Line #73 Recap/StarTrekPicardS3E07Dominion


1	As the ''Titan''-A lurks in the [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Chin'toka system]]'s DerelictGraveyard, Seven of Nine makes contact with an old friend: Captain Tuvok (Creator/TimRuss). He has not been able to reach Admiral Janeway either, though he surmises that the preparations for Frontier Day, a mere 36 hours from now, are occupying her attention. The bridge crew are running all sorts of scans on Tuvok's voice print, but in the end it's down to Seven to BluffTheImposter: she references their games of ''kal-toh'', and he reminds her that she won most of them, to her relief: it's the real Tuvok. He agrees to summon allies and meet her at Aklion VII, where she had her neural pattern stabilized... Apparently forgetting that he did this back in the Delta Quadrant (''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager VOY]]'': "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E7InfiniteRegress Infinite Regress]]"). Now revealed, the Changeling admits that they have the real Tuvok hostage... and implies that his fate will be much the same as Will Riker's.
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3	Picard and Crusher discuss the current situation -- the ship is still at large but without allies; Worf and Raffi are PutOnABus to go do Intelligence stuff -- and ruminate on what they learned during the last episode. Their hypothesis is that the Changelings want to break into Frontier Day, meaning they'll need to pass Starfleet's DNA scanners. As such, they need Picard's DNA (from his corpse) and Jack's blood to make a super-fake Changeling Picard. Meanwhile, La Forge, who is still working on Daystrom Android M-5-10, explains (and eventually demonstrates) to Picard that both Data and Lore's personalities are stored within, and are battling for control of the hardware platform. Lore implies that, per Altan Soong's genetic scans, something else is up with Picard's DNA, something that throws the old "Irumodic Syndrome" diagnosis into question, but won't say what. We get a potential answer belowdecks, where Jack and Sidney find themselves in a turbolift together. Their UnresolvedSexualTension is somewhat derailed by the implication that Jack's glowing red eyes allow him to read her mind. He visits Picard and admits that there's more to the story of his uniqueness, but won't admit what it is, instead suggesting that maybe it ''is'' time for him to give himself up -- especially since Starfleet has been playing from behind this whole time. Picard suggests he has an idea to turn those tables.
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5	The ''Shrike'' arrives at the ''Titan''[='s=] location. The ship is dead in the water, near the hulk of a Vulcan warship which is broadcasting logs: apparently, it engaged the ''Titan'' and both ships were crippled in the fight. Vadic, knowing her deadline is approaching, decides that TrapIsTheOnlyOption and goes in. Jack and Sidney play bait, and up at the bridge, Shaw and Seven drop force fields to trap Vadic and her Changeling soldiers in the corridors... but not before Jack and Sidney manage to get themselves trapped as well. Vadic, captured, goes on her MotiveRant to Picard and Crusher: she and nine other Changelings were kept at Daystrom Station, where an EvilutionaryBiologist under the auspices of "Project Proteus" performed experiments on them. From these experiments she learned the new "keep my form, have fake blood, etc" tricks her people are using to fool Starfleet's TSA checks, and formed the RenegadeSplinterFaction to revenge themselves on the Federation. Picard and Crusher, though clearly torn about the choice, decide to execute their prisoner in cold blood and simplify the problem immensely.
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7	Down in Engineering, the whole plan goes awry: Lore emerges triumphant from the BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind and, hooked up to a computer, succeeds in taking over the whole ship. Vadic escapes, and her {{mook}}s are turned loose on Jack and Sidney. La Forge makes an impassioned plea to his friend, and Data takes the day, regaining control of Daystrom Android M-5-10 and resetting the ship's systems. Meanwhile, Jack uses his mind-reading powers to telepathically walk Sidney through the fight, allowing her to survive and take down her opponent. And Picard and Crusher, looking up files on Project Proteus, learns that the captive Changelings were injected with a very specific radioactive isotope, rendering them detectable.
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9	But the damage has been done: Vadic and her one remaining {{mook}} get on the bridge and take it over. (More mooks spawn from BehindTheBlack.) Vadic calls out over the PA system to Jack Crusher, claiming it's time for him to learn who he really is.
