Easter Eggs You Missed In Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3

With two full seasons now under its belt, the animated adult comedy "Star Trek: Lower Decks" has proven to be a diehard Trekkie's dream, packed with callbacks and references to even the most obscure parts of the franchise's past. Thankfully, creator Mike McMahan, a former writer for "Rick and Morty," has shown he knows what he's doing and never lets the Easter eggs get in the way of a funny story. At its best, the show has used nods to old stories as a treat to longtime fans without distracting and throwing off newcomers.

Though Season 1 ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, "Lower Decks" Season 2 concludes with a real cliffhanger, as Captain Freeman is arrested and charged with the destruction of the Pakled homeworld. With no captain and the crew grounded, the series premiere picks up right where Season 2 leaves off; now it's up to Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford, and Tendi to get to the bottom of the allegations against their captain and hopefully set her free. All the while, the debut installment appropriately titled "Grounded" is itself full of Easter eggs. Its main plot — stealing the Cerritos from spacedock — is lifted from "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock."

But of course, that's not the only callback. So after you've watched every episode of Season 3, be sure to check back right here for the best Easter eggs you might have missed. 

Though we don't get to see him on screen, another newsflash on FNN makes mention of one of the franchise's most polarizing captains — Edward Jellico, played by "RoboCop" and "Total Recall" star Ronny Cox. As seen in the "Next Generation" episodes "Chain of Command, Part I" and "Part II," Jellico is portrayed as a hardliner — a mean-spirited and bullheaded commanding officer who pushes the Enterprise crew around. Over the years, though, opinions about Jellico have been split, with some diehard Jelli-fanatics making a case that he may be the best captain in the fleet.

In the "Lower Decks" Season 3 premiere, we get word that Jellico is still around making life miserable for others and has been promoted to Admiral. An FNN news chyron informs us that the no-fun Jellico has banned the Zebulon Sisters — a duo of future entertainers mentioned in the "Lower Decks" episode "We'll Always Have Tom Paris" — from active-duty starships. In that episode, it's noted that the Zebulon Sisters have performed their famous Chu-Chu Dance aboard the USS Cerritos, but it doesn't sound like that's going to happen again any time soon ... at least not if Jellico has anything to say about it.

Prior to "Lower Decks," Strategema was a fairly obscure game within the "Star Trek" universe. Though it made a rather prominent appearance in one episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" titled "Peak Performance," that second season entry is its lone mention in the franchise for more than 30 years. 

In "Peak Performance," it's introduced as a game played by only the most skilled and disciplined minds, including a Zackdorn named Sirna Kolrami, who visits the Enterprise for a series of war games and apparently considers himself a Strategema grandmaster. Eventually, however, the android Commander Data plays him to a draw, and the Zackdorn strategist quits the game out of frustration.

In "Grounded," we learn that Zackdorns may be especially suited for the game, as a news flash tells us that a 6-year-old Zackdorn has just become the youngest ever official Strategema grandmaster. Could this be the child of a now-retired Kolrami? That remains to be seen.

With Captain Freeman looking at serious charges, her daughter Ensign Mariner sets out to assemble the Cerritos gang to help clear the captain's name. On Earth, her first task is to recruit Ensign Boimler, who is working in his family's vineyard. One of the gags here is that the Boimler family vineyard is used for making raisins, not much more exciting wine. Another running gag is all the women have the hots for Boimler, and the purple-haired ensign sports a look that calls back to the "Next Generation" finale "All Good Things."

In the future segments of that epic series capper, an elderly Picard wears a get-up identical to what we see here, complete with a wide-brimmed straw hat, brown overalls, and a diagonally cut tunic. Though it's not made clear if this is the 24th-century vineyard uniform, it's a nice nod to one of the franchise's best episodes.

Creole food, the cuisine of choice at Sisko's, is definitely known for spices and intense heat, and we learn just how hot things can get in "Grounded." Sitting down for some chow in Sisko's Creole Kitchen, the four ensigns partake in some of the restaurant's specialties. During this scene, Boimler reaches for a bottle of hot sauce called Ketracel White Hot. That's an Easter egg that any true "Trek" fan should recognize, as Ketracel White is the addictive compound that fuels the Jem'Hadar soldiers in the Dominion.

It was said in "Deep Space Nine" that Ketracel White was crafted by the Founders as a way of maintaining an additional level of control over the Jem'Hadar, as the soldiers could not live without regular doses of the drug. Here, however, we suspect Sisko's isn't using a sauce with the actual Ketracel White; they're just using the name for the latest Creole condiment blend. 

