Star Trek: Picard’s “The Bounty” has a deep cut cameo we didn’t see coming

Star Trek: Pcard’s “The Bounty” really went back in time for one cameo.

Star Trek: Picard is filled with cameos from the world of The Next Generation and the greater Star Trek eras. Mostly focused on the surroundings of the Next Generation and shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager, Picard has made sure to hit something for everyone.

For Deep Space Nine, you get the seasons’ big villains, the Changelings. While of course, Voyager has Seven of Nine herself. That’s not to say they haven’t embraced the future somewhat, with the kids of the Next Generation cast littering the scenes, but Picard, much like most of the current Trek product, is all about that nostalgia high.

They didn’t disappoint in the recent episode of the series either, with showrunner Terry Matalas putting in an appearance from a little-seen ship from decades ago. That ship is of course the NCC 1701-A. It’s the ship that stole the hearts and minds of Trekkies everywhere during the late 80s and early 90s, as it carried the heroes of the franchise through Star Trek’s IV: The Voyage Home, V: The Final Frontier and VI: The Undiscovered Country.

The deep-cut cameos for Star Trek: Picard are carrying the show’s hype

Star Trek: Picard is going the way of Star Wars by leaning heavily into the cut references that trigger the ‘member-berry’ glands. Nostalgia has carried this show for all three seasons and it’s gotten to the point where the plot seems tertiary to the returning cast members and the constant cameos and references littered in the show.

That can only work for so long, as fans of Star Wars are now realizing. You can only keep touching the past with your finger before you smear it, and Star Wars has done that time and time again. Picard’s biggest takeaways week after week are not the story-beats, but the cameos and callbacks.

That’s a pretty telling realization.