Recap / Star Trek: Picard S3E03 "Seventeen Seconds"

The Titan-A is under attack, taking considerable damage from the Shrike. By flying through the nebula, however, she's able to lose her pursuer...for now.

BEFORE

In a flashback, Picard toasts the birth of Thaddeus Riker. Will is alternately excited and scared, claiming that the turbolift ride from the Titan's bridge to sickbay were the longest seventeen seconds of his life. However, he's rousted from celebrating by an exhausted Deanna Troi: "I haven't brushed my hair in 72 hours and your son just vomited all over Engineering. Projectile vomit! Four feet in the air! They should study him for science." Will returns to fatherhood, after wishing Picard — who, remember, is the Last of His Kind, has no Love Interest and no living blood relations — an Innocently Insensitive thing: "I hope one day you get to have this feeling too."

PRESENT DAY

In the present day, Picard confronts Crusher, demanding to know what happened to their Relationship Revolving Door. Beverly admits that, the exact day she dumped him for the fifth time, she got pregnant. ...And when she tried to reach out to him, he was the victim of an assassination attempt. After the third such incident, she gave up. "All I knew is that if you're the son of Jean-Luc Picard, there's a target on your back. ... As a mother, your whole being is about protecting your child. I thought I could protect mine. I didn't know if I could protect yours." She also admits that she told Jack who his father was and encouraged him to reach out: he refused.

Ensign Sidney La Forge has a quick scene with Seven where the two affirm their friendship and La Forge calls her "Commander Seven". This will be important later.

Raffi awakens on La Sirena, not certain how she got there. The only other occupant is her handler: Worf, Son of Mogh, who has made chamomile tea. He agrees with her that the attack on the Starfleet recruitment building is merely a herald of a greater attack. She confronts him for hamstringing her investigation, especially since she was right... but Worf points out that he was scared she would simply get herself killed, and he was right as well. That said, he has determined that a human named Titus Rikka paid Sneed to finger T'Luco, and the two join forces to apprehend him.

Shaw orders the Titan-A deeper into the nebula; Vadic orders the pursuit with glacial calm. The nebula, in the grand tradition of Star Trek nebulae, dampens sensors, and the Titan is mostly able to find safety... but the Shrike seems to have some other way of finding her quarry. Shaw is injured in another attack and officially puts Riker in command. As Beverly and Dr. Ohk try to slow the internal bleeding, he grabs Jack Crusher and wonders, audibly and angrily, how the Shrike keeps tracking them. Meanwhile, Riker orders the ship out of the nebula, only to find the Shrike waiting for them... And, even worse, it has the Portal Phlebotinum that has driven the season, powered up to the point that ships can move through it. Titan's attempts to escape simply result in her coming out where she started. Riker, frustrated, orders the ship back into the nebula, despite Science Officer T'Veen's warning of some sort of gravimetric object at its center. Additionally, the nebula is sending out consistent pulses of energy, which (T'Veen notes) have a bioelectric signature. This will be important later.

Jack can't get to the bridge (Red Alert 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, whose face ripples when punched. The saboteur knocks off Jack's gas mask and leaves him for dead.

Worf and Raffaela (he only uses her full name) succeed in apprehending Rikka and drag him back to La Sirena for a dose of the ol' Good Cop/Bad Cop. Rikka seems in a foul temper, and Musiker (the angry bad cop) dangles the lure of drugs in front of him so he can avoid withdrawal symptoms. However, Worf (the calmer good cop) sees his face rippling, and has only one question: "How long have you been away from the Great Link?" His cover blown, Rikka morphs and tries to escape, but Worf and his phaser put a stop to it. He then reveals what he has already learned from his source in the Great Link: a Renegade Splinter Faction of Founders, in defiance of the primary consensus, are attempting to restart the Dominion War. (Starfleet cannot acknowledge this publicly without doing the same.) Likewise, up on the Titan, Jack identifies his assailant as a Changeling. (Of course, he's dragged in unconscious, forcing Picard to take a seventeen-second turbolift ride, the longest of his life, to his bedside.) Raffi hypothesizes that the Changelings who stole the Portal Phlebotinum did it to hide the theft of something bigger and scarier at the same place, and she and Worf point their Buddy Cop Show towards the Daystrom Institute to find out what it was.

Seven has informed Captain Riker of the verterium gas leak. Captain Riker and his self-appointed Number One, Admiral Picard, try to decide how to use it. 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 Screw This, I'm Outta Here, particularly since (as Shaw has been saying the whole time) the Fragile Speedster Titan would be 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, Hoist by Their Own Petard, to get sucked into the gravity well at the center of the nebula.