Of course, the centerpiece of Historical Bozeman is the Phoenix, a replica of the ship used by Zefram Cochrane to test mankind's first ever warp drive. Here it's a kiddie ride, but is nevertheless a functioning starship, and Mariner and the crew plan to steal it and take it to the Cerritos. 

But once aboard, they meet a holographic pilot fashioned after Cochrane himself. In a guest-starring role, the holo-Cochrane is voiced by none other than the legendary James Cromwell, who played him in "First Contact." This is the first time Cromwell has played the character since a brief cameo in the series premiere of "Star Trek: Enterprise" back in 2001. While preparing for the flight, Cochrane gives a two-fingered salute, a nod to Captain Picard's identical "engage" gesture from "The Next Generation."

But before holo-Cochrane takes the ship out, he makes sure to "rock n' roll" and puts a little green disc into the ship's computer, and we hear the thunderous roar of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride." This is no new gag though, as it mirrors a scene in "First Contact" when the real Cochrane did the same thing in one of the movie's funniest moments. 

In the cold open for the second episode of Season 3, titled "The Least Dangerous Game," we see Boimler, Tendi, Rutherford, and Mariner playing a 24th century tabletop miniatures game. But this is no simple game played with ordinary gaming pieces, as it also contains an iPad-like screen with an interactive host. Whether intentionally or not, the video segments of the game are reminiscent of an actual game produced in the 1990s – "Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive VCR Board Game" which used a VHS tape that included pre-recorded segments of Klingon Chancellor Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) helping players through the game.

Here, the host is a different Klingon Chancellor — Martok, a famed Klingon fleet commander and one of the most popular recurring characters on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Rutherford notes that Martok is still chancellor of the Klingon Empire, just as he is in the finale of "DS9." While it's said that it's not actually Martok voicing him for the in-universe game — instead it's a Ferengi knock-off — the character is indeed voiced by actor J.G. Hertzler, who played the general previously. 

Though is the first time we've seen Martok in canon since 1999, not counting his skull in an episode of "Picard," Hertzler has ironically voiced the character numerous times in a number of video games over the years.

The central plot for Ensign Boimler in "The Least Dangerous Game" is his attempt to leave his comfort zone after learning that another officer has recently been made captain. He decides to take opportunities that he might not normally consider, like when he's invited to play a game of springball with some of the ship's senior crew members, who are looking for somebody wiry and hard to hit. Volunteering pays off, as Boimler's sustained screaming impresses Commander Shaxs enough to earn an invite to perform in a choir, which in turn earns him a debt from the ship's security officer. 

But the game of springball wasn't invented just for this gag; in fact, it has its roots in "Deep Space Nine." It's mentioned numerous times as a sport played by several members of the "DS9" crew, including Bashir, Chief O'Brien, and Major Kira, who we even see playing in a big game in the episode "For the Cause." In "The Least Dangerous Game," the attention to detail is on point, with the uniforms, racquets, and the springball court itself all identical to those seen in "DS9."

With the orbital lift platform designed to pay homage to a key scene in the 2009 "Star Trek" film, it should come as no surprise that a major sequence in "The Least Dangerous Game" directly patterns itself after a moment in that movie. It all happens when Ensign Mariner grows frustrated with Ransom's unwillingness to go down to the planet's surface to help Rutherford, so she sneaks off to save the day against orders. Donning an environmental suit that's been designed for freefall — parachute and all — Mariner leaps from the platform in an effort to get to the planet in the same manner that Kirk, Sulu, and Olson do in 2009's "Star Trek."

At the last moment, Mariner gets word from Ransom that he's decided to go down to the planet after all, and she aborts her drop and activates her parachute at the last second, just as the trio do in the film. Thankfully, unlike Olson, she isn't sucked into any open flames and killed instantly. Instead, she manages to make it back to Ransom, and he's never the wiser that she defied his orders.

In a subplot in "Mining the Mind's Mines," Ensign Tendi is undergoing science officer command training and has been matched up with a mentor. Unfortunately, her mentor turns out to be Dr. Migleemo, a green bird person who Ensign Mariner once called "the worst counselor in the fleet." As she runs through some of what they'll be working on, Migleemo pulls out a PADD with a Starfleet Science Officer Training Manual penned by Federation legend Spock. This moment carries on the idea that Spock became a writer after serving in Starfleet, as it isn't the only time we've seen him play author. In a Season 2 episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Picard introduces a book given to Romulan cadet Elnor titled "The Many and the One," a memoir also written by the legendary former Enterprise science officer.