10	----
11	!!Tropes:
12	* AchillesHeel: Once they learn the details of the experiment that created the altered changelings Beverly identifies a chemical compound with a specific half-life, something they can calibrate their scanners to detect and track them. Despite their more refined shapeshifting abilities, they have new limitations.
13	* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Vadic and her crew board and invade the ''Titan''. Despite a promising start where the Changelings are contained by forcefields, Lore throws a wrench into that plan and they ultimately seize the ship.
14	* AmbiguousSituation: It's left unclear when specifically Tuvok was replaced by the rogue Changelings. It's implied to be at least several months, if his comment about not speaking with Janeway for some time ''was'' truthful (which makes sense as, given their longtime friendship, Janeway could spot any inconsistencies). However, he also fails the second BluffTheImposter, but knew at least enough basic knowledge to pass the first. This suggests that Tuvok's impersonation and replacement may have been rushed, once they realized Seven and the ''Titan'' were now involved against them -- and thus Seven would inevitably seek out her old crew for help.
15	* AuthorAppeal: Terry Matalas has [[https://collider.com/star-trek-picard-season-3-episode-7-spoiler-interview-showrunner-terry-matalas admitted]] that, having gotten his ''Trek'' start as a PA on ''Voyager'', there was a personal appeal to bringing back Tim Russ/Tuvok.
16	* BadBoss: Vadic's superior is now resorting to [[ColdBloodedTorture torturing her]] over "conference" call for failing to find Jack. His dialogue also implies that he's ''not'' a Changeling or a Solid, but a GreaterScopeVillain that hasn't been revealed yet.
17	* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: Vadic is part of a batch of Changelings experimented on by Starfleet to improve their abilities. Several of them were killed by the experiments, fueling her rage towards Starfleet.
18	* BeyondRedemption: Picard and Beverly conclude from their talk with Vadic that there's simply no way to end things peacefully. Vadic is driven solely by hatred and nothing they do will quell it.
19	* BluffTheImposter: Seven mentions her games of ''kal-toh'' with Tuvok, and he accurately notes that she beat him numerous times. Then she suggests Aklion VII as a meeting point, citing it as the place where she had her neural patterns stabilized. He fails that check because he doesn't consider the anti-''Kolinahr'' protests held there, and the event she speaks of happened on ''Voyager'' with Tuvok's help.
20	* BodyHorror: Vadic's superior punishes her by involuntarily triggering her shapeshifting and leaving her locked between Solid and Liquid forms.
21	* CallBack: [[https://twitter.com/DaveBlass/status/1642554855930707970 According]] to Production Designer David Blass, the appearance and staging of Ghoul Riker was an homage to Admiral Riker's first appearance in the possible future from [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E24AllGoodThings "All Good Things"]].
22	* TheCameo: Seven contacts Tuvok in an attempt to figure out where Riker is being held. Unfortunately, it isn't Tuvok, but a Changeling impersonator.
23	* ContinuityNod:
24	** The ''Titan'' hides in a DerelictGraveyard in the Chin'toka System, one of the battlegrounds of [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine the Dominion War]].
25	** The events of "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E7InfiniteRegress Infinite Regress]]" are mentioned as part of Seven's BluffTheImposter gambit with Tuvok (and ultimately help expose him as a Changeling).
26	* CrazyPrepared: The memory partition inside the Data Golem. Altan Soong had hoped Data and Lore's personalities would integrate with the other memory files and allow Data to finally become fully human in his way. However, Lore ''is'' Lore and thus Altan was rightly worried Lore's personality might seize control and consume Data.
27	* CreateYourOwnVillain: The altered Changelings originated from Vadic, who was captured during the Dominion War and experimented on by a Starfleet MadScientist for years. [[KillAndReplace Vadic killed the human in charge and took her form]], then retrieved the chemical vials that caused their mutation to be distributed among other Changelings looking for revenge. While there is still a GreaterScopeVillain behind Vadic, their personal anger and hatred towards Starfleet is justified and being more perfect infiltrators is exactly what they were designed to be.