Riker: (to Picard) Remove yourself from the bridge. You've just killed us all.

---

Tropes:

• Actually Pretty Funny: During the flashback to Thad Riker's birth, Will isn't offended by Picard's Bait-and-Switch Comment (see below). Far from it, he starts laughing uproariously (with Picard joining him).
• Ambiguous Situation: Vadic following the Changeling reveal. Is she too a rogue Founder, or is she instead one of the 'like-minded souls' allied with the conspiracy which 'Rikka' mentions to Worf.
• Arc Welding: The events of the Dominion War arc from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are picked up and merged with the ongoing Picard narrative.
• Art Evolution:
  • Played with re: Michael Dorn and Worf's makeup. As Makeup Artist James MacKinnon discusses on The Ready Room, Worf's distinctive Klingon look has been preserved for continuity reasons. But given the advances in prosthetics and the advent of HD filming since Nemesis, the makeup's now much more sophisticated than it was during the earlier 24th Century productions.
  • The iconic Changeling shapeshifting effect from Deep Space Nine was previously updated for a Changeling's cameo on Discovery, but it wasn't really shown in depth or detail. The Discovery redesign is carried over to Picard and has been further tweaked both to reflect the advancements in CGI since the 1990s and to fit the Picard design aesthetic.
• As You Know: Worf recaps the broad strokes of the Dominion War and the Changelings to Raffi — something that is more necessary for newer viewers who missed DS9 than for Raffi/older viewers (especially given the tie-in literature's already confirmed Raffi served during the War, albeit as part of Romulan Affairs).
• Attack Reflector: When the Titan fires torpedoes at the Shrike, Vadic uses the portal weapon to redirect the torpedoes to hit the Titan.
• Avenging the Villain: Implied, or at least a possible example when Beverly mentions a pair of Reman Assassins who tried to kill Picard during the Donatra Sector incident. Shinzon isn't outright mentioned, but given the timing of when this occurred, it's not hard to imagine they were gunning after the man who got their liberator killed and doomed the Remans to eternal Romulan slavery (or alternately, they were trying to sabotage the Supernova Evacuation).
• Badass Beard: Worf still has his, but interestingly it's also changed in the interim since Nemesis (and not just the hair color). It's now gone from the traditional Klingon-style beard Worf sported during TNG and DS9 to a more human-style goatee. Given Worf's post-Nemesis Character Development has seen him finally embrace and balance his human heritage, his new beard style could arguably be a symbol of that self-improvement.
• Badass Boast: Worf gets a killer one for his introduction in this episode.
  "I am Worf, son of Mogh, House of Martok; son of Sergey, House of Rozhenko; bane to the Duras family; slayer of Gowron. I have made some chamomile tea. Do you take sugar?"
• Back in the Saddle: Riker retakes command of Titan after Shaw is injured. In a bout of irony, Picard becomes his Number One. Despite being absolute legendary officers they are in a tough situation with a ship and crew they are unfamiliar with.
• Bait-and-Switch Comment: During the flashback of Picard and Riker following the birth of the latter's son Thaddeus, Picard says he's sure the boy will be raised by "the wisest of souls, someone endowed with great kindness, patience, and unconditional love: his mother."
• Bash Brothers: A variation after Riker is forced to take command of the Titan-A (and with Picard providing support). After 15 years serving together and 35 years of friendship, the two men are completely in sync and able to anticipate the other's orders and actions. It breaks down later, however, as he and Picard clash over fleeing or fighting.
• Became Their Own Antithesis: A variation with the Changelings. During Deep Space Nine, the Female Founder repeatedly touted the unity of the Great Link, the befits of its groupthink, 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 Renegade Splinter Faction dissenting and rejecting the primary consensus.
• Both Sides Have a Point:
  • Raffi is pissed at Worf for trying to hamstring her investigation, as she was right about there being a bigger conspiracy. Worf in turn points out that he did so to protect her, and the fact that he had to save her means he was right to do so.
  • When Picard learns Beverly got pregnant and willingly kept the truth of them having a son together from him, she points out her reasons for refusing as her not wanting to live a life of constant danger, especially since Picard seemed to have a target on his back every other week. But as Picard points out, dangerous or no, he was still willing to give it all up so he could be a father, and Beverly took that chance from him by refusing to tell him about Jack.
