and is once again told by a female voice to “find me.”

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3 Episode 5 Easter Eggs

• The episode opens with Jack massacring all of the bridge crew in a shootout. Luckily, it’s just a vision. “Star Trek” tends to shy away from such explicit violence, but a similar scene took place in Season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery” when Burnham has a vision of Leland murdering the Discovery bridge crew.
• At the end of his frightening vision, Jack’s eyes turn red and he again hears voices. Is he possessed? We deep dive into his visions here .
• Shaw, Seven, Picard and Riker talk about the Changeling they encountered, who can mimic other species down to their internal organs. Beverly wants to investigate how the Changelings can now bypass the ship’s internal security systems.
• With Starfleet on it’s way to question Picard and Riker, Jack asks if he should find himself a set of restraints. Picard responds, “many a rebel from all reaches of the galaxy have found their way to Starfleet.” This is a foreshadowing of what’s — or more accurately who’s — to come.
• Raffi and Worf spar on the La Sirena, and Worf easily defeats her before taking a meditative stance. He urges patience on her part. They receive a message from Worf’s handler, who denies them access to the Daystrom Station.
• While investigating the criminals who broke into Daystrom, Worf and Raffi pull up a list of suspects. One of them is Krinn. Among the other names on the screen include Morn, a side character from “Deep Space Nine” that frequented the station bar. Morn is a play on Norm, the lovable bar patron from “Cheers.”
• Before turning them over to Starfleet, Shaw chastises Riker and Picard for previous instances when they’ve defied orders/Starfleet Command. He mentions several famous “Enterprise” adventures, including when the Enterprise saucer was “hot-dropped” on a planet (“Star Trek: Generations), throwing the Prime Directive out the window to “snog” a villager on Ba’ku (“Star Trek: Insurrection),, or they time they created a tie paradox in the Devron system (“Star Trek: The Next Generation” series finale.)
• Riker and Picard meet the Starfleet Intelligence officer, who turns out to be Commander Ro Laren. We deep dive into Ro’s past here .
• While dissecting the Changeling, Beverly confirms they can mimic internal organs and do not revert to liquid state after death. They have somehow evolved, she deduces.
• After being interrogated, Picard tells Ro that the Changeling remains are in sickbay. She diverts them to the holodeck, where Picard disables the safety protocols, so he can essentially make it a booby trap. With the protocols disabled, he grabs a live phaser from behind the bar that belonged to Guinan. Guinan was a mentor to Ro aboard the Enterprise.
• After exchanging words and memories, Ro and Picard realize they are who they say they are. They sheathe their phasers and Ro reveals that Starfleet has been compromised by Changelings.
• Worf and Raffi meet the criminal Krinn, a Vulcan gangster. They are forced to fight to the death, and Raffi fatally stabs Worf. Fortunately, it’s a ruse. Worf has learned how to feign death. Krinn gives them a key that will grant them access to Daystrom Station.
• On her way back the Intrepid, Ro’s security team plant an explosive on her shuttle. They beam off, revealing they are Changelings. With seconds left, Ro does a suicide run towards the Intrepid and crashes into their nacelle.
• The Changelings find Jack, who kills four of them with ease. He sees another vision of a red doorway.
• Before leaving for the Intrepid, Ro gives Picard her Bajoran earring. The earring has her entire investigation encrypted within it. They receive a message from Ro’s operatives, who turn out to be Worf and Raffi.
• When Beverly asks Jack how she knew the security team was Changelings, he replies, “I didn’t. I think there’s something very wrong with me.”

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3 Episode 6 Easter Eggs

• The episode opens with the Titan on the run. The ship evades capture by dropping decoy transponders. We learn that in addition to Starfleet, Vadic and the Shrike are on its tail.
• Vadic confirms the Changelings will have vengeance on Frontier Day, which is approximately three days away.
• Beverly discovers that Jack has irumodic syndrome, inherited from Picard. The syndrome drove Picard to have hallucinations and disassociate from reality in the series finale of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” But after the events in Season 1 of “Picard,” he is in a synthetic body and no longer vulnerable to the syndrome. But as Jack is human, his condition will degenerate.
• Picard meets Jack in the holodeck bar. Jack asks how Picard survived irumodic syndrome, to which he replies, “I didn’t” — another reminder that Picard’s human body is gone … or is it?
• Raffi and Worf beam aboard the Titan. Worf thanks Picard for his annual bottle of “sour mead” aka wine from Chateau Picard, which he describes as “quite tart.”
• Seven and Raffi have a slightly awkward exchange in the transporter room, a reminder they used to be lovers.
• Worf and Raffi explain whatever the Changelings stole lies can be tracked in the Daystrom Station manifest. The station houses “experimental weapons” and “alien contraband.”
• Worf, Raffi and Riker beam aboard Daystrom and use the key from Krinn to disable the security system. Worf is glad that Raffi’s ex-lover Seven is not a part of the away team. Worf should know — his ex K’Ehleyr was killed while trying to help him in the “Next Generation” episode “Reunion.”
• Two Echelon-class Starfleet ships arrive at Daystrom with sophisticated tracking technology, forcing the Titan to flee.
• Worf, Raffi and Riker explore the inventory at Daystrom, which Worf calls “Section 31’s most nefarious table scraps.” Section 31 is a critical clandestine division of Starfleet intelligence introduced in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” but has been around since the time of “Discovery.” A “Section 31” spin-off starring Michelle Yeoh was reportedly in the works several years ago.
• Among the “good stuff” they find: a Genesis device used to terraform dead worlds (seen in “Star Trek II and III), a body scan and/or remains of James T. Kirk (captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise), and a genetically modified “attack” tribble (an irresistibly cute furry alien with extraordinary reproductive capabilities.
• The A.I. system defending Daystrom pulls up files on the away team, including one on Riker. The photo, interestingly, is of a younger Riker from approximately 20 years prior.
• The A.I. system sends a holographic crow, which caws at the away team. Riker notes there is “something familiar” about the crow as they approach the station mainframe.
• As part of the security response, the A.I. system creates a hologram of Professor Moriarty (Daniel Davis), a holodeck villain created by Data to be his intellectual rival in “The Next Generation” episode “Elementary, Dear Data.”
• The Titan flees to Athan Prime, the home of the Federation Fleet Museum, which is overseen by former Enterprise crewmember and current Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).
• Geordi beams aboard with his daughter Alandra and gives Beverly a big hug. He addresses his eldest daughter, Sidney, by her first name, to which she replies, “Sir.”
• Picard asks Geordi to clone the Titan’s transponder signal to lure them away from Daystrom, but Alandra reveals that plan won’t work because all the ships in the fleet “talk to each other” and are aware of each other’s location.
• Back at Daystrom, we see a shot of the two ships patrolling the station. There’s an off-screen conversation between the Sternbach and Cole, who are searching for the away team. Sternbach is the last name of Rick Sternbach, the visual designer who worked on “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and several Trek shows.
• Moriarity fires at the away team with live bullets, indicating safety protocols are turned off. Riker notes he is not the same self-aware Moriarity they encountered 30+ years prior. Every few seconds, musical notes punctuate the air. Riker, a trombone player, realizes the notes are to “Pop Goes The Weasel,” the song Data was trying to whistle when Riker first met him in the first episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Riker finishes the tune, which disables the Moriarity hologram.
• Worf, Riker and Raffi reach the main chamber and discover the A.I. system, which ends up being Data (Brent Spiner) or a version of him.
• Geordi initially refuses to help Picard. At best, he’ll be court-martialed. At worst, Starfleet will come after his family, two of whom we have now met. We have yet to meet his wife though she is mentioned in passing.
• Jack takes the captain’s chair next to Seven and looks at the various legendary ships stationed at the Fleet Museum. They include the U.S.S. Defiant (from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), the U.S.S. Enterprise-A (from the “Star Trek” movies), the U.S.S. Voyager (from “Star Trek: Voyager”) where Seven was “reborn,” the HMS Bounty (the Klingon Bird of Prey used in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”). As each of these ships is shown, the musical theme from each respective series or film is played.
• Raffi notes that Data died (after the events of “Star Trek: Nemesis”) and Worf says this cannot be the Data they served with. Raffi says this Data is a hybrid synthetic with an android interface. Somehow, Starfleet was able to take Data’s memories from B4, a more primative android where Data stored his personality. They activate a hologram of Dr. Altan Soong, the son of Data’s creator and the man who created the body Picard inhabits now. He says this Soong golem in Daystrom has a bit of Lal (Data’s daughter), B4, Lore (Data’s evil twin) and Data.
• This may explain why the photo of Riker this Data has on file is about 20 years old — the last time he saw Riker “in person.” However, one would think this Data has access to the most current Starfleet files.
• Worf deduces that Data is protecting the manifest, he is the manifest. Unfortunately, the away team is discovered by Starfleet.
• Shaw, who was an engineer aboard the U.S.S. Constantine, geeks out over meeting Geordi.
• Jack and Sidney steal and install the cloaking device from the HMS Bounty, allowing the Titan to return to Daystrom Station undetected. Geordi and Alandra stay onboard the Titan to make sure the cloaking device works properly.
• Raffi and Worf escape Daystrom but Riker is captured. Geordi meets them in the transporter room and is taken aback by seeing his best friend, Data, 20 years after his death.
• With his daughters’ help, Geordi reactivates Data. All of the personalities manifest, but Data’s comes through strongest. He identifies Geordi, his best friend and calls Picard “captain,” the rank Picard held when Data died.
• Data finally reveals what was stolen from Daystrom Station: the human remains of Picard.
• Riker is interrogated by a Starfleet officer, who turns out to be Vadic. She blackmails Riker into telling Picard’s whereabouts with the one thing he cares about: his wife Deanna Troi.

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3 Episode 7 Easter Eggs

• The episode opens with the U.S.S. Titan hiding in the Chin’Toka Scrapyard. The Chin’Toka system was where several battles of the Dominion War were fought during “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Many Starfleet and allied ships were destroyed, and it would make sense that their debris would be in a scrapyard.
• Seven of Nine reaches out to her former Voyager crewmate Tuvok (Tim Russ) for help. The four pips reveal that he has reached the rank of captain.
• Seven deduces that Tuvok is really a Changeling by lying about her neural net. The real Tuvok stabilized her neural net in Season 5, Episode 7 of “Voyager” (“Infinite Regress”).
• Picard, Beverly Crusher and Geordi La Forge turn to the Soong golem for answers. Unfortunately, the Lore personality has taken over. Lore was introduced as Data’s “evil twin” in Season 1, Episode 13 of “The Next Generation” (“Datalore”).
• Despite Geordi La Forge warning Jack Crusher to stay away from his daughter Sidney, the two engage in some flirting. Jack is able to read Sidney’s mind — a new ability he hasn’t demonstrated before.
• The Titan crew sets a trap for Vadic and the Changelings. They make it appear the Titan is derelict and have the Changelings board the ship. Once aboard, they lure them into traps and imprison them in forcefields.
• Beverly Crusher and Picard trap Vadic in sick bay. Vadic reveals the origin of her evolved physiology — she was experimented upon as a prisoner of war during the Dominion War. Want to know more? Here’s everything you need to know about Vadic .
• Lore disables the forcefields imprisoning the Changelings and Jack and Sidney become separated. Jack “possesses” Sidney and kills the Changeling attacking her. This is another one of Jack’s previously unseen abilities.
• Vadic whistles “Three Blind Mice” — another children’s song from Earth (“Pop Goes the Weasel” was played in the previous episode). Her human captor whistled the tune while experimenting on her and the other Changelings.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 8 Easter Eggs

• Vadic and the Changelings commandeer the bridge of the U.S.S. Titan. She proceeds to cut off the ship’s “eyes” (power), “ears” (communications) and the “road ahead of them” (doors). Trapped with nowhere to go, the Changelings easily hunt down the crew.
• She lines up the bridge crew, which includes tactical officer Mura, communications officer Esmar, science officer T’Veen, Seven of Nine, and Captain Shaw.
• Jack uses his special powers to take over the body of a Titan security officer, but his connection is lost when a Changeling shoots the officer and kills him.
• Vadic gives the crew an ultimatum: deliver Jack Crusher or she’ll start executing the bridge officers one by one.
• Riker and Troi reunite on the Shrike, where they’re both being held prisoner. Riker again calls her imzadi (beloved) and tells her how he came face to face with “bleakness” while trapped in the nebula. He stops short of saying what it felt like, but it’s clear he’s referencing the death of their son, Thaddeus.
• Troi says a Changeling masked as Riker visited her. She joked he was “good in bed and bad at pizza.” One of Riker’s hobbies is making outdoor pizzas, as seen in Season 1 of “Picard.”
• Jack uses his power to take over Mura’s body and input a command override code, but Vadic catches him. She forces Mura and Esmar to their knees. She is about to execute Mura, but points the phaser at Esmar. After Esmar cries out Vadic shoots T’Veen instead. This shocking scene is a play on the “Redshirts always” trope in “Star Trek.” Mura and Esmar are “yellowshirts,” whereas T’Veen is a “blueshirt.”
• Riker and Troi have a heart-to-heart conversation. Riker says they might die aboard the Shrike and “Kestra would have lost everyone,” referencing their daughter. The topic then turns to their dead son. Riker felt immense grief after Thaddeus died, but Troi used her powers to dull that grief. She, in turn, felt everyone’s grief as an empath, which drove a wedge between them.
• Troi reveals she hated Nepethe, the planet they settled on to heal Thaddeus. She wants to move back to the city to drink raktajino  lattes. Raktajino  is a Klingon coffee mentioned throughout “Star Trek.”
• A Changeling guard enters their cell but is stabbed from behind by Worf. Worf professes that he’s “counted the days” since he last saw her, a nod back to when they were romantically involved in the later seasons of “The Next Generation.”
• Jack, Sidney, Beverly and Picard reunite with Geordi. In order to determine whether or not Picard is who he says he is, Geordi asks him what anniversary gift he received six years ago. “A Chateau Picard bordeaux, which you said was too dry,” Picard correctly responds. There’s an ongoing joke this season about the crew not liking Picard’s wine, with Shaw turning down a drink and Worf calling it too tart.
• Jack surrenders to Vadic on the bridge to stop the executions. He reveals he’s holding a device that will kill him if she makes any moves. She cryptically teases him about his powers, and refers to the “red door” he sees in his visions.
• Before they leave the Shrike, Raffi and Worf discover why the Changelings stole Picard’s body from Daystrom Station. They removed the parts of his brain with irumodic syndrome. Remember, Jack also has been diagnosed with irumodic syndrome, which may be giving him his special abilities.
• There’s another battle happening in this episode. Within the mind of the Soong golem, Data and his brother Lore are fighting for dominance, with the latter winning. Data draws upon his memories as Lore takes over. They include a violin concerto (Data played the string instrument several times in “The Next Generation), Sherlock Holmes houndstooth hat and pipe (he enjoyed playing the detective on the holodeck), a tricorder, a holographic crystal of slain crewmate Tasha Yar, a deck of cards (poker was a favorite pastime among the senior crew) and his cat Spot.
• Lore fully takes over and Geordi is distraught at losing his best friend a second time. However, Lore’s win is short-lived. The memories he took from Data transform him. “You took the things that were me, and in doing so, you became me,” a reconstituted Data explains.
• Data regains control of the Titan. Jack uses the device he brought to the bridge, which is not a grenade but a personal forcefield generator. Picard orders the evacuation hatch opened, which sucks Vadic into space. Her body freezes due to exposure and shatters into pieces when it hits the Shrike. The personal forcefield prevents Seven and Jack from being sucked out.
• The Titan then destroys the Shrike and presumably, Vadic and Picard’s remains.
• Despite Vadic’s death, Troi senses “a great darkness” on the ship.
• Data and Geordi help with repairs, at which point Data says, “We’re good here.” Geordi calls out that Data used a contraction, something he didn’t do previously but Lore could. It was one way to discern the two.
• Troi counsels Jack and tells him they’ll open the red door together.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 9 Easter Eggs

