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Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) unexpectedly receives a coded message in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but how old is the communicator pin he wore in Star Trek: The Next Generation ? Picard season 3 reunites the entire cast of TNG for one last adventure together, and the kickoff is when Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) sends a distress message to her old friend, Jean-Luc. Naturally, Picard is surprised that a subspace communication would come via his original TNG combadge.

Star Trek: The Next Generation eliminated the handheld communicators (the forebearers of modern-day cell phones) that were used in Star Trek: The Original Series . The new Starfleet combadges worn on the left-side torso were now dual communicators and universal translators . The communicator pin needed to be gently tapped to activate, and this novel tech was standard throughout TNG until a newer version of the Starfleet Delta was introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The TNG crew adopted the new Delta combadges in their movies, along with new Starfleet uniforms. The original TNG communicator pin hasn't been used since the 1990s.

Related: 2023 Can Make The Enterprise More Important Than Ever

Picard's Communicator Is Much More Than 20 Years Old

The sight of the original TNG communicator pin in the new clip released from Star Trek: Picard season 3 is a jolt of nostalgia, but how old is it really? Jean-Luc says the combadge is "more than 20 years old," and that's correct. But Picard's communicator pin is closer to 37 years old. Star Trek: The Next Generation 's premiere episode, "Encounter at Farpoint," which is the first time the combadge was seen, took place in 2364. Star Trek: Picard season 3 occurs at the start of the 25th century, roughly 2401. Picard could have just as easily said "more than 30 years old," but the writers were possibly counting from the last time the TNG cast was seen together, which was Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002 - slightly more than 20 years ago.

It is impressive, however, that Picard's old TNG communicator pin still works, and it's a testament to how Starfleet technology is built to last. The genius and proficiency of Starfleet's engineers are marveled at by the other species in the galaxy, and Starfleet tech is considered top-of-the-line. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , even the Dominion's Vorta hailed the prowess of Starfleet's fabled engineers, who can turn "rocks into replicators." Picard's combadge, like the TNG cast themselves , may have gotten on in years, but they're still more than capable of doing their duty when called upon.

Why Star Trek Makes Real-World Timeline Mistakes

While Picard's estimation of his TNG communicator's age was ballpark, Star Trek occasionally does make real-world timeline errors. For instance, in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock , Admiral Morrow (Robert Hooks) justified mothballing the USS Enterprise by citing that it's "20 years old." But this is an error that was likely counting from the first airing of Star Trek in 1966 to Star Trek III 's release in 1984. Yet even then, Morrow made a mistake in counting since the Starship Enterprise was much older, having been commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffery Hunter) before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

Star Trek III 's miscount of the Starship Enterprise's age , along with Star Trek: Picard season 3's lowball estimation of Jean-Luc's combadge's age, is really meant as a shorthand. After all, it can be confusing to balance both the timeline of Star Trek and the passage of time in the real world, and it's easier to yield to the audience's memory of how much time has passed instead of specifying when events happened in continuity. (Stardates only confuse matters further). What does matter is that Jean-Luc is right, his communicator pin is "more than 20 years old" in Star Trek: Picard season 3, and seeing it is a reminder of how much time has passed since Star Trek: The Next Generation.

More: Picard Season 3 Is The Biggest Star Trek Event In 28 Years

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres Thursday, February 16th, on Paramount+.

• SR Originals
• Star Trek: Picard (2020)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Best free Star Trek: TNG & Picard 3D prints

Star Trek: Picard may be ending with season 3, but you don’t have to wave goodbye to the captain. Here are ten free 3D prints to make every day Picard day.

1. USS Titan-A

2. facepalm picard, 3. jurati’s hypospray, 4. captain’s chair, 5. uss enterprise-d, 6. q’s business card, 7. mini locutus, 8. uss stargazer, 9. combadge, 10. captain picard bust, printing advice.

With Star Trek: Picard’s third and final season upon us, there’s no better time to dive into the world of Star Trek’s Earl Grey drinkingest captain. This third season is a marked improvement on the previous two and while it’s clearly trading on nostalgia, we can certainly live with that.

To commemorate what’s probably the captain’s final voyage, we’ve rounded up some rather excellent 3D printer designs from both Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Even better, all of these are absolutely free so, not unlike Star Trek’s replicators, you can create them in the comfort of your own home.

Most of these can be printed in one piece and the others require minimal assembly. We printed these on an Anycubic Kobra 3D and an Ender 3 V2 , though any PLA or resin printer should do. Or if you’re considering trading up, check out our list of the best 3D printers .

If you’re also a fan of Star Wars, or just space in general, we have you covered with the best free Star Wars 3D prints and best space 3D prints for you to enjoy.

Spoiler warning: You might want to watch the first 2 seasons of Star Trek: Picard before reading any further.

• Show: Star Trek: Picard
• Download from: Thingiverse
• Creator: FrostyBird

Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard may have got the Next Generation gang back together, but it’s the USS Titan-A, not the Enterprise that serves as the crew’s vessel of choice.  That said, as a Constitution-III craft, it’s essentially the Enterprise’s bigger, badder brother. And now, you can have it boldly going –okay, sitting – on your shelves.

We recommend you print this vertically, saucer side down. Use raft mode as the build plate adhesion type to ensure it doesn’t topple over. Also, use tree supports because in this case they’ll be easier to remove than normal supports. The bigger you can print it the better, just be careful when removing the supports. The nacelles (the engine bits), in particular, can break off if you’re too rough with it.

• Show: Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Download from: Cults3D (registration required)
• Creator: Rob_Jedi

Star Trek: The Next Generation saw Captain Picard facepalm on multiple occasions, exasperated by either a crew member or the show’s interloper-of-the-week. However, it’s the episode “Deja Q” that went on to spawn the infamous meme and there are no prizes for guessing which near-omnipotent entity had Picard resorting to this.

This printable turns Picard’s gesture into a true work of art and puts it on a plinth for everyone to admire. We’d recommend you scale the base down by around 5% and print it without supports. Picard’s torso, on the other hand, will need printing with regular or tree supports. 

You should be able to balance Picard atop the base, or you can use a dab of superglue to secure the two pieces.

• Creator: ThePlanetMike

Jurati’s hypospray, as seen in Star Trek: Picard (season 1, episode 7), absolutely had to be on this list. Why? Because the “replicator” she creates it with is a 3D printer. No, we’re not talking about the similarities between 3D printing and Star Trek’s replication technology – it’s literally a 3D printer! 

True, it’s not the only episode where a 3D printer doubles as a replicator , but it undermines what’s supposed to be a dramatic and heroic scene. So, why not take Agnes Jurati’s lead (minus putting yourself into a coma) and print your own hypospray? Print this with the grip facing upwards, and “touching buildplate” supports.

Jean-Luc Picard (now an Admiral) may not be doing an awful lot of captaining in his current series, but he’s put in plenty of time on board the Enterprise. The Enterprise D met an undignified end, but you can bet that, in-universe, the captain’s chair is in a museum or in the hands of some private collector. In the real world, it’s apparently the latter .

You can celebrate Picard’s glory days with your own 3D printed captain’s chair. Or, alternatively, put another action figure in the seat, just to mock him. You’ll need to print this with supports and we’d recommend needle nose pliers for removing the plastic from the middle of the seat back.

• Creator: outcastrc

Speaking of glory days, you can 3D print the USS Enterprise-D itself. This is the vessel where all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation took place (Oh, and that one movie, but the less said about that the better). We remember watching the pilot episode and grinning as the saucer and body separated, a spectacularly cool sci-fi moment that will always stick with us.

This download lets you print the USS Enterprise-D as a complete vessel or as its component parts. We plumped for the latter, printing it vertically, saucer pointing down, with a raft and tree supports. But, if you want a big shelf-dominating model, printing the parts and gluing them together is the way to go.

• Creator: Gertmm

What would you do if a business card just turned up in your house or office? Call the number, maybe? That’s what a few fans did when, during Star Trek: Picard season 2, Q’s business card was spat out of antagonist Adam Soong’s 3D printer. And, as it turns out, this U.S. number puts you through to Q’s voicemail .

It’s a neat touch, certainly, and while we wouldn’t recommend you start ringing every number you see on T.V., you can print your own copy of Q’s business card. It’s as flat as a real, non Q-continuum business card so you don’t need to use supports or even a raft. Though for the best results, we’d recommend you print in high quality mode, with a layer height of around 0.1.

• Download from: Printables
• Creator: Wekster

It may not have figured into every episode and movie, but turning Picard into Locutus of Borg was one of the smartest things Star Trek: The Next Generation did. The specter of his Borgification has never really gone away, and we can just picture him shuddering every time someone mentions Wolf 359.

Sure, you could argue he wasn’t really in control, but, even so, being instrumental in the destruction of 30+ Federation vessels is a hell of a thing to carry. So, why not commemorate that traumatic act of annihilation with just the cutest mini-Locutus?

You can print this little guy in one piece, using supports, or print his individual parts in different color filaments.

• Creator: Monitor42

Who’d have thought that integrating Borg technology into a starship would have a downside? Absolutely anyone with half a brain, that’s who. But that didn’t stop the Federation from creating the USS Stargazer, which shared a name with the first ship Picard captained. It blew up in the first episode of Star Trek: Picard season 2, with the crew saved by Q’s intervention.