  • Likewise, when Picard and Riker start arguing about how to handle the Shrike, Riker argues they need to get the hell out of there because he has 500 lives he's responsible for now—something even Picard pointed out earlier, and fighting them is useless. But Picard is just as right that Vadic is just going to exhaust them until they can't even run; at least fighting back, they stand a better chance. While Picard's reasoning is proven right when any attempts to run are thwarted by the Shrike using quantum tunneling tech to keep the Titan from going to warp, Riker's point is proven right when they try Picard's method and get sent to their doom instead (though again, Riker's hesitancy to strike until it was too late didn't help matters).
• Broken Pedestal: Discussed when Riker compares Jack to his father, which Jack denies.
  Riker: He is one of the finest men I've ever known.
  Jack: Is he? Let's just say that in my time on this universe, I've always found one thing to be true: the bigger the legend, the more disappointing the reality.
• The Bus Came Back: Played with re: the Founders. A Changeling had previously 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 conclusion of DS9.
• Call-Back:
  • The Titan-A and Shrike are in the exact same position that Kirk's Enterprise and Khan's Reliant were in 120 years earlier: two ships engaging in a cat-and-mouse battle inside a dense nebula that renders their respective sensor systems useless.
    • Picard having an estranged son who was raised by his mother is not unlike Kirk and David Marcus in that film. However, Picard didn't even know he had an estranged son.
  • Picard and Riker's torpedo trick was first introduced in the Voyager two-part episode "Workforce", where the Doctor cited it as a Romulan tactic.
  • Worf mentions that he was alerted to a conspiracy of a Dominion splinter group by a friend in the Dominion, "a man of honor," making reference to Odo and Worfs' time on Deep Space Nine.
• The Cameo: Marina Sirtis makes her first appearance this season as Deanna during the opening flashback to Thad Riker's birth.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: When an incredulous Picard asks why Beverly never even asked if he'd resign from Starfleet to raise their son, Beverly cites this trope as her justification. She knows Jean-Luc well enough to feel he would never willingly hang up his uniform. Picard loves playing the part of Starfleet hero and saving the day too much to give it up. The irony, of course, is that this very trait of Picard's is literally the only reason she and Jack are still alive and didn't go down with the Eleos.
• The Comically Serious: Worf chides Raffi for her attire being too obvious and she responds with him wearing warrior garb and if that's what he wears to the Tuesday beheading parties. After they find their mark and Worf body slams it, he replies with no hint of sarcasm "The beheadings are on Wednesday."
• Continuity Nod:
  • Worf is working out to the aria Vallon sonore from the Hector Berlioz opera Les Troyens, the same aria Picard was listening to in Star Trek: First Contact.
  • After he is injured, Shaw instructs the computer to transfer command of the Titan to Captain Riker, largely using the same phrasing that Picard and Jellico did in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Chain of Command."
• Converging-Stream Weapon: The Shrike generates portals by converging energy from its four pylons and firing the resulting ball.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The Titan is thoroughly outmatched in every way. Not only can she inflict zero damage to the Shrike, but Vadic uses the quantum tunnelling technology to keep the Titan from escaping and even sends her own torpedoes right back at her.
• Deadly Gas: The damaged warp coils leak a gas that is deadly to humans. Jack nearly dies when the Founder knocks off his breathing mask during their fight.
• Deadpan Snarker: Worf's wit is still as sharp as his blades, as demonstrated when Raffi asks him if he wears his "casual" clothes to a Tuesday beheading. After they catch Titus Rikka...
  Worf: Beheadings are on Wednesdays.
• Digital De-Aging: Lightly applied to Picard and Riker in the opening flashback to shave about a decade off of Patrick Stewart and Johnathan Frakes.
• Dissonant Serenity: Vadic during the attack on Titan-A. In contrast to her Laughing Mad and Ax-Crazy characterization in the previous episode, she's almost detached as she calmly issues attack orders.
• Enemy Civil War: Subverted. There's been a schism within the Great Link, but the Founders aren't outright warring with each other. One faction's trying to get revenge on the UFP while the mainstream Founders (in the form of Odo) are unofficially working with the Feds to stop their renegade brothers and sisters.
• Entertainingly Wrong: Raffi pegs Rikka as suffering from withdrawal, but assumes that it's from drugs. Worf realizes that he's actually in "Great Link" withdrawal.
• "Eureka!" Moment: When an injured Shaw wonders aloud how the Shrike can keep finding the Titan in the nebula, Jack sees the trail of blood in Sickbay and realizes that the Titan is leaking verterium particles that the Shrike can follow.
• Eviler than Thou: The renegade Founders, who are even more extremist than their brothers and sisters in the rest of the Link.
• Explosive Instrumentation: The old Trek "tradition" is alive and well aboard the Titan-A during the battle with the Shrike. One such explosion sends Shaw flying across the bridge and leaves him coughing up blood.