• The song playing at the beginning of episode is “I Can’t Stop Crying” by Will Grove-White” from “Fleabag.”
• Jack says the red blossoms remind him of the trips he took with his Beverly to the Crimson Arboretum on Raritan IV. Showrunner Terry Matalas named the planet after Raritan, New Jersey, near where he grew up.
• The blossoms may be a metaphor for individuals, and the vines a metaphor for what connects them below the surface — a hint of what’s to come.
• Jack described the vines as “purposeful” and “perfect.” There is one species in the universe whose purpose is to seek perfection.
• The female voice from beyond the door beckons: “Hear me. Find me. Fear nothing. We will be together soon, Jack.”
• After her vision, Troi runs out to find Jack’s parents, Beverly and Picard. The sign on the door that closes behind her says “Counselor,” which was her role on the Enterprise.
• It’s finally revealed what’s behind the door: a Borg cube. His parents say it’s impossible, as Jack has never been assimilated and there are no nanoprobes in his system.
• Beverly says “no one has seen or heard from the Borg in a decade,” which directly contradicts the events of “Star Trek: Picard” Season 2, where the Borg asked specifically for Picard’s help.
• Beverly deduces that the Borg passed some organic technology to Jack through Locutus. Locutus is the name Picard took after being assimilated by the Borg 35 years prior. That was depicted in “The Next Generation” Season 3 finale and Season 4 opener “The Best of Both Worlds Part I and II.”
• Jean-Luc wants to tell Jack about the Borg but Troi stops him as there are protocols when threats to the Federation are discovered. Jack is considered “dangerous.”
• Picard speaks to Jack and tells him a Borg “seed” is implanted in him. Jack is distraught after learning he is merely a bee or drone. If you look at the wall behind him, the wall has a honeycomb design.
• He tries to leave but discovers security guards are stationed outside. He uses his ability to possess the security guards. When Picard asks Jack “What is this?” he responds in a very Borg-like answer: “futility.”
• Beverly also tries to stop Jack but the security guards stop her as well. He tells his mother he always thought the voice in his head was her, but now realizes it is the Borg Queen. He commandeers a shuttle and follows instructions from the Queen to “find me.”
• As they watch Jack escape, Picard tells Beverly “he inherited the best of you and the worst of me.” This is a reference to the aforementioned “The Best of Both Worlds” episodes.
• Data tries to comfort Picard by putting his hand on Picard’s shoulder. Picard pats Data’s hand. He did the same gesture to Riker in the Season 1 episode of “Nepenthe.”
• Jack flies to the coordinates the Queen sends him, and a Borg cube appears via a transwarp conduit.
• Geordi and Data make a startling discovery. Whereas assimilated Borg are “receivers,” Jack’s unique DNA makes him a “transmitter.” That’s why Vadic kept referring to him as special.
• Worf notes all of Starfleet is gathered in one location: the Sol system. A map appears with dozens of Starfleet vessels including the U.S.S. Sutherland (whose predecessor appeared in the “Next Generation” episode “Redemption”), the U.S.S. Okuda (named after “Trek” designers Michael and Denise Okuda), the U.S.S. Gagarin (named after the Soviet cosmonaut), the U.S.S. Ibn Al-Haythiam (named after the mathematician), the U.S.S. Drexler (named after “Trek” artist Doug Drexler), the U.S.S. Huygens (named after the Dutch astronomer), the U.S.S. Reliant (whose predecessor appeared in “The Wrath of Khan”) and several other ships.
• The map graphic dissolves into a live-action shot of the ships around Earth Spacedock about Earth. The doors open to reveal NCC-1701-F, the newest U.S.S. Enterprise commanded by Admiral Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy). More on Shelby’s guest appearance here .
• Shelby’s Frontier Day speech pays homage to the NX-01, the first Enterprise commanded by Jonathan Archer 250 years prior. That Enterprise’s adventures were shown in the series “Enterprise.”
• Shelby is proud to showcase the newest Starfleet technology, Fleet Formation. It allows all Starfleet vessels to synch and act as one, a very Borg-like concept. One of the ships that syncs with the Enterprise is the U.S.S. Pulaski, named after Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) who served on the Enterprise-D.
• Picard notes the irony of Fleet Formation as Shelby was introduced as a Borg tactical specialist who really disliked the Borg.
• Jack beams aboard the Borg cube determined to destroy the Queen. She calls him “my child” and “my flesh.” She also names him Regenerati (rebirth) and Puer Dei (Child of God) before settling on Vox (voice), which is also the name of the episode.
• The voice of the Queen belongs to Alice Krige, who reprises her role from “Star Trek: First Contact.”
• Jack tries to kill the Queen, but cannot bring himself to. She assimilates him using tendrils, saying the phrase “Resistance is futile.”
• Geordi and Data discover that the Changelings stole Picard’s human body to extract the Borg genetic code. They infiltrated Starfleet vessels and introduced the code into the transporter system. Everyone who beams on or off-board has the code spliced into their genes, making the dormant Borg drones. Beverly notes this only affects brains still developing, which in human age is 25 or younger.
• This explains why Ro didn’t trust the transporters and decided to take a shuttlecraft to board the Titan way back in Episode 5. She suspected the Changelings were contaminating them — and she was right.
• Picard tries to warn Shelby but it’s too late. The Borg Queen uses Jack to transmit her signal through the entire fleet, activating all the dormant drones, including both LaForge girls, tactical officer Mura and communications officer Esmar. They become Borg and begin taking over the bridge.
• Shelby is killed when activated Borg take over the Enterprise. She is shot twice by two ensigns.
• This also explains why Vadic executed T’Veen instead of Mura and Esmar. As a Vulcan, T’Veen was likely older than 25, as Vulcans age slower than humans. Showrunner Terry Matalas confirmed this theory to TheWrap.
• Geordi is terrified to learn both Sidney and Alandra have turned in Borg and no longer register as human.
• The older, unaffected crewmembers (Picard, Riker, Shaw, Seven) flee the bridge as Esmar takes control of the Titan.
• The U.S.S. Excelsior, a vessel featured in several “Trek” films, manages to regain control but is promptly destroyed by the other Starfleet vessels, including the U.S.S. Hikaru Sulu. The Sulu is named after the original Enterprise helmsman, who ironically later became the captain of the Excelsior.
• The assimilated ships take formation into a shape that resembles DNA helixes or Borg symbols, depending on who you ask.
• The older crewmembers make it down to the maintenance deck with hopes of escaping on a repair shuttle. Shaw is killed in the firefight. With his last breath, he gives command to Seven, finally addressing her as Seven of Nine instead of Commander Hansen.
• There’s a nice moment where Raffi shields/holds back Picard, her former commanding officer. Raffi also decides to stay with Seven, her former lover, onboard the Titan.
• The assimilated fleet approaches Spacedock with the goal of eliminating any remaining Earth defenses.
• Geordi pilots the crew back to the Fleet Museum. They need a ship which is not connected to the assimilated fleet. That ship, of course, is the Enterprise-D.
• Geordi explains that the saucer section, which crashed on Veridian III, was retrieved so as to not violate the Prime Directive and influence the less advanced species in the system. The secondary hull engine and nacelles are salvaged from the U.S.S. Syracuse, another Galaxy-class starship.
• Geordi says “obviously they cannot use the Enterprise-E” and everyone looks at Worf. Worf was the captain of the Enterprise-E, which has befallen some sad fate that renders her unusable.
• Picard assumes command of the Enterprise-D. The computer voice that greets him is that of Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the wife of creator Gene Roddenberry. She also played No. 1 and Nurse Chapel in “The Original Series,” and Lwaxana Troi in “The Next Generation.”
• The crew take their positions on the bridge, including Geordi at the helm, where he started in early episodes of “The Next Generation.”
• As the Enterprise-D sets course for Earth, Picard utters his famous phrases: “Make it so” and “Engage!” He also tugs at the bottom of his tunic, a signature move fans have dubbed The Picard Maneuver.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 10 Easter Eggs

• The series finale is titled “The Last Generation,” a play on “The Next Generation” — the name of the “Star Trek” series that chronicled the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D.
• The Star Trek logo at the beginning of the show flickers and turns green as it is “assimilated’ by the Borg.
• Picard and the Enterprise-D crew receive a distress call from Anton Chekov, the President of the Federation. Chekov is the son of Enterprise-A helmsman Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig in “The Original Series.”
• The Enterprise tracks the Borg cube to Jupiter. Riker mentions the Borg hid a transwarp conduit within the planet’s gases, allowing them to enter the Sol system and broadcast their signal.
• Picard says, “What began over 35 years ago ends tonight.” He is referring to the Enterprise’s first contact with the Borg in “The Next Generation” which was hastened by the omnipotent being Q (John DeLancie).
• A wide shot shows how small the Enterprise is compared to the cube. In previous shows, Borg cubes have been compared to small moons. Several antennae protrude from the cube, amplifying its signal to the Starfleet ships surrounding Earth and attacking Spacedock.
• Seven, Raffi and their ragtag group of non-assimilated crew take back the Titan bridge, beaming their assimilated colleagues to a locked transporter room.
• Beverly is able to isolate Jack’s location on the cube. Data offers to go, given his “experience with the Borg.” He’s referring to being kidnapped and altered by the Borg queen in “Star Trek: First Contact.” Picard refuses and has Riker and Worf round out his away team.
• As the ranking officer — a commodore — La Forge is granted command.
• Troi and Riker share an empathic moment together, as he may not return from this mission.
• Picard finds a fully assimilated Jack broadcasting the Borg signal. Jack is wearing an eye prosthetic similar to Locutus’.
• The Borg queen, whose body has withered away, calls Picard by his Borg designation: “Locutus.”
• Aboard the Titan, Raffi realizes the Titan can be released from Fleet Formation if they cloak. Seven tells tactical to upload every prefix code they have for the fleet. With each ship’s prefix code, the Titan can disable their shields. Captain Kirk used this exploit to disable the U.S.S. Reliant’s shields in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”
• Riker and Worf find the beacon controls, but are attacked by drones. Worf dispatches several drones with his sword but is shot. He tells Riker to pick up his sword, but it’s too heavy. Hidden in the hilt is a phaser.
• The Borg cube fires upon the Enterprise. With Worf on the away team, Beverly takes over tactical, firing phasers and photon torpedos with accuracy. “A lot’s happened in the last 20 years,” she tells an astonished La Forge, Data and Troi.
• They locate the beacon at the heart of the cube. Data says he can fly the Enterprise into the cube ala Luke Skywalker and the Death Star in “Star Wars.”
• The fleet destroys Spacedock and Earth is defenseless. Sidney and Alandra destroy the Titan’s cloaking device, leaving the Titan exposed. Jack continues to broadcast orders, saying “concentrate fire on Sector 001.” Sector 001 is the Federation designation for Earth, and the fleet begins targeting all the major cities.
• In an attempt to stop the queen, Picard begins “unplugging” Jack. He then plugs himself into the Collective. Viewers see flashbacks from “The Next Generation” episodes “The Best of Both Worlds Part I and II.”
• Picard pleads with Jack to unplug, but Jack resists. La Forge tells Beverly to destroy the beacon, knowing it will kill Jack, Picard, Riker and Worf.
• Riker bids farewell Troi, saying “I love you, imzadi . We’ll be waiting, me and our boy,” referring to their deceased son Thaddeus.
• Troi empathically hears Riker and is able to discern their location despite the Cube falling apart around them. She also used this empathic tracking ability to locate Shinzon’s cloaked ship in “Star Trek: Nemesis.”
• The away team makes it safely aboard, and the cube — and Queen — are destroyed. With the beacon destroyed, all assimilated personnel regain individual control.
• We then get a captain’s log from Riker, explaining how Beverly, now an admiral and head of Starfleet Medical, devised a way to purge the Borg genetic code using transporter technology.
• By the end of “Picard,” Picard and Crusher hold admiral ranks, La Forge is a commodore, and Riker and Worf are captains. Troi holds a commander rank, while Data presumably never got promoted from his lieutenant commander rank.
• Captain Tuvok (Tim Russ) is alive and formally promotes Seven of Nine to captain, upon the recommendation from Shaw.
• Jay (Raffi’s estranged husband) sends her good news: their granddaughter wants to meet her grandmother. Raffi was looking at her granddaughter’s photo in the first episode.
• Data struggles to process his emotions and seeks counseling from Troi, but goes well over time during their appointments. Troi zones out by researching beach vacation spots, including Trill, Bajor, Malibu (California), Zadar IV, Orlando (Florida) and Kaphar Prime.
• There’s a time jump to a year later. The Enterprise-D is back at the Fleet Museum, where she is shutdown.
• Jack is fast-tracked through Starfleet and receives his first posting aboard the Titan, now re-christened the U.S.S. Enterprise-G.
• Jack’s commanding officers? Captain Seven of Nine and First Officer Raffi Musiker. He tells the helm to set a course for the M’Talas system with phasers and photon torpedos ready. It’s one final self-referring easter egg from showrunner Terry Matalas.
• The Enterprise-D crew close down Guinan’s Ten Forward Bar. Worf has been drinking prune juice, which Guinan introduced him to in “The Next Generation.” He called prune juice “a warrior’s drink.”
• The crew are joined by Picard for a game of poker. This mirrors the series finale of “The Next Generation.”
• In the post-credits, Jack is visited by Q (John de Lancie). We break down the ending and post-credit scene in detail here.

“Star Trek: Picard” is currently streaming on Paramount+

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Every Star Trek: Picard Easter Egg Explained

Released on 03/26/2020

What if she had actually drilled in

and found an Easter egg in there,

like a little decorated egg?

We could still do that.

Yeah, like a Cadbury egg coming out instead.

That would be a yolk.

[snickering]

See what I did?

It's like joke but with a Y, and also eggs.

[film beeps]

I'm Michael Chabon, and I am the showrunner

for season one of Star Trek: Picard.

I'm Akiva Goldsman, and I am the executive producer

of that show, Star Trek: Picard, that he was talking about.

Today, we are here to talk about Easter eggs

that can be found in each and every episode

of Star Trek: Picard from this first season.

You know we're Jewish, right?

I feel like it's kinda anti-Semitic.

Yeah, why are they Easter? I think we can call them.

Passover eggs, yeah.

Passover eggs.

Or, no, Afikomans.

♪ Blue sky ♪

♪ Smiling at me ♪

Like an Afikoman.

An Easter egg, I think the primary thing that defines

an Easter egg is that it is hidden.

There's a difference between a shout-out or a callback,

things that are obvious and open and deliberate

and you're saying, oh here, remember this thing

where we're mentioning it now,

and it's a callback to that other thing.

I should have done this a long time ago.

You were always welcome.

Whereas an Easter egg tends to be something

that has been concealed on purpose

and will not be found or noticed by someone

who isn't looking for it.

An Easter egg or an Afikoman.

An Easter egg is not required for the plot to continue.

Yes, right,

and that's a thing that, it's a treat.

An Easter egg is a surprise, and if you find it,

it makes you happy, but it is kinda irrelevant,

it's gratuitous.

Don't know if we're gonna get to cover

all of the Easter eggs because we will forget some.

We were also really drunk while making this show.

So we will forget even more.

And we're gonna try.

I mean, one thing's absolutely certain.

We put Easter eggs in.

And that was something we did for our own pleasure,

for the anticipated pleasure of the fans,

so there are Easter eggs.

We're gonna try to remember where we hid them,

and I think that's very classically Easter too.

There's, you'll go out a couple days later,

and you'll say, what's that smell?

Yeah, yeah.

[ethereal music]

I don't think we actually,

there are no Easter eggs in the credits.

There are no Easter eggs.

[Interviewer] Okay.

Are there credits?

[chips tinking]

There would be an Easter egg in the poker playing

if the five queens were a reference to Q.

But they aren't.

Turns out they're not.

So, it's not an Easter egg,

but it could have been.

Could have been.

Some people thought it was.

We could pretend.

Maybe there are no Easter eggs in this show.

Is that gonna wreck this?

Yeah, that had a bunch of Easter eggs.

Those have Easter eggs.

There are a lot of Easter eggs in there.

That's a room of eggs.

It's like a basket.

That is a basket of eggs.

It's a basket of eggs.

It really is.

Not just we, the writers, but very much

the production designer and set

decorator and all of the people involved

in creating the set of the Starfleet archive

viewed that as an opportunity

to hide a bunch of Easter eggs.

[Akiva] A bunch.

The big obvious one that's easiest to see,

I think, is the banner.

Happy Picard Day.

The Happy Captain Picard Day

is a recreation of a prop that was created

for an episode of The Next Generation in which

the children onboard the Enterprise

celebrate Captain Picard Day, and it was recreated.

Ours is less shiny.

Is it, yeah?

It is, apparently some people criticized us for that.

Yeah, for not being shiny enough.

There is a scale model of the Star Gazer,

which is Picard's first command.

His first command, that is

the first ship he ever captained.

There's a Klingon Bat'leth.

I think there actually were more Klingon weapons,

but we could only really see that one.

There's Picard's collected Shakespeare

that we see in a number of episodes

that he keeps in his quarters and refers to,

which in a way is a multiple Easter egg

because in some ways, it's almost less of a reference

to Captain Picard than it is to the actor who portrays him,

Sir Patrick Stewart who is a noted and one of the

greatest Shakespearean actors of his generation.

One thing I remember is when Patrick walked on to that set

and it was one of the.

The first thing we had ready.

I think it was the first thing we shot.

So, it was a big day for him, first day back as Picard

and he walked into that archive

and it seemed like it meant a lot to him

and he just immediately gravitated toward certain things

that meant something personally to him,

things that he remembered,

but there were some other things in the archive that,

before you get to the painting,

there were super Easter eggs we never found.

Yes, that's right.

They're still buried.

We never, they never got shown on camera

but now I can't remember what they were, so I'm useless.

I've been saying that for an entire season.

Sorry, but maybe somebody can get in there

with a really, really deep freeze frame kind of thing

and do it kinda Blade Runner-style.

[electronic whirring]

[camera snapping]

God, there was some kind of certificate,

a framed sort of diploma certificate that was naming

Jean-Luc Picard something or other,

but I can't remember what it was now.

[elegant music]

Ah, you have a taste for the classics, I see.

Well, that's not really an Easter egg.

It's a little bit of an inside reference.

It had a couple of meanings for us.

The original name of Jurati's character was Sarton,

was named after a character in Asimov's The Caves of Steel

who was a roboticist and.

That would have been an Easter egg.

Yeah, but we broke it.

But we broke it, and the matzoh went in crumbs

on the ground. Exactly.

As we were writing that into the script,

Patrick then had the idea for the science fiction line,

which he thought would be sorta fun and inside,

but that's not really an Easter egg.

It's a kind of wink, wink, nudge, nudge,

which is a Monty Python reference Easter egg

about Patrick's own lack of affinity for science fiction

and how funny that would be coming out of Picard's mouth

in a science fiction show.

I never really cared for science fiction.

I guess I just didn't get it.

Although it rubbed some fans the wrong way.

Controversy ensued.

Yeah, for that to have really been an Easter egg,

we would have had it on the shelf behind,

in the background, and when Patrick,

when Picard was standing there, you would have seen I, Robot

and that would have made it an Easter egg,

but the moment we draw attention to it,

shine the light on it.

Then it's just an egg.

It's an egg.

[inquisitive music]

That's kind of an Easter egg. Easter egg.

It's an Easter egg,

and I remember in writing the script.

I know we had already decided that was gonna be the location

and as I was writing it,

I wrote in the slug heading, Vasquez Rocks.

In the action line under it, I think I wrote,

why bother to hide it?

And then the fact that it gets

identified on screen that way,

ultimately it's a kind of multiple Easter egg

in the sense that not only has Vasquez Rocks

been used repeatedly within Star Trek,

in various Star Trek series to serve as alien planet,

but it's been used continuously in many other TV series,

but always as something else.

It's never got a chance to play itself before,

at least that I'm aware of, so it's sort of

a multiple reference not just to the fact that

it has a place in Star Trek history

but also to the place of Vasquez Rocks

sort of in TV history or movie history

that it's always somewhere else and never itself.

And additionally, it is the mother hen

of all Easter eggs of the season

in that it is the place. True, true.

Where Captain Kirk fought and defeated the Gorn,

and no episode passed through our greedy little Trekker,

Trekkie, still Trekkie to me, fingers,

without Michael and I trying and failing

to get a wink or a nod to the Gorn

into text and on the screen,

and we were defeated at every turn.

It's true. [chuckling]

Every turn.

There are a few little Gorn references slipped through

which we will get to, I guess, two I think ultimately.

I'm kind of challenge my paradigm.

Originally, the script called for,

and there was, a painting on black velvet, of a Gorn.

It's a Day-Glo Gorn.

By John Eaves, who is a storied legendary figure

in the history of Star Trek.

He's a production designer,

and he himself painted these paintings.

They're spectacular, he did two of them,

one of which. He, we, we.

I have and one of which he even now has,

but it was on the wall behind Soji and Narek.

If you look at the clip now, you look behind them,

you'll see this sort of hard to explain graphics moving

Romulan letters shifting across that screen behind them,

but hidden underneath that

is a black velvet painting of a Gorn.

Which is so Easter eggy that it's not even visible.

Exactly, that's one of the ones that you come out

a week later and you're like, what's that smell?

Akiva and I have known each other for a really long time

and I don't think until we started working on this series

did each of us discover that among the many things

we have in common is just a rabid love of the Gorn

and so we did try to squeeze Gorn in

everywhere we possibly could, short of actually

writing a Gorn into the series.