Scrolling through its contents, Ensign Tendi is impressed by Ambassador Spock's foreword. At this point in the timeline, Leonard Nimoy's indispensable character is likely still on Romulus, where we last saw him at the conclusion of the "Next Generation" episode "Unification, Part II." Migleemo notes that Spock's "Vulcan stuff" is a little long-winded, mentioning that "It would have been logical to get an editor." She also says that according to Spock, being a commander in Science Division is less about tests and "more about learning to be the voice of science."

The Kukulkan isn't the only being brought to life by the psychic mines, of course, as each member of the Cerritos' away team is ultimately affected by these strategic delusions. For Ensign Mariner, it's a seductive version of her girlfriend, fellow crewmate Ensign Sh'reyan; meanwhile, Boimler is tempted by a Starfleet Admiral who claims to need his "Boimler magic" for mission to stop the Borg. But it's the vision induced by Ensign Rutherford that provides the episode's best Easter egg by introducing us to Leah Brahms, Starfleet's preeminent warp field theorist.

Actor Susan Gibney reprises her role as Brahms, a character we've seen twice before. "Mining the Mind's Mines" isn't the first time a crew member has developed a crush on a recreation of Brahms; Geordi La Forge conjures a virtual Brahms in the holodeck as an assistant in the "Next Generation" episode "Booby Trap" and just like Rutherford, falls in love with her. We eventually meet the real Brahms in a follow-up episode of "TNG" titled "Galaxy's Child" where she discovers Geordi's holodeck program of her and things get awkward. Hopefully, she doesn't find out about Rutherford's imaginary recreation this time.

If you're looking for clever callbacks, look no further than the koala at the end of the universe. In "Mining the Mind's Mine" the crew completes their mission after a harrowing firefight with villains from their own imaginations. When they get back to the Cerritos, a severely injured Stevens is in the lounge sporting casts on both of his arms. Attempting to flirt with a Vulcan officer, he raises a glass and recounts his recovery and a conversation he had with the ship's doctor, saying, "Okay doc, but if I was braindead for 10 minutes, how come I saw a koala sitting on a black box?"

The mention of a koala ironically indicates that Stevens was, in fact, dead, as we've heard mention of this phenomenon before. This ongoing gag started in the Season 1 episode "Moist Vessel" where O'Connor ascends to another state of consciousness and notes that he can see the entire universe is balanced on the back of a cosmic koala. The gag makes a comeback in "First First Contact" in Season 2 when Boimler mentions seeing the same otherworldly koala during a near-death experience.

But most interestingly is that in Season 3, the pre-show "Star Trek" brand tag that accompanies each episode ends with a nebula curiously shaped like a koala with glowing eyes.

As the crew of the Cerritos works overtime scrubbing the ship of D'Arsay relics, a room lottery is taking place. Boimler excitedly points out that four quarters have opened up on deck one and the ensigns all want to snag a room, even if the odds are against them. Tendi gets bad news when she overhears a conversation among ensigns on Delta Shift, their night shift rivals, who want the rooms for themselves. But, unlike our heroes, the ensigns of Delta Shift — who are shown as strange doppelgangers of Boimler, Mariner, and Tendi — aren't above rigging the lottery to ensure they get them.

Incensed by Delta Shift's rule-breaking, Ensign Mariner retorts that they should all "just join the Maquis," a reference to the renegade freedom fighters first seen on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and later at the outset of "Voyager." Made up of Federation civilians and former Starfleet officers, the Maquis was formed after the Federation/Cardassian treaty left colonists stranded in the newly established demilitarized zone. Choosing to stay, they became outcasts and fought a private war with the Cardassians. Famous members of the Maquis include "DS9" recurring favorite Michael Eddington and "Voyager" regulars Tom Paris, Chakotay, and B'Elanna Torres.

Season 3's fifth episode "Reflections" is all about Ensign Rutherford and his malfunctioning headgear, a continuation of an ongoing storyline that finally begins giving viewers some major revelations about his murky past. It begins with the ensign in the repair bay working to fix the shuttlecraft Sequoia, where he tells Tendi about a disturbing recurring nightmare. Excited, Tendi asks if it's "the one where you're in a new timeline with Kirk and Spock where they have cinematic chemistry?"