Hopefully, the version you print will be slightly less cursed, though with four nacelles you’re going to have to be extra careful when removing its support. As with the Enterprise-D and Titan-A, print it vertically with tree supports, saucer touching the build plate.

• Creator: UnimatrixRed

Star Trek: The Original Series’ flip communicators were cool, and marketable with it. However, we were still glad to see the crew get something that couldn’t just be smacked out of their hands. Like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard features wearable comm. badges. And, while there’s probably the odd washer-related incident, it’s a smart solution.

This printable Picard combadge can, with the aid of a magnet or pins, take pride of place on your own shirt. Or, if you’d prefer, you can mount it on the rather snazzy display stand. Whatever you choose, it’ll happily print without support, though we do recommend you use a raft.

• Creator: tristangrimaux

What better way to end this list than with a bust of Captain Picard himself? At least, one where he’s not got his face buried in one or both hands. No matter where you stand on the Kirk vs Picard: Who is the best Star Trek captain? debate, you have to admit that the writing and casting of Picard was just what Star Trek: The Next Generation needed. We could have easily got Kirk 2.0, but Captain Picard was worlds away.

Printing this bust is a piece of cake, because it’s pre-split into three pieces, all of which print without supports or a raft. You can glue them together, but if you hold the two halves of Picard’s head together you can squeeze them into his neck hole.

The two things to watch out for, to ensure that these Picard prints don’t go horribly wrong, are speed and temperature. Different brands of PLA (if you’re using PLA) have different minimum optimal temperature ranges so make sure your slicing software is set to the correct temperature.

Secondly, while the faster you set your printer the quicker each model will print, you’ll likely see a corresponding dip in quality. Go too high and the print may fail partway through. So, if you’re having any problems printing these, be sure to check your temperature and print speed. But, barring any such incidents, you should end up with a respectable shelf full of Picard prints.

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Chris is a freelance journalist who, aside from covering games and gaming-related tech, has a taste for horror, sci-fi and the post-apocalyptic. As well as Space.com, you can find his work at The Escapist, GameSpew (where he’s the morning news writer) and more. You can follow him on Twitter @MarmaladeBus .

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Jean-Luc Picard Really Needs to Change His Password

Star trek: picard 's season 3 premiere is full of nostalgia-tugging references, but only one raises a lot of questions about starfleet's cybersecurity..

“ The Next Generation ,” the opening episode of Star Trek: Picard ’s third and final season, is teeming with a nostalgic love for Star Trek ’s past, from metatextual gags and references to a thematic examination of the weight that past hangs over its characters . But I’ve not been able to stop thinking about one reference in particular.

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Early in the episode, Picard is called to action—quite literally—by the chirping of his old Enterprise combadge, heralding an encrypted message from Dr. Beverly Crusher, who he hasn’t seen in decades. To begin decrypting Beverly’s message, Picard has to run it through a codec, which he initiates by invoking his Starfleet authorization code: Picard 4-7 Alpha Tango.

Voice-activated authorization codes are commonplace in Star Trek , and Picard himself had multiple over his career, suggesting that they can either be changed with time or that an individual can have multiple codes assigned to them at once—which makes sense as these codes are really important to Starfleet operations. They’re what let officers initiate ship system reboots, transfer command authority, access restricted areas or restrict access in the first place... and do things like eject warp cores or begin self-destruct timers. Also happening to use it to basically check his 25th century DMs makes sense, although it’s a little weird that it can do that and also blow up a starship if needs be.

But that’s not really the weird thing about Picard using this command code here though. It’s the fact that the command code is a reference to Star Trek: First Contact , where Picard uses Picard 4-7 Alpha Tango to initiate the self-destruct sequence of the Enterprise -E. A movie that primarily takes place 28 years before the events of this episode . Three decades is a long time to have a password, Jean-Luc! Especially one that lets you nuke your own starship and slide into your space DMs!

This is hardly the first time Star Trek has dabbled with the security loopholes behind authorization codes. Despite the extra layer of security in having them be tied to a voice print, we’ve seen in the past incidents where that voice print can be mimicked or duplicated nefariously—like in the TNG episode “Brothers” when Data, controlled by his creator Dr. Noonian Soong, emulates Picard’s voice to take control of the Enterprise . It’s why these codes are meant to change, or that there are multiple available to an officer, but they should probably change at a quicker pace than the best part of 30 years. Hell, in the 21st century we’re changing our passwords every few months.

Maybe these days Picard’s security clearance mean his codes don’t do much more than let him access his emails, even if they previously let him explode spaceships. But he is an a dmiral, even after his falling out with Starfleet in the events preceding Picard ’s first season , and presumably such a rank gives him a reasonably significant level of clearance—and definitely means he should be changing his codes more often! Or perhaps the point is it is an old code, and Beverly sends her message to Picard’s classic combadge—not even the one he wore in the movies, but the one he wore in the show itself—necessitating the use of an old code that she knows only the A dmiral would remember to use, ensuring her secret message goes to him alone.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because it’s a code Picard used in First Contact and Terry Matalas and his crew want you to go “oh! Just like in First Contact !” and go on with your nerdy life watching the episode. But what is Star Trek fandom, if not obsessing over the tiniest little details?

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

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Jean-Luc receives an unexpected message in new Star Trek: Picard Season 3 teaser

Following the release of the Star Trek: Prodigy season one finale on Thursday, Paramount+ has released an extended clip from the upcoming third season of Star Trek: Picard , in which Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) receives an encrypted long-range transmission on an old Enterprise-D combadge.

Check out the clip from the latest episode of The Ready Room below.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 preview clip

“Communicator badge, belonging to Jean-Luc Picard, Captain, U.S.S. Enterprise, Stardate 4115.” “Detecting encrypted long-range transmission via subspace frequency. It contains an uncommon codec.”

Our first look at the upcoming season dropped in the form of a teaser trailer at New York Comic Con in October.

The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard reunites the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and is set to premiere on Paramount+ on Thursday, February 16, 2023 . The season stars Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, Michael Dorn as Worf, Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Brent Spiner as Lore, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine and Michelle Hurd as Raffi.

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news related to Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Discovery, S tar Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Prodigy , and more.

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Official Trailer | Star Trek: Picard - Season 3

The final voyage begins on February 16!

The official trailer for the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard is here.

The final season of Star Trek: Picard premieres on Thursday, February 16, with new episodes of the 10-episode-long season available to stream weekly on Thursdays. Seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek: Picard are currently available to watch now.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

• View history

The combadge was a small, multi-purpose communications and universal translation device, which usually took the form of an organization's insignia designed to be worn by the user. By the 24th century , combadges and similar devices were in use by multiple species and organizations, including the Bajoran Militia , and Klingon Empire . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , Star Trek: Picard )

• 2.1 Primary
• 2.2 Secondary
• 4.1 See also
• 4.2 Background information
• 4.3 Future combadges
• 4.4 Gallery
• 4.5 External link

History [ ]

Section 31 combadge worn alongside two Starfleet insignia variants (2257)

In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, communicators were small, if not bulky devices which needed to be carried or holstered by people using them. Members of Starfleet usually had access to these while away from their ship or were not able to reach a wall mounted intercom . ( Star Trek: Enterprise , Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ) However, unbeknownst to a lot of the Federation , Section 31 had developed and deployed small communicators in the form of the Starfleet delta to its members as early as 2256 . ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ") In 2259 , when a time traveling Ensign Brad Boimler was being tended to, Captain Christopher Pike and Lieutenant Una Chin-Riley expressed a distaste for the combadge, preferring the communicator. ( SNW : " Those Old Scientists ")

2350s to 2360s Starfleet combadge

Large scale roll out of small, wearable badges didn't occur to the later 24th century , where they became standard issue among Starfleet crews as early as the 2340s . ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ") A combadge was considered standard equipment for all Starfleet personnel and taking off one's combadge constituted taking off one's uniform. ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Journey's End "; DS9 : " Tacking Into the Wind ", " Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges ")

2370s Starfleet combadge

As a symbol of loss of membership in Starfleet , personnel that had resigned or had been relieved of duty were required to turn in their combadges. Additionally, personnel confined to a brig were not permitted to retain their combadges during their confinement. ( TNG : " Redemption ", " Journey's End "; DS9 : " Paradise Lost ", " Inquisition "; VOY : " Thirty Days ")

Wesley Crusher wearing a silver provisional combadge variant alongside the gold 2360s version

During this time, Starfleet produced and deployed several iterations of their badge which took on different designs. This trend continued to the all the way to the 29th century . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Star Trek: Voyager , Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Prodigy ) By 2399 , Cristóbal Rios , the captain of a civilian freighter called the SS La Sirena , had access to smaller combadges, called comm pins , in the shape of his ship's personalized mermaid emblem. When necessary, Rios provided them to his passengers. ( PIC : " Absolute Candor ", " The Impossible Box ", " Nepenthe ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

Tom Paris with a 2370s combadge alongside the silver 2380s combadge

Different styles of combadges often co-existed in the same era. Similar to Starfleet uniforms , the combadge used by personnel may vary by the ship, the officer's rank or department, or the facility they were stationed on; these were retained even when visiting other Federation locations. ( TNG : " The Child "; LD : " We'll Always Have Tom Paris ", " Kayshon, His Eyes Open "; DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ")

Badge styles and insignias have been known to change rapidly year to year, and older combadges were sometimes retained for continued use or for sentimental purposes. ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I "; PIC : " Remembrance "; Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

During the Dominion War and its aftermath, uniform and combadge variety was pared down considerably, but the use of different combadge styles and co-existing variants expanded again in the relative peace that followed in the 2380s . This trend continued until the disaster at Utopia Planitia in 2385 , when Federation resources were once again strained. ( DS9 : " What You Leave Behind "; Star Trek Nemesis ; LD : " No Small Parts "; PRO : " Lost and Found "; PIC : " The End is the Beginning ")

A tricom badge used in the late 32nd century

At some point prior to the 31st century , combadges were replaced with tricom badges . ( Star Trek: Discovery ) However, a handful of 2370s and 2380s style Starfleet combadges managed to survive all the way to the 31st century, where many of them ended up in the hands of the Emerald Chain . ( DIS : " Scavengers ", " The Sanctuary ")

Capabilities [ ]

Primary [ ].