As Akiva says, most of them ended up

on the cutting room floor or just never even

made it onto the screen at all.

Seems wrong, dog Gorn it. It is, it's sad.

I don't know why there's all this Gorn hate out there.

You see what I did?

Dog Gorn it?

Oh, really? [giggles]

[ominous music]

It's clever.

Is it an egg?

You're meant to see it.

I think if you're meant to see something.

I mean, do you need to see that in order?

Mm, kind of.

[Akiva] Not really.

[Michael] It's right on the line.

It's right on the line.

It's funny.

Yeah, thank you.

You're welcome.

I think one of the things we were trying to do

in creating the world of the Romulan-controlled,

severed Borg cube was to try to create a sense

that it's a workplace, that it's a place

people show up and they get credentialed to work there

and they have work rules and regulations

and they wear uniforms and they have badges

and this is a research facility

and just trying to think of ways to make it feel

more like a workspace and a facility

just short of having the OSHA regulations

tacked up on the wall.

That was a good way to do it.

I thought it was funny.

Jean-Luc Picard, chief contact with the Q Continuum,

arbiter of succession for the Klingon Empire,

savior of Earth from Borg invasion.

The purpose of it is, oh this guy is storied, right,

and it works as, oh this guy is storied without specificity.

We could have said, famed destroyer of the Schlamappis and.

He's a big deal.

He's a big deal, and by adding in these specifics

rather than say, new specifics that we could have created,

that could have existed in the 10 years between

the last time we saw him on screen and now,

we gave a separate set of delights, hopefully,

or opportunities for criticism, to fans.

Yeah, I think so.

So maybe it's not an Afikoman,

but it's one of the other matzohs

on the plate with the Afikoman.

You know what it is?

It's like that, you know sometimes you get the egg

and you think it's gonna be solid chocolate,

but actually it's leaking a kind of semi-viscous sweet?

Oh yeah, the Cadbury eggs.

They should be a solid egg.

[electronic beeping]

Yeah, there you go.

[mimics fanfare]

One of the few references to the Gorn

to survive all the way onto the screen

in the first season of Star Trek: Picard

is a fleeting glimpse, as Rafi is viewing the data

that Jurati provided, and her eye gets caught

by this transmission from Freecloud.

This transmission has been encrypted.

There's a little encryption signature called Gorn Egg.

And why this is in fact, in my view,

an Easter egg within an Easter egg is that,

as we press deeper into the labyrinth that was Star Trek,

season one, there was a conspiracy against having the Gorn.

Right, exactly.

Appear in the show, so this Gorn egg

as a representation of the tip of the iceberg

of a conspiracy was also a fractal representation

of the conspiracy against the Gorn in our show.

Yes, the whole anti-Gorn, anti-Gorn sentiment.

The faction.

From the fact that someone would name

their encryption program Gorn Egg,

I think we can presume something that might,

at this point maybe should be considered canon

is that Gorn eggs must be really hard.

Hard, like.

[knocking] Hard to crack.

It is not just an Easter egg, it's a Gorn egg.

Yeah, and it's, we've added to canon.

Can Easter eggs be extra-scenario?

Can they be sound and music?

I guess they could.

[Akiva] They could, right?

I mean, you have the, skipping now back to

the question of the opening credits,

you have a little evocation right at the end

of the credit sequence, musically.

[Akiva] Of Inner Light. Of the Ressikan flute,

yeah, from the episode Inner Light.

That's an Easter egg.

There are Easter eggs

in the opening sequence. He is a liar.

He's terrible.

[triumphant music]

[Akiva] The Next Gen theme is not an Easter egg.

No, right here I think it's more like

a deliberate evocation and saying to the audience,

not only is this an exciting, stirring moment but also,

maybe it's a borderline. Maybe it's an Easter egg.

Is it borderline?

[Akiva] It might be an Easter egg.

Borderline, maybe.

Yeah, yeah, maybe.

Yeah, it's right on the edge there.

Yeah, yeah, it's an Easter egg.

Is that an Easter egg?

No, again I think that, the Romulan, Jolan Tru,

first we just hear it spoken and then

with the additional gesture,

that greeting Jolan Tru is, it's canon.

It's just simply, that's how Romulans greet each other.

This would not be an Easter egg.

There are a lot of Romulans in this season

and there are a lot of Romulans talking to each other.

We have, in canon, this idea of the Universal Translator,

but the Universal Translator, while it solves

so many storytelling problems and is

why it was invented in the first place, no doubt,

if your goal is to allow people to have conversations

that aren't understood by the people

who are standing right there,

then the Universal Translator's kinda counterproductive.

We tried to be careful to show that,

when characters were speaking Romulan, it was because

there were people present who didn't understand Romulan

and we were in a location where there's seemingly

no Universal Translator in operation,

and therefore we were gonna need a Romulan language.

Now, we really wanted a real language

that was created by a linguist that had rules and grammar

and so we reached out to a guy named Trent Pehrson.

He was a big Star Trek fan, it turned out,

and he just really went for it,

and he did something so, I thought, so genius.

He took the canon notion that Romulans

are descended from Vulcans.

Essentially they are the offspring of a kind of

rogue contingent of Vulcans who left Vulcan

a really long time ago and became Romulans,

and he went back to Vulcan, the language that

has also been created in canon, and said,

well how might that language have changed and evolved?

If I followed the known rules of grammar,

the known linguistic rules of how languages

change over time, what might that language,

the Vulcan language, have become thousands of years later,

and so the Romulan language that we have on our show

is a true descendant of the Vulcan language

that we know about.

It just cements it really fully

with established continuity of Star Trek.

The war didn't happen to us.

That's what everyone thinks.

No, 'cause Riker says later,

I'd recognize that head tilt anywhere.

I think it appears as an Easter egg first.

First, yes.

First, and anyone who doesn't know Data,

doesn't know that he did that, it'll just be like,

why is she doing that with her head?

When you shipped out for the Beta Quadrant

aboard the Ellison.

Yeah, that's an Easter egg, absolutely.

Harlan Ellison was not only a seminal

science fiction writer in his own right

and a significant influence on all of us who.

Absolutely.

In any way write or are fans of science fiction.

He also authored The City on the Edge of Forever,

which is certainly my favoritest Star Trek episode

from the original series.

He exists as someone whose name is write large

for folks who love Star Trek and Michael, you wrote him

in there because he had Polaroids of you, right?

Oh, there was that too, there was that too.

Yeah, we don't need to go into that.

I have them.

But I think, the only thing I would add to that is,

starship names have traditionally been

a fertile hiding place for Easter eggs

over the course of Star Trek,

and I forget now which series, there's some series

where a number of the starship names that you hear about

are places in Montana and it's because

somebody responsible for the show at that era

was from Montana, had some connection.

There's the Bozeman and there's some other names like that

so it's a fun thing to try and do.

Those great big Wallenberg-class transports.

It is an Easter egg.

More than say, naming a ship after Harlan Ellison,

the Wallenberg class, that's actually telling you something

a little more because Raoul Wallenberg

was a Swedish diplomat during the Second World War

who personally intervened using his power

as a diplomat, as a representative of the Swedish government

to save many hundreds, if not a couple thousand Jews

who would have otherwise been fallen victim

to the Nazi death machine, so by naming this class

of rescue ships that is designed to save people's lives

in large numbers from huge destruction,

Starfleet, presumably, was deliberately invoking

the memory of this righteous man and the work

that he did to help people who are in trouble,

so it actually has a storytelling element to it.

[Doctor] Where's your cortical node, buddy?

There's an episode where he gives up

his cortical implant to save Seven.

[Akiva] Yeah, I guess that's an Easter egg.

Or is that more just consistent?

Like if we'd said, oh, and here's your cortical implant,

all the fans of Voyager would have said,

pfft, he doesn't have a cortical.

That would have been wrong, but we could certainly

not have talked about any cortical implant.

So it's gotta be in there somewhere-ete.

It satisfies the criteria of meaning nothing

to people who don't know anything about the show.

In that sense, it's hidden in a way

because of that, because it.

Yeah, and it's additive for those who know.

I think it's an Easter egg.

Yeah, that's a matzoh.

Have some tranya.

Yeah, tranya's an Easter egg.

I think so.

Better still would have been

to have Clint Howard serving it.

That would have really been.

That is a reference to an episode from the original series

called The Corbomite Maneuver in which

a very young Clint Howard.

Very, very.

Like a little boy.

[Akiva] Pre-Gentle Ben Clint Howard.

He serves this, some kind of alcoholic beverage.

Yeah, he's drinking too.

Called tranya.

This is tranya.

I hope you relish it as much as I do.

And apparently, in reality the beverage

that they shot was grapefruit juice

and that Clint Howard hated the taste of grapefruit juice

and so it was a very painful scene for him.

It didn't start out as an Easter egg.

It started out as wanting to have the character of Bjayzl

be another member of the same species

that we saw in The Corbomite Maneuver,

but that involves so many imponderables involved,

casting a kid and using the voice of an adult

which is how they did Clint Howard,

and working with kids is tricky and time-consuming

and you have, your hours are really limited.

And then it iterated into a Caitian.

Remember? Oh, that's right.

Which was the feline species from the animated series.

Or maybe she was gonna be a Caitian first.

Yeah, unclear.

They sort of, yeah maybe, right,

and all we got left with after the infantile alien

or the sentient cat was basically Tang.

Yeah, Gothitron, yeah.

It would have been fun to be able to do either of those two.

There have been all too few evocations, in our opinion,

of the animated series.

Actually had some quite interesting, fun, well-written

episodes by real Star Trek writers who had written

great episodes of the original series and.

[Akiva] Voiced by the real cast.

Kirk to Enterprise.

It bears watching.

Yeah, consider it the fourth season

of the original series.

Now, I think it is.

It had a really shaky canonical status for a while,

but I think now.

We feel it's canon.

It would have been fun with the Caitian to allude to that

but you're getting into really complicated

character design. Full-on CG.

So, someday.

Season two.

Remember, nobody knows the way around

the Kaplan F17 Speed Freighter than the Red Bolian.

We had the scripted element of holographic advertisements.

Freecloud in some ways has aspects of Switzerland

in terms of the banking regulations of Switzerland

and Switzerland's reputation for guarding the privacy

of the people who put their money there.

It's probably a little Amsterdam there, if you know

what I'm talking about. Yes, in terms of

enforcement of laws that,

where if you're not hurting anybody,

they're not gonna stop you, but they also have,

it's very mercantile, it's driven by profit

in a way that a lot of entities now that we see

that buy your information and use and sell your information

and use it to target ads to you,

and so we had this idea of ads that would be targeted

to each crew member on the ship as they were being read

and scanned and their histories were being identified

and then they were being shown ads

that would directly appeal to them

according to the algorithm.

I didn't get one?

For Rios, they take readings of his ship,

they know if there's a reading that's a little off,

and they're suggesting, hey take it in,

and then we needed a little trademark character

and I just started thinking about

how you made trademark characters and how you often

will do a Jolly Green Giant or little cartoon characters

that represent something and I just thought,

well maybe I'll just do something like

a well known alien species from Star Trek,

the Bolians, and Bolians are blue.

They have blue skin and so then I thought,

well to make it a trademark, to make it sort of a thing

that people would go like, huh, that's funny,

that's paradoxical, make it the Red Bolian,

'cause there are no Red Bolians,

so that's how we got the Red Bolian.

I thought they should all just have porn,

was it seemed to me what that would.

I remember that conversation.

Everybody was scanned and had a different kind of porn.

It got really quiet in the writer's room

when he said that. I didn't know

Sam and Michael wouldn't do that,

and I don't know why not.

I mean, the guy.

Still rolling.

[robotic speech]

That is for sure an Easter egg.

In the shot, the establishing shot of Freecloud,

the street, there are a few in there.

There's the Quark Bar, and there's

Mr. Mot's hairstyling salon.

I already alluded to Mr. Mot before.

There might even be a couple others in there.

Oh, that's right, there's a big holographic.

That may literally just be stolen from episode 10

of season two of Discovery,

so is that an Easter egg or is that just pure theft?

Sure, it's an Easter egg.

We did it on purpose.

You can steal Easter eggs.

And then there's the conversation in the bar

about Rios' fictional previous assignment.

Mr. Quark of Ferenginar was especially satisfied

with your handling of his trouble with the Breen.

Which also falls into the category of exposition,

so for somebody who hasn't been previously exposed to

Star Trek, or in this case Deep Space Nine,

then it's just oh, they gave him a good cover story.

A Temtibi Lagoon, if it's not too much bother.

That is full-on Easter egg.

That is as Easter egg-y as Easter eggs get.

Raffi tells Rios.

Your personality needs to match your clothes.

You need to show a little panache.

You need a feather in your hat.

He's cool, he's collected, he doesn't get hot too often,

and she's trying to say, you're gonna have to be big.

You're gonna be wearing this orange hat and the feather

and the green coat and you have to use words like.

Salutations.

His typical drink order would be something very macho

and straight up and he thinks,

I gotta go completely in the other direction,

so trying to think of tropical drinks

and drinks with lots of layers in them

and swizzle sticks and umbrellas.

With two umbrellas.

Then trying to think, well what is the tropics

of Star Trek and then thinking of Risa the pleasure planet

that many crews have referred to

in their series of Star Trek

and went on Memory Alpha looking for named resorts

or named locales that we've heard about in canon

on that planet and Temtibi Lagoon has been referred to

and that just, Temtibi Lagoon,

who doesn't want to drink one of them?

That sounds yummy, doesn't it?

I mean, if you're into that sort of thing.

Pretty much anything with alcohol sounds yummy to me,

so I'm not sure.

And so presumably, that is a drink that has been named

after the place on the planet Risa, the resort planet

where it was first invented.

[electronic whirs]

Oh, that's an Easter egg. Yeah, the Sicarian.

It's crucial to the plot.

But not the precise nature of it, right.

Not where the tech was sourced.

We could have made up something.

We could have said, the Borg came up with this thing,

but yeah we went, and that's courtesy of Kirsten Beyer,

who is our comrade and fellow writer

and is our in-house resident expert on all things canon

and in particular, all things Voyager.

She's, I think, the planet's leading expert on Voyager.

When we were casting about for ways to get Soji and Picard

off that Borg cube and have them go somewhere else

really quickly without having to get back on a starship,

Kirsten was very handily able to provide us

not only with that technology, but with the means

by which it could be where we needed it

to be right at that moment.

[heavy breathing]

[Scanner] Probable age- 37 months.

Not really an Easter egg, is it?

Is it, it is.

Not Squidgy.

Squidgy, I mean, I've seen people have one

whether it's meant to be a Mugatu and it isn't.

It would have a horn if it were and that's a cool idea.

We were going in a different direction with Squidgy.

Squidgy was a road not taken.

Yes, Squidgy was a bomb but that's another story.

Yeah, Squidgy was meant to have a much bigger role

in the season, but he had some drug and alcohol problems

and he went into rehab.

We try not to say that on, remember?

Oh, oh my god,

but anyway, creative differences.

Yeah yeah, that's right.

But, [snickers] the Flotter lunchbox

is a series of storytelling issues where like,

okay we need her to have all of this girlhood stuff

that she's carrying around that was also evidence

of her having had a childhood, which she didn't.

So what would that be, and then the natural,

I think is a lunchbox, a plastic,

some kind of box or container that in itself

speaks of childhood, of pop culture realm

within the world of Star Trek that could be on a lunchbox.

In talking with our resident professor of Voyager,

Kirsten Beyer, she reminded me about

the Adventures of Flotter which is a holoprogram

that's watched by the character Naomi Wildman

on that show that's aimed at kids,

and so then that's where the idea came

to create a Flotter lunchbox and give it to Soji.

It's an Easter egg.

You're right.

It doesn't add anything.

[relaxing music]

We've had a little trouble

around here lately with the Kzinti.

The Kzinti, that is a

big ol' Easter egg. Yeah, that's an Easter egg.

So Michael and I are both fans of a science fiction writer

named Larry Niven, who has created a series of books

that are referred to as Known Space.

We are not only fans of his, but so too were the folks

who made the aforementioned animated series.

So what happened was, they reached out to him.

They tried to get him to write an episode

and he kept struggling with it, so he came back

and I think the name of the short story

it's based on is the Slaver Weapon.

He essentially ended up taking one of his short stories,

which existed in the Known Space world

that included a race of aliens called the Kzin,

which are giant, scary cats really.

So what happened was then, for one brief and shining moment,

Known Space and Star Trek intersected.

Which, if you're a Star Trek-science fiction nerd

in 1973. Oh my God.

I remember like, watching, I'm in the living room

watching the show and I'm like whoa, that said Larry Niven,

and then there's a Kzin on Star Trek.

It was just.

It's sort of when Superman and Spiderman

had that crossover, that big double.

Exactly, exactly, like those should not,

it shouldn't be but it is.

So there's always been some debate back and forth

about whether or not that's really canon or not

and are you really allowed to do it or not,

and Michael decided to take the proverbial cat by the horns.

So I reached out to Larry Niven,

which I tracked down an email for him

and I wrote him an email and explained

what massive fans both Akiva and I were and are of his work,

and then I inquired about, what was his feeling

about the Kzin without depicting them

or employing them in any kind of storytelling way,

would he object if we just made a passing reference to them

as a way of bringing deep pleasure and satisfaction

to the probably dozens of other people out there.

Yeah, maybe a score.

Yeah, maybe a score of people of other out there

who retain that pleasure that came from that moment

where those, the streams crossed,

and he said he'd, that would be great.

He'd be flattered or he'd be pleased or something so,

and this is not in any legal sense.

This is not in any copyright sense,

but in terms of what canon is,

if the animated series is canon,

then the Kzin are canon and the Kzin

and I think we are now, we've now

confirmed that with this reference.

Yes, yes and that cheering is those two dozen people.

And John Van Sitters.

Yeah, that's right.

He actually just cramped.

Oh, okay. [giggling]

Are we safe here, Kestra?

I think it is.

So Kestra is a reference to Deanna Troi's sister who died.

Deanna Troi being Kestra's mother,

so Kestra's named after her deceased aunt.

We do a whole family tree thing here and very good at it.

Aww, don't cry, Deanna.

Mommy, please.

No, Kestra, we're gonna eat in just a few minutes.

In fact, similarly they have a son named Thad

and they presumably named him after.

Thaddeus Riker?

Thaddeus Riker.

Number One, though, is that?

We didn't even talk about,

what about Number One? What about Number One?

That's such an Easter egg.

Who said that, Number One?

Forget it, it's too late now.

That's right, we passed episode one.

Too bad, that was a good one.

We are Borg.

She was trying to destabilize the veridium tracker

already present in her system.

Oh, the veridium isotope.