• Fantastic Racism: The rogue Changelings' hatred for the 'Solids' is still as strong as it was during Deep Space Nine.
• Fixed Forward-Facing Weapon: The Shrike's portal gun, as indicated in the previous episode, is mounted in the forward bay and can only be fired straight ahead. Unfortunately, the one time this might have worked against Vadic, she had the presence of mind to turn the ship in anticipation of a rear assault.
• 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...
• Foregone Conclusion: In-universe example. The Titan manages to evade the Shrike initially. However, Picard is grimly aware this is only a temporary reprieve; sooner or later, Vadic will find them again (which she does).
• Forgot About His Powers: As Raffi and Worf chase Rikka, it's not clear why he doesn't shapeshift to get out of the situation.
• Friend on the Force: A variation. Worf's intel on the schism within the Great Link comes courtesy of "a close friend within the [Great Link], a man of honor" (i.e. Odo).
• Get Out!: Riker coldly orders Picard to remove himself from the Titan-A bridge after his insistence on fighting the Shrike gets the Titan fatally disabled and plunging to her doom.
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: Worf and Raffi during their interrogation of "Titus Rikka". Notably, it's Worf who plays the good cop, demonstrating how much his character has shifted over the years.
• Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Vadic's still smoking the same joint she lit at the end of "Disengage".
• He's Back!: Captain Riker returns for the first time since the end of Season One.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Riker has the Titan double back on the Shrike and unload a spread of torpedoes, but it manages to turn fast enough to open a portal and send the barrage into the Titan's stern, disabling engines and sending the ship plummeting into the gravity well at the heart of the nebula.
• I Am X, Son of Y:
  • Of course Worf introduces himself as "I am Worf, son of Mogh". This time however, he includes "son of Sergey, House of Rozhenko" paying tribute to his human parents as well.
  • He also has the habit of addressing Raffi as "Rafaela, House of Musiker".
• I Need a Freaking Drink: Deanna in the opening flashback (who's been looking after the newborn Thad) orders her husband to bring home the bottle of whiskey he's sharing with Picard.
• Interface Spoiler: The subtitles (on Amazon Prime at least) refer to one of Vadic's crew as a Changeling significantly earlier than the actual reveal that Changelings are the villains.
• It's All My Fault: Tragically invoked as a minor plot point during Picard's reaction to Beverly's cutting ties with him (and the rest of the crew) after Nemesis. Picard being Picard, he naturally blamed himself and he spent the next 20 years bitterly wondering what he'd done or said during their last days together to hurt Beverly enough that she would do this. It never occurred to Picard to consider that maybe this wasn't about what he had done, but what Beverly had done.
• It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Or your enemies, rather. Beverly wanted to tell Picard about their son, but Picard's own Chronic Hero Syndrome and the countless enemies he made over the years (three separate attempts she made at telling him being foiled by such) convinced her that she couldn't protect Jack if people knew Jack was Picard's son.
• Jerkass Has a Point: An injured Shaw coldly blames Riker (and by extension Picard) for getting them into this mess. He's not wrong, as Will and Jean-Luc did commit fraud and illegally commandeered Starfleet resources (and lied about it) to go after Beverly. Otherwise, the Titan would not now be in a fight for its life and the lives of everyone aboard.
• Kansas City Shuffle: 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 Center to divert Starfleet's attention from something else they grabbed during the heist — something more valuable and dangerous.
• Klingons Love Shakespeare: 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).
• Legendary in the Sequel: Worf, thanks to his exploits during TNG and the Dominion War. Raffi even cites it in-universe, remarking that Picard used to talk about the Klingon all the time when she was still his adjutant.
• Locked Out of the Loop: 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 that if this news gets out, it could end up triggering a second Dominion War.
• Lured into a Trap: Picard suggests using the particle trail to lure the Shrike deeper into the nebula, then roll behind them and attack so their portal gun will be useless. When the warp drive is sabotaged and Riker has no choice but to attempt it, his action comes too late and the Shrike has already turned in anticipation of an attack.
• The Mole: Vadic has an operative aboard the Titan who successfully sabotages critical systems at the worst possible time. The twist is that it's a rogue Founder.
• Mood Whiplash: Worf dramatically introduces himself, his lineage, and his accomplishments to Raffi, and without even a pause segues into offering her tea.