This is a clear allusion to the "Star Trek" films from director J.J. Abrams, the reboot of the series with a new, younger Kirk and Spock that takes place in a parallel reality separate from the so-called Prime Timeline that we see in "Lower Decks." Though this could be just a one-off gag, there's also the possibility that Rutherford has actually been hopping dimensions in an unseen storyline. Given that this is one of the few conspicuous nods to the J.J. Abrams films across multiple "Star Trek" shows, could this be foreshadowing at a crossover to come?

The subplot in "Reflections" sees Ensign Boimler and Ensign Mariner sent to Tulgana IV — a planet we've seen before in "Lower Decks" — to set up a Starfleet recruitment booth at a commuter's market. A kind of job fair, the ensigns are surrounded by booths where passersby can sign up to join a number of organizations ranging from the Independent Archaeologist's Guild (a reference to the likes of Vash in "TNG") to the outpost science teams seen in the earlier Season 3 episode "Mining the Mind's Mines."

While preparing to go to the surface, Boimler and Mariner pack a shuttlecraft with supplies to take with them, with one large item that appears to be a standee cutout backdrop where one can have their picture taken as Kirk and Spock. Seen in their "Animated Series" forms, the two "Star Trek" greats are seen in a cave with a Horta, recreating a moment from the classic "The Original Series" episode "Devil in the Dark." Sadly, we don't get to see Boimler and Mariner posing as the two legendary officers.

One of the booths at the commuter's market alongside the Starfleet Recruitment tent is labeled simply as "Truth," run by what appears to be a group of intellectually curious conspiracy theorists. The entire back wall of their booth is covered in their own conspiracy theories, one of which appears to point to something sinister involving Shaxs, likely a reference to his unexplained resurrection in Season 2. But their table also holds an alien specimen, a strange insect-like creature that "Star Trek" fans have seen before.

In the "TNG" episode "Conspiracy," it's these bugs that burrow into the brains of a number of Federation officials and hijack their bodies in an attempt to take over the Federation. Though the story was left unresolved, it seems Starfleet couldn't keep the plot a secret, as much as they may have tried. Now, only whispers of what really happened seem to have leaked out, with the conspiracy theorists erroneously referring to the alien creatures as "butt bugs." They — like us — are still looking for answers decades later.

The conspiracy theorists at the Truth booth seen in "Reflections" are obsessed with more than just finding out how Shaxs came back from the end, and they want answers to more mysteries than just the strange bugs from "Conspiracy." In fact, they get quite confrontational with Mariner and Boimler over a number of Starfleet matters, including one unanswered question that apparently has grown into something of a conspiracy: The fate of the captain who led "Deep Space Nine." They ask point blank about "the truth about what happened to Sisko."

Mariner answers pretty plainly what we all know following the events of the "DS9" finale, "What You Leave Behind," telling the truthers that Sisko is "working hard in the Celestial Temple." In the series' final episode, Sisko died and became one of the Bajoran Prophets, a non-corporeal being who resides within the wormhole. But, if this interaction is anything to go by, it seems that not everyone believes that story.

Repeatedly questioned and confronted throughout their time in the commuter market, Boimler is growing weary of defending Starfleet when a pair of outpost scientists begin mocking him for his place in the interstellar organization. Poking fun at him for thinking that having uniforms is cool, one of the scientists questions how they can be cool if Starfleet keeps changing them all the time, and holds up two images of officers in different uniforms. 

A direct jab at the constantly changing uniforms seen in "Star Trek," it's true that the fleet's attire does get swapped out a little too often. The crew of "The Next Generation," for example, went through four distinct styles of uniform during their run, with major shifts in the show's third season and in the films "Generations" and "First Contact." On "Lower Decks," we've already seen multiple styles of uniform used, finally canonizing the notion that there are different uniform designs in use simultaneously. And, it would seem, some people in-universe find it just as confusing as we fans do.

While rampaging across the commuter market trashing booths and chasing off proprietors, Boimler shouts — presumably at the truthers — that "The Doctor didn't spend seven years in the Delta Quadrant for you to question his agency! He's got rights!" This is a direct reference to the unnamed holographic doctor from "Star Trek: Voyager." It speaks to the long struggle that The Doctor endured during his time in the Delta Quadrant fighting for equal treatment as an isomorphic lifeform.

In the Season 7 episode "Author, Author," The Doctor went before a Federation mediator to challenge a court ruling over his status as a writer of literature. While the episode ruled he did have the right to control his creative works, it stopped short of declaring his rights as a person the way it had been decided for the android Data on "The Next Generation." But perhaps by the time of "Reflections" the matter has been settled, and The Doctor is now afforded the same rights as any person in the Federation.