Sure, that's an Easter egg, right?

I mean, it's canon, it doesn't matter if you know it.

It is a callback.

Here's the thing.

When you have a plot question or problem

or something you need a plot solution to,

if you're writing something set in the real world

then you like, well they pick up the phone

or they go on the Internet or they get in their car.

Whatever it is, you solve the problem

within the real world context of the show

that is set in the real world, but in Star Trek,

when you have certain kinds of plot problems,

you can't turn to the real world context very often,

but what you can turn to is canon.

So then when you're saying, well we want the Romulans

to have tracked Jurati in a way

that is long-range, very detectable,

how have other writers solved that problem before,

and again Kirsten came up with this thing

that she knew of from canon, the veridium tracker,

and, which I think is in the movie The Undiscovered Country.

It's funny, 'cause, but in that sense for example,

is transwarp an Easter egg?

Like I think more like another one

that you guys forgot is Daystrom.

[Michael] Yeah, the Daystrom.

[Akiva] The Daystrom Institute.

[Michael] Is that an Easter egg?

I think so, because you understand it's a name, right,

and it doesn't mean anything beyond a name

unless you've seen the original series.

Yeah, that's true.

But it doesn't change the story not knowing,

although it makes it deeper.

And there are a few subsequent references

to it over the years, too.

What was the question?

Uh, the iridium tracker?

Oh, the veridium.

Veridium tracker.

That tracker, not an Easter egg.

Daystrom, an Easter egg, I think.

Okay, okay.

I'm the emergency engineering hologram.

I go by Ian.

Don't you think that's an Easter egg?

I do, I do.

The idea there with the holograms on Rios' ship

is that you get the ship, you buy a package if you want it.

You get this package installed of emergency holograms.

Like the doctor on Voyager, he's a medical hologram,

we're presuming there are more complete installations

where you might have an emergency engineering hologram,

an emergency technical hologram.

You install it and that default persona includes holograms

that have different accents.

So the engineering hologram, quite naturally.

Quite naturally.

Would have a Scottish accent.

What that really is, is an allusion

and I think an Easter egg to Mr. Scott.

Aye, the haggis is in the fire for sure.

And one could sort of even imagine that

Montgomery Scott, having been such a prominent engineer

and having lived for so long,

that it was sort of on purpose that they designed.

It's a tribute.

Yeah, it's a tribute,

a default setting. It's a tribute.

Let's give this engineering hologram a Scottish accent

in tribute to the most famous Starfleet engineer ever.

Right, like the emergency writing hologram

might have your beard.

Exactly, exactly.

Surak and existentialism.

So yeah, that's an Easter egg.

We've already established by this point that

Rios like to read philosophy,

that he likes to read existentialist philosophy,

so then in terms of when it came to write books

to be on the shelves in his quarters,

it seemed like a fun idea, like,

what if there, somebody had looked at

the philosophy of Surak, the greatest Vulcan philosopher,

the inventor of the entire Vulcan way of life

that centered around logic, and we looked at

his philosophy in the light of existentialism?

I don't know how much you can see if you freeze frame it

but the author of the book, the name that we see,

is actually one of the pseudonyms used by Soren Kierkegaard

for some of his psuedonymous work so it all kinda.

We had Wonder Boys up there, but the author

wanted so much money that we had to take.

Hey, I'm entitled.

It's just not okay.

It's not.

You know what, you've made enough.

Captain Marta Batanides.

You knew her?

Marta Batanides is the character who appears

in the episode Tapestry of Star Trek: The Next Generation,

which is an episode in which Q interferes in the timeline,

allows Picard to go back into his own past,

and we see Picard in his Starfleet Academy days

with his cronies, his two best friends

that he hangs around with, and one of them is a woman,

a young cadet soon to become a Starfleet officer

whose name is Marta Batanides.

You sure you're okay?

Yes, I'm fine.

Really, Marta, I'm fine.

It's an Easter egg. That's an Easter egg, right,

to say, so what we learn is that Marta Batanides

went on to be the captain of a starship

whose first officer is the Vandermeer who then became

Rios' captain. Rios' captain.

So she's kind of like Rios' grandcaptain if you will.

She was a legend to the old man, my old man.

Captain Vandermeer.

Yeah, that's an Easter egg. 'Cause we could have used

any name or no name and we put that in there just to be fun

with the people who know, so yeah.

[magical music]

I found this, an old-school medical tricorder.

Easter egg?

They didn't have to be old ones?

They could have been just up to date or.

Those are there as a way of characterizing Rios' ship.

He doesn't have a brand new

emergency battery-operated medkit.

He has an old one.

I feel like it is a nice prop that sort of suggests

that the universe is deeper, that not everybody

has the newest thing, and I think it feels that way.

It feels a little lower tech.

[Michael] But maybe for a TNG fan, you see it,

[Akiva] you're like oh my God. Ooh!

I mean, and then combat.

Yeah, the combats in the box.

Yeah, in that, right.

Yeah, but they missed that.

Or, by the way, when he says, Riker, LaForge,

when he lists, are those Easter eggs?

True, yeah, are they?

As we're directly referencing TNG, I don't know.

It's a good question.

That's a good.

We don't know.

Yeah, you let us know.

Yeah, you tell us.

There are sources of legacy props out there,

both in the hands of collectors and to some degree

in the hands of Paramount Pictures.

Apparently here.

So I don't remember if he found, our props guy Jeff,

if he found those, or if he made them, I don't remember,

but I know it was a fun thing for him to do.

I'm seeing if history plays out the same way now

if you've gone through the Guardian.

Gotta kill her.

I don't know.

Push it in front of that car.

She has such a good, oh, oh.

Oh, you broke it.

You say break, I say missing.

Whoa ho ho, that happens.

Salt shaker.

[Raffi] We might run into, I don't know,

angry reptiloids out there.

Angry reptiloids?

Is that, I mean, are we talking about Gorn again?

Yeah, I guess.

Is that the only other surviving?

Yeah, sadly.

[guffawing]

If you could see our season of Picard.

Our view of it.

Just replete with Gorns.

Literally everywhere you turn, the Gorn.

The Gorn hegemony as a sort of umbrella

of all Picard seasons.

It was gonna be awesome,

and all that's left is.

Angry reptiloids.

A reference to angry reptiloids, yeah.

Why do they want us to be afraid of the Gorn, why?

That's the question we should be asking.

Who's that, it's a Ted Sturgeon story, right,

where they make the dolls to desensitize everybody

like aliens? Oh yeah, exactly exactly.

[hopeful music]

Vulcan martial art, sort of Vulcan tai chi martial art,

that's for sure an Easter egg

and there are some other, we skipped over,

there's some other Vulcan Easter eggs

on Commodore Oh's desk.

She's sitting behind her desk

and she has Vulcan sacred object on her desk.

She's got that shaky bell thing from Amok Time

that you can see on the shelf in the background.

This Vulcan martial art is part of a suite of references

of Vulcan Easter eggs.

Which will show you in the power hierarchy

where the Vulcans live in relation to the Gorn, right.

Oh, look, another Vulcan reference.

There's a proliferation of Vulcan ref,

a virtual cornucopia of Vulcan references,

but the one Gorn reference, one.

It's sad.

It's [bleep] up.

She raised that Ka'Athyra beautifully.

There's a lot of canon around Vulcan

and Vulcan practices and Surak.

If you're looking for something to make

an Easter egg out of, Klingon and Vulcan I'd say

are the two greatest sources of non-human Star Trek canon.

Yeah, the cultures have been articulated out.

Is Make it so an Easter egg?

It is, and it's not said by.

Him, so does that make it an Easter egg?

I think so. I'd like it.

I'd like it to be an Easter egg.

Let's deem it an Easter egg.

I think it is an Easter egg.

I think Make it so is an Easter egg.

Make it so's an Easter egg.

Yeah, if he said it, not so much.

Not so much.

But because she says it, yeah, I think so.

Make it so.

So there are eggs in the show basket that are tasty.

I think we got 'em all.

This is what that bum does, remember?

In City on the Edge of Forever, the scene they cut out

on WPIX channel 11 a lot.

[Michael] It's an accidental self-phasering, yeah.

[electric humming]

It's a scene that some people didn't see

'til they were older and saw the shows uncut.

Mmhmm, mmhmm.

[mimics phaser] That's the sound it makes.

I felt so bad for that guy.

I know, me too.

He was just trying to get some wine.

Easter eggs are fun to hide,

and hopefully they are fun to find,

and so I think we plan to keep hiding them

and may all your Afikomans be found.

May your grandpa give you a big silver dollar.

May your Star Trek dreams

be colorful and made of chocolate.

And hollow?

No, not hollow.

For the egg is hollow,

and I have touched the sky. And I have touched the sky.

That was a good yolk.

Live long and prosper.

Thanks guys.

♪ Blue skies, smiling at me ♪

Starring : Michael Chabon, Akiva Goldsman

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Star Trek: Picard - 21 Easter Eggs And Trek References From Episode 1

By Phil Hornshaw on January 28, 2020 at 12:53PM PST

GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Star Trek: Picard rejoins the story of Jean-Luc Picard years after the legendary captain has retired from Starfleet, following the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation and its movies. The story is keenly aware of the history created by various Star Trek series. Picard's time on the Enterprise, his relationship with its crew, and his accomplishments over the years all play a part in Star Trek: Picard .

The premiere episode of Star Trek: Picard isn't just fully aware of Picard's history--it's also full of references that Star Trek fans will recognize from throughout the Star Trek universe. Here's a rundown of every Easter egg and reference we spotted in the first episode of Star Trek: Picard.

Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company.

Star Trek: Picard News and Features

• New Star Trek Show About Captain Pike Is Happening, Titled Strange New Worlds
• Star Trek: Picard - What Are The Tal Shiar And Zhat Vash?
• Star Trek: Picard - What Are The Romulans Doing On The Borg Cube?

1. Data Sings "Blue Skies"

Star Trek: Picard opens with a very particular song: the Irving Berlin track "Blue Skies." Like a lot of the premiere episode, it's a callback to Jean-Luc Picard's relationship with Data. He sang the song during the wedding of Deanna Troi and Will Riker in Star Trek: Nemesis--the film that marked Data's final mission.

2. A Poker Game

The crew of the Enterprise often played poker together throughout the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was a game Data enjoyed but struggled to fully understand as he worked at being human. Picard's dream at the start of the episode finds him playing poker with Data once again, although the game seems to have a lot more meaning than just an activity Picard and Data enjoyed.

3. Data's Death

Data and Picard became very close throughout the course of The Next Generation and the subsequent four movies that followed the Enterprise crew. In the final movie, Star Trek: Nemesis, Data sacrificed himself to save Picard--and the Enterprise. Clearly, the loss of Data still troubles Picard even years later.

4. Remnants Of The Borg

Picard and the Enterprise have a long history with the Borg. During The Next Generation, Picard was assimilated by the cybernetic beings, only to be saved by the Enterprise crew. And in Star Trek: First Contact, Picard and the Enterprise put down a Borg invasion of Federation space, in which the Borg tried to use time travel to try to stop humanity's first contact with alien life and assimilate the planet in the past. The Enterprise stopped that attack as well, in large part thanks to Data and Picard, who defeated the Borg queen together. We catch sight of a Borg cube in the opening credits sequence of Star Trek: Picard and it shows up again at the end. The Borg play a part in the story that isn't completely clear by the end of the episode.

5. Picard's Number One

Apart from the dream vision of Data and Picard himself, the first character we meet is Picard's second-in-command--Number One, his pit bull. The dog's name is a reference to Picard's nickname for Commander Riker, who served as the Enterprise's first officer for years. Picard's pitbull is also a bit of a reference to actor Sir Patrick Stewart's real-life work with animal rescue organizations and fostering pitbulls.

6. Picard Chateau And Vineyard

At a few points in the past, we got a look into Jean-Luc Picard's family history. The Picard family owned a chateau and vineyard in France, which was run for years by Jean-Luc's brother Robert--who resented Jean-Luc for leaving the family to join Starfleet. We also saw Jean-Luc living in the chateau and tending the vineyard in the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which looked into Picard's potential future (although that whole storyline was the result of some Q interference). After his retirement from Starfleet, Jean-Luc returned to live in the family home. You won't see Robert or his family, though; in Star Trek: Generations, we learned that Robert and his son René perished in a fire. That makes Jean-Luc the last of the Picard family name (although we don't know what happened to Robert's wife).

7. Tea, Earl Grey

Picard's morning in his home during the premiere includes his favorite beverage: Earl Grey tea. He spent years with the drink on the Enterprise, always ordering "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." In Star Trek: Picard, the former captain acknowledges his years by ordering the tea "decaf." You might also notice that the cup Picard drinks his tea from during his dream sequence with Data is the same type he used on the Enterprise.

8. The Romulan Supernova

As Picard engages in his interview with a Federation journalist, he discusses the Romulan supernova. It's a disastrous event that occurred some 15 years before the show's timeline, in which an exploding star destroyed the planet Romulus and everyone who resided on it. We never saw the destruction of Romulus during The Next Generation or its subsequent movies, but the event was mentioned in a Star Trek series: the 2009 Star Trek directed by JJ Abrams. That movie mentions the destruction of Romulus, which Ambassador Spock tried and failed to prevent. The events resulting from the Romulan supernova winds up creating an alternate timeline, which is where the Abrams films are set, but the fate of Romulus is still a part of Star Trek's "prime" timeline.

9. The Federation's Dunkirk

Picard's interview with FNN delivers a bunch of backstory that sets up where we find Jean-Luc at the start of the show. After the Federation learned about the Romulan supernova, Picard pushed Starfleet to launch a massive armada to rescue the Romulan people. Picard likened the attempt to Dunkirk, in which British civilian ships rallied together to save stranded British soldiers during World War II.

10. Utopia Planitia Shipyards

While the Federation and Starfleet initially agreed to the Romulan rescue effort led by Picard, the plan was abandoned after another tragedy: an attack on Mars. As discussed in the interview, a group of rogue "synths," or synthetic lifeforms, attacked Mars and the Federation's Utopia Planitia shipyards. The shipyards and the rescue armada were destroyed, as was Mars--"it still burns," as mentioned during the interview. Utopia Planitia is a major location for Starfleet: it's where ships including the U.S.S. Enterprise, U.S.S. Voyager (from Star Trek: Voyager), and U.S.S. Defiant (from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) were all constructed.

11. The Tragedy From "Children Of Mars"

We only get a summary of the synths' attack on Mars during the Star Trek: Picard premiere, but you can get a slightly closer look at the event in another show on CBS All Access. That's Short Treks, a series of Star Trek shorts. Most of them are related to Star Trek: Discovery, but the latest episode, "Children of Mars," acts as a prequel to Star Trek: Picard. The attack on Mars resulted in the ban on synthetic lifeforms being built in the Federation.

12. Picard's Relationship With Synthetics

The interview brings up a lot of information about Jean-Luc Picard and makes a bunch of references to his history, some of which are a little more opaque than others. When discussing the attack on Mars, Picard mentions that he disagrees with the ban on synthetic life. Picard has quite a history with synthetics, in fact--he not only was good friends with Data, but in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Measure of a Man," Picard successfully argued that Data was legally a person, rather than Starfleet's property. In other episodes, Picard showed a respect for all life, whether natural or artificial.

13. Data's Paintings

Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data constantly endeavored to be more human. One of the ways he tried to achieve that goal was through creative expression. He played musical instruments and also tried his hand at painting. Though the two paintings shown in Star Trek: Picard didn't appear on TNG, there were numerous moments in that series in which Data was shown painting.

14. The Captain's Yacht

Picard's vault in the Starfleet archives includes a number of keepsakes from his career, many of which appeared in various Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes and its movies. You can spot a model of the captain's yacht, a small ship attached to the Enterprise-E, which Picard and Data used in their mission during Star Trek: Insurrection.

15. The Stargazer

Another model in Picard's Starfleet archives vault is the Stargazer, the ship Picard commanded before the Enterprise. Picard famously destroyed a hostile a Ferengi vessel at Maxia with a tactic later dubbed "the Picard Maneuver," in which he used warp drive to make the Stargazer briefly appear to be in two places at once. The Stargazer was mentioned repeatedly throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Picard and the Enterprise crew even briefly visited the derelict ship in the episode "The Battle."

16. Klingon Bat'leth

Also on display in Picard's archives vault is a Klingon bat'leth sword, a traditional weapon of the Klingon people. Picard has a long history with the Klingons, previously serving as the Arbiter of Succession for the Klingon chancellor and establishing a relationship, along with his Worf, the Enterprise's former tactical officer, with Klingon Chancellor Gowron.

17. Captain Picard Day

Aboard the Enterprise, school children celebrated Captain Picard Day each year, creating art projects of the likeness of the captain. Picard personally judged a contest to pick the best of the projects, as seen in the TNG episode "The Pegasus." In Star Trek: Picard, we see the banner from Captain Picard Day on display in Picard's quantum archives.

18. Daystrom Institute

When we first meet Dahj, we find out she's been accepted to work at the Daystrom Institute; later in the episode, Picard visits the Institute to try to learn more about whether the construction of a flesh-and-blood synthetic is possible. The Daystrom Institute has been a fixture of cybernetic studies for a while in Star Trek, with branches on several planets. Whenever studying Data comes up, it's often the Daystrom Institute that's involved.

19. Data's Daughter

As the first episode of Star Trek: Picard unfolds, Picard learns that Dahj is apparently the daughter of Data. She wouldn't be the first, though. Star Trek: The Next Generation saw Data attempt to reproduce himself in the Season 3 episode "The Offspring," in which he created a daughter named Lal. Though Lal soon advanced beyond her father in her development and socialization, Data was unable to replicate his own technology sufficiently, and Lal eventually shut down.

20. Bruce Maddox

When Picard talks with Dr. Agnes Jurati at the Daystrom Institute, she notes that she was recruited by and worked with a noted Daystrom cyberneticist, Dr. Bruce Maddox. We've seen Maddox show up in Star Trek: The Next Generation before. In "Measure of a Man," it's Maddox who tries to argue that Data is property of Starfleet, so that Maddox can disassemble and study him. Maddox loses that argument, but apparently went on to continue studying Data (and androids in general) at Daystrom for the rest of his career.

21. The Disassembled B-4

At the Daystrom Institute in Star Trek: Picard, we see the disassembled form of an android that looks like Data: B-4. The android was discovered in Star Trek: Nemesis, making him the third of the androids we've seen that were built by Data's creator, Noonien Soong, in his own image. B-4 was the oldest, a less-sophisticated version built by Soong; he was followed by Lore, who was much more human but unstable; and finally by Data. In Nemesis, Data tried to download his memories into B-4, but B-4's positronic brain couldn't handle the information. B-4 is still around, but has been decommissioned, especially in the wake of the synth revolt on Mars.