The Starfleet combadge was a crystalline composite of gold , microfilament , silicon , beryllium , and carbon-70 . ( TNG : " The Last Outpost ", " Time's Arrow "; VOY : " Hope and Fear ") They were designed for on-board ship communication with other Starfleet personnel when using the internal communication system was impossible or impractical, for accessing the on-board computer when not in an area that the computer is monitoring, for ship-to-shore communications, and for direct communication to another combadge. Combadges also were configured to act as universal translators , often translating in real time. ( DS9 : " For the Uniform "; VOY : " The Cloud ", " The 37's ", " Investigations ") Bajoran and Starfleet badges were also capable of recording a user's personal logs. ( DS9 : " The Ascent ", SNW : " Those Old Scientists ")

As with other subspace technology , combadges emitted subspace readings which could be scanned by ship sensors and tricorders . ( VOY : " Future's End ")

As early as the 2360s , combadges were used as a means of providing personal identification to shipboard computers. Each time a user accessed a specific console , the computer logged the individual's identification to that access. ( TNG : " The Drumhead "). By the 2370s , personnel had their name and serial number engraved on the back of the badge. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

Combadges were activated by pressing it once and calling out the name or general area of the intended recipient. They could then be deactivated by another single press. Multiple presses on the badge could be used as an attempt to gain the attention of a ship's crew. ( VOY : " Caretaker ")

Due to the size of the combadge, its working range was limited to five hundred kilometers , although a starship could boost the signal to bridge larger distances. ( TNG : " 11001001 ")

A destroyed combadge ( 2371 )

Combadges were often incorporated with numerous security features intended to protect its user and Starfleet systems. They can be set to only be activated by the user it was assigned to, identified by biometric fingerprint data. ( TNG : " The Hunted ")

In emergency situations, a combadge could be modified for use in other applications. It could be converted into a subspace distress beacon , or the tiny power cell could be extracted for other uses. ( DS9 : " Rocks and Shoals ") If the casing of the combadge was ever cracked, an emergency distress signal was emitted, mainly to help searchers locate victims. ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas "; VOY : " Time and Again ")

Furthermore, a combadge's energy cell can be used to power a makeshift personal force field generator for several seconds. ( TNG : " A Fistful of Datas ") A downside to this is when destroyed by an electrical force, a badge could cause damage to the wearer's clothing. ( TNG : " Thine Own Self ")

Secondary [ ]

La Forge uses a combadge to set transporter coordinates

Although designed primarily as communicators and universal translators , many of these devices served other roles for their users.

Combadges could be used by the transporter as a way to lock on to Starfleet personnel; more generally, the transporter could lock onto any person or object with a combadge attached or nearby, thus making transport faster and more accurate. USS Enterprise -D Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge used his combadge to allow the transporter to beam off an explosive device that the Ansata terrorists planted on the ship during their mission on Rutia IV . ( VOY : " Caretaker ", " Tattoo ", " Investigations ", " The Chute "; TNG : " Justice ", " The High Ground ") When Ferengi briefly took over the Enterprise in 2369 , they were captured by attaching combadges to them and using the badges to beam them into a secured transporter room . ( TNG : " Rascals ")

Gallery [ ]

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ].

• Starfleet insignia

Background information [ ]

The Starfleet insignia pin first used in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan later became a combadge, as Lieutenant Richard Castillo can be seen pressing his and speaking into it in TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ". The combadge with the rectangular back was designed for Star Trek Generations and first seen in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine third season premiere episode " The Search, Part I ", before being used continually in the series and Star Trek: Voyager . It also appeared in the four Next Generation movies and in episodes of Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Lower Decks .

When the combadge first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation , it appeared to be larger than the prop used in later seasons. It was also referred to as a communicator rather than a combadge by Beverly Crusher in TNG : " The Naked Now " and " Remember Me ".

Future combadges [ ]

There have been two possible future combadges seen in Star Trek .

The future combadge most commonly seen throughout the Star Trek franchise was a delta shield outline backed by two vertical gold quadrangles, depicted in several possible futures as early as 2390 . This combadge has been seen in TNG : " All Good Things... ", DS9 : " The Visitor ", VOY : " Timeless ", and VOY : " Endgame ". This advanced combadge finally appeared in the prime timeline in 2378 during the finale of Star Trek: Voyager , when it was brought back in time by a future version of Kathryn Janeway from the year 2404 . That future combadge was left behind in 2378 alongside other anachronistic future technology that aided in Voyager 's early return to Earth fourteen years early. ( VOY : " Endgame ") Years later, a similar looking combadge with streamlined upgrades and silver coloring appeared in Star Trek: Picard , as Starfleet 's standard issue combadge during the 2390s .

Also seen in Voyager was a 29th century combadge. This is a "winged" arrowhead, similar in style to the insignia found on a 24th century starship hull. It has been seen in the episodes VOY : " Future's End ", " Future's End, Part II ", and " Relativity ", used by Starfleet officers aboard the timeship the USS Relativity .

In TNG : " Future Imperfect ", a different future combadge was shown in a holodeck simulation, but it was later revealed to be a part of a fake portrayal of the future used to deceive William Riker . It was comprised of the delta shield and three rectangular strips behind it signifying rank , doing away with rank pips. In TNG : " Parallels " the same combadge was seen again alongside rank pips in an alternate quantum reality , but not from the future. The backing strips were colored either gold, silver, or black depending on the rank of the wearer; admiralty had a starred gold delta with silver backing strips.

External link [ ]

• Combadge at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 Star Trek: Discovery

How Picard Season 3 Finally Broke a Classic Star Trek “Mandate”

The New Next Generation is here.

It’s hard to believe, but 30 years ago, as The Next Generation began its seventh and final season, there were still vocal Trekkie haters who claimed the show wasn’t really Star Trek. How times change. What was once the “new” Star Trek — a 1987 sequel to a 1960s sci-fi series — is now retro.

In 2023, Picard Season 3 is the second coming of The Next Generation. But, according to the people who made it, this season isn’t just about looking back. The callbacks may be tied to the ‘90s, but for showrunner Terry Matalas, his cast, and crew, this season is all about pushing the franchise into a brave new style of Star Trek storytelling.

Launched in 2020 , Star Trek: Picard sought to tell ruminative down-to-Earth stories about the struggles and further adventures of a much older version of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Often called the Star Trek version of Logan , the tone of Picard has always been more earnest and darker than in The Next Generation. Despite its merits — including nuanced writing from Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon — aspects of Season 1 rubbed fans the wrong way. And while most hardcore fans loved the new Stargazer in Season 2, there’s debate on whether or not that season stuck the landing.

But now, it seems with Picard , the third time’s the charm. The advance buzz for Season 3 is overwhelmingly positive, with all critics noting there’s a pretty big tonal shift here. But how did it happen?

A new Picard story

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Jeri Ryan in 'Picard' Season 3.

“This season came to me very fast,” showrunner Terry Matalas tells Inverse . “I knew what all the big moves are and I had to sell it to Patrick [Stewart], to Secret Hideout, and to Paramount+ very quickly.” Matalas joined the Picard creative team after Season 1, and the tonal and aesthetic differences with Season 3 are all the result of his vision. Before joining Picard , and before helming the SyFy reboot of 12 Monkeys , Matalas was a production assistant on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise . His nerd street cred is clear.

Although series star Patrick Stewart had initially been resistant to bringing back too many TNG characters just for the sake of it, Matalas won him over with the overall pitch for the season. Johnathan Frakes, who returns as Riker, and directs two episodes this season, was there when Matalas outlined his vision to Captain Picard himself.

“Before we started, Terry had lunch with me and Patrick [Stewart], and was very upfront about what he wanted to do,” Frakes says. “He asked if Patrick was cool with it, and Patrick was all in.”

Conflict on the Bridge

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: Picard Season 3

In Picard Season 3, the stakes are bigger, and the tone is closer to classic Star Trek feature films. “We wanted this season to be something monumental for this crew,” Matalas reveals. “It had to feel big, the same way The Undiscovered Country was for the original crew. The stakes have to be high because this is the last go at it.”

By now, most fans know that all seven cast members from The Next Generation are reunited in this season, along with a few secret surprises from the ‘90s Trek yet to be revealed. But, for the returning cast, there was a big difference between Picard Season 3, and the heyday of The Next Generation . In the ‘90s, the crew of the Enterprise didn’t argue with each other. In Picard Season 3, conflict is everywhere.