• Mutual Disadvantage: The Titan-A and Shrike share the same disadvantage that Kirk's Enterprise and Khan's Reliant had 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 a "trail of breadcrumbs" by subtly sabotaging the warp coils to create a particle trail, much like how Chang's bird-of-prey was tracked by its engine emissions at Khitomer.
• My God, What Have I Done?: 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 Beverly and get away from marital problems with Deanna has unleashed a catastrophe, and it's all on him.
• Never My Fault: Riker angrily blames Picard for the failed counterattack against the Shrike that cripples the Titan-A and leaves them plummeting into the Nebula. Yet, it was Riker's hesitation that gave Vadic the crucial seconds she needed to deploy the Quantum Tunneling technology. Furthermore, although the plan was Picard's idea, Riker as Acting Captain was the one to actually sign off on it and issue the order.
• Number Two: Amusingly inverted. After Shaw is injured, Riker steps up to take command while (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".
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Shaw's reaction when the Shrike finally finds them.
  • Worf and Raffi have this reaction when the theft of a powerful portal weapon is revealed to have been a distraction for something even worse that Starfleet failed to notice.
• Precision F-Strike: Riker's "Oh, shit" in the opening flashback when an angry and exhausted Deanna calls Ten Forward.
• Properly Paranoid: Beverly's warning about not trusting Starfleet is proven correct, as there's a Changeling on the Titan-A posing as a Starfleet officer. This also explains Jack's comment back in "The Next Generation" about how their pursuers had 'different faces' every time they came after the Eleos.
• Protagonist-Centered Morality: 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 that he owes Shaw an apology and that the ship's primary focus should be its own safety.
• Proud Papa Passes Out the Cigars: In the flashback, Troi sarcastically asks if Riker is busy doing this.
• Renegade Splinter Faction: Based on the information Odo passed on to Worf and Starfleet, there's been a schism within the Great Link in the quarter of a century since the end of the Dominion War. A faction of Changelings rejected the Female Founder's surrender agreement with the Federation Alliance (and also presumably Odo's internal reformation efforts). They broke off from the Dominion to continue their war against the solids and to pursue vengeance against the UFP for their defeat at the Battle of Cardassia.
• The Reveal: The true power behind the conspiracy targeting the Crushers, which orchestrated the Daystrom theft and bombed the M'talas Prime Recruitment Center, is revealed: they're renegade Changelings trying to avenge the Dominion's defeat in the Alpha Quadrant decades earlier.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Raffi notices their prisoner is sweating and assumes it's from withdrawal symptoms. She's half-right: he's actually a Changeling and has been in human form too long. Worf even asks how long it's been since he's been a part of the Great Link, comparing it to a form of withdrawal.
• Rogues' Gallery Transplant: 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 official Dominion government (i.e. the Great Link) itself.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Jack approaches Seven for help in figuring out how the Shrike is tracking them, then punches out the guard keeping her confined so they can fix the problem.
• Shout-Out: The ending, with the (acting) captain and (acting) XO at odds with each other during a Sinking Ship Scenario, calls to mind a similar scene from Crimson Tide.
• Space Clouds: The Ryton Nebula, again. It's soon discovered that the nebula is actually alive, or inhabited by something that is.
• Superman Stays Out of Gotham: Downplayed example. While Worf's intel on the rogue Founders comes directly from Odo, the constable doesn't actually appear nor is he directly involved in the investigation. The real-life explanation for this of course is because René Auberjonois died in late 2019. In-universe, there are multiple potential explanations for Odo's absence (ex. trying to hold the Great Link together on his end to prevent more defections, knowing inserting himself into Starfleet's investigation will only make things worse, etc.).
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: 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, who would absolutely refuse to honor the Female Founder's sacrifice and reject the Treaty of Bajor. While it's not explicitly stated, it's also not hard to imagine that 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).
• This Cannot Be!: Shaw cannot believe the Shrike managed to find their exact position despite their attempts at evasion. As he groans to Jack while being treated in Sickbay, it shouldn't have been able to, so they must have a means of detecting them.
• This Is Gonna Suck:
  • Played for Black Comedy with Riker when an understandably angry and exhausted Deanna (who's looking after the newborn Thad while her husband and former Captain are out drinking) calls Ten Forward.