• Leave Blank

All the Big Star Trek Easter Eggs In Picard's 'The Bounty'

Season 3 of Picard is full of Star Trek Easter eggs, but "The Bounty" featured some of the biggest yet, from Voyager to The Original Series.

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 6, "The Bounty," now streaming on Paramount+.

One great thing about a series like Star Trek: Picard is the folks telling its stories are old enough to have grown up loving The Next Generation . This means each episode is jam-packed with references. However, "The Bounty" features some of the biggest Star Trek Easter eggs yet, both literally and figuratively.

Fans could watch and rewatch all episodes of Picard from Season 1 and never run out of Easter eggs. Some references are integral to the plot, such as this episode's titular ship. Still, looking at the walls of Ten Forward or even among the LCARS displays in the episode credits yield many references to Trek 's past. Yet, with characters at both the Daystrom Vault and the Fleet Museum, some oddities and old favorites return from bygone days of the franchise. One such oddity, Jean-Luc Picard's human body, was kept in the vault. Even more disturbing, the villains and their devastating portal weapon absconded with it. Still, "The Bounty" wasn't all dead captains and strange plans. It was a look back at Trek history, including the first moments of The Next Generation .

RELATED: Star Trek: Picard Brings Closure to Another TNG Relationship

All the Nods to the Star Trek Franchise In the Daystrom Vault

The most obvious Star Trek Easter eggs in the Daystrom Vault are all the references to Data. Riker, Raffi and Worf team up to infiltrate the secure location and face off against the AI, which turns out to be Data. In Season 6 of The Next Generation , Episode 15, "Birthright," Data sees a crow while trying to dream. The appearance of Moriarty was a clue since he began as a holographic villain who could "outsmart" Data. While his whereabouts are unknown, he was likely a manifestation of Data's positronic consciousness. Lastly, the whistling, complete with the scene from the pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint," Riker and Data first bonded over whistling. And this new synthetic body means that Data is, finally, human. Or, at least, as human as Picard is now.

On the way to Data, however, the gang passes some familiar and interesting things. The first big Star Trek Easter egg in the vault is the Genesis Device. It played a central role in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . The original devices were destroyed, so Section 31 seemed to commission another one dubbed "Genesis II." Another big Easter egg in the vault is everyone's favorite Star Trek cuties: the Tribbles. Though, these fuzzballs have a violent streak. These "attack Tribbles" are the work of some scientist playing a little god .

Of course, the biggest and creepiest Star Trek Easter eggs in the Daystrom vault are the bodies of past heroes. Jean-Luc Picard's body was there, stolen by Vadic and the changelings. Yet, viewers also see the remains of James T. Kirk in the vault. This is curious since his body was buried in Star Trek: Generations by Picard on Veridian III. The Captains' bodies aren't the only ones. An Arretan android body, a reference to an episode of The Original Series , is seen behind Raffi and Worf when Moriarty opens fire at them.

RELATED: Captain Shaw Just One-Upped an Iconic Sisko Moment with Picard

The Star Trek Fleet Museum Is a Repository of Fan-Favorite Ships

A far less creepy source of fun Star Trek Easter eggs comes from the Fleet Museum, where The Next Generation crew reunites with Geordie LaForge. The title of this episode comes from one of the ships stationed there: HMS Bounty. It's the Klingon Bird of Prey commandeered by the Enterprise-A crew during Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Jack Crusher and the LaForge sisters steal the ship's cloaking device for the Titan-A. There are several Birds of Prey, both of the Klingon and Romulan varieties. There is also the USS New Jersey, a ship not found in Star Trek canon, likely named for showrunner Terry Matalas's home state. There are also glimpses of the Stargazer and a ship resembling a reimagined NX-01 from Enterprise .

This season, Picard included a massive Deep Space Nine connection by revisiting the changelings. So, it's only appropriate that the USS Defiant , the ship that made Benjamin Sisko a true "captain," has its place of honor in the museum. It's a shame Worf, formerly stationed on Deep Space Nine, wasn't there to see it. As Sisko's First Officer, he often commanded the Defiant. This is likely the ship that began service as the Sao Paulo but was renamed after the first Defiant was destroyed in battle.

A small poignant moment happens when Seven of Nine shows Jack the USS Voyager , the ship where she was "reborn." After its return from the Delta Quadrant, it was turned into a museum in an alternate future. It seems that in this timeline, Voyager wasn't the only ship. Still, for Seven, seeing her old home was as heartwarming as it was for fans of the old series. In fact, the fleet museum itself is an Easter egg. It looks like the space dock, which was first introduced in Search for Spock. Perhaps, when Picard and company save the galaxy again, the Titan-A will find its place among these legends.

Star Trek: Picard debuts new episodes Thursdays on Paramount+ .

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11 ‘star trek: picard’ easter eggs as season 1 nears the end.

There are plenty of Easter eggs in the penultimate hour of Star Trek: Picard's first season, an episode that packs a considerable amount of plot twists and revelations into its run time.

By Phil Pirrello

Phil Pirrello

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[This story contains spoilers for season one, episode nine of  Star Trek : Picard , “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1.”]

“Brace yourselves!”

Picard’s warning to Rios and the rest of his crew might as well have been directed at us as “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1” — the penultimate hour of Star Trek: Picard ‘s first season, an episode that packs a considerable amount of plot twists and revelations into its run time. 

As Picard finally arrives at Coppelius, the homeworld of the advanced synthetic android Soji (Isa Briones), the retired admiral’s season-long journey — and reason for going back into space after an almost 20-year absence — pays off with more Soji-looking androids, their Spock-inspired ways, and a surprise appearance by a new relative of Data’s. (Honestly, I’ll believe a colony full of space flower-using androids is possible before I’ll ever believe that Soji’s favorite meal of french fries dipped in peppermint ice cream is a thing.) 

In between all that are, yup, you guessed it, lots of Easter eggs. Here are the essential ones our tricorders picked up: 

1. A chroniton field is referenced at the top of this episode, which is fitting given that the subatomic particles are what Romulan cloaking devices produce (see the Star Trek: The Next Generation season six episode “The Next Phase”). The Borg also used chroniton fields to help mitigate the hull stress caused by traveling via transwarp conduit like the one Rios’ ship uses to get to its destination.

2. Seatbelts on the bridge of the La Sirena (aka “The Mermaid”) are deployed similarly to those seen on the bridges of the Enterprise in Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek Into Darkness , respectively. 

3. When the Borg Cube piloted by Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) emerges from the transwarp conduit, we can glimpse the space where seemingly a Borg sphere — like the one seen in Star Trek: First Contact  — would be housed and launched from. 

4. Agnes finds an old tricorder (albeit one with a design new to us) in a med-kit; the latter also houses a TNG era hypospray and DermaGel. 

5. 3D chess at Coppelius Station, or as Raffi calls it, “Synthville.” 

6. Soji’s home, with the center of town populated by various sets of identical twin androids, gives off some serious “I, Mudd” vibes from season two of The Original Series . In this classic Trek episode, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and crew encounter sets of synthetics in the service of con man Harry Mudd. 

7. Another “mad scientist” Soong is introduced, in a way that ret-cons all we know about Data: Dr. Alton Inigo Soong. And, like all Soongs, this one is also played by Brent Spiner. Alton is the biological son of Data’s creator, Dr. Noonien Soong, and the half-brother to Data. 

8. Sutra (also Isa Briones) is the twin sister of Jana, the late synth Rios encountered years ago when he served in Starfleet. She is seen here, like most of Alton and the late Bruce Maddox’s androids, with both skin pigment and eyes similar to Lt. Cmdr. Data’s.

9. Sutra’s fascination with Vulcan culture brings about her use of the mind meld and Alton name-dropping Surak — Vulcan’s most important philosopher — first seen in The Original Series season three episode, “The Savage Curtain.”

10. Agnes gets very chummy with Spot 2, an android copy (because reasons) of Data’s cat from TNG .

11. Dollars to donuts this is likely a coincidence, but the tool Raffi is given to help repair Rios’ ship looks similar in shape to the recording device a reporter uses on the bridge of the Enterprise-B in the opening scenes of Star Trek: Generations .

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‘Star Trek Picard’ Season 3: All the Easter Eggs, From the Fleet Museum to Daystrom Station

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3 is finally here and boy, is it a trip down memory lane.

This season, touted as the “final voyage,” reunites Jean-Luc Picard with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise .

Their adventures were chronicled in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which ran for seven seasons from 1987 to 1994. The last time the cast shared the screen was in the 2002 feature film “Star Trek: Nemesis.”

The newest season of “Picard” picks up some 20+ years later, with Picard (Patrick Stewart) assembling his old crew to save one of their own.

Also Read: ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 Cast and Character Guide (Photos)

Each week, we’ll break down the easter eggs and “Trek” reference from the latest episode. Of course, spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 1 Easter Eggs

Warning: spoilers ahead.

The very title of this episode, “The Next Generation,” is an homage to the show that introduced us to the U.S.S. Enterprise D, its captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew.

The episode opens on the Eleos, an aide vessel captained by Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the former chief medical officer of the Enterprise. The camera pans through her personal items, including theater masks (Crusher formed a theater troupe on board the Enterprise and taught acting), orchids (her favorite flowers which she was seen tending in one episode) and a storage locker belonging to Lt. Jack Crusher (her first husband who was killed while serving under Picard). There’s also a glass filled with a blue liquor — unmistakably Romulan ale.

Beverly is replaying Picard’s log during an encounter with the Borg, in which the Enterprise hid in a nebula. Beverly is hiding the Eleos near a nebula.

The next scene features Picard at his family winery in France. In the distance, you can hear a dog barking, likely his pet pitbull “Number One.” He is looking at a painting of the Enterprise-D. His companion, Laris, says “The first love is always the sweetest.” Picard replies “Well, she wasn’t the first, but she was definitely my favorite.” Picard’s first command was the U.S.S. Stargazer, the same ship Jack Crusher served on.

Picard tells an assistant to give the painting to Geordi, the first mention of Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), the Enterprise’s chief engineer and now head of Starfleet’s fleet museum.

Picard looks at more memorabilia at his desk, which include a Bajoran award. He picks up a Ressikan flute, a memento of the time he lived the life of a man named Kamin on the dead planet Kataan. The story of Kamin is told in the Season 5 episode of “The Next Generation” titled “The Inner Light.”

That evening, Picard receives an encoded message from Beverly Crusher. He’s alerted by the trill from his old Enterprise communications badge. It’s located in a box along with his red and black command uniform from the Enterprise.

Picard meets up with his old friend/former first officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) at a bar. The bartender offers up miniatures of the Enterprise-D, which she calls “fat ones.” This is an inside joke for Trek fans; the Enterprise-D saucer was unusually oblong and large; later models were more streamlined.

Riker reveals he is spending time apart from his wife Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), the former Enterprise counselor, and their daughter Kestra. Kestra is also the name of Deanna’s deceased sister, whose death was explored in the Season 7 episode of “The Next Generation” titled “Dark Page.”

Picard shares the codeword “hellbird” with Riker. Riker explains that it was a term used when Picard was “incapacitated.” He’s referring to when Picard was assimilated by the Borg in the Season 3 finale of “The Next Generation” titled “The Best of Both Worlds.” The Borg gained all of Picard’s memories, so the crew had to devise a new system.

To track down Crusher, Riker and Picard go aboard the U.S.S. Titan, Riker’s command after leaving the Enterprise. The ship has undergone a “Neo-Constitution refit.” The Constitution class is one of the most popular in Trek lore; the original Enterprise itself was a Constitution-class starship.

The first officer aboard the Titan is none other than Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), another human who was assimilated by the Borg and rescued in the “Star Trek: Voyager” episode “Scorpion.” Seven became Picard’s ally during Season 1 of “Picard” where they helped root out Romulan spies.

Seven introduces herself as Annika Hansen. Her commanding officer, Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) has instructed Seven to use her human name rather than her Borg designation.

Seven was given a field commission by Picard, but officially joined Starfleet upon the advice of Picard and Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Janeway was the captain of the U.S.S. Voyager that rescued Seven.

Seven invites Picard and Riker to the bridge, where they meet a smiling helmsman, ensign Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut). Sidney is Geordi’s eldest daughter. Riker embarrasses her by bringing up her nickname from Starfleet Academy — “Crash” La Forge — after she crashed a shuttle … twice.

A quick pan around the Titan bridge reveals a Bajoran tactical officer, a Haiilian communications officer (with little hair) and a Vulcan science officer (with no hair). Bald crewmen (or crewwomen in this case) have had a special place in “Trek” lore, dating back to Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta) from “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” Other bald crewmembers include Lt. Airiam (Hannah Cheesman) from “Star Trek: Discovery,” Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and, of course, Picard.

Showrunner Terry Matalas identified the Vulcan science officer as Lt. T’Veen. The actor who plays T’Veen, Stephanie Czajkowski, is a cancer survivor who kept her head shaved or short.

As the Titan leaves spacedock, Seven tells the crew to set speed to “maximum warp.” Picard asks if she should give Engineering a heads-up before doing so, but Seven tells Picard there’s no need; it’s all automated now. During “The Next Generation,” Picard would often have to inform La Forge that he was going to push the limits of the Enterprises’ engines, despite the chief engineer’s concerns.

Captain Shaw is not impressed by Picard or Riker, choosing to not greet them upon arrival and starting dinner before they arrive. Actor Todd Stashwick is not new to the “Trek” universe; he played Torak in the Season 4 episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise” titled “Kir’Shara.”

Shaw tells Riker he had to purge the “bebop” files when he took command of Titan. Riker is a jazz lover and was shown to play the trombone in several episodes of “The Next Generation.” Shaw says he prefers “structure.” The music playing he’s playing in the background is a piano concerto by Chopin — classical music for a by-the-books captain.

The “steak” Shaw is eating is blue — and we don’t mean undercooked. We don’t know the significance behind that but we wanted to point it out!

In a secondary storyline, Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) is working undercover to discover what happened to experimental weapons stolen from the Daystrom Institute. An informant gives her the clue “Red Lady” which she discovers is a red statue of Captain Rachel Garrett that will be dedicated at a Starfleet recruiting center. Garrett was the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise C, whose fate was explored in the Season 3 “The Next Generation” episode titled “Yesterday’s Enterprise.”

Riker and Picard make their way aboard the Eleos. While exploring the ship, Riker calls Picard “Captain” and then apologizes, saying “old habits.” Picard later refers to Riker as “Number One” — the way they referred to each other during their Enterprise days.

Riker is ambushed by an assailant (Ed Speleers) but manages to get the upper hand. When asked by Picard what his relationship is to Crusher, he responds “her son.” So far, the only son Crusher is known to have is Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton), who lived and served aboard the Enterprise-D.

The credits are filled with easter eggs themselves that will be revealed as the season progresses. The only one that is applicable right now is that display of the Shrike, the giant warship hunting the Eleos.

Also Read: Who Is Vadic in ‘Star Trek Picard’? Everything We Know About the Villainous Big Bad

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 2 Easter Eggs

We finally get the full name of Ed Speleers character — Jack Crusher. He’s named after his stepfather, Jack R. Crusher. We do a deep dive into the younger Crusher here .

Among the Eleos’ supplies is a bottle of blue Romulan ale, one of the galaxy’s most inebriating liquors. In Episode 1, Beverly has a glass next to her bed.

The Shrike opens fire on the Eleos, destroying the shuttle Picard and Riker flew over on. The debris reveals the shuttle’s name — Saavik. Saavik was a Vulcan officer who served aboard the Enterprise-A. She was played by the late Kirstie Alley and later by Robin Curtis.

The Titan comes to the Eleos’ rescue and attempts to transport Picard, Riker and the Crushers aboard. However, the signal is blocked due to transport inhibitors Picard setup around the bridge. Realizing what he’s done, Picard takes out a phaser and destroys the inhibitors with surprising speed and accuracy, much to Jack’s astonishment. This is a subtle reminder that Picard is in a synthetic body with potentially better reflexes.

Back on M’Talas Prime, Raffi meets up with her ex-husband, Jae Hwang (Randy Goodwin). Viewers previously met their son, Gabe (Mason Gooding), back in Season 1. In the Season 3 opener, Raffi gets emotional while looking at a photo of their granddaughter.

Picard, Riker and Jack make their way to the Titan bridge, where they’re scolded by Capt. Shaw. At one point, Ensign Esmar (Jin Maley), the communication officer, calls out “Captain!” Shaw, Riker (who once commanded the Titan) and Picard all respond in unison, “What?”

Capt. Vadic (Amanda Plummer) has dossiers on all the officers. She hints that Shaw has psychological problems. She also somehow knows that Picard is not human, saying “Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, in the synthetic flesh.”

Jack Crusher has many aliases, among which is “James Cole.” James Cole is a character from “12 Monkeys,” the show that “Picard” showrunner Terry Matalas previously produced.

While deep undercover, Raffi meets the Ferengi broker Sneed. Sneed is played by Aaron Stanford, who played James Cole on “12 Monkeys.” Of course, he’s barely unrecognizable under all those prosthetics.

Sneed tries to break Raffi using the synthetic narcotic Splinter, which is administered via the eye. Given Raffi’s history of substance abuse, she is able to partially withstand its effects. Splinter is name of the technology used in “12 Monkeys.”

Todd Stashwick, who plays Captain Shaw, ALSO appeared on “12 Monkeys.”

Raffi’s handler is revealed to be non-other than Worf (Michael Dorn). Worf rescues Raffi by slicing and dicing his way through Sneed’s goons. The Romulan thug has green blood while Sneed’s Ferengi blood is yellow.

Jack is about to turn himself over to Vadic when Beverly appears on the bridge of the Titan. She has a wordless exchange but it’s enough for Picard to confirm that Jack indeed is his son.

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3, Episode 3 Easter Eggs

The episode opens with the Shrike hot on the Titan’s tail. Shaw orders the Titan to delve deeper into the nebula in an attempt to shake the Shrike. It’s an evasion maneuver seen in many Trek shows and films, notably “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”

After the opening credits, a graphic appears that reads “Before.” The scene opens with a digitally de-aged Picard and Riker. They’re older than they were on the Enterprise but younger than the present. They’re celebrating the birth of Riker’s son Thaddeus, who was born on the Titan after Riker became captain. That would date this celebration about three years after the events of “Star Trek: Nemesis” and 20 years before the events of “Picard” Season 3.

Picard and Riker’s celebration is interrupted when Troi, Riker’s wife and Thaddeus’ mom, messages them with a fussy baby in hand. Riker apologizes and calls her imzadi , which is the Betazoid word for “beloved.”