“In the original Next Gen the mandate was no conflict among the main bridge crew,” LeVar Burton says. “And that was tricky and unnatural. So, this was delicious to play, it was great fun.”

Because the show is still called Picard , you can easily guess which character Geordi La Forge (Burton) finds himself in conflict with. But he’s not the only one. Jean-Luc’s reunion with Beverly Crusher is also brimming with down-to-Earth conflict. For McFadden, the material in this season was bigger than anything she was ever able to do on TNG .

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher in Picard Season 3.

“I wish we'd had more scenes like this earlier on,” she says. “It was fantastic because Patrick and I are both theatre actors. So, it’s wonderful to just have a scene where you can really go for it.”

Stewart agrees with McFadden and notes that part of why he even agreed to do Picard at all, was because of the tonal difference of the series. “Some experiences that these characters have had, some are good. Some are not so good,” Stewart reveals reflectively. “And that had a strong effect on me and made it possible for me to sometimes sink a bit low in mood and temperament. I think it’s closer to real life.”

A new Star Trek ship, a new crew

While the final season of Picard creates an exciting story that allows The Next Generation cast to shine in bold new ways, it’s not only about the old gang. Raffi (Michelle Hurd) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) — who appeared in the two previous seasons of Picard — return here. And through these characters, the future of Star Trek beyond this moment might be glimpsed. Seven, of course, originated on Star Trek: Voyager , but her arc in Picard has turned her into a much more well-rounded character. And this time out, she’s finally in Starfleet, the first officer on the USS Titan , and constantly sparring with Captain Liam Shaw, played by Todd Stashwick, probably famous to sci-fi fans for his role in the TV version of 12 Monkeys.

Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw.

In the first episode, fans will notice that Shaw and Seven don’t get along. Like, at all . But Stashwick says this isn’t a mistake. It’s by design. “When choosing a first officer, you don't want someone who agrees with you,” he explains. “You want to have a dissenting opinion. You want to have someone who is the things you aren't.”

The Titan bridge is rounded out by several newcomers, too, perhaps most notably, Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Sidney La Forge, one of the daughters of Geordi La Forge, who is the helmsman of the new USS Titan . Chestnut tells Inverse she decided to create a consistent way to control the Titan , by repeating certain patterns with her hands. “There’s a method to my madness if you look closely at my hands!” she says with a laugh. Sidney’s journey is also bigger than it might seem. But, detailing too much about her character, or, for that matter, Ed Speleers' new role, might be a spoiler. For now, let’s just say, there are plenty of new Starfleet heroes in Picard Season 3.

The future of 25th-Century Star Trek

(Picard) Patrick Stewart, Seven (Jeri Ryan), and Riker (Jonathan Frakes) on the bridge of the USS Titan in the debut episode Picard Season 3, “The Next Generation.”

Whether or not Star Trek: Picard Season 3 leads to a new season of a different Star Trek series remains to be seen. For now, this is the ending of this series and the ending of the story of The Next Generation crew. And the feeling will remind fans of the 1987-2005 era of Star Trek. But, Picard Season 3 is also a contemporary television show, and that means massive twists are coming, and the drama won’t unfold in the style of ‘90s Trek.

“I’m really interested in telling human stories,” Matalas says. “In terms of television, one influence on me is very much Ron Moore’s Battlestar. I like those situations where everybody's right and everybody's wrong. It’s really great dramatic territory.” Matalas explains his views on how to write effective twists and mystery boxes slightly differently than other showrunners in the business: “There is a practice in some writers' rooms that, if the audience can guess what you're doing, don't do it. And I don't subscribe to that. You have to accept the fact that the audience may guess what's going on, but they have to like it, too.”

Matalas is quick to point out he didn’t write the season by himself. He reteamed with two of his 12 Monkeys collaborators, Sean Terretta and Chris Monfette, and sings the praises of the other Picard writers, Cindy Appel, Jane Maggs, and Matt Okumura. “I had a tremendously brilliant writing staff. They worked really hard under difficult time constraints and a lot of pressure. And they shined through it all.”

Will team Matalas continue to tell stories set in the 25th Century era of Star Trek? The showrunner reveals that when one fan told him that this felt like the “beginning of the Terry Matalas era of Star Trek,” at first, he “winced.” At first.

“But, then, after I thought about it, I understood what they meant,” he says. “There is a different kind of tone here that blends a lot of different kinds of storytelling. I just hope people respond to it.”

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 debuts on Paramount+ on February 16, 2023. It will consist of 10 episodes.

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Watch First Clip From ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 – Jean-Luc Gets An Unexpected Call

| December 29, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 176 comments so far

Following today’s season finale of Star Trek: Prodigy, Paramount+ takes a short pause for new Trek TV. In seven weeks the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard debuts, and now we have the first clip.

Picard gets a very long distance call

The new clip comes at the end of a special episode of The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton primarily focusing on the Prodigy finale, with some good interviews with the cast and creatives. The final minutes of The Ready Room see Wheaton introducing a clip from Picard season 3 featuring a quiet moment at home with Jean-Luc getting a surprise communication.

Watch the clip below, starting at 28:48.  [also available at startrek.com ]

It’s likely the call coming to Picard’s old combadge is coming from his former Enterprise CMO, Dr. Beverly Crusher. It has previously been reported that the season will start with an attack on her ship in deep space. But there are still many questions raised by the clip, including why Jean-Luc needs glasses (maybe he’s allergic to Retinax 5 ?).

Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher in episode 301

The third and final season of Picard premieres on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., with new episodes of the 10-episode-long season available to stream weekly on Thursdays.

Picard streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S.A. It is distributed concurrently by Paramount Global Content Distribution on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories, and in Canada it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave.

Keep up with news about the  Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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“A more than 20-year-old Enterprise-D communicator”

That’s needless exposition. There’d be no reason for him to say “Enterprise-D” to the computer.

Yes they avoided some obvious exposition but then dropped some in anyway.

Yeah, it’s rather clumsy writing. Saying it’s an out of service communicator would have sufficed.

…indeed, that line took me out of the clip a bit, had me wondering ‘is he talking to himself? Us? The computer?’

Good lord you people are obsessively picky. It’s really not that sloppy writing, and if it “takes you out of the clip” than boy oh boy you may be watching the wrong kind of TV. Go watch teletubbies or something! Sheesh, you people…

Relax, kid.

Chill out, son

Jean-Luc talks to himself a lot these days…

Yeah, the “Enterprise-D” really seemed out of place there, but I found the rest to be fine.

Given that you don’t see his lips for that line, they could easily loop a new one to make it less jarring.

Maybe it’s a bit of clumsy foreshadowing that we will see the Enterprise D this season?

Enterprise D is in this season. They built the bridge set.

Well true they have the set but we don’t know for sure if it is the recovered saucer or a flashback or a moriarty holodeck simulation or what have you. I should have been clear I meant the actual ship.

A little bit of clunky exposition, which wasn’t that bad, is BY FAR not the worst thing that has occurred on Picard. About this new season of Picard: Very very VERY cautiously optimistic (against my better judgement).

I thought they were gonna have some HONKING exposition there but they neatly side stepped it.

That was kind of honking. But nonetheless, the cinematography and score are light years better than season two (which is interesting since they were made back-to-back).

Matalas only worked on the first two episodes of season two. He then devoted himself to three. That’s the reason

But the first two eps of Season 2 sucked as much as the rest of Season 2. This dude still is unproven as a showrunner and a season story arc writer — which makes me nervous given his sort of “blabbermouth” habits of sharing all this info which makes this sound like the greatest Trek season ever.’

We’ll see…

Unproven? He was the showrunner for 4 seasons of the 12 Monkey’s TV series.

12 Monkeys is amazingly coherent, and actually lands a four season timey wimey arc in a way that makes sense.

I’m on S3 E8 right now. Planning on finishing it this 3 day weekend!

Unproven in delivering a quality season of Star Trek. Michael Chabon won a Pulitzer Prize in writing, but that level of skill did not translate to greatness in running a Star Trek season.

Like I said, we’ll see.

The first two episodes of season 2 got high praise from critics. And while IMDb is not the best barometer of audience appreciation anymore, they rate #3 and #4 out of all episodes to date, and significantly higher than the rest of season 2.

And I echo those who have noted 12 Monkeys categorically proves his merit as a showrunner.

Well I thought the first two eps of Picard season 2 were as dumbass-weak as the rest of the season.

Yeah, the first two episodes of season two were the only two of the season I thought were very good. It was all downhill after that.

Wow! I thought the first two and last episode were an order of magnitude better than the rest of Season 2.

Well I didn’t really like any of the eps in season 2, especially the first two, but I will admit the finale rose to the level of mediocre Star Trek. Season 1 was actually much better in my opinion.

I thought the first 2 eps were ok. The last ep was just no for me. The ending was so bad IMO. Q just gets his powers back all of a sudden. The whole reason for the entire season and everyone being in danger (and Khan maybe?!) was so Picard could grow a heard and get over mommy issues? And if the Jurati Queen was in the Delta quadrant this whole time why didn’t she and the actual queen or Voyager or the Hansens or anyone else never run into each other? And lastly… what is this huge threat that Jurati is there to request help for? Because I’m betting anything the season 3 opener isn’t going to resolve that.

