Easter Eggs In Star Trek: Picard Season 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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