Back in the present, Seven of Nine is confined to her quarters for insubordination. There’s a model of the U.S.S. Voyager — the ship that rescued her — on her desk. Ensign La Forge visits her and commends her for helping Picard and Riker, which is something her dad would’ve done. Seven thanks La Forge and tells her to rest, to which La Forge answers, “Yes, Commander Seven” instead of “Yes, Commander Hansen” as a sign of friendship.

Picard and Beverly finally have a face-to-face conversation about Jack. Picard got Beverly pregnant while on shore leave two months before she left the Enterprise. She never told him because she was afraid his enemies will target their son.

At one point, Beverly tried to tell Picard about Jack but “two Reman assassins had intercepted the ship in the Donatra sector.” Donatra was the name of the commander of the Romulan warship Valdore seen in “Star Trek: Nemesis” played by Dina Meyer.

After Raffi regains consciousness, she meets her rescuer/handler. He identifies himself as “Worf, son of Mogh. House of Martok. Son of Sergey. House of Rozhenko, bane to the Duras family, slayer of Gowron.” These are nods to Worf’s complicated lineage. His Klingon father was Mogh, but he was adopted as a boy by Sergey and Helena Rozhenko. Worf eventually aligned himself with House Martok, whose sworn enemies were the Duras family and notably the Duras sisters, who were killed in a battle against the Enterprise in “Star Trek Generations.” In the Season 7, Episode 22 of “Deep Space Nine,” Worf kills Chancellor Gowron for undermining Martok during the Dominion War.

Jack and Seven discover the Shrike is tracking the Titan via its verterium emissions. Gas leaks are another “Trek” trope. It’s how the Enterprise and Excelsior were able to track General Chang’s cloaked Klingon ship in “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”

Jack knocks out the guard stationed outside Seven’s quarters, to which she responds, “You’re insane.” Remember this for later.

Jack is attacked by the saboteur, who is revealed to be a Changeling, a species of shapeshifters that waged war against the Federation 25 years prior (the aforementioned Dominion War).

While exposed to toxic verterium gas, Jack has visions of a woman (in the form of Seven of Nine) who beckons to him “find me!” Is he actually insane?

Meanwhile, Raffi and Worf interrogate Titus Rikka, a criminal played by Thomas Dekker. As a child actor, Dekker appeared as Picard’s imaginary son in “Star Trek Generations.” He also played a holographic child on “Star Trek: Voyager.”

Rikka is sweating and shaking profusely, which Raffi thinks are drug withdrawals. However, Worf recognizes them as something else. Rikka is also a Changeling who is losing the ability to hold his solid form.

Worf asks Rikka how long he has been separated from the Great Link. The Link is the collective of Changelings in their liquid forms introduced in “Deep Space Nine.” The Link makes decisions for all Changelings.

Worf tells Raffi about a schism in the Link and a rogue faction of Changelings that were not able to accept defeat from the Dominion War. It seems they have now infiltrated numerous parts of the Federation. Worf learned about the schism from “a close friend within the Link, a man of honor.” While Worf doesn’t name this friend, he’s referring to Odo (played by the late Rene Auberjonois), the Changeling constable on Deep Space Nine.

Back on the Titan, Picard tells Riker to stop running and fight, despite the “instinct to be fearful of loss.” Picard is referring to the death of Riker’s son Thaddeus at a young age. Riker tells Picard he’s out of line.

The Shrike uses the portal weapon to literally turn the Titan’s weapons on itself. The Titan is struck by its own torpedoes. The disabled ship gets pulled deeper into the nebula where it’ll be crushed by a gravity well.

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3, Episode 4 Easter Eggs

The episode opens on Frontier Day five years prior. Picard is trying to enjoy his lunch at a pub when several Starfleet cadets gingerly approach him and ask him out the Hirogen. The Hirogen were alien hunters native to the Delta Quadrant (think Predators).

The cadets ask Picard if he sought advice from Admiral Janeway. Janeway and the Voyager crew were the first Starfleet personnel to encounter the brutal race while stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

With the Titan trapped in the nebula and its systems failing, Riker has a heart-to-heart with his former captain. Riker reveals he lost hope when his son Thaddeus died, and his wife Troi, as an empath, also felt his grief. Riker reveals he went on the mission to get away from Troi. He urges Picard to talk to Jack in the few hours they have left.

Picard takes Jack to the holodeck where they enter a replica of Ten Forward – the Enterprise bar and later a brick-and-mortar bar.

Picard offers Jack some Chateau Picard from his own winery. Jack politely turns him down and says he prefers whiskey.

In order to trap the Changeling saboteur, Shaw tells Seven to find its “pot.” Seven assumes he is NOT referring to cannabis, demonstrating that marijuana is still around in the 25th Century.

Shaw shows Seven an example of a Changeling “pot.” In the bottom corner of the display is a photo of Odo (Rene Auberjonois).

Back on the Shrike, Vadic cuts off her hand, which dissolves into a Changeling face. The face instructs her to pursue “the asset,” which we assume is Jack.

The show jumps back to Frontier Day five years ago. Picard regales the cadets with the story of the Tamarian alien he had to work with despite being unable to understand each other. The events he describes took place in the Season 5 Episode 2 of “The Next Generation” called “Darmok.”

Another cadet references Jack R. Crusher, Beverly’s first husband. Picard later tells his son about the time he and Jack R. Crusher blindly navigated a micrometeoroid shower in a damaged shuttle together until they got home.

Shaw interrupts Picard’s tale and reveals he was at The Battle of Wolf 359. The battle is infamous in Trek lore and is depicted in the first episode of “Deep Space Nine.” The Borg, having assimilated Picard, used his knowledge to massacre a fleet of 40 vessels. Among them was the U.S.S. Constance, on which Shaw served.

Shaw was only a handful of survivors from Wolf 359 (11,000 people died in that single battle). He is still suffering from PTSD decades later.

Beverly discovers the bio-electrical pulses are actually contractions and the nebula is a life form giving birth. Jack proposes the Titan ride the pulse waves out of the nebula.

Beverly tells Riker that they’ve encountered species that thrive in space, in which Picard replies, “Farpoint!” Farpoint was the very first mission shown in the series premiere of “The Next Generation,” in which a station was actually an alien life form.

Riker thinks the plan is too risky, but Beverly invokes Troi’s name, making him change his mind.

Shaw and Seven work in tandem to open the warp nacelles in order to ride the wave. When La Forge appears and offers to help, Seven is able to deduce that La Forge is the Changeling after she calls her “Commander Hansen” instead of “Commander Seven.”

With Picard and Jack’s help, the Titan frees itself from the nebula, which gives birth to space babies. Beverly quotes the Enterprise mission, “to seek out new life,” which they have done.

It’s revealed that Jack was in the bar five years ago listening to his father’s story. Jack asks if Picard had a life outside Starfleet, to which Picard replies, “Starfleet has been the only family I have ever needed,” which crushes Jack.

Riker reaches out to Troi and apologizes for his behavior.

Back in his quarters, Jack experiences visions and is once again told by a female voice to “find me.”

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3 Episode 5 Easter Eggs

The episode opens with Jack massacring all of the bridge crew in a shootout. Luckily, it’s just a vision. “Star Trek” tends to shy away from such explicit violence, but a similar scene took place in Season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery” when Burnham has a vision of Leland murdering the Discovery bridge crew.

At the end of his frightening vision, Jack’s eyes turn red and he again hears voices. Is he possessed? We deep dive into his visions here .

Shaw, Seven, Picard and Riker talk about the Changeling they encountered, who can mimic other species down to their internal organs. Beverly wants to investigate how the Changelings can now bypass the ship’s internal security systems.

With Starfleet on it’s way to question Picard and Riker, Jack asks if he should find himself a set of restraints. Picard responds, “many a rebel from all reaches of the galaxy have found their way to Starfleet.” This is a foreshadowing of what’s — or more accurately who’s — to come.

Raffi and Worf spar on the La Sirena, and Worf easily defeats her before taking a meditative stance. He urges patience on her part. They receive a message from Worf’s handler, who denies them access to the Daystrom Station.

While investigating the criminals who broke into Daystrom, Worf and Raffi pull up a list of suspects. One of them is Krinn. Among the other names on the screen include Morn, a side character from “Deep Space Nine” that frequented the station bar. Morn is a play on Norm, the lovable bar patron from “Cheers.”

Before turning them over to Starfleet, Shaw chastises Riker and Picard for previous instances when they’ve defied orders/Starfleet Command. He mentions several famous “Enterprise” adventures, including when the Enterprise saucer was “hot-dropped” on a planet (“Star Trek: Generations), throwing the Prime Directive out the window to “snog” a villager on Ba’ku (“Star Trek: Insurrection),, or they time they created a tie paradox in the Devron system (“Star Trek: The Next Generation” series finale.)

Riker and Picard meet the Starfleet Intelligence officer, who turns out to be Commander Ro Laren. We deep dive into Ro’s past here .

While dissecting the Changeling, Beverly confirms they can mimic internal organs and do not revert to liquid state after death. They have somehow evolved, she deduces.

After being interrogated, Picard tells Ro that the Changeling remains are in sickbay. She diverts them to the holodeck, where Picard disables the safety protocols, so he can essentially make it a booby trap. With the protocols disabled, he grabs a live phaser from behind the bar that belonged to Guinan. Guinan was a mentor to Ro aboard the Enterprise.

After exchanging words and memories, Ro and Picard realize they are who they say they are. They sheathe their phasers and Ro reveals that Starfleet has been compromised by Changelings.

Worf and Raffi meet the criminal Krinn, a Vulcan gangster. They are forced to fight to the death, and Raffi fatally stabs Worf. Fortunately, it’s a ruse. Worf has learned how to feign death. Krinn gives them a key that will grant them access to Daystrom Station.

On her way back the Intrepid, Ro’s security team plant an explosive on her shuttle. They beam off, revealing they are Changelings. With seconds left, Ro does a suicide run towards the Intrepid and crashes into their nacelle.

The Changelings find Jack, who kills four of them with ease. He sees another vision of a red doorway.

Before leaving for the Intrepid, Ro gives Picard her Bajoran earring. The earring has her entire investigation encrypted within it. They receive a message from Ro’s operatives, who turn out to be Worf and Raffi.

When Beverly asks Jack how she knew the security team was Changelings, he replies, “I didn’t. I think there’s something very wrong with me.”

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3 Episode 6 Easter Eggs

The episode opens with the Titan on the run. The ship evades capture by dropping decoy transponders. We learn that in addition to Starfleet, Vadic and the Shrike are on its tail.

Vadic confirms the Changelings will have vengeance on Frontier Day, which is approximately three days away.

Beverly discovers that Jack has irumodic syndrome, inherited from Picard. The syndrome drove Picard to have hallucinations and disassociate from reality in the series finale of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” But after the events in Season 1 of “Picard,” he is in a synthetic body and no longer vulnerable to the syndrome. But as Jack is human, his condition will degenerate.

Picard meets Jack in the holodeck bar. Jack asks how Picard survived irumodic syndrome, to which he replies, “I didn’t” — another reminder that Picard’s human body is gone … or is it?

Raffi and Worf beam aboard the Titan. Worf thanks Picard for his annual bottle of “sour mead” aka wine from Chateau Picard, which he describes as “quite tart.”

Seven and Raffi have a slightly awkward exchange in the transporter room, a reminder they used to be lovers.

Worf and Raffi explain whatever the Changelings stole lies can be tracked in the Daystrom Station manifest. The station houses “experimental weapons” and “alien contraband.”

Worf, Raffi and Riker beam aboard Daystrom and use the key from Krinn to disable the security system. Worf is glad that Raffi’s ex-lover Seven is not a part of the away team. Worf should know — his ex K’Ehleyr was killed while trying to help him in the “Next Generation” episode “Reunion.”

Two Echelon-class Starfleet ships arrive at Daystrom with sophisticated tracking technology, forcing the Titan to flee.

Worf, Raffi and Riker explore the inventory at Daystrom, which Worf calls “Section 31’s most nefarious table scraps.” Section 31 is a critical clandestine division of Starfleet intelligence introduced in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” but has been around since the time of “Discovery.” A “Section 31” spin-off starring Michelle Yeoh was reportedly in the works several years ago.

Among the “good stuff” they find: a Genesis device used to terraform dead worlds (seen in “Star Trek II and III), a body scan and/or remains of James T. Kirk (captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise), and a genetically modified “attack” tribble (an irresistibly cute furry alien with extraordinary reproductive capabilities.

The A.I. system defending Daystrom pulls up files on the away team, including one on Riker. The photo, interestingly, is of a younger Riker from approximately 20 years prior.

The A.I. system sends a holographic crow, which caws at the away team. Riker notes there is “something familiar” about the crow as they approach the station mainframe.

As part of the security response, the A.I. system creates a hologram of Professor Moriarty (Daniel Davis), a holodeck villain created by Data to be his intellectual rival in “The Next Generation” episode “Elementary, Dear Data.”

The Titan flees to Athan Prime, the home of the Federation Fleet Museum, which is overseen by former Enterprise crewmember and current Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).

Geordi beams aboard with his daughter Alandra and gives Beverly a big hug. He addresses his eldest daughter, Sidney, by her first name, to which she replies, “Sir.”

Picard asks Geordi to clone the Titan’s transponder signal to lure them away from Daystrom, but Alandra reveals that plan won’t work because all the ships in the fleet “talk to each other” and are aware of each other’s location.

Back at Daystrom, we see a shot of the two ships patrolling the station. There’s an off-screen conversation between the Sternbach and Cole, who are searching for the away team. Sternbach is the last name of Rick Sternbach, the visual designer who worked on “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and several Trek shows.

Moriarity fires at the away team with live bullets, indicating safety protocols are turned off. Riker notes he is not the same self-aware Moriarity they encountered 30+ years prior. Every few seconds, musical notes punctuate the air. Riker, a trombone player, realizes the notes are to “Pop Goes The Weasel,” the song Data was trying to whistle when Riker first met him in the first episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Riker finishes the tune, which disables the Moriarity hologram.

Worf, Riker and Raffi reach the main chamber and discover the A.I. system, which ends up being Data (Brent Spiner) or a version of him.

Geordi initially refuses to help Picard. At best, he’ll be court-martialed. At worst, Starfleet will come after his family, two of whom we have now met. We have yet to meet his wife though she is mentioned in passing.

Jack takes the captain’s chair next to Seven and looks at the various legendary ships stationed at the Fleet Museum. They include the U.S.S. Defiant (from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), the U.S.S. Enterprise-A (from the “Star Trek” movies), the U.S.S. Voyager (from “Star Trek: Voyager”) where Seven was “reborn,” the HMS Bounty (the Klingon Bird of Prey used in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”). As each of these ships is shown, the musical theme from each respective series or film is played.

Raffi notes that Data died (after the events of “Star Trek: Nemesis”) and Worf says this cannot be the Data they served with. Raffi says this Data is a hybrid synthetic with an android interface. Somehow, Starfleet was able to take Data’s memories from B4, a more primative android where Data stored his personality. They activate a hologram of Dr. Altan Soong, the son of Data’s creator and the man who created the body Picard inhabits now. He says this Soong golem in Daystrom has a bit of Lal (Data’s daughter), B4, Lore (Data’s evil twin) and Data.

This may explain why the photo of Riker this Data has on file is about 20 years old — the last time he saw Riker “in person.” However, one would think this Data has access to the most current Starfleet files.

Worf deduces that Data is protecting the manifest, he is the manifest. Unfortunately, the away team is discovered by Starfleet.

Shaw, who was an engineer aboard the U.S.S. Constantine, geeks out over meeting Geordi.

Jack and Sidney steal and install the cloaking device from the HMS Bounty, allowing the Titan to return to Daystrom Station undetected. Geordi and Alandra stay onboard the Titan to make sure the cloaking device works properly.

Raffi and Worf escape Daystrom but Riker is captured. Geordi meets them in the transporter room and is taken aback by seeing his best friend, Data, 20 years after his death.

With his daughters’ help, Geordi reactivates Data. All of the personalities manifest, but Data’s comes through strongest. He identifies Geordi, his best friend and calls Picard “captain,” the rank Picard held when Data died.

Data finally reveals what was stolen from Daystrom Station: the human remains of Picard.

Riker is interrogated by a Starfleet officer, who turns out to be Vadic. She blackmails Riker into telling Picard’s whereabouts with the one thing he cares about: his wife Deanna Troi.

“Star Trek Picard” Season 3 Episode 7 Easter Eggs

The episode opens with the U.S.S. Titan hiding in the Chin’Toka Scrapyard. The Chin’Toka system was where several battles of the Dominion War were fought during “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Many Starfleet and allied ships were destroyed, and it would make sense that their debris would be in a scrapyard.

Seven of Nine reaches out to her former Voyager crewmate Tuvok (Tim Russ) for help. The four pips reveal that he has reached the rank of captain.

Seven deduces that Tuvok is really a Changeling by lying about her neural net. The real Tuvok stabilized her neural net in Season 5, Episode 7 of “Voyager” (“Infinite Regress”).

Picard, Beverly Crusher and Geordi La Forge turn to the Soong golem for answers. Unfortunately, the Lore personality has taken over. Lore was introduced as Data’s “evil twin” in Season 1, Episode 13 of “The Next Generation” (“Datalore”).

Despite Geordi La Forge warning Jack Crusher to stay away from his daughter Sidney, the two engage in some flirting. Jack is able to read Sidney’s mind — a new ability he hasn’t demonstrated before.

The Titan crew sets a trap for Vadic and the Changelings. They make it appear the Titan is derelict and have the Changelings board the ship. Once aboard, they lure them into traps and imprison them in forcefields.

Beverly Crusher and Picard trap Vadic in sick bay. Vadic reveals the origin of her evolved physiology — she was experimented upon as a prisoner of war during the Dominion War. Want to know more? Here’s everything you need to know about Vadic .

Lore disables the forcefields imprisoning the Changelings and Jack and Sidney become separated. Jack “possesses” Sidney and kills the Changeling attacking her. This is another one of Jack’s previously unseen abilities.

Vadic whistles “Three Blind Mice” — another children’s song from Earth (“Pop Goes the Weasel” was played in the previous episode). Her human captor whistled the tune while experimenting on her and the other Changelings.

“Star Trek: Picard” Season 3, Episode 8 Easter Eggs

Vadic and the Changelings commandeer the bridge of the U.S.S. Titan. She proceeds to cut off the ship’s “eyes” (power), “ears” (communications) and the “road ahead of them” (doors). Trapped with nowhere to go, the Changelings easily hunt down the crew.

She lines up the bridge crew, which includes tactical officer Mura, communications officer Esmar, science officer T’Veen, Seven of Nine, and Captain Shaw.

Jack uses his special powers to take over the body of a Titan security officer, but his connection is lost when a Changeling shoots the officer and kills him.

