"Star Trek Picard" may be in present-day L.A., but it hasn’t forgotten its history in the
stars. "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager," and even a pair of influential Star Trek writers get
shout-outs only long-time fans will recognize in "Picard" season 2, episode 3.
After Picard, Raffi, Elnor, Seven, and Jurati rendezvous with Rios aboard the La Sirena,
they're quickly intercepted by several Confederation ships that give chase.
In addition to a Steamrunner class ship, previously seen among the many starships battling the
Borg in "Star Trek: First Contact," a Nova class vessel is seen in hot pursuit. This
is the first time we've seen that class of ship since 1997, when it appeared prominently
in the Season 5 "Star Trek: Voyager" cliffhanger and Season 6 premiere, "Equinox Parts 1 and
2."
There, Voyager encounters the USS Equinox, a science vessel that, like Voyager, has become
trapped in the Delta Quadrant. After a happy reunion, Captain Janeway learns that the Equinox's
Captain Ransom and his crew have been kidnapping and torturing alien life forms to fuel their
upgraded warp drive. It's a nail-biting adventure and one of the very best of "Voyager."
The Nova class starship is a standout in the episode in a number of thrilling action sequences,
and its return in "Assimilation" is a welcome one. It would appear, however, that the Nova
class in this reality is more than a mere science vessel and armed to the teeth for
combat.
Picard's time travel adventure in Season 2 truly begins in the third episode, "Assimilation."
Arriving in 2024, Picard, Seven Of Nine, Jurati, Raffi, and Rios first set foot in the past
in Los Angeles, and longtime "Trek" fans will note this is not the first time a "Star Trek"
episode has gone back in time to contemporary LA.
The two-part "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Future's End" likewise saw the Voyager crew
travel back to Los Angeles, this time to 1996, the same year the episode aired.
"Assimilation" includes a montage of iconic LA locations, but not the ones you might expect.
Rather than show us the Hollywood sign or the Sunset Strip, the episode shows us the
Santa Monica Pier and Griffith Observatory — two locations that played a major part
in "Future's End."
The pier is where the crew of Voyager first arrive in the city and remark on the unusual
attire of the era. The observatory is where Tuvok and Tom Paris go to get information
and where they meet Sarah Silverman's character Rain Robinson.
"What do you do here?" "We watch the skies." "For what?" "Signs of extraterrestrial life.
Nice meeting you."
Given all the famous LA spots that "Assimilation" could have shown to orient the viewer, these
two seem too specific to be anything but a reference to the classic time travel two-parter.
Coincidence or not, it just so happens that Picard and his new crew find themselves in
2024, the same year that Captain Sisko, Dr. Bashir, and Lt. Dax time-traveled to in the
"Deep Space Nine" episode "Past Tense." That two-part time travel episode has become a
beloved classic among Trekkies for its haunting portrayal of what was then a future 30 years
away.
The crux of that episode revolved around Sisko and Bashir being trapped in a homeless encampment
called a Sanctuary District in San Francisco.
Sisko and Bashir are forced to stay in a closed-off area designed to keep the homeless from encroaching
on the city because they have no I.D. or paperwork. While there, they get caught up in a historic
civilian uprising called the Bell Riots, which were said to have occurred in September of
2024.
"You ever hear of the Bell Riots?"
"Vaguely."
"It is one of the most violent civil disturbances in American history, and it happened right
here."
The riots began after the unjust killing of a man named Gabriel Bell, among other Sanctuary
Residents.
In "Assimilation," Raffi and Seven appear to materialize within a Sanctuary District
in the very same year. Of course, the fact that this one is in Los Angeles seems to show
us that the government-run homeless encampments extend beyond the Bay Area in California.
It doesn't explain, however, how Seven and Raffi seem to have no trouble leaving the
district. In "Past Tense," the armed guards patrolling its borders barred Sisko and Bashir
from exiting.
The La Sirena's transporters must not be operating correctly, because when Rios beams down to
Los Angeles, he doesn't materialize safely. Instead, he beams into mid-air and falls nearly
two stories to the ground, seriously injuring himself.
However, it's where he materializes that gets us our next Easter egg. Rios lands on the
sidewalk outside of a Los Angeles establishment called the Tipton Bros Deli. A Google search
for this location yields no results, and that would make sense, as the deli's name is a
clear nod to Scott and David Tipton, two comic book writers who've produced several stories
for the "Star Trek" franchise at IDW Publishing.
The Tiptons work for "Star Trek" includes titles such as "Klingons — Blood Will Tell"
and "Deep Space Nine — Fool's Gold." This reference could be particularly relevant to
this season of "Picard," as the pair also authored the Doctor Who crossover story "Assimilation²,"
which featured the Borg, and the five-issue alternate reality comic miniseries "Mirror
Images."
Landing from a two-story fall didn't get Rios a nice meal from Tipton's Deli. Instead, it
sends him to a local clinic with serious injuries, including some broken bones. The clinic in
question, run by Dr. Teresa, seems to specialize in caring for those without identification.
Although the doctor is happy to help Rios off the books when he insists on "no hospitals,"
it's still not safe for him to be there, and Rios makes for a quick exit after getting
treated. However, it's a little too late, as Homeland Security arrives for a raid on
the facility before he can slip out.
Attempting to stay behind to help Dr. Teresa, Rios is instead taken into custody by the
police. The officer who cuffs him asks for I.D., and Rios admits that he doesn't have
any.
"I don't know if you're brave or stupid."
"Let me guess, no UHC card? No ID? I'm gonna go with stupid."
Fans of "Deep Space Nine" will remember this line from the time travel two-parter, "Past
Tense." When Sisko and Bashir arrive in 2024 they have no identification, just like Rios,
and are stopped by police who ask for the same UHC card.
"Alright, let's see some logo."
"Logo?"
"ID. Identification. UHC card?"
Though it's never said what the card is, it's clearly used for identification in this version
of 2024. Without one, it sounds like Rios is getting a one-way ticket to a Sanctuary
District, just like Sisko.
As Raffi gets acquainted with her surroundings in the homeless encampment, she eyes a massive
banner on a building across the street that advertises an apparent mission to Europa,
one of Jupiter's many moons.
The banner reads "The New Interplanetary Explorers" and includes the classic "Star Trek" tag line,
"...to boldly go!"
While this could be a poster for a new movie or TV show in 2024, we're guessing this is
a nod to the "Star Trek" universe's early space exploration efforts. Though they've
yet to materialize in real life, in "Star Trek" history humanity began exploring other
planets as early as the 2020s.
In the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "One Small Step," the crew discovers a space module that
had launched from Earth in 2032 and gotten lost on its way to Mars. In the episode, it's
suggested that this wasn't Earth's first interplanetary mission. If the banner seen by Raffi is any
indication, it seems like by 2024, humankind already has a mission to Europa on its mind.
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