Just before the younger Rutherford succumbs to his wounds, he has a sudden moment of clarity when an important memory suddenly resurfaces. Finally remembering the moment when his personality was wiped clean to make way for the new Rutherford, he places his hand on the older Rutherford's temple and says "Remember," initiating a flashback sequence. This mirrors the Vulcan mind-meld performed by Mr. Spock in "Star Trek II: The Search for Spock," shown at the climax of the movie when he knows he's about to die.

Placing his hand on McCoy's temple in the same manner, Spock says, "Remember." It's not until the sequel, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," that we learn he was actually transferring his katra — the Vulcan soul — into McCoy's body. In "Reflections" it's a simple gag to allow us to see the memory that's resurfaced and not an actual katra transfer, even if he does use the same Vulcan-style hand gesture.

Episode 6 of Season 3, titled "Hear All, Trust Nothing" — an Easter egg itself, but we'll get to that in a moment — sees the Cerritos headed to aid in negotiations with the Karemma, from the Gamma Quadrant. We of course know the Gamma Quadrant as the area of space on the other side of the Bajoran wormhole, which is appropriate as Episode 6 takes us back to Deep Space Nine. It's fans' first trip back to the station since the end of that series, and they'll surely recognize that the Karemma are no new species, having been seen before in two episodes of "Deep Space Nine."

This species is introduced in the "DS9" Season 3 premiere "The Search," in which Sisko takes the newly christened starship Defiant to the Gamma Quadrant to locate the Founders of the Dominion. Their first stop is a rendezvous with the Karemma, introduced to them by Quark, who has been engaged in trade with them. In "Starship Down," two seasons later, Quark and a Karemma representative named Hanok — played by James Cromwell — become trapped in the mess hall after a Jem'Hadar attack.

When "Star Trek: Picard" launched in 2020, many were disappointed that the series glossed over one of the most cataclysmic events in "Star Trek" lore: The Dominion War. This was one of the biggest plotlines left dangling after the end of "Deep Space Nine." A massive conflict that drew in every major power, including the Romulans, Vulcans, Klingons, Cardassians and more, it reshaped the face of the Alpha Quadrant by its conclusion. Since "Star Trek" returned to the 24th century, we've had very little reference to its aftermath, but "Hear All, Trust Nothing" at long last directly addresses the issue.

In the episode's intro, it's mentioned that they are visiting DS9 for "post-war" negotiations in an effort to heal the scars from their conflict with the Dominion. This suggests that not only are individual races like the Karemma now potential allies, but the larger Dominion may be as well. Though we don't get a glimpse of any Jem'Hadar or Founders, Quark's attitude towards the Karemma makes it clear that there's still at least some lingering resentment, as he brings up the Dominion War and how the Karemma never lifted a finger to help when his customers were dying.

We already mentioned that the title of Episode 6, "Hear All, Trust Nothing," is itself an Easter egg, and here's how: Any fan of "Deep Space Nine" will recognize it as one of the Ferengi's many Rules of Acquisition. A set of precepts that guides all Ferengi civilization, it's mostly a list of advice on how to make a profit at the expense of others. There are hundreds of rules, with many mentioned across multiple "Star Trek" series, but "Deep Space Nine" invented most of them because the large-lobed alien race features heavily in it.

"Hear all, trust nothing" is one of the rules we've heard before. It's first mentioned in the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Call to Arms," which is a fitting story to reference in this episode of "Lower Decks." That "DS9" episode concerns the inevitable outbreak of the Dominion War. As rumors spread that the Founders are making alliances across the Alpha Quadrant, Cadet Nog — Quark's nephew — hears word that the Romulans have signed a nonaggression pact with the Dominion and brings his concerns to the captain. Sisko tells the young man not to trust every rumor he hears, and reminds him of Rule of Acquisition #190... "hear all, trust nothing."

In addition to the title, we get one more rule referenced in the final scene of Episode 6, Rule of Acquisition #9: "Opportunity plus instinct equals profit."

No visit to Deep Space Nine would be complete without a trip to Quark's, the bar run by the notorious Ferengi. Not only do we get to see the bar in all its glory, it actually plays a pivotal role in the episode, and we get plenty of Easter eggs and references within its confines. We learn about what's become of the intrepid Quark's business since "DS9," and it even resolves a question we'd had from an episode of "Star Trek: Picard."