28	* DerelictGraveyard: The ''Titan''-A and her crew hide in one of these in the formerly Dominion-controlled Chin'toka system near Cardassian space, last seen in ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]''. In a distant counterpoint to the previous episode's visit to the Fleet Museum, somewhere out there in the field of wreckage probably still drifts the remains of the first U.S.S. ''Defiant'', destroyed by a Breen energy dampening weapon and concentrated fire at the disastrous Second Battle of Chin'toka as depicted in "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E20TheChangingFaceOfEvil The Changing Face of Evil]]", late in ''[=DS9=]'''s seventh season.
29	* DidntSeeThatComing: Vadic admits that she didn't anticipate how loyal Riker and Troi would be to Picard, or that they wouldn't break under torture.
30	* DownerEnding: The plan to entrap Vadic fails thanks to Lore, leading to her and her Changelings successfully seizing control of the ''Titan'' and in a position to finally capture Jack.
31	* EnemyMine: Zigzagged. Lore ''technically'' doesn't join forces with Vadic. That said, Lore ''does'' invoke this basic trope as his motive for helping the Changelings by deactivating the ''Titan'' force fields.
32	-->'''Geordi''': What do you want, Lore?!
33	-->'''Lore''': No more than you want for your children. Nothing more than these Changelings want. Survival. It's... human nature, pal. Allow me to level the playing field. The enemy of my enemies... Well, you know the rest.
34	* EquivalentExchange: Project Proteus was this for Vadic and her faction. While the experiments enhanced their physiology and shapeshifting abilities (and can also be passed on to other Changelings), it was at the cost of shorter lifespans and almost constant pain.
35	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: After Seven exposes "Tuvok", she slowly realizes that while the Changeling failed the second test, he ''was'' able to pass the first one. Her games of Kal-toh with Tuvok about ''Voyager'' were personal, private information -- which means the only way the Founders would know this was if they'd "spoken" with Tuvok. That means this isn't just a Changeling posing as Tuvok, but that they specifically captured and interrogated the Vulcan to trick Seven -- and her old friend may now very well be dead.
36	* FaceStealer: Flashbacks reveal Vadic's humanoid form is intentionally modeled after the Starfleet scientist who tortured her and her siblings (and whom Vadic eventually murdered). Vadic adopted the look as her private "Fuck You" -- a reminder of her hate for the Federation and what they did to the Changelings every time she looks in the mirror.
37	** Vadic's adoption of her jailer's form also serves as a twisted parallel to the backstory of [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Odo]], who modeled his own solid appearance on the Bajoran scientist (Mora Pol) who studied him.
38	* FailedASpotCheck: As the systems are working against him, Geordi asks, "what is doing this"...as he walks right by the android with the murderous alternate personality plugged into the ship's computer system.
39	* FateWorseThanDeath: Changeling Tuvok's gloating promise to Seven after she demands to know if the real Tuvok is still alive.
40	-->'''Changeling Tuvok''': All I can tell you is: when we ''are'' done with [the real Tuvok] -- when we are done with all of you -- [[MercyKill death will come as a relief]].
41	* FauxAffablyEvil: Lore's still a smooth-talker to the old ''Enterprise'' crew, but he has no lost love for them and will happily destroy them.
42	* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Again, from the perspective of the Data copy inside the Golem, it's still [[Film/StarTrekNemesis 2379]], though he adapts quickly once Picard explains that it's been a while.
43	* FriendOnTheForce: Seven approaches Tuvok in the hopes he can serve this role and give them intel on Riker's whereabouts after being captured at Daystrom. Alas, of course, he turns out to be a false friend.
44	* FromBadToWorse:
45	** The beginning of the episode. The ''Titan'' has recovered Data and learned what was stolen from Daystrom, but it doesn't do much to help them. 36 hours are now left until Frontier Day and they're running out of places to hide from the compromised Starfleet. Worse, the Changelings also got to Tuvok, which eliminates another avenue of alerting Admiral Janeway (and also means they can't seek out any other ''Voyager'' allies as Seven had hoped).
46	** The whole episode, arguably. Not only is Tuvok found to be in Changeling captivity (or possibly worse), the attempt to trap Vadic and her underlings backfires horribly due to Lore's SpannerInTheWorks and they end up taking over the ''Titan''-A, killing several of her already minimal crew, and preparing to take Jack by force.
