History Recap / StarTrekPicardS3E03SeventeenSeconds

* KlingonsLoveShakespeare: As a Klingon Opera aficionado during TNG and [=DS9=], Worf in the interim since ''Nemesis'' has become fond of human opera like Hector Berlioz's ''Les Troyens'' (likely due to Picard's influence).

* TheBusCameBack: Played with re: the Founders. ''A'' Changeling had previously [[Recap/StarTrekDiscoveryS4E08AllIn appeared]] in the penultimate Season of ''Discovery'', marking their return to the franchise after a 20+ year absence (though it was left unclear if said Changeling was affiliated with the 32nd Century Dominion or not). This episode at least marks the Founders' return to 24/25th Century-era ''Trek'' for the first time since the [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E25E26WhatYouLeaveBehind conclusion]] of [=DS9=].

* TheCameo: Creator/MarinaSirtis makes her first appearance this Season as Deanna during the opening flashback to Thad Riker's birth.

** The ''Shrike'''s mysterious weapon is Quantum Tunneling technology, thereby directly linking them to the Daystrom theft and further tying together the Season's A and B storylines.

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: A variation with the Changelings. During ''Deep Space Nine'', the Female Founder repeatedly touted the unity of the Great Link and the absence of any dissent (especially in contrast and comparison to the chaotic, fractious Solids). Now, decades later, the Link has become just as chaotic and fractious as their mortal enemies thanks to its RenegadeSplinterFaction dissenting and rejecting the primary consensus.

* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: A variation with the Changelings. During ''Deep Space Nine'', the Female Founder repeatedly touted the unity of the Great Link and the absence of any dissent (especially in contrast and comparison to the chaotic, fractious Solids). Now, decades later, the Great Link has become just as chaotic and fractious as their mortal enemies thanks to its RenegadeSplinterFaction.

* XanatosGambit: The ''Shrike'''s pursuit of the ''Titan''. If they can catch up with them on the first leg of the chase, great. If they can't, that's okay too, because Vadic has a mole aboard who sabotage systems and lay a trail of breadcrumbs to follow.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The Dominion's surrender at the Battle of Cardassia did not go over well with the Great Link on their side of the Bajoran Wormhole. Thousands of years of insularity and xenophobia runs deep and isn't just shaken off overnight. So it's completely realistic that there would be Founders who were extremist even by Changeling standards and who'd absolutely refuse to honor the Female Founder's sacrifice and who'd reject the Treaty of Bajor. While it's not explicitly stated, it's also not hard to imagine Odo's goals of internal reformation didn't help or met with resistance (or very possibly helped trigger this schism; after all, Odo ''did'' bring with him the knowledge that rogue Federation elements had engineered the morphogenic plague that almost wiped out the Link).

* TheReveal: The true power behind the conspiracy targeting the Crushers, that orchestrated the Daystrom theft, and bombed the M'talas Prime Recruitment Center is revealed: they're renegade Changelings who're trying to avenge the Dominion's defeat in the Alpha Quadrant decades earlier.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Starfleet has been keeping a tight lid on the grim intel that Odo passed on regarding the schism within the Great Link. Command's worried if this news gets out, it could end up triggering a second Dominion War.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Picard's decision to put the ''Titan''-A and her entire crew at risk to save his son is both acknowledged and commented upon, as Picard admits he owes Shaw an apology and that the ship's primary focus should be its own safety.

* NumberTwo: Amusingly inverted. After Shaw is injured, Riker steps up to take command while (and with Seven presumably still below decks) Picard becomes the de facto acting executive officer. To Riker's amusement, Picard even lampshades the irony that Will should just call him "Number One".

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Downplayed, but there's visible guilt on Riker's face when the injured Shaw (rightly and justifiably) accuses him and Picard of getting the ''Titan'' and its crew into this mess. Will's attempt to help Picard and Beverley and get away from marital problems with Deanna's unleashed a catastrophe and it's all on him.