My guess is season 3 is going to resolve issues from season 2 about as well as season 2 resolved issues from season 1 which means not at all. ;)

I think Matalas even said you don’t have to watch either of the two seasons to watch season 3. I think for most fans, that’s a GOOD thing! ;)

True. In a weird way it gives it a bit of it’s own episodic nature (if you consider a season one big long ep rather than the entire season being one big long ep).

I was ok with S1 not being resolved as much because in a ittle way it was. The machine race was kinda beaten, like a little bit anyways? I just wanted them to do something cool with it like say they were the V’Ger creators or just explai how 1000’s of years ago they fortold data. But I digress.

This season tho, just give us a one liner saying we defeated threat A with the help of Juratiborg and follow it up with a canon comic or something. I get there are only 10 eps in a season so they don’t want to take up room but comics would be a great way of doing it.

Rumor has it that they’re developing a Borg focused series now too.

Maybe it’s the Picard spinoff?

I love how in this new era of prestige TV there’s no room for TV that’s just OK. Everything is either the greatest thing ever or total trash.

Picard Season 2 isn’t nearly as bad as everyone says. It’s fine. It has some fun moments, its story is enough to keep you engaged, but it has some major flaws, too.

But today, people are so quick just to call things that are mediocre trash. I get it, with so many options, it can be easy to want to only watch the best of the best.

But holy moly people, get some perspective.

YES! Well said. I usually lurk on this board because of so much negativity toward the first two season of Picard. Both were fine. Good not great. But that is ok! Let’s just celebrate that TNG is back again!

The lighting was still far too dark for comfortable viewing.

Badgey lapel pin!!

More than 30 year not 20 year? 2370 was the last year that the combadge was used , with a new design in Generations. Picard season 3 is set in at least 2400?

I think he’s counting from the first time he put it on in 2264.

But… if you’re right, that would make the line even MORE inaccurate.

It just seemed an odd thing to say it’s ‘more than 20 years old ‘ when it’s at least 30 years and possibly closer to 40

He doesn’t make an inaccurate statement it just seems weird. I guess the producers want to date the msg to someone he hasn’t seen in 20 years , though the Nemesis combadge could have done the job

I am nowhere near as old as Picard but I still have use math sometimes to figure when something many years ago happened. I find this to be pretty accurate!

I’m going to nitpick further. The TNG badges have a blackoutline around the delta and are black on the sides of the delta.

To go even further, that combadge really did seem a bit playmates to me

Only problem is it’s too small to be the Playmates one.

He’s not paying the extra $3.99/month for caller ID? They don’t eventually turn off the signal and deactivate old com badges when the user replaces them? How many old devices do they still have active in their system? Seems like a huge waste.

Yeah, this scene is kind of nonsensical.

More so that it is very convenient that old badge is in a suitcase in the same room right next to him and not stored away in the basement or something.

There’s some leaked info about this scene that’s out there, and if it is accurate, there’s an actual reason instead it being completely random/convenient

Where would one find said info?

I saw it on TrekBBS threads a while back. But I think the source of that was Robert Meyer Burnett, who apparently just blabs about everything on his streams.

Seconded, where would one find such info?

Please, not the basement of the chateau again ;-)

I suppose it could have been chirping all week until he was around to hear it.

Yeah plenty of ways to force a communication through to Picard without digging out the old com badge.

Well maybe if Beverly was being attacked she would want to use an older combadge to avoid detection? Just a thought?

We have seen this before though. In S1 he uses the TNG Movie Combadge to contact Raffi.

I know this is askin’ a lot, but can some turn on the Spoiler Alert button (Wheaton?)

Not sure what you mean. Wheaton doesn’t work for this site.

Needless exposition in the first clip shared of S3 of Picard…it’s nit picking but ….very strange dialogue….for the star trek newbies/casual followers it perhaps helps with some gentle reminders I suppose .

He might as well have added “20 year old enterprise d communicator from star trek the next generation, that ran 7 seasons 87-94” to complete the picture lol

This made me laugh. I agree!

Which makes me wonder who they think the target audience for this season is. DISCO, PRO and, arguably, SNW are the shows more geared toward newcomers. PIC and LDS, not so much.

I have to admit, I hollered way to loud at the Kurlan Naiskos on JLs desk…. we all KNEW he did not leave it on Veridian III.

Exactly, this is the much more important takeaway from that trailer. Decades of discussion around fans regarding Generations finally coming to a conclusion!

My gawd, y’all will just b*!ch & nit-pick anything. Wow. He said a more than 20 yrs old Ent-D communicator. So. What. It’s obviously a callback to TNG. Which seems highly appropriate since this season focuses more on TNG. Why can’t we just have nice things & celebrate them instead of nit-pick. This is why I don’t read the comments on this site often.

We are just sensitive to things like this because the clips around season 1 and 2 hinted at similar minor grievances which added up considerably over the course of two seasons. Just want this season to finally live up to its name.

We are just sentisive…..sums up nicely the rationale for all the blowback on a short, out of context clip.

Welcome to nit-picky fandom. It is kinda sad, actually….

Someone has to be a little nit-picky. if all anyone ever did was say, “hey this is great” and everyone else said, “yes I agree” what would anyone have to talk about. The important thing is people are respectful about it.

This is minor compared to some of the Star Wars stuff out there.

I knew a person who had to report threats made against him to the authorities because of comments he made over The Last Jedi…

Hopefully the person threatening him got arrested.

I am picturing some loser, with the cops at his door, shouting to the cops, “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for, move along,” and then the cops busting in an handcuffing him. :-)

Ha! Excellent.

I think it’s just that fans online enjoy the nitpicking and you are too sensitive too it. I.e. I think the problem is yours, not ours. It’s probably best if you don’t read these relatively minor comments if you are going take them so seriously and get so agitated and flustered over them — just a suggestion.

I’m not the one to blame. I don’t take comments here seriously. They are mostly toxic & I consider the source. Occasionally, I do scan the comments & usually tap away soon. I’m just a fan, but often empathize with the people involved in making these shows – a new trailer comes out, they’re proud of their work. They happen to check this site & see mostly nitpicking. Not a nice way for fans to show appreciation. That’s just my thoughts.

Fair enough!

You clearly DO take them seriously. This branch of the conversation wouldn’t even exist if you hadn’t melodramatically proclaimed this…

“My gawd, y’all will just b*!ch & nit-pick anything. Wow. He said a more than 20 yrs old Ent-D communicator. So. What. It’s obviously a callback to TNG. Which seems highly appropriate since this season focuses more on TNG. Why can’t we just have nice things & celebrate them instead of nit-pick. This is why I don’t read the comments on this site often.”

People are simply responding to that.

Exactly. I hope Phil reads your post here — that “drama queen” post you quoted here started this entire waste of time discussion where people seem to be getting so ridiculously defensive about some rather minor, yet obvious issues with the scene.

Let’s see….we have a thread here where the vast majority of posts is elevating the term ‘obnoxious @$$holes’ to new highs…..but the real problem is that a few people are pointing that out. Gotcha.

the vast majority of posts

No way. That’s just not true. One person said he hated Wheaton which I agree is out of bounds — that’s your vast majority? Seriously?

It’s not a bad scene, but there are a couple of rather obvious issues I and several others have with it that I guess we should not have brought up here given that apparently we are not allowed to critique this particular scene, even though all of us, including you, have been critiquing similar preview scenes and trailers for years here??? Makes no sense — you’ve lost your perspective.

Nevertheless, Happy New Year to you and your family!

It’s an expression of love for the franchise! Back during TNG’s original run my hard-core Trekker pal and I would nitpick for an hour on the phone following every episode. It’s part of the fun! It’s only objectionable if a non-fan does it…

Exactly, we are all having fun here pointing out a few minor things in the scene. Sheesh!

I hear you but this is nothing. You should see the four seasons of fans nitpicking Discovery to death lol. This is kind of a walk in the park compared to that show. ;)

Exactly! Star Trek Picard at least tries to resemble the universe from which it originates. Discovery was horribly flawed from the start and has struggled to maintain canon consistency for 4 seasons. By comparison I will take a few minor flaws from Picard any day!

Yeah it is the one thing I truly love about Picard, it does feel like an extension of both TNG and the prime universe in general. Discovery felt like it belonged in another universe completely and where it stumbled on day one.

Let us nitpick, it’s all in good fun. Nobody is REALLY complaining, as long as the plot is convincing. Nitpicking is part of the Trek culture, and akin to finding easter eggs.

Scroll down. Someone hates, HATES, I say, Wil Wheaton. One person’s nitpicker is another person’s @$$hole.

Feel free not to read the comments if they piss you off so much. You’re very much in the minority on this one, but sure, go nuts.

Yeah, have to agree with others that this dialogue was very clunky.

Also, WHY is he wearing glasses for writing?! Isn’t he a golem or android or whatever he is now? Isn’t his body only a few years old? Surely he can’t actually need those.

If this is a taste of the incredible writing we’ve been promised my trepidations are still there. Nice lighting though.

He’s allergic to Retinax…

This site painfully misses an upvote button. So take my verbal upvote!

Who promised you incredible writing? All that I’ve been promised since 2017 are fun rides, and they’ve been mostly it. This is not “War and Peace.” This is television.