47	* FrontlineGeneral: Vadic personally leads the boarding of the ''Titan''.
48	* FugitiveArc: The ''Titan'' is still on the run from the compromised-Starfleet. This is actually one of the catalysts for their trap for Vadic: Geordi's running out of ideas for potential hiding places and they can't evade Starfleet indefinitely.
49	* GoodCopBadCop: {{Lampshaded}} after Vadic listens to Crusher threatening to violate the Hippocratic Oath and figures that Picard will be the "understanding" to Crusher's "cruel".
50	* GreaterScopeVillain: Vadic's boss, who is implied to not be a Changeling from his dialogue.
51	* HesBack: Played horrifically when Lore manages to seize full control of the Data Golem.
52	* HiddenAgendaVillain: Vadic's motives are transparent, but the Face's obsession with Jack and mocking of both Changelings and Solids suggests destroying the Federation isn't as important to him as it is her.
53	* HopeSpot:
54	** Tuvok passes Seven's first BluffTheImposter test, signifying he's the real deal and they've got a key ''Voyager'' ally on their side. Then, Seven quietly performs one more test just to be safe -- and "Tuvok" flunks it, revealing he is actually a Changeling and their potential allies are all compromised. The soundtrack even plays the ''Voyager'' theme as if indicating it's two old friends coming together -- something Terry Matalas has [[https://collider.com/star-trek-picard-season-3-episode-7-spoiler-interview-showrunner-terry-matalas/ confirmed]] was intentional -- only to cut out when the ruse is revealed.
55	** The ''Titan'' gambit works, they've got Vadic and her crew contained, her motives are clearer, and they have a means of detecting the evolved Changelings. And then everything goes to hell because of Lore.
56	* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Similar to Moriarty with Riker and Worf last episode, Lore has the same mocking and sneering opinion of the (from his perspective) now-elderly Picard (and to a lesser extent Geordi).
57	-->'''Lore''': [That would explain] why you're so ''old''. Time has been ''very'' cruel to you, [Picard].
58	* {{Hypocrite}}:
59	** Played for Black Comedy when Lore sneers at the-now centenarian Picard and how time has been cruel to him -- all the while ignoring his current shell is a septuagenarian version of the basic Soong android template.
60	** Vadic complains that Starfleet attempted genocide on her people and declares their own behavior "warfare". The Dominion infected rebellious populations in their corner of the galaxy with bioweapons, tried to wipe out Bajor and its entire star system before the war even started and tried to completely bomb Cardassia to the ground for rebelling against them with explicit orders to exterminate the Cardasians, so she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on in that department.
61	* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Geordi pleads with Data to overcome Lore when Lore hijacks the ''Titan''-A's systems. It takes some doing, but Data succeeds.
62	-->'''Geordi:''' Data, I know you're in there. So I need you to listen to me because life rarely gives you second chances to say what you should. Okay? Data, you made me better. You did. You made a better man, a-a... a better father. A better friend. And when you died... it broke me. But, see, you... You put me back together, you repaired me. It-it... The-the memory of you.
63	* IShallTauntYou: The Changeling impersonating Tuvok, once uncovered by Seven, claims that their group's plan will result in a FateWorseThanDeath for all Solids involved, before changing to an undead-looking echo of the imprisoned Riker to play on the main characters' fears even further.
64	* ItsAllAboutMe: A variation with Vadic during her MotiveRant. In spite of being subservient to her boss, Vadic ''is'' still a Changeling and thus still possesses the arrogance that was part and parcel of the Founders on ''[=DS9=]''. As far as Vadic's concerned, Starfleet's attempted genocide of her people is a ''far'' worse crime than the Dominion's invasion of the Alpha Quadrant and the millions of lives lost (and nearly a ''billion'' in the case of the Cardassians) -- and countless worlds left devastated all in the name of their holy crusade to NeverBeHurtAgain.
65	* IronicNurseryTune: Vadic recalls the scientist who experimented on her and her fellow Changelings whistling while she did so -- it would appear that "Three Blind Mice" will persevere into the 24th century.
