Star Trek: Picard really is pulling out all the stops to make fans just yell for their faves. For me, my favorite elements of Star Trek are not always the most popular ones. For instance, I love the Kelvin-verse most of all, and I think that Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a masterpiece. Say what you will about me, but I love it. What is great about Star Trek: Picard comes from the fact that it really is referencing anything and everything that fans could possibly want—minus my Kelvin-verse, but that’s okay—now including The Voyage Home!
When Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Worf (Michael Dorn), and Raffi (Michelle Hurd) get trapped on a Starfleet base, they’re surrounded by what amounts to memorabilia of Starfleet—more just a collection of things from the organization’s history, but to fans, they all have a deeper meaning. Sure there are the obvious ones like the literal James T. Kirk shoutout or even the Tribble that tries to eat Worf from behind glass. But there are other moments that really hit for fans of the franchise.
They’re standing in front of the Genesis Device, which is the reason that Spock was reborn in Star Trek: The Search for Spock, and my personal favorite includes a very specific Bird of Prey—you know, that one that was used in Star Trek IV and then never spoken of again? Well, that’s hanging out here and ends up helping the crew of the USS Titan in their battle against the Changelings. But we’ve finally got our answer about the HMS Bounty and where she’s been all these years.
I love my whales
Look, I don’t care if you love The Voyage Home or not. I did as a kid because they were saving whales, and that love has stayed with me for years. I wanted to see George and Gracie live long and happy lives, but those two humpback whales did leave a big ol’ unanswered question in the San Francisco Bay: What happened to the Bird of Prey?
Well, Star Trek: Picard answered it quickly and wonderfully. The ship turned on its cloaking device and was hard to find because of it. Luckily, Starfleet found it, and it was added to the museum that the Titan is currently trying to use to their advantage. And so, when Jack is talking to Seven of Nine about ships, he gets an idea with the Bird of Prey.
But the point here is that it does reference my favorite of the Captain Kirk-led movies. Yes, I know that Wrath of Khan is perfection, and I like it just fine, but come on, the whales! So at least now we know what happened with the Bird of Prey that was hanging out in San Francisco. If anyone could let me know how they’re doing? I’d appreciate it. Last we saw, they went to open water, but I just want them to be happy. Now at least we have some answers, though.
(featured image: Paramount+)