Sorry, my bad… it was “wonderful writing”, and it came from Frakes from an interview with Den of Geek in November :).

Also, I don’t understand your War and Peace comment. I don’t think great writing solely exists in books. We’re in the era of prestige television writing. There has been so many shows in recent years that have had incredible writing. For instance, I just watched the first two seasons of The White Lotus over the holidays and I was blown away by the writing. A biting satirical and very entertaining look at the destructive lives of the wealthy, would recommend if you haven’t seen it.

Weird that he both has glasses and is using a pen and paper in the 25th century…makes no sense?

Makes extra no sense when you consider he’s now a golem, or android, or whatever he is now and his “body” is only a few years old. Surely he wouldn’t need glasses to see better?

No! In S1E10, They said he would age naturally, just without the brain problem.

But they also said that “Everything is new tough, and everything works.” Confusing.

They were clear the golem has no super powers and was the same as his original body(except for the brain defect)

One thing they were not with the golem body was clear.

I just rewatched it and yes they said that there had been no augmentations, no superpowers and that they had designed a “cellular homeostasis algorithm” that should give him roughly the exact same life expectancy if he had not had the brain condition. But they also said that “Everything is new though, and everything works.” So is his new body just ageing incredibly rapidly to catch up with his 96 years? Doesn’t seem humane.

Plus the future Picard we saw in TNG (who had that terminal brain condition) never wore glasses.

Well as a golem he shouldn’t die in a few years either but didn’t Soong say he would live a natural life span like Julianna Tanor was designed to? Seems somewhat logical that he would have the other frailties of an elderly human being.

Picard always struck me as a little “old fashioned”, so I’m sure it was intentional.

I mean, this jives with Picard. He was always reading from physical books rather than from a PADD. He loves archaeology. He has always seemed to lean into some “older ways” of living.

OK, well you and Locutus make a good point here. My thought was he just threw that in because Kirk used glasses later in life, but we know that Kirk was allergic to the medical cure for being far-sighted, while we never saw the older Picard in that TNG ep where is very old needing to wear glasses, nor did he ever say he was allergic to the medicine, like Kirk did.

So my initial reaction in seeing this was that Matalas is trying to be too cute with the Star Trek classic movie connections — force fitting in connections like a cheap and unearned McMahon-style hack writing canon reference aka Lower Decks.

Kirk was more than just the glasses tho. He always had an affinity for antiquities.

I have an 80s vintage keyboard along with me for that extra special typing experience. I think with him and the pen&glasses its a choice as well.

A couple seconds of dialogue, and virtually everyone is losing their f**king s**t already. Maybe actually watch a couple of episodes before digging season 3’s grave, isn’t an unreasonable request. Good lord…..

Agreed! I thought it was a cool clip. It seems people are ready to tear Terry’s hopes and dreams apart already.

LOL, no, but the scene has some obvious issues. So what if we point them out?

Sheesh, what’s with all of this oversensitive malarkey here today? LOL

Sorry to hear that a stage-setting scene didn’t work for you…

Count me as one who really enjoyed it.

Having Picard struggling with his computer being an annoying and unresponsive Alexa/Siri is something that we needed to see in the franchise at one point. People have been all too patient with the computer over the various shows.

A few points back to the nitpicking

It’s clear to me that it’s a late Enterprise D communicator in style, basically the last version before the S was destroyed – making it under 30 years.

We know that Picard has used his old communicators for discreet contact with old crew previously (as he did with Raffi in the S1E1). This means it could be any of his old team, or it could have been hijacked by someone else. Makes sense to get the computer to give him what metadata it has and assessment it can before he listens to the message.

The fact that the metadata is faulty is the point and not a failure of the writers. It’s also a reality we all face with every spoofed call that our telephone displays cannot see past. How many of us not only let calls run to voicemail, but also check all the available metadata before we open a voice message? I certainly do.

On the eyeglasses, my recollection is that we saw a pair with the stack of paper books in Picard’s office in the original teaser for season two (that hinted at time being broken with images of clocks). I don’t think this came out of nowhere.

I’ve scrolled down at the additional comments. In addition to all the f**kery that’s already gone on, folks are also now ripping on the computer voice, and Wil Wheaton. So I’ll stand by my original observation….

I think you and a couple of others are really going overboard in terms of a few of us pointing out some rather obvious problems with the scene. No one is digging Season 3’s grave.

What problems? It’s a 2 minute clip! It’s visitors to this site that’s creating the problems, not the show. There is no problem with the scene. Poor Terry! He’s going to have a rough time on social media.

LOL, wow. Are you new to Star Trek fan sites? I mean, everything is discussed and analyzed. It’s weird how you and a couple of others are taking a few minor critiques on the scene so personally?

Dude, if you were a DSC fan, you might leave this site in tears some days given the negative comments that us DSC fans have to view here…lol…but we live with those comments and don’t let it ruin our day because it’s just fan commentary on an internet site.

So much gatekeeping.

Your confirmation bias is showing. It’s a short clip, with no context, that just sets a mood at the moment. There aren’t any “obvious” problems, except in the minds of those preprogrammed to despise everything this production company does. The FACT that the ripping has expanded to whining about the computer voice and bagging on Wil Wheaton proves my point. But, yeah, okay. For the few comments observing that the f**kfest of complaining is way over the top for a short clip, we’re the ones being too sensitive, okay. Go lie to someone who’ll believe you.

Wow! Your way-over-the-top overreaction where you even ventured into personal insult territory just 100% proved my point, Phil.

You all need to chill out — my opinion — and no, I am not lying. :-)

Besides, isn’t this nitpicking:

It just seemed an odd thing to say it’s ‘more than 20 years old ‘ when it’s at least 30 years and possibly closer to 40. He doesn’t make an inaccurate statement it just seems weird . ( Phil )

Different Phil. The mods seem okay with a few of us around here. I’m plenty chill, the collective aneurism of virtually everyone ripping on this clip is where the problem lies.

Got it, no worries then on that piece of my comment above. Happy New Year, dude!

Hi Terry, nice of you to join us here.

In all fairness, saying “Hey, this badge is older than 20 years” isn’t the same as reviewbombing the show before it aired. At least not in principle, maybe there are people who conclude for whatever reason that this makes the show unwatchable, who knows.

We know from the fan events Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden did earlier this year that Picard and Beverly have not seen each other in many, many years. Perhaps, before they parted company, they chose an old style of communication that could not be easily tracked?

not bad, but then wouldn’t Picard have known right away that it was Beverly?

Good point. My initial reaction in my head to your reply was “well perhaps it’s been about 20 years for them,” which would make it acceptable for Jean-Luc to forget. But since he has an upgraded body that doesn’t really fly.

Well, he could have forgotten before he got his new body ;-)

As for the method of communication: Comm badges are not capable of long range communication on their own. They’re basically like mobile phones, that just do the last leg between the last transmission tower (subspace relay) and your ear. But they need a communication network to cover longer distances (e.g. more than planet surface to orbit). So unless the caller is quite close, the call was routed through some network, which is probably under Federation control.

Where is the ready room episode on Paramount plus? I can’t find it.

I watched it on the Star Trek website if you still can’t find it :)

I was wondering that too. It doesn’t seem to be with Prodigy. I ended up just watching it on YouTube.

The computer states that the comm badge was assigned as “4115…” which is a wink and a nod towards the stardate for Encounter at Farpoint which is 41153.7.

Yeah, I noticed that as well, which would have made that 2364. I think this season is set in 2401, which would be 37 years later.

As I watched it, I couldn’t help but think of those people who get a letter in the mailbox and spent five minutes looking at it, flipping it back-and-forth asking themselves, “Who could this be from?”— rather than just opening it and knowing.

Of all the TNG main characters, Picard would be the one to do that.

I wonder if too many here have had their own sense of Picard shifted over the movies and two seasons of Picard to see him as more impatient and action oriented like Kirk?

Have to admit, this scene gave me the feels! Please be good!!!!

But excited for a return to the 25th century and a return of my favorite cast out of all the shows and films!

Me too but it was like a shot in the gut that the scene ended before we actually heard even a piece of the message. I suppose it’s better that way tho

Yeah they gotta tease lol. But then the irony is we know it’s Beverly trying to get in touch with him since it was literally shown in the teaser trailer a few months ago.

Yeah it’s gotta be. But the funny thing is that for a split second, given that this was during a Mulgrew interview I thought this might just be Janeway.

LOL that would be great too but definitely not Janeway since I can’t imagine her trying to reach Picard by some old E-D communicator.

Yeah me either. It would have to be someone from his D days. MAYBE Stargazer days.

I freaking hate Wil Wheaton, but he’s killing it on Celebrety Jepordy.

I sincerely hope you meant to say Wesley Crusher. Hate is a strong word to use for an actor I’m guessing you don’t know personally.

Read Wil Wheaton’s Twitter feed.

Wesley Crusher is 1000x more likable than Wil Wheaton.

Wil Wheaton hasn’t been active on Twitter in years. I do also follow him on Facebook, he’s very active there, but I’ve never seen him post anything that makes me not like him.

Aww it would be so cool if he were there with LeVar Burton hosting :(

Why do you hate Wil Wheaton?? He’s a really nice guy–friendly, funny, approachable and kindhearted. He’s also a very good writer.