66	* ItsPersonal: Vadic's boast to Picard and Beverly:
67	-->'''Vadic''': The Federation took my family. Now I will take yours.
68	* {{Leitmotif}}: Very cleverly used when Seven speaks with Tuvok. The ''Voyager'' theme begins playing after he passes the TrustPassword, musically signifying this is the real Tuvok and they've got a key ''Voyager'' ally on their side. As soon as he fails Seven's second test, however, the ''Voyager'' theme cuts out and the music goes sinister.
69	* MandatoryLine: Jonathan Frakes appears for only about five seconds, after the Tuvok imposter changes to his (Riker's) form to taunt our heroes.
70	* MindHive: Data and Lore are partitioned into each half of the android's positronic brain and are vying for control (Soong and B-4 are mere memory files, by comparison). Lore takes over in the climax, also seizing control of the ship, but Data is able to reassert himself with some pleading from Geordi.
71	* NameOne: When Vadic claims that solids like humans ruin every planet they touch, Picard challenges her to name one. Her response: "Mine."
72	* NeedleInAStackOfNeedles: The ''Titan'' was hiding from the fleet among the wreckages of previous battles powered down, but still have to rotate between them to stay under the radar.
73	* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
74	** During the war, Section 31 used Daystrom Station to experiment on Changeling prisoners of war, giving them the ability to mimic those they shapeshift into down to the cellular level. Then said Changelings escaped, brought this gift back to their own kind, and used their further-justified hatred of the Federation to go rogue from the Great Link and bring down Starfleet once and for all. Really, between [[Series/StarTrekDiscovery Control]] and [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine the Changeling Virus]], you'd think someone at Starfleet should put more oversight on their black ops division.
75	** The late Ro Laren transferring most of the ''Titan'' crew to the ''Intrepid'' two episodes ago posthumously comes back to bite Shaw and Team Picard. Once Lore lets Vadic and her team out of the traps the ''Titan'' set, they're able to bum rush and overpower the skeleton crew and easily seize control of the ship.
76	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: While it comes a bit late to help immediately, Vadic choosing to elaborate on her backstory and identify the name of the experimental program that enhanced her shapeshifting allows Beverly to figure out a means to detect the evolved Changelings through a specific isotope in the serum that allows them to maintain their forms.
77	* NoodleIncident:
78	** The anti-Kolinahr demonstrations on Aklion VII, which Seven uses to expose "Tuvok".
79	** Geordi's dialogue after they cut the call with "Tuvok" implies he's not the first person they've contacted who either wouldn't help them, or had also been compromised.
80	* OhCrap: Geordi's reaction upon realizing Lore's personality's now in complete control of the Data Golem.
81	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Vadic doesn't revert to her LaughingMad act upon finishing the "conference call" with her superior (and as she previously did back in "No Win Scenario"). Instead, Vadic's morose and exhausted.
82	* PhoneTraceRace: When Seven contacts "Tuvok", the Founders initially ''don't'' do this to avoid alerting their quarry anything is wrong. They instead try to trick Seven to willingly bringing the ''Titan'' to a rendezvous of their choice. Once "Tuvok" is exposed, however, the Changelings drop all pretenses and launch an aggressive subspace trace. They nearly succeed before Shaw and Geordi manage to cut the signal (and because Seven and Picard keep the call going as long as possible to try and glean any valuable intel the Changeling might let slip during his gloating).
83	* PrecisionFStrike: Geordi swears at Lore after his deactivation of the force fields endangers Sidney.
84	-->'''Geordi''': Goddamnit, Lore!
85	* PutOnABus: Similarly to "No Win Scenario", Worf and Raffi do not appear in this episode. They're stated to have taken ''La Sirena'' to covertly follow up potential Starfleet Security leads on Riker's whereabouts.
86	* RaceAgainstTime: The Changelings are also now racing against the clock to try and recover Jack before Frontier Day. At the top of the episode, the clock's now at 36 hours left and counting.
87	* RankUp: Tuvok has gone from a lieutenant commander to a captain in the decades since ''Voyager'' returned home to the Alpha Quadrant. ''[[WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks Lower Decks]]'' had previously briefly depicted him as a full commander in the 2380s.