Keep your eyes peeled for Morn, the silent "Norm"-inspired alien who always sits at the end of Quark's bar. We also see everything from Quark's classic Dabo table to Chief O'Brien's dartboard. But the biggest reveal is that within a few years of the end of the Dominion War, it seems Quark has become something of a celebrity for his part in the war effort, and he has parlayed his fame into a successful business venture, as any good Ferengi would.

His eponymous bar is now a franchise, with 21 expansions all over the quadrant. We saw this previously — some 20 years in the future — on "Star Trek: Picard," in which Quark has a bar and nightclub on the planet Freecloud. Some fans wondered if Quark had simply relocated his establishment, but it's now been confirmed that he has turned his little hangout into a sprawling business empire.

While Colonel Kira and Captain Freeman attempt to negotiate with their Karemma counterpart, they take him on a tour of the station to show him what an impressive home for commerce it can be. Strolling the promenade, the delegation is less than impressed, calling out "a tailor and some tchotchke kiosks" as not really worthy of his time. The tailor is a reference to one of the "Star Trek" franchise's most beloved supporting characters, the infamous Cardassian Garak, a former intelligence agent who was exiled from his homeland and became a tailor on Deep Space Nine.

While Garak is not mentioned by name, it's possible that he still maintains his shop aboard the station, even if it was implied that he would be returning to Cardassia after the Dominion War at the end of "Deep Space Nine." Of course, there could be a new tailor aboard the station, filling the gap he left. Whether he's back home helping to rebuild his world as a great leader, or still hemming pants, we're just happy to learn that his tailoring business is alive and well.

Episode 7 of Season 3 is a direct follow-up to the Season 1 finale "No Small Parts." It begins with a recap of that episode, which introduced an Exocomp — sentient utility robots that first appeared in the "TNG" episode "The Quality of Life" — named Peanut Hamper. We see the crew looking to Peanut Hamper to save them, but instead, the Exocomp saves herself and leaves the ship. In "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption," Peanut Hamper pops up on an alien world populated by a race of humanoid owls, and it turns out she has fallen in love with one of them.

As the two share their feelings, Peanut Hamper empathizes with her new lover, who lives in his father's shadow. In Peanut Hamper's youth, the Exocomp apparently had plans to leave her father and family to go to Freecloud and become a dabo girl. Introduced in the "Star Trek: Picard" episode "Stardust City Rag," Freecloud is a planet of free trade with few restrictions, which makes it a haven for 24th-century commerce. It seems its relative lawlessness at one point appealed to the maverick Exocomp Peanut Hamper.

Dabo is the gambling game made famous by its prominent placement in Quark's bar on "Deep Space Nine." Considering Quark has a restaurant on Freecloud, it could be that Peanut Hamper's plan was to work for the mischievous Ferengi bartender.

Once Peanut Hamper has been taken into custody by Captain Freeman and the USS Cerritos, there's a hard cut to the Exocomp being locked away in a Starfleet prison. But this is no ordinary jail in the 24th century, it's the Self-Aware Megalomaniacal Computer Storage center at the Daystrom Institute in Okinawa. The Institute itself has been referenced many times, and has even been seen on screen in "Star Trek: Picard."

The Self-Aware Megalomaniacal Computer Storage area was shown in a previous episode of "Lower Decks" titled "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie." As Peanut Hamper is lamenting her imprisonment, another imprisoned sentient artificial intelligence lights up: Agimus, the robot at the center of that Season 2 episode. Revealing his admiration for Peanut Hamper's "mathematically perfect" name, Agimus insists they would make a great team and do "awful things together." Is this just a one-off joke or a hint at a future team-up? Only time will tell.

In what appears to have become a running gag through Season 3, "Crisis Point II: Paradoxus" once again gives us a not-so-subtle nod to the J.J. Abrams "Star Trek" films, which at press time are struggling to get a fourth feature off the ground. Here, we get the reference when Ensign Mariner is displeased with Boimler's latest holodeck program. She's upset that he's developed a bad sequel to their last adventure, and unhappy with the villain's time travel-based plot device. She asks, "Does it make an alternate cinematic timeline that runs concurrent to our own but with, like, different people playing younger versions of us?"

That's not the first — or even second — joke at the expense of the Kelvin Timeline this season. It seems the series' writers love loading up references to the J.J. Abrams films. But given the derisive nature of the gags, it's also just as possible that they like poking fun at the oddity of two different universes running side by side on film and on television.

Thankfully for Boimler and his holodeck crew, Dr. Gibson is able to help by giving them what Mariner calls a "watch that drives the plot" — a device that can point them to where the Romulans have gone using the Chonogami. The first place it takes them is the planet Tatasciore IX, which Shaxs claims is a favorite of black-market dealers. The planet is no random world, but neither is it an established "Trek" location. It's actually a new planet named for legendary voice actor Fred Tatasciore. 

