History Recap / StarTrekPicardS1E02MapsAndLegends

* FantasticRacism: The flashback to 2385 shows a few of the workers on Utopia Planitia mocking and insulting the synthetic workers without caring if they're in earshot, one of them justifying this with a dismissive "it's not like they're people". And this is ''before'' the synths rebel and start killing everyone.

* RealityEnsues: Picard asks Starfleet to return his flight status -- days after he brutally criticized them in a widely broadcast public interview on FNN, ''and'' fourteen years after his resignation while protesting official Starfleet policy. Unsurprisingly, Picard is denied, and gets a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech [[ShutUpKirk on top of it]].

* PrecisionFStrike: Admiral Kirsten Clancy calls Picard's request to be reinstated "sheer fucking hubris".

-->'''Laris''': Oh, those cheeky fuckers!
* ProperlyParanoid: The Romulan overseer on the Borg Cube gives a speech extolling the virtues of this, although anybody there who assumes anything different of the Borg or their technology is just being plain stupid

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Picard refusing to go PuttingTheBandBackTogether for his former ''Enterprise'' command crew carries some heavy RealitySubtext, in that the whole ''TNG'' cast are also very close friends in real life, even over the years since it stopped airing and the films came and went. As noted under the Trivia page for ''Picard'', Creator/PatrickStewart only agreed to the new series once it was clear it would not simply be a ''TNG'' reunion and continuation.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Dhaj's twin mentions to a new recruit that she definitely does not want to wander about in the 'Grey Zone' without a special gray hexagon token being turned on. The next shot shows how it's been about 16 years since the last assimilation.

* DontTalkJustRun: If the grey hexagonal badge (the one implied to have anti-assimilation properties) goes green, it is heavily advised that you do this.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: Dhaj's twin mentions to a new recruit that she definitely does not want to wonder about in the 'Grey Zone' without a special gray hexagon token being turned on. The next shot shows how it's been about 16 years since the last assimilation.

* FreezeFrameBonus: The Romulans in charge of the Borg Cube would like you to know that it has been 5,843 days (almost precisely 16 years) since there was an assimilation.

* TheMole: Commodore Oh and Lieutenant Rizzo are working for ''Zhat Vash'', and it's heavily implied Rizzo is a Romulan DeepCoverAgent.
* PrecisionFStrike: The admiral calls Picard's request to be reinstated "sheer fucking hubris".
* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: Defied; Zhaban suggests that Picard reunite the old ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Enterprise]]'' command crew for his mission, but Picard refuses. He knows [[UndyingLoyalty they would all join if asked]], but after Data’s sacrifice he doesn’t want to put them in danger again.

* CleanupCrew: The ''Zhat Vash'' cleaned up all the evidence of their attempt to kidnap Dahj, leaving her apartment immaculate. Laris even notes they went to the trouble (and risk) of erasing all the evidence down to the molecular level.

* {{Realpolitik}}: Starfleet’s abandonment of the Romulans gets a bit more nuance, as we learn that many races threatened to pull out of the Federation if the rescue effort went through.

* TheMole: Commodore Oh and Lieutenant Rizzo are working for ''Zhat Vash''.

* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: The ''Zhat Vash'' apparently exists to protect some terrible secret. Laris doesn't know what it is, but thinks it's the sort that could break someone's mind.

* {{Flashback}}: The episode opens to a flashback of the synth attack on Mars, this time as seen on the planet's surface, as opposed to news broadcasts like in "Children of Mars". A synth on the surface suddenly shuts off the planetary defenses, [[KillAllHumans kills all the humans]] present, and then [[DrivenToSuicide blows its own brains out]].

* RealityEnsues: Picard asks Starfleet to return his flight status -- days after he brutally criticized them in a widely broadcast public interview on FNN. And fourteen years after his resignation disagreeing with Starfleet policy. Unsurprisingly, Picard is denied, and gets a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech on top of it.

* {{Flashback}}: The episode opens to a flashback of the synth attack on Mars, this time as seen on the planet's surface, as opposed to news broadcasts like in "Children of Mars". A synth on the surface suddenly shuts off the planetary defenses, kills all the humans present, and then [[DrivenToSuicide blows its own brains out]].

* PuttingTheBandBackTogether: Defied; Zhaban suggests that Picard reunite the old ‘’Enterprise’’ command crew for his mission, but Picard refuses. He knows [[UndyingLoyalty they would all join if asked]], but after Data’s sacrifice he doesn’t want to put them in danger again.

* RealityEnsues: Picard asks Starfleet to return his flight status -- days after he brutally criticized them in a widely broadcast public interview on FNN. And fourteen years after his resignation disagreeing with Starfleet policy.

* RealityEnsues: Picard asks Starfleet to return his flight status -- days after he brutally criticized them in a widely broadcast public interview on FNN.

* ThereAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: The ''Zhat Vash'' apparently exists to protect some terrible secret. Laris doesn't know what it is, but thinks it's the sort that could break someone's mind.

* CallBack: The discussion of Picard having a brain abnormality harkens back to the anti-time future of ''TNG'''s "All Good Things", where he suffered from Irumodic Syndrome. In the present time of the same episode, Dr. Crusher did confirm that he had markers that indicated the potential for developing such a condition.

* {{Flashback}}: The episode opens to a flashback of the synth attack on Mars, this time as seen from Mars as opposed to news broadcasts like in "Children of Mars". A synth on the surface suddenly shuts off the defenses, kills all the humans, then blows its own brains out.
* RealityEnsues: Picard asks Starfleet to return his flight status...days after he brutally insulted them in a worldwide public interview.
* {{Realpolitik}}: Starfleet’s abandonment of the Romulans gets a bit more nuance as we learn many races threatened to pull out of the Federation if the rescue went through.

* {{Flashback}}: The episode opens to a flashback of the synth attack on Mars, this time as seen from Mars as opposed to news broadcasts like in "Children of Mars".