10 Most Meta Star Trek Moments
3. Romulan Dunkirk
In the opening episode of Picard's first season, he is interviewed on the anniversary of the Romulan supernova. This disaster had been introduced in the 2009 JJ Abrams film, so carrying it forward into this show allowed a sense of continuity between both iterations of Star Trek. The interviewer asks Picard to talk about his role in the rescue attempt, which prompts him to draw on a historical parallel.
The evacuation of Dunkirk saw the British withdrawal from occupied France during World War Two. With their forces surrounded on three sides, there was little hope at keeping the enemy at bay long enough to complete the mission. Picard likens these two events to each other, with the supernova taking the place of the Axis powers in this analogy.
Evoking Dunkirk allowed the viewer to sense the enormity of the task at hand. Unlike Dunkirk however, the Romulan rescue effort was met with much push back from allied powers, claiming that too much time and resources were being pumped into the aid of a sworn enemy. This led directly to Picard's departure from Starfleet.