Tatasciore, of course, voices Shaxs, but he's also well known for voice roles in dozens of other shows and movies including "Avengers Assemble," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and many more. Now he's been enshrined forever with a "Star Trek" planet named in his honor. But the planet's name isn't the only Easter egg we get, as a street preacher once again mentions the god-like koala that has become a running gag on the series. Another namedrops Minooki, the D'Arsay god from a few episodes prior.

After visiting Sydney, Australia, in 1982, Tendi and Rutherford jaunt off to another point in Earth's history — this time, the year 2161. But this is no random date and time, as they find themselves witnessing the literal birth of the United Federation of Planets as diplomats and planetary leaders convene on Earth for the signing of the first Federation charter. This isn't actually the first time we're seeing this milestone event in "Star Trek" history. Back in 2005, in the much-maligned series finale of "Star Trek: Enterprise," we saw this exact event play out.

Though "Enterprise" was set in the 2150s, the finale flashed forward and saw Captain Archer and his crew attending the charter signing, with Archer himself being one of its signers. Here in "Lower Decks," we don't see Archer specifically — though one of the many people seen in the distance could very well be Scott Bakula's famed Enterprise captain. Either way, we get a good look at a number of Starfleet uniforms of the era, which match those worn by Archer and his crew for four seasons on "Enterprise," as the scene directly recreates the moment from the finale "These are the Voyages... ."

A major part of "Crisis Point II: Paradoxus" involves the unseen death of Boimler's genetic duplicate who had been serving on the USS Titan. This loss pushes Boimler into an existential crisis, and he seeks to discover meaning for himself within his holodeck adventure. This leads to a pair of references to two "Star Trek" feature films. The first is the appearance of the all-knowing god called Ki-Ty-Ha, a mystical being said to have all of the answers in the universe.

Given his ultimate appearance as a giant rock creature, we can't help but be reminded of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier." In that film, Spock's deranged brother Sybok seeks the god at the center of the universe where they find a malevolent entity and — in a deleted scene — a giant rock creature. But the second Easter egg is a bit clearer cut — when Boimler enters the mouth of Ki-Ty-Ha he finds a relic that is a callback to "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."

In the 1979 film, the villain known as V'Ger is revealed to be an evolved version of the Earth space probe Voyager, with some of the letters on its name plate covered by dust. When Boimler meets Ki-Ty-Ha, he discovers a similar dusty nameplate. After a bit of cleaning, we see the plate reads "Kitty Hawk," part of a memorial for the Wright Brothers' first flying aircraft. 

In the epilogue of "Crisis Point II: Paradoxus," we discover that Boimler's duplicate William from the USS Titan didn't die after all. Revived by an unknown, unseen officer, it's made clear that his death was faked as part of an elaborate plan to see him recruited by the Federation secret service, Section 31. The officer in shadow hands him a special black Starfleet badge, but Boimler questions it: "Isn't Section 31 supposed to be, like, a big secret? I mean, why would we wear special combadges that advertise who we are?"

More than just a simple joke, this is a razor-sharp mockery of "Star Trek: Discovery," the series that introduced the idea that Section 31 operatives all wear specially designed black badges. When the badge was first seen on the series in 2017, many fans questioned the use of a special insignia due to the same issue Boimler ponders here.

After arriving on Ornara, Freeman discovers — to her disappointment — that the people there are all doing just fine. Sure, after Picard left their society fell into chaos, but it's since recovered, and the people have found peace and serenity through a newfound healthy lifestyle of good diet and exercise. Upset that she has nothing exciting to provide the FNN reporter to talk about, she contacts Admiral Buenamigo, who is likewise concerned. However, he suggests that just to be sure, Freeman should check in on the planet's government to double-check that it's not run by children or some person masquerading as the devil — two references to old "Star Trek" episodes.

In the Season 3 of "Star Trek: Next Generation" episode "Devil's Due," the Enterprise visits the planet of Ventax II where an interstellar con artist is impersonating a devilish deity known as Ardra in an effort to take over the planet. Picard reveals her trickery and saves the world from subjugation. Meanwhile, in the 1966 episode of the original "Star Trek" titled "Miri," Kirk and company find a planet ruled by children. Considering Starfleet has encountered problems like this before, it's understandable that Buenamigo would want Freeman to double-check.