I know the article is focused on the Picard S3 premiere, but what a great episode of The Ready Room and a great way to end S1 of Prodigy!

I just watched the entire Ready Room episode and the interview with Kate Mulgrew was so good. I liked how they started talking about Prodigy of course but it ended up discussing about her time on Voyager and the early days of the show. Despite all the hardships of being the first woman captain, you can tell how much she loves and appreciates that show today.. And I hope she shows up on Picard next season too. It’s OK if she doesn’t, but would be smiling ear to ear if she does! :)

Yeah I thought you and anyone who watched and enjoyed tonight’s finale would really like to hear what Kate had to say about Prodigy and Voyager. Man, 48 days until what we all hope will be a great finale for Picard and TNG! Happy New Year Tiger2… LLAP!

Hmmmm, sounds vaguely reminiscent of Tron Legacy when Alan(Tron) get a page on his 20 y/o beeper from the abyss.

Well, I’m finding this setup more intriguing than mystery android action girl needing help and mystery Borg Queen needing something or other. It’s less melodramatic so far anyway, thankfully. So here’s hoping they stick the landing this time.

My nitpick is that I wish the computer sounded more like Majel…couldn’t they simulate her voice at this point?

That said, the cinematography looks great and the scene is intriguing. I’m excited to see what comes next!

Yes. Yes, they could. She recorded a plethora of files for future use as an AI voice during her later years, and whichever parts might be deemed insufficient, nowadays, could easily be filled in by software.

I wonder why they chose some voice that’s equal parts mechanical monotony and almost creepily flirty or suggestive, for the computer! 😕

The bigger irony is the computer voice on SNW does sound almost exactly like her. People thought her voice was simulated but they just found an actress who sounds like her. Why not use her for the other shows too?

…thought the same thing about the computer voice…it’s the little things like that, that matter.

I must be the exception in thinking that we don’t need Majel’s voice producing an Alexa for all the ships.

I would expect the computer voice to change over time.

More, I have to wonder whether the recording quality and pitch of all that dictionary reading would have generated an adequate quality product. We heard in Prodigy how there was a limit to how well the sound production team was able to blend old dialogue from Leonard Nimoy.

I am sure to raise ire by saying this, so I want to underscore that my intention is not to troll, I’m just not that attached to her voice.

My cynical self just sees the recording of a dictionary by the late Majel as another way for the Roddenberry estate to hang onto every iota of the work. Is it soooo awful that living voice actors get work as the computer?

The Roddenberry estate gets two perpetual EP credits on every show as it is. I have to remember that Gene Roddenberry created truly awful, never used lyrics to the original TOS theme just to get half the credit and payment for it. I love the franchise but am very clear eyed about the creator.

After having recently watched “The Center Seat” docu-series, I can definitely see your point about Roddenberry and his forever hold. I’d just like the consistency, and think that Majel’s voice is still a great fit for the franchise. (Discovery’s Zora whispers gives me the heebie-jeebies!!!)

Other than that, I wouldn’t mind a male computer voice for a change! I’ve set all of my devices to gentle masculinity, and I’m lovin’ it! 😜

Well, this isn’t a Starfleet computer, so it makes sense that it’s not Majel.

Why hasn’t Wheaton been fired yet? He’s insufferable.

He would be easier to take if he turned down the gushing sales persona a notch or two. I keep expecting him to ask us to join his cult. Or try to get us to buy a used Mazda.

Take it easy, Wil.

The exact same word came to mind but I felt too bad posting it. lol The persona is just so painfully over the top and cringe worthy. Wil was a good actor at one time.

The folks who run Paramount disagree. He’s enthusiastic. If it bothers you that much, go get the CEO position, fire Wheaton, and remake Trek in your image. Problem solved.

I would take sincerity over fake enthusiasm any day. lol

I’m picturing the cameras turning off and Wil Wheaton immediately lighting a cigarette with a hangdog expression ala Krusty the Klown. Uggggghhhhhh, this business.

I love how overly enthusiastic he is about everything. That’s part of the Ready Room’s charm.

So this clip, coupled with the Prodigy finale and Strange New Worlds, just made me come to a theory about this season. From what’s been said the villain this season is not only out for Picard and Crusher, but also the Federation itself.

I’m thinking that this is going to go back to one of the Federation induction gone bad episodes and that, after our heroes left, the planet was destroyed.

Since the KesPrytt episode was Picard/Crusher heavy I’m leaning toward them. They were in a civil war and the Federation stopped their induction.

Though the Rutians also lost out on membership because of their internal conflicts, and that was a Crusher heavy episode.

I, briefly, thought it could be the Angosians due to their genetic engineering, but that was a more Troi focused episode.

I have thought about the Ba’ku and Son’a a couple times as well. Vadic’s ship does look Son’a a bit, but they were post the TNG series.

I can’t see Vadic being connected to any of those episodes. As with almost all Crusher-centric stories, they’re all non-memorable.

Non memorable doesn’t rule them out in my view.

The fact that neither Crusher nor Troi were generally well written by the 90s writers doesn’t preclude Matalas doing better by picking up on something from that run and improving on it.

Let’s face it, most of the guys in the TNG writers room weren’t able to do much with the potential of the female officers. Shankar’s ‘Face of the Enemy’ stands out so powerfully because it was the rare case where one of the writers let her use her empathic gift in a powerful and creative way.

I like their reasoning! But man they were SOOO FAR behind in technology that Riker and Work could barely help themselves from laughing at their “junk”. Sure I suppose they could have somehow stollen techology and advanced like the Klingons once did. But something tells me this is from Picard’s Stargazer past, not The Enterprise. And Jack Crusher served on the Stargazer didn’t he? Which would explain the Beverly connection. And it’s not like they have a chance in hell at getting at Wesley. It would also explain why the Beverly/Picard “family” issues are a dynamic in this season.

Just a thought.

The only thing wrong with this clip is the sad absence of Laris.

Its Kirk. “You left me on Veridian 3 under a pile of rocks and took back your comm badge from a wrecked Enterprise D which is 20 years old now”

LOL, love it!

This is missing too.

LOL PERFECT!!!

Comm badge looks wrong somehow .

So new body doesn’t work with retinax ?

This is the most elaborate version of “old Comm badge, who dis?” I’ve ever seen…

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Star Trek: Picard Series-Finale Recap: Captain’s Log, Final Entry

Star trek: picard.

Star Trek: Picard  began as a series partly dedicated to giving Jean-Luc Picard, the aged but unbowed former captain of the  Enterprise , a late-in-life shot at returning to the stars and partly as a torch-passing exercise that surrounded Picard with new characters (a kind of next generation, you could say). Across three seasons, that mission didn’t so much drift as grow in scale. This third and final season has extended the autumnal adventures to almost all of the original cast of  Star Trek: The Next Generation  (while keeping Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd around from the preceding  Picard  seasons) and making the torch-passing theme even more explicit by bringing in Picard’s previously unknown son, Jack Crusher, and a pair of Geordi LaForge daughters to boot.

That’s a lot to ask of any series, much less one that has to give the beloved  TNG  characters the proper send-off (maybe?) they were denied by the less-than-beloved  Star Trek: Nemesis.  And, by and large, the season has shouldered that burden well. The  TNG  characters have all had their moments in the spotlight as the show reassembled the team, Ryan’s Seven of Nine and Hurd’s Raffi have had plenty to do (as did Todd Stashwick’s Captain Shaw, RIP), and Jack has proven to be a charismatic addition when he could have felt like an interloper shoehorned in to bring down the cast’s median age.

But does this final episode stick the landing? Pretty much, yeah. “The Last Generation” both brings the season-long story — which began as a confrontation with the Dominion before that dread foe essentially handed over villain duties to the Borg — to an exciting conclusion and gives the original cast a nostalgic valedictory moment while also leaving the door open for future adventures.

As it opens, however, any possibility of a happy ending seems unlikely. Federation President Chekov (not that one but his son) issues a dire warning that the Federation’s younger generation has been assimilated, and there’s little to be done about it, but in the words of his father, “There are always possibilities.” Picard and the crew are not an easily dissuaded bunch, and recognizing, as Data puts it, they “are the cavalry,” they come up with a plan.

Sure, it’s a desperate plan, but a plan nonetheless: Head to Jupiter, board the Borg vessel, and shut down the beacon that allows the Borg to do what they do. (And hopefully rescue Jack in the process.) For Picard, it’s personal. The Borg have his son (whom he’s come to like quite a bit despite a messy start), and he’s been plagued by their threat for over 35 years. For everyone else, it’s, well, also pretty personal. If this is truly a last stand, it’s a last stand against an enemy with whom they have a long, nasty history. The newly emotional Data sums it up as they approach: “I hate them.”

No one knows that better than Seven, of course, who leads a party to reclaim the  Titan.  She and Raffi will play a crucial role in the confrontation that follows, but it’s the newly reunited  TNG  crew that drives the action. And, in classic  Trek  faction, that means breaking into smaller groups. Picard, Will, and Worf head into the cube. (“And I will make it a threesome,” Worf says, by way of announcing his intentions.) Their farewell is one of the episode’s first heart-tugging moments. Could this be the last time these characters see each other? The look on Deanna’s face as Will walks away says it all.