* MutualDisadvantage: The ''Titan''-A and ''Shrike'' share the same disadvantage that Kirk's ''Enterprise'' and Khan's ''Reliant'' had [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan in the Mutara Nebula]] over a century earlier: sensor systems disabled by the Ryton Nebula. It's then subverted, however, as the ''Shrike'' can track the ''Titan'', thanks to a saboteur creating "trail of breadcrumbs" by subtly sabotaging the warp coils to create a particle trail, much like how Chang's bird-of-prey was [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry tracked by its engine emissions at Khitomer]].

Seven has informed Captain Riker of the verterium gas leak. Captain Riker and his self-appointed NumberTwo, Admiral Picard, try to decide what to do with the information. They have already decided, at the top of the episode, that they need to get the ''Titan'' to safety, but they cannot agree ''how'': Picard wants to use the sabotage to lure the ''Shrike'' into a trap, while Riker would rather ScrewThisImOuttaHere, particularly since (as Shaw has been saying the whole time) the FragileSpeedster ''Titan'' would be [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight Bringing A Knife To A Gun Fight]]. The question is decided when the Changeling saboteur simply blows out a power conduit, disabling the warp drive. So Riker brings the ship around... only to find the ''Shrike'' waiting for him. And Vadic's thinking with portals: ''Titan''[='s=] barrage of photon torpedoes simply gets portal'd right back at them, smashing into the ship's engineering hull and disabling main power. The ''Shrike'' backs away, leaving the ''Titan'', HoistByTheirOwnPetard, to get sucked into the gravity well at the center of the nebula.

Jack can't get to the bridge (RedAlert and all that), so he asks Seven for a consultation: is there some way Vadic ''could'' be tracking them? She takes him to Engineering, where they discover sabotage; the ''Titan'' is leaking verterium gas, which the ''Shrike'' can easily detect. In fact, the room they enter is so filled with it that the atmosphere is poisonous. Seven heads out to effect repairs while Jack stays put; there, he's accosted by the saboteur, who reacts to getting punched in the face by having a rippling face. The saboteur knocks off Jack's gas mask and leaves him for dead.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: After the ''Titan'' initially evades them, Vadic doesn't rage; far from it, she's cool and calm. Almost as if she's confident they can find their quarry again with ease ...

* KansasCityShuffle: After interrogating 'Rikka', Worf and Raffi deduce the break-in at the Daystrom Institute was one. While the acquisition of the quantum tunneling technology ''was'' beneficial to the conspiracy, it ''wasn't'' their primary objective. The rogue Changelings specifically took it and attacked the M'talas Prime Recruitment Cemnter to divert Starfleet's attention from something else they grabbed during the heist -- something more valuable and dangerous.

* LegendaryInTheSequel: Worf thanks to his exploits during TNG and the Dominion War. Raffi even cites it in-universe.

* TheReveal: The true power behind the conspiracy targeting the Crushers, that orchestrated the Daystrom theft, and bombe the M'talas Prime Recruitment Center is revealed: They're renegade Changelings who're trying to avenge the Dominion's defeat in the Alpha Quadrant decades earlier.

* WaveMotionTuningFork: The ''Shrike'' generates portals by [[SuckingInLines converging energy]] from its four pylons and firing the resulting ball.

* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Played with. The Changelings, having served as the leaders of the Dominion on ''Deep Space Nine'', have relocated to Picard's corner of the 24th/25th Century era. But it's a renegade faction rather than the Dominion itself.

* KansasCityShuffle: After interrogating 'Rikka', Worf and Raffi deduce the break-in at the Daystrom Institute was one. While the acquisition of the quantum tunneling technology ''was'' beneficial to the conspiracy, it was ultimately a distraction. The rogue Changelings specifically took it to divert Starfleet's attention away from something else they grabbed during the heist -- something more valuable and dangerous.

** When Raffi first meets Worf, he's listening to Hector Berlioz's opera ''Les Troyens'' -- the same opera that Picard was listening to during ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact''.

* When Raffi first meets Worf, he is listening to Hector Berlioz's opera ''Les Troyens'' -- the same opera that Picard was listening to during ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact''.