Vadic gives the crew an ultimatum: deliver Jack Crusher or she’ll start executing the bridge officers one by one.

Riker and Troi reunite on the Shrike, where they’re both being held prisoner. Riker again calls her imzadi (beloved) and tells her how he came face to face with “bleakness” while trapped in the nebula. He stops short of saying what it felt like, but it’s clear he’s referencing the death of their son, Thaddeus.

Troi says a Changeling masked as Riker visited her. She joked he was “good in bed and bad at pizza.” One of Riker’s hobbies is making outdoor pizzas, as seen in Season 1 of “Picard.”

Jack uses his power to take over Mura’s body and input a command override code, but Vadic catches him. She forces Mura and Esmar to their knees. She is about to execute Mura, but points the phaser at Esmar. After Esmar cries out Vadic shoots T’Veen instead. This shocking scene is a play on the “Redshirts always” trope in “Star Trek.” Mura and Esmar are “yellowshirts,” whereas T’Veen is a “blueshirt.”

Riker and Troi have a heart-to-heart conversation. Riker says they might die aboard the Shrike and “Kestra would have lost everyone,” referencing their daughter. The topic then turns to their dead son. Riker felt immense grief afterThaddeus died, but Troi used her powers to dull that grief. She, in turn, felt everyone’s grief as an empath, which drove a wedge between them.

Troi reveals she hated Nepethe, the planet they settled on to heal Thaddeus. She wants to move back to the city to drink raktajino  lattes. Raktajino  is a Klingon coffee mentioned throughout “Star Trek.”

A Changeling guard enters their cell but is stabbed from behind by Worf. Worf professes that he’s “counted the days” since he last saw her, a nod back to when they were romantically involved in the later seasons of “The Next Generation.”

Jack, Sidney, Beverly and Picard reunite with Geordi. In order to determine whether or not Picard is who he says he is, Geordi asks him what anniversary gift he received six years ago. “A Chateau Picard bordeaux, which you said was too dry,” Picard correctly responds. There’s an ongoing joke this season about the crew not liking Picard’s wine, with Shaw turning down a drink and Worf calling it too tart.

Jack surrenders to Vadic on the bridge to stop the executions. He reveals he’s holding a device that will kill him if she makes any moves. She cryptically teases him about his powers, and refers to the “red door” he sees in his visions.

Before they leave the Shrike, Raffi and Worf discover why the Changelings stole Picard’s body from Daystrom Station. They removed the parts of his brain with irumodic syndrome. Remember, Jack also has been diagnosed with irumodic syndrome, which may be giving him his special abilities.

There’s another battle happening in this episode. Within the mind of the Soong golem, Data and his brother Lore are fighting for dominance, with the latter winning. Data draws upon his memories as Lore takes over. They include a violin concerto (Data played the string instrument several times in “The Next Generation), Sherlock Holmes houndstooth hat and pipe (he enjoyed playing the detective on the holodeck), a tricorder, a holographic crystal of slain crewmate Tasha Yar, a deck of cards (poker was a favorite pastime among the senior crew) and his cat Spot.

Lore fully takes over and Geordi is distraught at losing his best friend a second time. However, Lore’s win is short-lived. The memories he took from Data transform him. “You took the things that were me, and in doing so, you became me,” a reconstituted Data explains.

Data regains control of the Titan. Jack uses the device he brought to the bridge, which is not a grenade but a personal forcefield generator. Picard orders the evacuation hatch opened, which sucks Vadic into space. Her body freezes due to exposure and shatters into pieces when it hits the Shrike. The personal forcefield prevents Seven and Jack from being sucked out.

The Titan then destroys the Shrike and presumably, Vadic and Picard’s remains.

Despite Vadic’s death, Troi senses “a great darkness” on the ship.

Data and Geordi help with contractions, at which point Data says, “We’re good here.” Geordi calls out that Data used a contraction, something he didn’t do previously but Lore could. It was one way to discern the two.

Troi counsels Jack and tells him they’ll open the red door together.

“Star Trek: Picard” is currently streaming on Paramount+

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Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ Easter Eggs

The third season is over with the finale of Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ . It’s a shame, but we’re all relieved that the series went out with a bang rather than a whimper. Saying goodbye is always sad. Never have I seen a finale so full of nods, easter eggs, and fan service. So for one final time, I’m only too happy to sit and dissect an episode of Star Trek: Picard . Let’s take a deep dive into the episode with every callback and reference that I noticed in the final episode. And cap it off with some final thoughts about where this part of the timeline may be headed.

Back in Action

The first nod of Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ – maybe one of my favorites – is actually before the episode even begins. Gone are the Titan and Shrike in the background from the opening card of previous episodes. In its place is the USS Enterprise-D with a Borg Cube, back in action for presumably the final time. If you think about this episode less as the finale of Star Trek: Picard and more so as the final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie, it makes it even more fitting.

Speaking of the ship being back in action, the epic CGI shots of it maneuvering through the Borg Cube are eerily similar to the Death Star sequence from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi . Given their shared finality for the casts, this comparison is hardly a criticism at all. In fact, seeing the Enterprise-D flying around and firing as we’ve never seen it before was the best part of the episode. There’s also a solid comparison between the reactions of Data ( Brent Spiner ) and Lando ( Billy Dee Williams ) in successfully piloting their respective ship around their respective antagonistic geometric shape.

Saving the day…

Also, speaking of flying. Deanna Troi ( Marina Sirtis ) is a character widely blamed for the crashing of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Generations . Having her singlehandedly parallel park the ship to save her friends at the last moment was more than redemption enough. Especially since this is one of the few things the episode explicitly spells out, it makes it so much more satisfying to see. It may not have been intentional, but it was the single coolest thing Deanna did this season, which was already a high bar.

The Federation’s Final Stand

Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ opens in earnest with a shot of the TNG intro, which feels awkwardly inserted. However, the surprise vocal appearance of President Chekov ( Walter Koenig ) more than made up for any complaints. I genuinely don’t think anybody saw that one coming. I also loved that his character’s first name is Anton, a loving tribute to Anton Yelchin who passed away back in 2016. This has got to tie in with George Takei’s brief return in Star Trek: Lower Decks last year for my favorite, original Trek stars are always welcome!

Fortunately, I was kind of wrong last week. Spacedock was not actually destroyed then. Sadly, it was destroyed this week. Although seeing that it took the entire fleet, it’s safe to say that Earth is reasonably well-defended. I was beyond happy to see it built up even bigger and better, beyond what we saw earlier in the season. It’d be the perfect Earth hub for a new series, and something I really hope we see in Trek again. The design team has done a really good job of updating familiar designs for the 25th century.

You may also have noticed that Enterprise D was not in fact de-commissioned and finally shut down until a year after the final battle. Realistically, it was probably not doing much of interest, just acting in the interim while the fleet is rebuilt. However, this presents us with a similar position to Star Trek: The Motion Picture , with a whole series of unseen adventures. If there’s an era I’d love to see comics and novels explore in the future, it’s this. Seriously. I need it now.

That’s No Nebula !

Showrunner Terry Matalas confirmed that the Borg Cube was not located in a nebula. This prompted what can conservatively be described as wild speculation on my part. I remember throwing out ideas like the Badlands and crazy ideas about transwarp corridors and parallels to the nebula from Star Trek: Voyager ‘s “ Endgame “. It turns out I massively overcompensated. It’s just Jupiter. However, in an attempt to come to my own defense, the locations did look similar and I’d be surprised if they didn’t take any inspiration.

In Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ we also get a better and likely final look at the interior of a Borg Cube. We’ve not really seen a proper Borg set since the end of Voyager. This is easily the best it has ever looked, with distribution nodes and Borg drones lining all the hallways, almost too similar to the glimpse of the interior we got back in ‘ The Best of Both Worlds ‘. Having this cast walk around what is, in effect, such a familiar set made for a brilliant final fight for the series. Even the Queen, if a bit late to the series, is suspended just enough to evoke Star Trek: First Contact .

We do, however, get a glimpse into the Borg collective that we haven’t before. We’ve seen the horrors of assimilation, but something we’ve not had a great look at is the perspective of the assimilated drones. That green landscape is simultaneously alluring and haunting, and Picard sending himself there, calling upon his experience, to save Jack (Ed Speleers) is heartwarming. I also guess Picard’s synth body can be assimilated. Borg synths feels like a new angle I’d like to see more of.

Sins of the Past (Just Not Picard’s)

I think one of the real strengths of this season has been its villains. Vadic ( Amanda Plummer ), was born out of rage against the Federation for the war crimes committed by Section 31. She wants to make them pay for genocide. Despite Plummer’s best efforts, the character was under-utilized, but her motive remains understandable. The main point is that the Changeling Virus was a plot line from the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It’s something that Picard and the rest of the crew at best have an understanding of.

The Borg Queens

The same thing, to a lesser extent, extends to the Borg Queen ( Alice Krige ). At the end of Voyager , the Borg were also crippled with a virus by Janeway ( Kate Mulgrew ). This was also a genocidal act not perpetuated by Picard. It’s really quite fascinating that both of the big villains of the series have their motives ripped out of the ends of DS9 and VOY. While this season, and this episode in particular, is a farewell to TNG, that really helps to ground it as a farewell to the larger 24th-century continuity.

It was, however, nice to see Picard re-assimilate himself willingly to save Jack. Star Trek: Picard as a series has loved exploring the lingering trauma that Picard has as a result of the events of “ The Best of Both Worlds ” and becoming Locutus. It’s a touching scene where Picard the character and Picard the series simultaneously come full circle as he properly addresses his past. However, instead of being assimilated and decimating the Federation, he willingly assimilates himself and saves his family. Touching stuff.

Saying Goodbye

Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ s final 20 minutes or so, is just saying goodbye to the TNG characters. I couldn’t have walked away happier. Data’s finally human and is finally getting a meaningful if extended therapy experience. Riker and Deanna are planning a holiday, and I presume Disney World still exists in Orlando about 400 years from now. Beverly has been accepted back into Starfleet, taking up her old post at Starfleet Medical (and engineering solutions to the Changeling problem). Geordi appears to go back to the Fleet Museum and his family, and Worf resumes his duties at Starfleet Intelligence.

Still Boldly Going…

What’s left more ambiguous is the fate of Picard. He’s definitely happy and is seen seeing Jack to his new posting in Starfleet. However, we don’t know if his relationship with Beverly is finally a happy romantic one. We didn’t even mention Laris ( Orla Brady ), so exactly what Picard’s doing is left up to the viewer’s imagination. I personally like to picture him finally being in a happy relationship with Beverly. Although Patrick is unlikely to do another Star Trek again, I’d love to see a canonical confirmation of their relationship.

It’s only fitting that the final scene of Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ mirrors the final scene of TNG . Back at Ten Forward (sadly the LA one again, would love for them to have used the old one at all), playing poker and reminiscing. Genuinely, if none of them ever do Star Trek ever again, I will honestly die satisfied. That being said, we can do another 7 seasons and 4 movies, right? I mean, we’ve gotta see the end of Data’s limerick about that lady from Venus (can I say a direct callback to “ The Naked Now ” caught me off guard?).

A Promotion to Star Trek: Legac y

Star Trek: Picard ‘The Last Generation’ ends with a tease of what could be in store for the 25th Century. The USS Titan-A has been renamed to the USS Enterprise-G (likely a morale move, similar to the renaming of the Sao Paulo to Defiant in DS9 ). Seven ( Jeri Ryan ) has finally been promoted to Captain, by the real Tuvok ( Tim Russ ) and a recorded message from Captain Shaw ( Todd Stashwick ). The message is the final reference, one to the personnel report from the end credits. Raffi ( Michelle Hurd ) is her first officer, setting up a potential Spirk situation too.

The bridge is decked out with characters we’ve seen across this season. I hope that if it becomes a series, they aren’t tossed aside and are fleshed out more. They really didn’t get much to do that made them feel unique. The La Forge sisters are both sticking around though, their mother remaining unknown (I am grateful they didn’t bring back Leah). In the interest of the season’s obsession with legacy, we don’t actually know what Seven’s catchphrase is, nor do I know what it will end up being. I do want to find out, though.

Post credits scene

There was also have noticed a post-credits scene. Jack’s quarters feature a picture of Picard and Crusher. The photo in question is an old photo of Stewart and McFadden at a premiere in 1988. The return of Q (John DeLancie) may have undone the emotion of season 2’s finale for me. However, his obsession with mocking human perception of time made up for it. As did the trial robe color scheme on his costume. Beyond a generic Captain Seven spinoff we were expecting, a 25th Century series now looks so much more exciting.

This has probably been the greatest season of Trek I’ve watched on broadcast. Getting to go through these episodes again and again and pull them apart was a joy. Theorizing and looking for references was a lot of fun. Now all I need is an announcement for a Legacy series. It’s definitely set up really nicely. As cool as it would be though, it may not. And that’s okay, there’s loads of good Trek out there right now. The next show on is SNW and I couldn’t be more excited about that either. Such a cool time to be a Trekkie. Hit it!

More images from ‘The Last Generation’

Where to watch

Star Trek: Picard Season 3  is now available to stream in full from Paramount+ (where available), CTV Scifi / Crave in Canada, and Amazon’s Prime Video (outside the US & Canada). New episodes of Star Trek take a short hiatus before returning on June 15 with the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 premiere. And of course, Trek Central will be here with all the latest news, releases, and reviews, and keeping the Trek conversation going via social media.

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Screen Rant

5 great lessons star trek: discovery learned from picard season 3.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 learned all the right lessons from Star Trek: Picard season 3, and seems poised to end the show on a high note.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 takes a fun turn with space exploration, embracing the adventurous nature of Star Trek.
• Building on TNG and DS9, season 5 introduces new characters like Captain Rayner to shake things up.
• Discovery season 5 offers compelling villains like Moll and L'ak, adding mystery and tension to the galactic treasure hunt.

Star Trek: Discovery's fifth and final season learned all the right lessons from Star Trek: Picard season 3. Following the adventures of the USS Discovery and Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Discovery has been many things throughout its four seasons. After the titular ship jumped to the 32nd century at the end of Discovery season 2, the show began exploring the Federation of the far future. While Discovery has often focused on dark and emotional storytelling, season 5 finally embraces the fun of space exploration. Between the latter half of Discovery season 4 and the first few episodes of season 5, the show has finally found a formula that really works.

Star Trek: Picard also told darker stories in its first two seasons, but Picard season 3 leaned more into nostalgia and fun. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) reunited with his Star Trek: The Next Generation crew for one last galaxy-saving adventure that involved big revelations and connections to the past. Picard season 3 became a resounding success , and many fans have been clamoring for the proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy , ever since. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 seems to have learned a thing or two from Picard's success, and is shaping up to be the best season of the show thus far.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

5 star trek: discovery season 5 builds on star trek's long history, both discovery season 5 & picard season 3 continued stories that began on tng..

The Star Trek franchise has been captivating audiences since the premiere of Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966, and with that comes a lot of history and lore. Star Trek: Discovery has always been connected to TOS , but Discovery season 5 has been building more directly on stories that were established in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The main plot line of Discovery season 5 serves as a direct follow-up to TNG season 6, episode 20, "The Chase," and has sent Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery on a galactic treasure hunt.

Star Trek : Discovery's 32nd century finally feels more connected to the rest of Star Trek 's timeline.

As Burnham and Discovery search for the ancient and powerful technology of the Progenitors, they also seek to learn more about themselves and answer the biggest questions about life, itself. Discovery 's treasure hunt has already taken them to the planet Trill where Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) participated in a Trill ritual first introduced on DS9 . Aside from obvious connections to DS9 and TNG , Discovery season 5 has also included numerous shout-outs to previously established aliens and planets. Star Trek : Discovery's 32nd century finally feels more connected to the rest of Star Trek 's timeline.

4 Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Embraces Nostalgia

Picard season 3 saw more returning characters, but discovery season 5 tells a classic trek story..

Not only has Star Trek: Discovery season 5 been building on established Star Trek history, but it has also embraced the nostalgia many fans have for TNG -era Trek in particular. Discovery season 5 may be set too far in the future to bring back characters like Star Trek: Picard season 3 did, but the show has still managed to feel more like classic Trek . Not only did the Discovery season 5 premiere show a photo of Captain Picard, but the episode also introduced a Soong-type android named Fred (J. Adam Brown), who bore a striking resemblance to Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner).

While Star Trek: Discovery season 5 still has many serialized elements, each episode also tells its own story, often taking Burnham and her crew to a new planet. In Discovery season 5, episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons," Captain Burnham and Mr. Saru (Doug Jones) find themselves under attack by automated drones, in a plot taken straight from TNG . Whether or not Discovery will have its own USS Enterprise-D moment like Picard season 3 remains to be seen, but the season has certainly leaned into its connections to the past more than any previous seasons.

Many of the new characters, like the android Fred and Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), wouldn't feel out of place on TNG or DS9.

3 Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Introduces New Characters To Shake Things Up

Captain liam shaw & captain rayner have a lot in common..

Much like Star Trek: Picard season 3 introduced Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) to challenge Admiral Picard and Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Star Trek: Discovery season 5 introduced Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Rayner to test the patience of Captain Burnham and Discovery's crew. After Rayner makes a bad call on Q'Mau in the season premiere, he gets demoted to Commander, and Burnham recruits him to be the USS Discovery's First Officer. When Lt. Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) pushes Rayner to get to know the crew, he pushes back, pointing out that he has more important things to worry about.

Like Shaw, Rayner has a gruff personality that doesn't quite gel with the rest of the USS Discovery crew.

When Michael first asks Rayner to be her Number One, she acknowledges that she needs someone who will sometimes challenge her. This will likely come up in the episodes to come, as Discovery gets closer and closer to the Progenitors' treasure. Rayner has already hinted that he has a past with couriers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and his main goal is to find them and stop whatever it is they're planning. Over the course of Star Trek: Picard season 3, Captain Shaw became a fan favorite as more was revealed about his backstory, and it seems likely that Rayner will get similar results.

Why I'm On Rayner's Side In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5

2 star trek: discovery season 5 has compelling villains, moll & l'ak may not be as menacing as vadic, but they all have compelling backstories..

Star Trek: Picard season 3 introduced one of Star Trek's best new villains in Amanda Plummer's Vadic, a Changeling with a grudge against the Federation. While much about Moll and L'ak remains a mystery at this point, the hints that have been dropped about them are interesting and suggest they have a compelling backstory. Rayner seems to know more about them than he's letting on, and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) has a connection with Moll that has yet to be explored. Moll and L'ak are Star Trek's version of Bonnie and Clyde, but it's possible an even bigger bad hired them to steal the Progenitor technology.

It's possible a more powerful threat could emerge before Star Trek : Discovery season 5 comes to an end.

