10 Most Meta Star Trek Moments

3. Romulan Dunkirk

Star Trek Picard
CBS

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.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"