Out of wacky ideas, Freeman and Buenamigo agree the best course of action is to check on the Brekkians, the race that had once taken advantage of the Ornarans. Located on a nearby world, their hope is that once the Ornarans had broken their addiction, it might have led to a crisis on Brekka, as the chemical they'd sold them was their largest economic resource. However, when they arrive, Freeman and the Cerritos find the planet oddly deserted. Deserted, that is, until they realize that a race of insidious invaders has taken over the city — the Breen.

A race of aliens mentioned once or twice on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the Breen made their in-person debut in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in the episode "Indiscretion." Eventually, they'd go on to play a bigger role in the series' Dominion War arc, as the Breen Confederacy allied themselves with the Dominion. "Trusted Sources" shows the Breen for the first time since the "Deep Space Nine" finale and gives us our first hint at what's become of them since the fall of the Dominion.

In "The Stars at Night," the finale of "Lower Decks" Season 3, we meet up with former Ensign Mariner after she's left Starfleet and joined up with the archeologist Petra. They're on a subterranean adventure to recapture a Klingon artifact that bears a striking similarity to a golden idol once taken by a certain whip-wielding relic hunter and face down some grave-robbing Ferengis along the way. But when Petra gets ahold of it, she says they'll be taking it to the Qualor Historical Museum.

Qualor may ring some bells for fans of "The Next Generation" as a Zakdorn surplus depot was located in orbit of Qualor II in the episode "Unification, Part I." That depot was essentially a salvage yard for old starships, Federation and otherwise. So combined with their historical museum — which is later shown located on Qualor III — it's clear that the people in the system have a particular fascination and appreciation for history.

While Billups motivates his engineers, a great gag shows Ransom giving a pep talk to his own command team and giving some solid but mundane advice on how to properly sit in a chair like a powerful commander. Telling them to cross a leg over the back of a chair before slamming down into it, his instruction recalls something that fans have lovingly referred to for decades as "The Riker Maneuver." Through seven seasons and four feature films, fans have noticed how actor Jonathan Frakes, who plays Commander William Riker on "The Next Generation," would sit in chairs in an unusual way — always approaching from behind and swinging his leg over the back, just as Ransom does here.

An idiosyncrasy of the actor Frakes, he explained to fans in a 2017 convention appearance that it's not something he did consciously. According to the actor, his unorthodox move simply resulted from the combination of his 6-foot-3-inch frame and the small chairs typically used in the series. Over the years, fans have had fun with it, making mashups of the Riker Maneuver which can be viewed on YouTube. Now "Lower Decks" has their own fun with it.

The side story in "The Stars at Night" sees Mariner enjoying her life as an adventuring archeologist with Petra. But something isn't sitting quite right with her, and she suspects their operations have a sinister ulterior motive. But when she digs into Petra's secret files, she discovers the true benefactor of their missions. Far from the evil conspiracy she suspected, it turns out that their funding comes from none other than former Enterprise captain Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. As fans will no doubt recall, Picard is a student of archeology himself, and even goes on a few artifact hunts of his own.

In the "The Next Generation" episode "The Chase," we meet Picard's former archeology mentor Professor Galen, and the Enterprise picks up his investigation of an ancient puzzle. The "TNG" episode "Gambit" even has Picard using Galen's name when he poses as a relic-hunting renegade after being kidnapped by criminal bandits. It seems that once he's promoted to Admiral, Jean-Luc Picard makes it a passion project to fund independent archeologists like Petra to get his kicks on the side.

Back on the Cerritos, Captain Freeman confronts the Texas Class ships, whose A.I. has turned out to be predictably evil. Three drone ships are destroying a starbase and the Cerritos seems hopelessly outnumbered, outgunned, and overmatched. But at the last second, the Cerritos is saved by a Federation starship that comes warping in out of nowhere — the USS Van Citters. A fairly deep real-world cut, the Sovereign class starship is named for a member of the Paramount business group, John Van Citters.

Van Citters, a big Trekkie himself, was a longtime member of CBS Consumer Products where he oversaw licensing and business strategy. This mostly meant he had control over "Star Trek" branded products (in addition to brands like "The Twilight Zone") where he acted as more than a bean-counting executive, but a creative consultant of sorts as well. After more than a decade on the job, Van Citters was given the role of vice president of Star Trek brand development, focusing entirely on the "Trek" franchise and working closely with producers of the various shows on content strategy and franchise marketing. With an active and vocal presence on Twitter, it's clear that the team on "Lower Decks" appreciates his contributions as they've now named a starship after him.