With all the secrecy surrounding L'ak in particular, whose species is not even known, it's possible he could have connections to Star Trek's past that have not yet been revealed. Moll and L'ak may not have quite the menace of Vadic, but both villains have advanced technology and absolutely no interest in working with the Federation. The Borg Queen (Alice Krige) also made a return in Star Trek: Picard season 3 as the one pulling the strings, and with technology as seismic as the Progenitors' treasure, it's possible a more powerful threat could emerge before Star Trek : Discovery season 5 comes to an end.

1 Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Is Fun

Picard season 3 & discovery season 5 both remembered that star trek should be fun..

And last, but certainly not least, Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is simply more fun than any previous season. The latter half of Discovery season 4 showed hints of this, but season 5 has embraced the adventurous nature of exploration. With desert bike chases and automated weapons and invisible aliens, each episode of Discovery season 5 so far has had a least one big, high-energy action sequence. Like Star Trek: Picard season 3, Discovery season 5 has also found time for humor and laughter shared among friends even when the stakes are high.

It's unfortunate Star Trek: Discovery is coming to an end so soon after it found a winning formula, but at least the show will end on a high note.

Captain Burnham and the Discovery crew have been through a lot since season 1, and Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is finally letting them have fun. They may have to keep the Progenitors' technology out of the wrong hands, but they still get to embark on a massive treasure hunt centuries in the making. Saru has found love with Ni'Var President T'Rina (Tara Rosling), Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) is rediscovering his love of science, and even Tilly has gotten back in on the fun of it all. It's unfortunate Star Trek: Discovery is coming to an end so soon after it found a winning formula, but at least the show will end on a high note.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Discovery‘s Season 5 Premiere Easter Egg Explained: Who Are the [Spoiler]?

Star Trek: Discovery co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman previously told TVLine that the sci-fi drama's fifth and final season was dependent on a "very significant" Star Trek Easter egg , and we finally know what he meant by that.

The season's first two episodes, which are now streaming on Paramount+, sent the Discovery crew on one last adventure to find the missing clues spread throughout the galaxy that will lead them to the ancient device used by an ancient species, known as the Progenitors, to create life as we know it.

So, who are the Progenitors? In the Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 episode "The Chase," Captain Picard (played by Sir Patrick Stewart) assembled Cardassian and Klingon representatives on a remote, uninhabited planet to combine their DNA samples with that of the final piece of a strange puzzle. A scan of the object then unlocked a hidden message from the Progenitors, who revealed that they were responsible for all life in the Alpha Quadrant.

That came into play in the premiere , as outlaws Moll ( Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Eve Harlow) and L'ak ( Shadowhunters ' Elias Toufexis) stole a tan zhekran - a traditional Romulan puzzle box; Narek (Harry Treadaway) used one as a thinking aid in Star Trek: Picard Season 1 - from an 800-year-old Romulan science vessel.

The Federation was also heavily invested in finding this mystery box, and Dr. Kovich and Admiral Vance remained tightlipped while briefing Burnham on a secretive mission to retrieve it. Captain Burnham nearly caught Moll and L'ak aboard the science vessel but they escaped to the Dune -like planet Q'mau.

There, the fugitive duo convinced a Synth dealer named Fred to open the box under the guise of selling it along with other timeless treasures, including a self-sealing stem bolt (frequently mentioned throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , though their specific use is unclear) and an old tricorder (a hand-held sensor issued by Starfleet that can be used for scanning, recording and analyzing data). 

Naturally, the deal fell apart once Fred opened the box and revealed the diary hidden inside. We later learn that it belonged to Dr. Vellek, a Romulan who was present when Picard & Co. unlocked that message from the Progenitors.

Dr. Vellek found the ancient humanoids' life-creating device and recorded everything he knew about it in that diary. He then hid the device sometime before disappearing 800 years ago, and the diary contains important clues - such as the drawing of two moons - to find it.

Book and Burnham tracked Moll and L'ak to Q'mau, where they came upon Fred's lifeless body. As they continued pursuing the outlaws, Culber, Stamets and Saru examined Fred aboard Discover y and realized that he was built from one of Dr. Soong's designs.

Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner) created several android prototypes, including Data, Lore and B-4 - all portrayed by Spiner throughout TNG's seven-season run.

L'ak and Mall again evaded Burnham & Co., but not before starting a catastrophic avalanche that forced the Discovery captain and a frustratingly aggressive Captain Raynor ( The Umbrella Academy's Callum Keith Rennie) to refocus their efforts on saving a nearby settlement.

When the dust settled, Saru, who'd been mulling an offer to leave Discovery and become a Federation ambassador, accepted the new position to stay close to President T'Rina. That was met with a surprising proposal from T'Rina, who politely suggested they codify their mutual commitment in a more official capacity.

But not everyone was in a celebratory mood. In Episode 2 , Federation officials - including President Villak and Admiral Vance - opened an inquiry into Raynor's actions on Q'mau and the avalanche that caused a messy cleanup. When pressed, Burnham admitted to disagreeing with how Raynor handled things and Raynor called the meeting a waste of time.  

While the Federation mulled his future, Discovery embarked on a trip to Lyrek in search of another clue. The uninhabited planet was used by the Promellians as a burial ground before the species went extinct. (In the TNG episode "Booby Trap," we learned that early Federation starships were influenced by their design.)

In their exploration of the forest-heavy planet, Burnham and Saru accidentally tripped a complex security system which launched droids that immediately opened fire. Saru leaped into action, though, drawing the killer bots away and buying Tilly enough time to disarm them. He and Burnham then reached their target location, where they uncovered a Romulan revlav, aka a message in a poem.

While all of that was happening, Book reached out to Moll and L'ak about buying the diary, which he knew would be a hot commodity in the galaxy. But his conversation with the fugitives revealed something else. Studying Moll's image later on, Book figured out why Moll seemed so familiar. Her real name was Malinne and she was the daughter of his mentor Cleveland Book IV, making her the closest thing to family he has left.

Back on Lyrek, the looming threat of the security system acting up again forced Burnham and Saru to bail, but they did recover an important piece of the puzzle. Burnham hypothesized that it was part of a map that was broken into five portions. With the first one in their possession, they needed to find the remaining pieces before L'ak and Moll. Their next destination? Trill.

But first, Burnham needed to secure a new Number One. She turned to Raynor, who'd been asked by Vance to retire. In offering him Saru's old role, she was giving him a second chance - one that had been granted to her back in Season 1.

What did you think of the first two episodes of Star Trek: Discovery's final season? Grade them below, and share your thoughts about the overarching mystery in the comments.

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Best Paramount Plus Series & Shows to Watch Now (April 2024)

By Mofeeza Masood

Looking for the best Paramount Plus shows and series to watch in April 2024 ? Dive into sci-fi adventures with the returning Star Trek: Discovery and the debut of Halo, or explore historical fiction with A Gentleman in Moscow. This month also brings new seasons of fan favorites like Star Trek: Picard and the new legal drama Tracker. We’ve got something for everyone on your Paramount Plus must-watch list this April!

What are the best Paramount Plus series to watch in April 2024?

Stuck at home this April? No worries! Paramount+ has you covered with amazing content. Watch the best Paramount Plus series in April 2024, including new seasons and exciting debuts. We’ve got something for everyone on your streaming list this month!

A Gentleman in Moscow

Ewan McGregor takes center stage as Count Alexander Rostov, a man plucked from a life of luxury into the confines of a grand Moscow hotel room. Stripped of his title and wealth in the wake of the Russian Revolution, the Count faces an unusual sentence: lifelong house arrest within the hotel walls. But, in A Gentleman in Moscow , confinement breeds an unexpected kind of freedom. As years flow by, the once-aristocratic Count discovers a rich tapestry of life within the hotel’s microcosm. He develops unlikely friendships with a vibrant cast of characters, from hotel staff to fellow residents. Fleeting romance blossoms and the enduring power of human connection becomes the Count’s solace.

Elsbeth fits the bill for a great watch. The main character, Elsbeth Tascioni, is a brilliant lawyer with a refreshingly unconventional approach. She’s got a sharp mind and a knack for seeing things from a different angle, which helps her solve complex cases. The series also throws in an interesting twist by having Elsbeth work alongside the NYPD. She’s not your typical courtroom lawyer – she gets out in the field and works directly with detectives to crack crimes. This unique dynamic makes for a thrilling show that will keep you guessing.

Halo throws you right into a war for humanity’s survival against the Covenant, a powerful alien alliance. The show explores the characters’ motivations and backstories, not just the action. You’ll get to know Master Chief John-117, the AI companion Cortana, and other characters struggling with duty, purpose, and the nature of war. While inspired by the video games, Halo isn’t a straight adaptation. It takes creative liberties to build a new story within the Halo universe, offering a fresh perspective for fans and newcomers alike.

Star Trek: Discovery

Discovery celebrates the spirit of Gene Roddenberry’s vision with a fresh, serialized format. Michael Burnham, Discovery’s captain, is a complex and compelling lead. Brilliant and flawed, she defies expectations and pushes the boundaries of Starfleet protocols in her pursuit of what’s right. Discovery ventures beyond the familiar, exploring new corners of the galaxy and encountering never-before-seen alien species. While Discovery has thrilling space battles and exciting missions, it places a strong emphasis on character development. You’ll witness the crew grapple with personal demons, moral dilemmas, and the importance of self-discovery alongside their journeys.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Set phasers to fun for Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount Plus! This hilarious animated series takes you on a wild ride with the unsung heroes of the Starship Cerritos, one of Starfleet’s least important vessels. Lower Decks cleverly combines adult humor with a deep love for Star Trek canon. Get ready for tons of Easter eggs, hilarious references, and a fresh comedic perspective on the franchise. Lower Decks shines a light on the often-overlooked support crew who keeps the starships running. It’s a hilarious and heartwarming ode to the people who make warp speed possible.

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Picard picks up with Jean-Luc Picard decades after his adventures with the Enterprise crew. Retired from Starfleet and haunted by past experiences, Picard is pulled back into a new mission that will test his strength and resolve. Get ready for a wave of nostalgia! Picard reunites with some of his former crewmates from the Next Generation, including William Riker, Deanna Troi, and others. Picard isn’t just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It promises thrilling space adventures, uncovering mysteries, and facing dangerous new threats.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Strange New Worlds captures the optimism and wonder of classic Star Trek while bringing a fresh, modern visual aesthetic. Explore the familiar faces of Captain Christopher Pike, Science Officer Spock, and Number One through a new lens. See their journeys, relationships, and personalities before Kirk took the helm. Join the crew as they boldly go where no one has gone before, encountering new alien species, unfamiliar planets, and the wonders of the galaxy. Strange New Worlds embraces a more episodic format, offering self-contained stories in each episode while building character arcs and lore throughout the season.

This gripping series follows Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist with exceptional tracking skills. As a skilled reward seeker, Colter uses his talents to help both private citizens and law enforcement in solving mysteries. If you’re looking for something different from your typical detective show, Tracker delivers. The wilderness setting and Colter’s unique skillset offer a refreshing twist on the crime-solving genre.

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Den of Geek

Discovery Season 5 Easter Eggs Bring Back Tons of Classic ’90s Star Trek Lore

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and more are front and center in the first episodes of Discovery season 5.

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

Since 2017, Star Trek: Discovery has been the flagship of the reborn Trek franchise on TV. Call it “NuTrek,” call it the continuing mission, call it “Star Trek Phase 3.” It doesn’t really matter. The fact is, Disco has been the focal point of new Trek canon since it hit nearly seven years ago. Now, with season 5, Discovery will be ending its journey, leaving Strange New Worlds and the forthcoming Starfleet Academy as the two live-action Trek shows for the foreseeable future.

But about that canon. As executive producer Alex Kurtzman recently said in an interview with Den of Geek magazine , any new Trek film created outside of the streaming TV shows will have to “have to honor all the canon we’ve created since Discovery .” To be clear, this doesn’t just mean outright new events and characters, but all the ways that Disco has interacted with preexisting Trek canon. From the Klingon war in 2017, to Spock and Pike in 2019, to the far-future events that began with season 3, Discovery touches all corners of the Trek canon. (And yes that even includes the Kelvin movies, since season 3 included the first overt reference to that timeline in a Trek TV series!)

Now, with the two-episode debut of season 5 , Discovery is even bringing in lore from a The Next Generation storyline, as a treasure hunt for an ancient Progenitor artifact begins. Here are the very best easter eggs and canon connections…

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The Founding of the Federation

Near the start of the episode, the crew is celebrating a “millennium celebration” for the Federation. A waiter brings Tilly, Burnham , Adira, Culber, and Stamets a round of cocktails which represent the flag of the Federation. Tilly mentions that this marks “the founding of the Federation, it’s been a  thousand years…” Season 4 ended in roughly the year 3190, and it seems season 5 is in 3191.

So, how is this 1,000 years since 2161? Shouldn’t it be 1,030 years? Well, the waiter explains simply: “Give or take a few decades. Hard to celebrate during the Burn.” This references season 3, in which we learned that the galaxy was fragmented for over a century after a catastrophe essentially dissolved the the Federation. The era of Federation’s isolation ended in roughly 3189, partially thanks to the help of the Discovery crew. But, in 3161, at the exact millennium celebration, the Federation was still living in the post-Burn era.

Canonically, the year of “Federation Day” was established in The Next Generation episode “The Outcast” when Troi mentioned the year during a game of poker. The Enterprise finale “These Are the Voyages…” is thought to depict the signing of the Federation charter in 2161, though it’s not made entirely clear in that episode.

To be clear, this is not the same as “Frontier Day” from Picard season 3. Taking place in 2401, that holiday was supposed to commemorate 250 years since the first, most important mission of Starfleet, not the Federation. The first mission of Starfleet (pre-Federation) also occurred in the series Enterprise ; in the debut episode “Broken Bow.”

Tholian Republic and the Breen Imperium

In conversation with Saru, President T’Rina mentions concerns about the Tholian Republic and the Breen Imperium. The Tholians are the crystalline aliens first glimpsed in “The Tholian Web” in The Original Series . The Breen are aggressive enemies of the Federation, first mentioned in the TNG episode “The Loss,” but they didn’t appear until the Deep Space Nine episode “Indiscretion.”

Interestingly, because we don’t know what the Breen look like under their humanoid-ish suits, it’s possible they aren’t actually humanoids. The Tholians are also possibly not humanoids at all, either. These references seem particularly pointed since the entire story of Discovery season 5 involves species created by the humanoid Progenitors. Although this is just a theory, it’s very possible (likely?) that the Breen and Tholians are among many species not created by the Progenitors. After T’Rina mentions the Breen in the first episode, Rayner brings them up again in the second episode, saying, “The Breen are in-fighting over a new leader.” Will we see the Breen again in this season of Discovery ? It’s possible? That’s certainly a lot of Breen chatter!

Romulan science vessel from 800 years ago 

The Romulan science ship that Kovich sends the crew to investigate is from “800 years ago.” This means it’s from the late 2300s, sometime between 2380 and 2390. In other words, it’s from the TNG/DS9/Voyager era. And as we see in “Red Directive,” the design of this small, green Romulan ship is nearly identical to a TNG era Romulan scout ship. This style of ship first appeared in the episode “The Defector.”

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Fred, the android

Played by J. Adam Brown, the antique dealer is revealed to be a Soong-type android, who, very specifically, is reminiscent of Data. We later learn that this “Synth” was built based on the designs of Altan Soong, Data’s human brother first introduced in Picard season 1.

Fred mentions he hasn’t seen a specific puzzle box like the one containing the Romulan journal for “622.27 years.” This would mean that Fred has been around since at least 2569. Still Culber calls him a “surprisingly old model…dozens of generations before the kind of tech used for Gray’s body.” So, this means that Fred could be from the generation of androids that Altan Soong created before Soji and Dahj. Perhaps he was even a contemporary of Sutra, which would make it possible that he was present on the planet Coppelius in the Picard season 1 finale, “Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2.”

Then again, Stamets implies that perhaps Fred was built by someone else, who merely “honored” the designs of Altan Soong. This is, of course, a little weird, since Altan Soong was using designs created by his father, Noonian Soong. So, was Fred created in the late 24th century before Picard season 1? In the 25th century? Or the 26th? We’ll likely never know, but, as Fred says — in a perfect Data imitation — the questions around Fred’s creator are “intriguing.”

Self-sealing stem bolts

Among other “vintage tech,” Moll and L’ak are also trying to sell some “self-sealing stem bolts.” These thingamabobs date back to Deep Space Nine , where their exact purpose was shrouded in vagary. In reality, the self-sealing stem bolt is one of Trek ’s oldest inside jokes. In the episode “Progress,” Chief O’Brien admitted he didn’t even know what they did. 

Rayner, the Kellerun

Captain Rayner — played by Battlestar Galactica veteran Callum Keith Rennie — has some pretty specific alien ears. But he’s not a Romulan or a Vulcan. Instead, Rayner is a Kellerun. This is a super obscure Star Trek species, who, until now, only appeared in the DS9 episode “Armageddon Game.” This episode followed O’Brien and Bashir as they dealt with unwieldy bio weapons, and was written by Trek legend Morgan Gendel, perhaps most famous for his TNG script, “The Inner Light.”

The Progenitors 

The big revelation at the end of “Red Directive” is that the secret mission is all connected to a 24th century scientist named Dr. Velleck. As Kovich tells Burnham, this guy was in the background when Picard and Crusher discovered a hidden message from ancient humanoids called “The Progenitors.” As Kovich puts it, “We’ve been calling them the Progenitors. They created life as we know it. You. Me. Saru. Every humanoid species in the galaxy.”

This revelation originally comes from The Next Generation episode “The Chase,” though, in some ways, it retconned elements of The Original Series episode “The Paradise Syndrome,” in which Spock and Bones discussed the possibility that “the Preservers” were responsible for several humanoid races throughout the galaxy. Either way, Discovery season 5 is taking this TNG canon and running with it.

Next stop, somewhere on Trill 

The clue to the Progenitor tech will lead the crew to Trill in the near future. This will be the second time Discovery has gone to the Trill homeworld. The first visit happened in season 3, but of course, the Trill date back to TNG ’s “The Host.” Meanwhile, the planet Trill itself was first seen in the DS9 episode “Equilibrium.” Interestingly, with a return to Trill this season, Discovery will have more actual visits to this planet than any previous Trek series. 

A second chance 

When Burnham asks Rayner to become her first officer, following the inquiry that gets him removed from his own command, she says, “I got a second chance once, this is yours.” This echoes Burnham’s journey from season 1 of Discovery , during which time she went from being a prisoner, to becoming a science specialist, and eventually, first officer, and then, Captain. The concept of second chances is integral to all of Discovery , so, it’s fitting that as the final season begins, another Starfleet character is getting the same kind of opportunity that shaped Burnham, and the entire crew, seven years (and several centuries!) ago.

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…