History Recap / StarTrekPicardS3E07Dominion

* PrecisionFStrike: Geordi swears at Lore:

* 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: His own survival and the chance to screw over his old enemies from the ''Enterprise''-D.
-->'''Lore''': Allow me to level the playing field. The enemy of my enemies... Well, you know the rest.

* 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: His survival and the chance to screw over his old enemies from the ''Enterprise''-D.

* 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.

* FaceStealer: Flashbacks reveal Vadic's humanoid form is intentionally modeled after the Section 31 scientist who tortured her -- and who she and her siblings murdered. Vadic has 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.

* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip: The "Tuvok" Changeling shapeshifts into a ghoulish version of Riker to taunt Picard.

* 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.

* 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, and thus should have the most training of basically any ''Star Trek'' main cast member in being ProperlyParanoid, and even ''he'' got replaced by a Changeling imposter.

* HiddenAgendaVillain: The Face thanks to the implication that he ''isn''t'' a Changeling and that Jack Crusher is more important to him than destroying the Federation (as is the case for Vadic and her Changelings).
* HopeSpot:

* {{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"]].

* 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...and your fellow Changelings, 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, you might just be pissed off enough to give them the finger, break from your own people with like-minded supporters, shatter thousands of years of unity, and go gunning for the Solids to burn their civilization to the ground.

** The anti-Kolinahr demonstrations on Aklion VII, which Seven uses to expose "Tuvok"

** 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.

* NoodleIncident: Geordi's dialogue after they cut the call with "Tuvok" implies he's not the first person they've called and either wouldn't help them or had also been compromised.

* FriendOnTheForce: Seven approaches him 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.

** 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 and tried to completely bomb Cardassia to the ground for rebelling against them, so she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on in that department.

Picard and Crusher discuss the current situation -- the ship at large but still without allies; Worf and Raffi PutOnABus to go do Intelligence stuff -- and ruminate on what they've 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 the new Soong golem, explains (and eventually demonstrates) to Picard that both Data and Lore's personalities are stored within, and battling for control of the golem. 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.

* 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 TrustPassword, 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.

** Tuvok passes the TrustPassword, signifying he's the real Vulcan 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.

-->'''Lore''': [That would explain] why you're so *old*. Time has been ''very'' cruel to you, [Picard].

* 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.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: During the war, Section 31 used Daystrom Station to experiment on Changeling Prisoners of War, giving them the ability to mimic those they shaepshift 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.

* 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 too 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).

* 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...and your fellow Changelings, 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, you might just be pissed off enough to give them the finger, break from your own people with like-minded supporters, shatter thousands of years of unity, and go gunning for the Solids to burn their civilization to the ground.

* {{Hypocrite}}:
** 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.
** 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 and tried to completely bomb Cardassia to the ground for rebelling against them, so she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on in that department.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Vadic and her faction's split from the Great Link takes on additional context with this episode's revelations. If you were POWs and experimented upon, you'd understandably be ''pretty'' pissed off. And if you made it home and informed your government of these war crimes...and your fellow Changelings, 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, you might just be pissed off enough to give them the finger, break from your own people with like-minded supporters, shatter thousands of years of unity, and go gunning for the Solids to burn their civilization to the ground.

** Tuvok passes the TrustPassword, signifying he's the real Vulcan 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.

* HesBack: Played horrifically when Lore manages to seize full control of the Date Golem.

* {{Hypocrite}}: 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 and tried to completely bomb Cardassia to the ground for rebelling against them, so she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on in that department.

* OhCrap: Geordi's reaction upon realizing Lore's personality's now in control of the Data Golem.

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Similar to Moriarty with Riker and Worf last episode, a sneering Lore likewise mocks how elderly and frail Picard has become in the decades since his final confrontation with the ''Enterprise''-D crew.