History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E26S4E1TheBestOfBothWorlds

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Admiral Hanson is the most friendly, competent, and helpful Starfleet admiral in the franchise until the introduction of Admiral Ross on ''Deep Space Nine''.

* WhamEpisode: To the point that the events of this episode are considered by fans to be the "9/11" of Starfleet.

* BatmanGambit: Captain Riker plays this during his go at the Borg Cube to capture Locutus. He modifies a battle plan that Picard was briefed on before being assimilated, stating that he's aware of this and is in fact counting on it when Commander Shelby reminds him of this. It pays off: The smug expression he wears right before the commercial break after hearing that Worf and Data got him could aptly be titled "Riker Wins."

* NothingIsScarier: Reportedly not shown for budgetary reasons, the crippled Enterprise learns of the Starfleet armada's battle against the Borg cube at Wolf 359 through a distorted message stating the battle isn't going well. In this case, the worst the imagination could offer was correct.

* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: The audience is told nothing of Data and Worf's "special mission" -- to physically retrieve Picard/Locutus from the Borg cube.

** The assimilation procedure is somewhat different - famously, Picard at one point sticks out his arm and a Borg-y attachment is slipped ''over'' his arm. His skin is also ''deliberately'' induced to be the iconic Borg pallor. Later depictions, particularly starting in ''First Contact'', would instead have the Borg fully replacing the limbs of poor assimilated souls with ArtificialLimbs outright (occasionally with all the gruesomeness this would entail), and the Borg pallor was generally treated as a side effect of the invasive nature of Borg implants and nanites, and the Borg would hardly care about skin tone in any event as it wasn't relevant to a drone's function.

* WaveMotionGun: The ''Enterprise'''s makeshift deflector weapon, essentially a souped-up phaser that dumps all their power into a single shot.

* DebateAndSwitch: In Part I, Picard tries to impart some tough love on Riker, urging him to take command of the USS ''Melbourne'' rather than spending the rest of his Starfleet career as first office of the ''Enterprise'', leaving Riker wondering whether he's lost his passion. Then, Picard is abducted by the Borg, and Riker is forced to take over. And in Part II, not only is [[ShootTheShaggyDog the]] ''[[ShootTheShaggyDog Melbourne]]'' [[ShootTheShaggyDog among the ships lost at Wolf 359]], but Picard's rescue also means that Riker returns to being first officer once again.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: The Borg want Picard because he commands the strongest ship in the Federation fleet.

** The assimilation procedure is somewhat different - famously, Picard at one point sticks out his arm and a Borg-y attachment is slipped ''over'' his arm. His skin is also ''deliberately'' induced to be the iconic Borg pallor. Later depictions, particularly starting in ''First Contact'', would instead have the Borg fully replacing the limbs of poor assimilated souls outright (occasionally with all the gruesomeness this would entail), and the Borg pallor was generally treated as a side effect of the invasive nature of Borg implants and nanites, and the Borg would hardly care about skin tone in any event as it wasn't relevant to a drone's function.

* EnemyMine: Early in Part 2, Hanson mentions that the Federation reached out to the Klingons and the Romulans as part of the stand at Wolf 359.

'''Riker:''' [[DeadpanSnarker If I am... I'm sure you'll be the first to know, Commander.]]

->'''Riker:''' [[WhamLine Mr. Worf, fire.]]

* BatmanGambit: Captain Riker plays this during his go at the Borg Cube to capture Locutus. He uses a battle plan that Picard was briefed on before being assimilated, stating that he's aware of this and is in fact counting on it when Commander Shelby reminds him of this. It pays off: The smug expression he wears right before the commercial break after hearing that Worf and Data got him could aptly be titled "Riker Wins."

* BatmanGambit: Captain Riker plays this during his go at the Borg Cube to capture Locutus. It pays off: The smug expression he wears right before the commercial break after hearing that Worf and Data got him could aptly be titled "Riker Wins."

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Picard's description of Emperor Honorius (Listed below) is a misleading, if poetic, depiction of the latter days of the Roman Empire that reflects the then-current view of the fall of the Roman Empire.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The Borg's mindset gets highlighted with [[JoinUsDrone Locutus]] when the crew snatch him back. From their point of view, they're raising everyone's quality of life by mind-raping them, stripping away their individuality and turning them into faceless cyborgs. They don't get why all the other species are so darned uppity about it.

'''Guinan:''' You tried to kill whatever that is on the Borg ship. Not Picard. Picard is still here with us in this room. If he had died, it would be easier. But he didn't They took him from us a piece at a time.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: During Part I, as the ''Enterprise'' uses a nebula to hide from the Borg Cube, Picard tours the ship and meets with Guinan in the lounge. Guinan notes the tradition of a captain touring his ship before a hopeless battle, and Picard says, "Lord Nelson toured the HMS ''Victory'' before Trafalgar." Guinan replies that Nelson never returned from Trafalgar...

The ''Enterprise'' catches up to the cube once again and hails them. Riker [[ISurrenderSuckers attempts to offer terms of negotiation]], but Locutus suspects that this is a deception. He is correct, as [[BifurcatedWeapon the saucer and stardrive separate]] and engage the cube. The real deception, however, is that Worf and Data sneak aboard the cube during the fight, capture Locutus, and bring him aboard the ''Enterprise''. Despite [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight attempts to reach Picard]], he's still firmly part of the [[HiveMind Borg Collective]] and decides to [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech taunt Riker with his own self-doubt]]. Riker doesn't fall for it, so they opt for a new plan: Data will engage in a little HollywoodHacking, using Locutus's connection to the Borg to access the cube's systems.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: The shot of Earth at the end shows a considerably enlarged moon in the backdrop. In actuality, the moon looks little different from Earth orbit than it looks from Earth's surface.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory / DatedHistory: Picard's description of Emperor Honorius (Listed below) is a misleading, if poetic, depiction of the latter days of the Roman Empire that reflects the then-current view of the fall of the Roman Empire.