I guess we’re now at the end of the second act of this season of Star Trek: Picard. A lot’s happened these last few weeks, and “The Bounty” was an absolute treasure trove of easter eggs and twists. It was also the first time since Star Trek: Nemesis that the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation has been credited together. We’ve now got a good idea of where this season’s headed. Here are as many Easter Eggs as I could pull out of “The Bounty“.
Ship Tease
The episode opens with some space buoys left by the Titan. They’re now not only on the run from Vadic (Amanda Plummer) but also the entire Federation fleet. Vadic’s Shrike is now back in action after fading away a few weeks ago. It’s as menacing as ever, with the V’Ger sounds and all. Hers isn’t the only ship we see chasing the Titan, however.
We see three brand new Federation starships. We start off with the USS Trumbull, named after Star Trek: The Motion Picture visual effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull. Then the USS Yorktown, like the ship affected by the Whale Probe in Star Trek: The Voyage Home. Lastly, the USS Mestral, an Excelsior class ship named for the Vulcan scientist from the Enterprise episode “Carbon Creek”.
It adds up to a ‘blink and you miss it’ moment, but it’s a great example of the love and passion put into this season of Picard. We also learn that Frontier Day is 72 hours away, and Vadic is hunting down any associates of Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) in the meantime. And, in the most Khan speech imaginable, she will have vengeance! The cues taken from The Wrath of Khan with her character are undeniable, but Plummer’s performance shows she’s a more than worthy actress for the role.
Syndromes, Viruses, and a Running Joke
We learn a part of what’s wrong with Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) this week. He has Irumodic Syndrome, the same disease which killed his father Jean-Luc in “Et in Arcadia Ego” in season one. It goes some way to explaining what’s going on with his character. However, it does not account for the Red Door or his eyes glowing. Based on what we learn later about the Changeling scheme, could this be remnants of Locutus? It may explain why they want him so much.
In the round table discussion, which also acts as a brief summary of the Dominion War for those in need of a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine refresher, they namecheck something interesting; the morphogenic virus. While Starfleet sent a cure to the Great Link, zealots like Laas (JG Hertzler) never had it administered. There are also a lot of Changelings said to be in the Alpha Quadrant, which could well be what Vadic’s group is connected to.
I wasn’t sure the first time, but now there’s definitely a pattern going on. Nobody likes Picard’s wine. Worf (Michael Dorn) was the funniest example yet, with Shaw (Todd Stashwick) and Jack previously having turned it down. If Chateau Picard is this unlikeable, I wonder how it was still moving so many bottles in season 2’s “The Star Gazer”. Speaking of, Worf gels with his former crewmates really nicely. Gets a lot of funny one-liners in, and once again, countering the joke in the trailer, he most certainly is not a pacifist.
Daystrom Station: Revealed
Worf, Raffi, and Rike all beam aboard Daystrom Station to finally figure out what the Changelings stole. However, little did I know it would be easter egg city. Literally, everything in the background of these scenes is a reference to something. There were so many that I’m content in knowing I’m bound to miss a few. Absolutely over the moon with this stuff.
The main ones we focus on are another Genesis device, creatively called Genesis II, and is surely the last Wrath of Khan callback we’ll see for a bit. You can also see the remains of Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Kirk died in Star Trek: Generations, however, Section 31 must have found his body somehow. There was a whole book series credited to Shatner about Kirk being resurrected. While just a nod, it’d be a lot of fun for Shatner to return in a guest-starring capacity in the future.
I also managed to spot an Arretan android from “Return to Tomorrow” and the duplicator from “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”. More references to the original Star Trek make me so happy. Acting as a bridge between the 23rd and 24th centuries, we see an evolved attack Tribble, which frightens Worf. Then finally, there are the remains of the Borg Queen from Star Trek: First Contact. I’d love for this to be the only time we see the Borg this season, but I’m really starting to doubt it.
DataLore
Obviously, the station isn’t just one extended fanservice central. Well, it is, but we also finally reveal who Brent Spiner’s playing this season: everyone (at least all his old characters). That’s right, we see him shift between being Data (whose reunion with Geordi brought a tear to my eye), Lore, B4, and even Dr. Soong really effortlessly. We also namedrop Lal, Data’s daughter from “The Offspring”, as a part of this system. It’ll be interesting to see if that part of their personality crops up, and how they’d approach that.
The leadup to this reveal was also perfection itself. We start off with a crow, a reference to Data’s dreams in “Birthright”. It’s a subtler reference, but it becomes a lot more obvious what’s happening when Moriarty (Daniel Davis) shows up. His cameo was a lot shorter than I thought it would be, and he was also incorporated really differently from what I expected. Still, every line of his was the poetic perfection he spouted all through “Elementary, Dear Data”.