88	* TheReveal:
89	** The evolved Changelings are a result of Starfleet experiments at Daystrom to create perfect Changeling spies. Vadic and her batch of Changelings escaped, and can pass the ability on to those they link with.
90	** What was believed to be Irumodic Syndrome in Picard and Jack is indicated to be something different -- and alien -- mistaken for that condition. This is at least partly why Picard's corpse was stolen, to extract that thing from it, and Vadic's mysterious employer wants Jack alive for that reason.
91	* RuleOfSymbolism: The ''Titan''-A hiding out in the Chin'Toka System. Chin'toka was one of the crucial battlegrounds of the Dominion War. Capturing it gave the Federation their sole foothold in Dominion territory, but holding it was a tenuous balancing act. Eventually, the Dominion struck back and retook control -- much like how the ''Titan'''s plan to entrap Vadic initially succeeds, only to blow up in their faces. Likewise, the wreckage of the Second Battle is still there decades later (probably including the original U.S.S. ''Defiant'') -- mirroring how the reverberations of the War are ''still'' present and how the survivors of the War are ''still'' fighting through its figurative and literal wreckage decades later.
92	* SelfServingMemory: Though Vadic is technically correct that the Federation refused to give the Great Link the cure to the plague and "one of [their] own" had to do so, she conveniently leaves out that said individual was Odo, who only agreed to/was allowed to distribute it to the Great Link on the condition that the Female Changeling end hostilities immediately and agree to what was essentially an unconditional surrender.
93	* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: It's revealed that Vadic took on the appearance of the human scientist that abused and experimented on them, choosing it as their standard appearance. This is heavily interconnected with their erratic personality.
94	* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip:
95	** The "Tuvok" Changeling shapeshifts into a ghoulish version of Riker to taunt Picard.
96	** Vadic also does the same by briefly shapeshifting into Jack to taunt both Beverly and Picard after revealing her motivations while she's confined.
97	* ShutUpKirk: Lore's unchanged opinion of Picard, Geordi, and the rest of the ''Enterprise''-D alums. He even lampshades the trope to Sidney as a necessity for dealing with Starfleet types.
98	-->'''Alamndra''': So, has Lore always been this arch?\
99	'''Lore''': ...Did the tree move, or did the apple just fall far from it? When you're constantly subjected to these self-righteous, self-proclaimed "heroes" spewing their morality as if vomit were somehow virtuous, then sometimes, dear, a little bend, a little arch, a little antagonizing flare is required.
100	* SpannerInTheWorks: Lore gaining control of the Data Golem derails the entire trap Picard and the ''Titan'' set for Vadic.
101	* SpecialEditionTitle: The end credits play the mournful piano-based piece that earlier accompanied Vadic's story of her suffering.
102	* SpotTheImposter: When Seven contacts Tuvok, the crew run a voice analysis in an attempt to confirm he's the real deal. The test comes up inconclusive, so Seven switches to a BluffTheImposter gambit.
103	* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham:
104	** Averted initially, as Seven finally seeks out her old allies from ''Voyager'' (Tuvok in this case) for help in locating Riker (and to finally get through to Janeway and alert her). However, it then gets played straight once it's revealed he's a Changeling. It's too risky to reach out to anyone else given how close "Tuvok" came to tracing their signal. And if the Founders had enough prescience to replace Tuvok, then they can't trust any of the other ''Voyager'' veterans haven't also been compromised.
105	** By hiding in the Chin'toka system, the ''Titan'' is now in proximity to Cardassian and Bajoran space. However, none of the ''Deep Space Nine'' characters are contacted for assistance (ex. asking Garak or Kira for sanctuary on Cardassia or Bajor). Justified, as Worf is the only member of Team ''Titan'' with the connections to the [=DS9=] crew -- and he and Raffi are currently off pursuing Starfleet Security leads on Riker's whereabouts. Even if Worf wasn't absent, it's been over two decades since he left the Bajor Sector. There are no guarantees any of his old friends and allies from the station would even be nearby or in a position to help them.
