with Jörg Hillebrand

The first season of Star Trek: Picard has concluded, and now that the dust has settled, our Canon Connections series is back to take a walk through all ten episodes of the first year’s adventure to find all the callbacks, references, and sly winks to Star Trek‘s past.

We conclude our look at Picard Season 1 with a close examination of “Broken Pieces” and the two-part “Et in Arcadia Ego” finale, as the La Sirena crew learns the truth behind the Zhat Vash threat, and Jean-Luc Picard starts a new chapter of his life after visiting Coppelius Station.

Veridium Tracker

“Broken Pieces” – It is revealed that the tracker Jurati ingested — at Oh’s request — before leaving Earth was veridium. In ‘Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,’ Spock places a veridium tracker on Kirk before he leaves the Enterprise to render assistance to Chancellor Gorkon’s ship.

The tracker allows the Enterprise to keep tabs on Kirk’s location, including the prison planet of Rura Penthe.

Careless Deletions

“Broken Pieces” – Among the information deleted by Rios from his five emergency holograms included Mr. Hospitality’s recipe for Yridian tea (TNG: “Eye of the Beholder”), and the Emergency Navigation Hologram (Enoch’s) knowledge of Medusan astronavigation techniques (TOS: “Is There In Truth No Beauty?”).

Rios’ Starfleet Mementos

“Broken Pieces” – Among Rios’s books includes “Surak and Existentialism,” a philosophy book about the father of Vulcan philosophy. His Starfleet foot locker also includes his uniform pips (enough pips for every rank Rios held from Ensign to Commander), as well as the grey wheel-like device that sat on the back of the white rank strip from the Starfleet uniform from the movie era.

Micro-Collective

“Broken Pieces” – One of the ideas considered by Seven and Elnor aboard the Cube to resist the Romulans is reactivating the Borg in stasis as part of a micro-collective, and using that to repel the Romulans from the cube.

A similar micro-collective was created by a number of former Borg in the Delta Quadrant in the Voyager episode “Unity.”

“…Somebody Shows Up.”

“Broken Pieces” – In discussing ‘The Admonition’ and its warning about an evolutionary threshold for synthetic life, Rios compares it to Zefram Cochrane’s invention of the warp drive, and subsequent first contact with the Vulcans (as seen in “Star Trek: First Contact”).

Transwarp Conduits

“Broken Pieces” – Soji pilots La Sirena to a Borg transwarp conduit in order to accelerate the ship’s journey to her homeworld.

Transwarp conduits, the main method of transportation for the Borg, were last seen in the Voyager episode “Endgame.” Rios reminds Soji that in order to fly safely through the conduit a chroniton field is necessary (VGR: “Dark Frontier”).

The Old Reliant

“Broken Pieces” – In a conversation with Rios, Picard reminisces about his time serving aboard the USS Reliant. In the extended edition of the ‘Next Generation’ episode “The Measure of a Man” (part of the TNG Season 2 Blu-ray set), Picard and Nakamura also reminisce about their time on the Reliant..

Rios and Picard also discover they have a connection in common; Rios’s captain Vandameer had served under Picard’s Academy classmate Marta Batanides (TNG: “Tapestry.”)

Mixed-Tech Medkit

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1” – After La Sirena is immobilized by the orchids and Picard faints, he is revived by Dr. Jurati using an “old school” medical tricorder. The tricorder, which is a previously unseen design, has a slide up function (seen in the season finale) reminiscent of many previous tricorders.

The noises made by the tricorder, though, match those from the TNG-era. It also comes as part of a medkit which includes a hypospray; the same design as hyposprays seen in the TNG-era.

Android Pastimes

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1” – When entering the synth colony at Coppelius Station, we see a pair of synths playing 3D chess, the famous game that has appeared multiple times throughout various Star Trek series.

Dr. Alton Soong says Sutra has a penchant for Vulcan culture, including playing the ka’athyra “beautifully.” The Vulcan lute has never previously been named in Star Trek canon, but the name is derived from the novel “Dwellers in the Crucible.” Oh, and then Sutra mind melds with Jurati.”

Spot II

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1” – The synths of Coppelius Station, in addition to making butterflies, have also recreated a synth version of Data’s cat Spot. Spot II, alas, does not have an encounter with Elnor.

Repairing La Sirena

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2” – Rios tells Raffi that in order to repair La Sirena, he needs to replace the intermix reactor, which is likely very similar to the intermix chamber referenced in ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ and the TNG episode “Gambit, Part I” and regulates the flow of matter and antimatter into the warp core.

The Picard Maneuver

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2” – As La Sirena flies into orbit to meet the Romulan fleet face to face, Jurati recalls Picard’s use of the Picard Maneuver, when “you made it look like the Enterprise was in two places at once.”

Picard corrects her – “it was the Stargazer and it was a long time ago” – but together, they develop a diversion tactic similar to the Picard Maneuver first referenced in the TNG episode “The Battle.”

Treaty of Algeron

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2” – Captain Riker states the Federation’s claim to Ghulion IV under the terms of the Treaty of Algeron. First referenced in the TNG episode “The Defector,” the Treaty ended the Earth-Romulan War and established the Neutral Zone. Apparently, some elements of the treaty remain between the Federation and the Romulan Free State, even though the Neutral Zone does not.

Arms Control

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2” – In this episode we get only the third-ever glimpse of Seven of Nine’s upper arms, after the Voyager episodes “Hope and Fear” and “Tsunkatse.” The production team did an excellent job of re-creating the implants seen on her arm, and the extension of her iconic hand implant.

A Family Legacy

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2” – When Picard indicates he doesn’t much like Data’s “brother” Alton Soong, Data responds that “the Soongs can be an acquired taste.” Canon certainly supports this notion; Data’s father Noonien Soong was established to be a difficult and mercurial man, while his ancestor Arik Soong was a criminal.

Kal-Toh

“Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2” – As Seven and Raffi lock fingers in a suggestive embrace, they are in the middle of a game of kal-toh.

The Vulcan game, which appeared frequently in Voyager, was a favorite of Tuvok and Harry Kim. Good luck Raffi, though, because Seven once won the game in one move! (VGR: “The Omega Directive”).

[td_smart_list_end]