I’m more mixed on the incorporation of the actual clips from “Encounter at Farpoint”. While the Pop Goes the Weasel was a nice callback, and is also featured in the end credits. It felt a little jarring and maybe a little too on the nose, but the fanfare was deserved. Given how none of the other small references have been explained like this, I’m not sure why this one was the one to get special treatment.
In the scene with the most TNG cast members in over twenty years (sitting at 5, with Riker and Troi off elsewhere), Data reveals that the Changelings stole Picard’s body. I’m not sure exactly what for, but a final resurrection of Locutus feels like it could be on the cards. A Frankenstein’s Monster Borg King Locutus, up against an old-school Federation armada led by the real Picard would be a dream come true. Wait, what do I mean old school armada? What? Why?
The Ship Museum
At long last, we go to the Fleet Museum at Athan Prime (a planet named for James Callis’ character Terry Matalas’ 12 Monkeys). Mindblowingly, there’s a lot more on show here than what was teased in the intro. We start off smaller with ship teases, with the USS Cole (named for 12 Monkeys protagonist James Cole) and the USS Sternbach (named for legendary illustrator Rick Sternbach) giving chase to the Titan.
At the ship museum, we focus on some legendary ships: the USS Defiant (originally the USS Sao Paulo if you know your DS9), the USS Voyager, USS Enterprise-A, and HMS Bounty. All of them are accompanied by the appropriate theme music, especially in the case of the Voyager. There’s also a new Constitution class ship (in the style of TOS), an NX refit which may be Archer’s Enterprise itself, and even the USS Excelsior.
These new CGI ship models not being used in battle would be a shame. With all the ships being networked and the entire fleet being gathered in one spot, there are some serious similarities to Battlestar Galactica. I also originally heard “Starbuck” instead of “Sternbach”, which didn’t help matters. What if the entire new fleet goes out, and the older ships are what the Federation make their final stand on? With the Titan crew stealing the Bounty’s cloaking device (another end credits card explained!), who’s to say these ships don’t end up saving the crew again?
They also mention something being around Hangar Bay 12. Based on a game of “Guess What’s Missing” at the Fleet Museum, this has got to be the Enterprise-D. One of the fat ones. There’s no better place for the final journey of this cast to end than right where their journey began. That could well be what the TNG crew are seen flying to in the recent trailer. It’d be a mind-blowing final battle. It’d also be a perfect place to see some more familiar faces. Perhaps the mysterious captain of the Enterprise-F?
Floating Heads, Cameos, and Changelings in Plain Sight
About time I addressed the floating head in the room. I’ve said it could be Laas. However, the “Dominion” clip on The Ready Room means it may not be a Changeling. It could well be another creature from the Dominion. Perhaps having taken control after the humiliating defeat of the Founders. It may also be something from Voyager, like Species 8472. Or, and this is the one I find most likely, it’s another Borg faction. I will happily be wrong about that one, however. Time will tell, and something tells me we’ll find out very soon.
The odds of another surprise guest star turning up in “Dominion” are close to certain. The La Forge family keeps talking about an unnamed mother. This is likely Leah Brahms (Susan Gibney), which I have mentioned previously. Whether or not she turns up onscreen is another matter, however. I could also see the returns of JG Hertzler or Jeffrey Combs on the horizon. Legendary guest stars, perhaps playing Laas or a secret Weyoun.
The end of the episode features a captured Riker being dragged around the Shrike, being shown Deanna (Marina Sirtis). It’s a strange and very enticing cliffhanger. However, we didn’t actually see Deanna’s kidnapping. With Changelings being able to impersonate anyone, there’s a good chance this may not even be the real Deanna. It almost seems too obvious, but it could also be an absolute gut punch of a twist.
Conclusion
“The Bounty” was an absolute beast of an episode, jam-packed full of easter eggs. Did you notice anything I missed? I sadly guarantee between the museum and Daystrom that I almost certainly missed some stuff. Who do you think we’re gonna be seeing next week? Is that really Deanna? And what’s the most appropriate name for this Data hybrid character? When “Dominion” drops I will be watching it as soon as possible!
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 airs on Thursdays via Paramount+ for those in the United States. Additionally, on Crave and the CTV Sci-Fi channel for viewers in Canada. However, new episodes air Fridays via Amazon Prime Video in international regions like the United Kingdom and Australia. Paramount+ also streams the episodes in select locations, such as Italy, Germany, and France. For coverage of all things Star Trek: Picard, follow Trek Central!
More From Trek Central
📰 – INTERVIEW: Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Talks Season 3!
🔥 – NEW Star Trek: Picard Clip Starts The Season 3 Plot
🔍️ – Explore Star Trek: Picard’s Stargazer
Join the Star Trek conversation via our social media platforms:
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TrekCentral
- Instagram – https://instagram.com/TrekCentral
- Twitter – https://twitter.com/TheTrekCentral
- YouTube – https://youtube.com/TheTrekCentral
- Mastodon – https://mastodon.social/@TrekCentral@universeodon.com
- Discord – https://discord.gg/fF2heMbfW8