106	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Vadic and her faction's split from the Great Link takes on additional context with this episode's revelations. If you were prisoners of war and experimented upon, you'd understandably be ''pretty'' pissed off. And if you made it home and informed your government of these war crimes, you would expect them to take action and seek retribution to such an injustice. And if said government, even after learning this (and in addition to learning your captors were also responsible for the plague that almost wiped out the Link) ''still'' vowed to honor the Female Founder's sacrifice and the Odo initiative? Well, then, you might just be pissed off enough to give them the finger, break away from your own people with like-minded supporters (thereby shattering thousands of years of unity), and go gunning for the Solids to burn their civilization to the ground.
107	* TautologicalTemplar: Vadic claims that Solids destroy every world they touch, and as proof cites her own world, specifically noting it as a retaliation to their own warfare. Genocidial or not, her argument is that the act of retaliating in itself proves they were right to strike first.
108	* {{Telepathy}}: Jack gains the ability to hear Sydney's thoughts, and eventually project his own to her. It's how he can tell that she's developed a budding interest in him, and it later lets him guide her in combat against Vadic's {{mooks}}.
109	* TitleDrop: References to the Dominion War are made twice.
110	* TooDumbToLive: The Federation scientists who captured Vadic and several other Changelings -- a species who already hated them with a passion -- and performed [[PlayingWithSyringes torturous experiments]] on them to boost their abilities, with the intent of weaponizing them. This went [[GoneHorriblyRight about as well for them as you'd expect]].
111	* TranquilFury: Seven upon realizing that "Tuvok" is a Changeling and that they've captured and possibly killed her old, dear friend from ''Voyager''.
112	* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: Vadic's crew rightly suspects the seemingly adrift ''Titan'' is a trap, but Vadic points out they don't have the time to wait for another opportunity.
113	* UncertainDoom: Tuvok has been replaced, but his imposter indicates he isn't dead yet. This, of course, is assuming the Changeling's telling the truth, and not intentionally giving Seven [[HopeSpot false hope]] just to [[ForTheEvulz twist the knife]].
114	* UndyingLoyalty: While briefing the Face on the interrogation of Riker and Troi, Vadic admits she misjudged how firm and loyal Picard's associates would be to the old man.
115	* VillainHasAPoint: Vadic rightly points out to Picard and Beverly that Starfleet technically never gave the morphogenic virus cure to the Founders; the Federation Council did after all vote ''against'' giving it to them, to avoid aiding their wartime enemy. It was Bashir and O'Brien who stole it from Section 31, used it to cure Odo, and it was then the Constable -- one of their own people -- who ultimately brought it home, albeit only after the Female Changeling agreed to surrender. Vadic also points out that Starfleet performed cruel experiments on her and her fellows in order to weaponize them, which even upsets Picard.
116	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Riker is able to send a comm signal from the ''Shrike'' that confirms he has been captured there. Despite this, nobody thinks of sending over a BoardingParty to free him, or even communicating to him so he can break out and be a SpannerInTheWorks behind the lines. (The former is justified by the ''Titan''[='s=] CriticalStaffingShortage; the latter is not.)
117	* WhamLine: "Your physiology is not as complex or as special as you believe", which implies The Face ''isn't'' a Changeling like Vadic and her faction. (Or possibly is just a "normal" Changeling who isn't impressed by Vadic's aditional abilities.) The events of "Vox" will subsequently confirm it was the former.
118	* WhamShot: "Tuvok" smirks, confirming he did indeed fail Seven's test and is a Changeling.
119	* TheWorfEffect: It's not a combat situation, but Tuvok's impersonation is used to show that no one is safe from being replaced by a Changeling with little to no warning to those around. Bear in mind that Tuvok was ''Voyager'''s chief of security and tactical officer, spent time undercover in the Maquis, and going by ''Lower Decks'' had a career in Starfleet Intelligence after that. This would make him one of the most qualified of basically any ''Star Trek'' main cast member in being ProperlyParanoid, and even ''he'' got replaced by a Changeling imposter.
120	* WorthyOpponent: After capturing the ''Titan'', Vadic admits that the crew have proven themselves worthy.

Context Recap / StarTrekPicardS3E07Dominion