  • Played straight during the silence between Crusher and Picard leading up to the Sickbay Argument scene. They both know they need to have this discussion, but they silently delay as long as possible; they both know it's absolutely gonna suck.
• Title Drop: "Seventeen seconds" is the amount of time it took Riker to travel from the bridge to Sickbay when Thaddeus was being born, which he describes as "the longest seventeen seconds of my life."
• Trademark Favorite Food: Subverted. When Raffi awakens aboard La Sirena, Worf has made chamomile tea rather than replicate his beloved prune juice.
• Tranquil Fury:
  • Picard during his entire argument with Beverly in Sickbay.
  • An injured Shaw transfers command of the Titan-A to Riker. Despite the pain, he makes it clear he personally (and completely justifiably) holds Riker (and Picard) responsible for getting the Titan and her crew into this mess — and now it's their responsibility to get them out of it alive.
  • Riker towards Picard after the Titan-A becomes fatally disabled thanks to Picard's insistence that they stand and fight rather than retreat.
  • Worfs' Character Development has him repeatedly state that he has achieved a new state of enlightenment, edging closer to a Martial Pacifist in temperament though no less lethal in combat prowess. While he was already better controlled than the average Klingon here he comes across as a Warrior Poet.
• Trauma Conga Line: This is one factor that motivated Beverly's decision not to tell Picard about their son. After losing her parents, Jack Sr. aboard the Stargazer, and Wesley to the Travelers, Beverly couldn't bear the possibility of losing one more member of her family to danger.
• Trash the Set: The Titan-A's Bridge is wrecked by the Shrike's attack when it finally catches them.
• Treachery Cover Up: Starfleet knows a rogue faction of Founders is behind the attacks on Starfleet, but pinned the blame on a Romulan extremist to avoid reigniting the Dominion War.
• Try to Fit That on a Business Card: When Musiker tries to get her rescuer to identify himself:
  "I am Worf, son of Mogh, House of Martok; son of Sergey, House of Rozhenko; bane to the Duras family; slayer of Gowron. I have made some chamomile tea. Do you take sugar?"
• Villain Team-Up: Rogue Founders are now working with other Federation enemies to execute the Daystrom theft in service of a larger agenda.
• Villainous Legacy: There's a subtle, if ironic (depending on your definition of villainous) acknowledgment of the events of Season Two and the late Q's legacy during the Sickbay Argument. Beverly quotes how Picard always stated he never wanted a family (out of fear of becoming Maurice) as part of her justification for not telling him about Jack. 20 years earlier, Picard easily would've agreed to her. But thanks to Q's final actions and gift (which Picard references without specifically mentioning the entity), he knows now he could never have become just like Maurice and his fear was baseless.
• Voice of the Legion: 'Rikka' after his Changeling nature is revealed.
• Wham Line: "Tell me...how long have you been away from the Great Link?"
• Wham Shot:
  • Jack is attacked by a Starfleet officer whose face ripples, meaning that this is not a Starfleet officer at all — but rather a Changeling.
  • 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.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Picard's side of his argument with Beverly in Sickbay in a nutshell. He doesn't outright dispute Beverly's points about why she didn't tell him about Jack, but he's understandably upset that she made the choice for him.
  • Worf lightly chews Raffi out for disobeying his orders and attempting to investigate the terrorist attack out of fear for her safety.
  • Riker starts to get increasingly frustrated with Picard's insistence they fight back, especially when Picard implies he's frightened he won't be able to go home and not see his family again. Riker shoos Picard off the bridge when they finally do follow his suggestion, only for the Titan to get sent plummeting to her doom.
• Whole-Plot Reference: The overall battle is a combination of Star Trek II and the Battle of the Mutara Nebula with Star Trek Nemesis and the battle between the Enterprise and the Scimitar. The Titan-A and Shrike are a similar match-up between the Enterprise and the Scimitar, with the Shrike dramatically over-armed, while the battle takes place in a Nebula that both hampers local sensors as the Mutara Nebula and cuts off communications as does the Bassen Rift.
• Xanatos Gambit: 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 can sabotage key systems and lay a trail of breadcrumbs for the Shrike to follow. If they try to run for Federation Space, they'll just use the Quantum Tunneling technology to keep them from doing so. If they try to fight, they'll shoot them down.
• You Are in Command Now: Shaw is injured during the Shrike's attack, so he puts Riker in command.
  Shaw: You. You. You got us into this. You are gonna get us out.
• You Are Too Late: A sneering 'Rikka' claims that the rogue Changeling conspiracy is too far along to be stopped and nothing will stop the downfall of the UFP.

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