On the cube, they find a lot of rotting Borg drones but little action. Then it’s time to split up after another wrenching farewell scene in which Picard can’t bring himself to tell Will how much he means to him. “You know that I know. Always,” Will says, letting him off the hook while making the scene that much more intense, with Worf’s own final words about Klingon’s not knowing the words “defeat” and “farewell” providing poignant punctuation.

When Picard reaches Jack, it’s worse than he feared. His son appears fully Borgified and the Borg Queen (voiced by Alice Krige and looking more like a nightmarish H.R. Giger creation than ever) looms over him. She’s mostly interested in mocking “Locutus,” calling his arrival a homecoming. The Borg Queen also announces that assimilation is old news. The new Borg goal is evolution. And it looks like that plan is working out for them. Thanks, unwittingly, to Jack, Starfleet is now filled with unwitting hybrids walking around with Borg DNA just waiting to be told what to do.

But despite the odds stacked against them, our heroes prevail via a series of pretty good fight scenes that mix aerial combat, a hand-to-hand battle with Borg drones, some fancy flying from Data, and a battle for Jack’s soul. The latter involves Picard plugging himself into the Borg network and selling Jack on the pleasures of life outside the Borg cube, despite the possibility of loneliness and fear. Picard’s pitch includes freely expressing his emotions (never an easy thing for the captain), including his feelings for his son. “You are the part of me that I never knew was missing,” he says. Later, they hug. (This episode just does not let up on big emotional moments. Will’s farewell to Deanna, if anything, hits even harder: “I’ll be waiting. Me and our boy.”)

Star Trek  is a franchise dedicated to following intriguing science fiction concepts wherever they lead, but it’s also one in which occasionally love saves the day, and the Borg Queen’s dying shout of “No!!!” shortly before her cube explodes signals that this is one of those  Star Trek  installments. (Even Seven’s in a hugging mood when the Borg control lifts from the  Titan  crew.) It’s a happy ending for all, and the tableau of everyone posing on the  Enterprise  bridge (an image that includes Will and Deanna embracing and Worf asleep) could be a fitting end to the series.

But there’s more to be done. That includes giving the  TNG  crew some more time together and setting up future adventures. Will’s log reveals that Beverly has developed a method to eliminate Borg DNA and scan for Dominion holdouts. Tuvok, the real Tuvok, is still alive, it’s revealed. Seven learns that Captain Shaw actually liked and respected her, even recommending she be promoted to the rank of captain. Data is still sorting through his new emotions with a lot of help from Deanna, who’s a little distracted planning a vacation during the latest of their marathon sessions. But, essentially, all is well.

One year later, the long good-bye continues as Will, Picard, and Geordi put the  Enterprise  D to bed. A bit later, Picard and Beverly escort their son to his first Starfleet assignment aboard … the  Enterprise ? Rechristened in honor of Starfleet’s fabled flagship, the  Enterprise  is now under Seven’s command, with Raffi and Jack by her side. That looks like a setup for a whole new series featuring this crew. (I would watch.)

We’re not done: Over drinks and a stirring recitation of one of Brutus’s speeches in  Julius Caesar  from Picard (“There is a tide in the affairs of men”), the  TNG  crew spends the evening in each other’s company, reflecting on their time together before, in a nod to “All Good Things …,” the original  TNG  finale, a game of poker breaks out with Picard enthusiastically participating. It’s an indulgent moment that calls on decades of accumulated affection for these characters, and boy does it work. It feels like a fitting farewell, albeit one that suggests all good things, or at least all good shows, don’t always come to an end. They just kind of lay around waiting for someone to pick them up again.

Captain’s Log

• Hello! No, I am not your regular  Picard  recapper (though I did cover the first season). I’m just filling in for the excellent Swapna Krishna, who was unexpectedly unable to cover this episode.

• This episode pretty clearly sets up a Seven/Raffi/Jack–focused series and that’s a pretty exciting prospect. Ryan is, of course, already a  Trek  legend and her reprise of Seven has broadened the character and confirmed she has a range we never saw on  Voyager . Hurd was always a  Picard  highlight and Ed Speleers has fit right in when Jack could easily have been the series’ Poochie.

• If there is a series, please, please find room for the “Ma’am, I’m just a cook!” guy. He’s great.

• Over the end credits, there’s one last surprise: Q is back and ready to put Jack to the test. Nothing really ends or dies with this franchise, does it? (Okay, except for Ro Laren, Capt. Shaw, etc., etc.) After a first season partly dedicated to putting Data down, he’s back and the Data who wanted to die got hand-waved away. Now Q’s mortality, a big part of the second season, is out the window. It’s inconsistent, but is any going to complain, particularly after a season this strong?

• That said, the sudden transition to a mostly different supporting cast hasn’t been without some awkwardness. Whither Laris?

• Is this the last time we’ll see the  TNG  characters all in one place together again? Another reunion seems unlikely, but then  this  reunion seemed pretty unlikely. If it is the end, it’s a warm, affectionate send-off. If not, let’s hope the next reunion strikes as deft a balance between nostalgia and adventure.

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Star Trek: Picard Season 3 will debut February 16 2023 on Paramount+ the United States, and on CTV Sci Fi Channel and Crave in Canada. Outside of North America, the series is available on Amazon’s Prime Video service in most international locations.

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'Star Trek: Picard's Season 3 Finale Proves "Love Conquers All" With This Telepathic Rescue

Showrunner Terry Matalas discusses that epic finale moment as the Enterprise-D swoops in to save the day.

[Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of Star Trek: Picard] The Star Trek: Picard series finale brings our heroes, and the entire galaxy to the brink of destruction. When the Borg Queen uses Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) as a weapon of mass destruction the crew of the Enterprise-D must venture into the heart of the Cube to rescue him and save all mankind. While Picard ( Patrick Stewart ), Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ), and Worf ( Michael Dorn ) beam onto the enemy ship to take it apart from the inside, Beverly ( Gates McFadden ), Deanna ( Marina Sirtis ), Geordi ( LeVar Burton ) and Data ( Brent Spiner ) serve as their eye in the sky from the bridge of the Enterprise.

When the Enterprise crew finds the beacon they need to destroy to end the assimilation of "the next generation," they realize that doing so—while necessary to save the rest of the universe—means that they may lose everyone they love aboard the Borg cube. Just as Picard and Jack rescue each other from the collective, it seems as though all hope of their ultimate rescue may be lost love saves the day once more. As Riker reaches out with one last "I love you" for his Imzadi, Deanna is able to sense exactly where they are with her Betazoid skills . She jumps into action flying the ship into the exact place it needs to be to beam them all out. It's an incredibly stunning shot as the Enterprise-D heroically hovers over the rotted chasm of the Borg Cube.

Recently, Star Trek: Picard Season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas sat down with Collider's own Maggie Lovitt to discuss the breathtakingly satisfying series finale , and this key turning point for the heroes of "The Last Generation." All of the pieces for this rescue fit together beautifully—when Data is unable to get a lock on Jack and Picard, Riker and Worf venture further into the ship in order to find them in a race against time. Because of Deanna and Riker's soulmate-level telepathic connection, she's able to sense exactly where they are on the ship, leading to their triumphant rescue. Matalas explained, "We knew we needed a way for them to find each other. I’m trying to remember if it was [Christopher Monfette], or who came up with that idea, which is so beautiful."

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Picard' Season 3 Finale Post-Credits Scene Explained: Ending at the Beginning

The Picard Finale Gives The Next Generation 's Heroes a Send-Off Filled With Hope

Deanna using her empathic gifts to locate someone is not a new skill—we saw her do the same in the back half of Star Trek: Nemesis . However, the way Matalas and the writers of Picard use this moment is almost the antithesis of how it's done in Nemesis, and I mean that in the best possible way. In Nemesis , Deanna finds the enemy ship by looking into the mind of the Reman guard who used his telepathy to assault her . The Picard finale takes what was once a show of trauma and vengeance and turns it into a moment of love, family, and heroism. "And it's also a way to sort of put to bed that Deanna-flying-the-ship bit, as well, in this wonderful rescue," said Matalas.

The "impetus" for the scene as Matalas explained, came from a visual image he wasn't sure they would be able to pull off with "Picard and Jack and the Enerprise-D flying over them." The final scene brings together the full arc of the season in regard to this found family, knowing that they're never alone as long as they have each other. Jack finally knows where he belongs, Riker and Deanna are operating as a unit , and everyone gets their hero moment as "love conquers all." Matalas continued, saying:

"That was a moving moment I wanted to do as a director, and I built it into the script. I was like, 'No, I want the shot, I want the shot,' and everybody's like, 'Okay, we'll be able to do it.' I was like, 'I'm not gonna be able to pull this off,' and visual effects is like, 'Oh, I think we could do it,' And then I was like, 'There's no way.' And so, it was like, how can we get to that moment? And it was also an emotional moment, too, because it comes off of the line, Jack saying, “I'm not alone,” and it truly was his family coming to rescue him at that moment. It was a culmination of all those ideas of the family truly together, and that love conquers all, truly, and it's the love of that, and the end of that arc for the Rikers is what manages for the Enterprise to find them."

All 10 episodes of Star Trek: Picard are now available to stream on Paramount+. Be sure to check out Lovitt's full conversation with Matalas, and in the meantime, you can watch our recent chat with Frakes and Burton down below.

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‘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+