youtu.be/nqD4EwDcqDk
This is BRILLIANT!!!
Not only is it well edited and foreshadows Data's return but it's a callback with a deeper meaning. Remember that in Star Trek Nemesis that Riker couldn't remember the song Data was whistling back when he first met him and here he remembers it and it's what saves them.
To go to my favorite punching bag the Disney Star Wars Sequel Trilogy. Those films keep calling back to the Original and occasionally the Prequel Trilogy but more often then not it's either A) Call Back for the sake of a Call Back (like the Filmmakers are going "Hey Remember this thing or moment from the films you love, we remember those moments too") or B) They don't seem to understand the moment or are reinterpreting it to better suit the narrative they want to tell.
Take The Last Jedi's "Failure is the Greatest Teach" scene. This is a call back to Yoda's final words to Luke in Return of the Jedi "Passed on what you have learned". Then TLJ comes in and tries to retcon this into Yoda saying that Luke should have passed on how he failed because in failing we grow and learn. The problem here is Luke didn't learn anything, like the rest of TDST he just repeated history and ran and hid from everyone in the hopes no one would figure out that this whole mess was technically his fault.
I'd use an example of Call Back for the sake of it but there are honestly to many moments to choose from and if I try to cover them all we'll be here all day.
The call backs to older stories in Season 3 of Picard Serves the story of Season and helps to fix problems from original stories. Data was killed in Star Trek: Nemesis because Spock was killed in The Wrath of Khan, it has no deeper meaning then that and FIXING that by bringing Data back was the right call. But they don't just bring Data back and go on as if nothing happened because they also give proper resolution to the Data and Lore arc and use that to DEVELOP Data's character. The lessons he's learned over the series all aid him in outwitting his brother in a way that fits with his character and all involve calling back to many of his moments throughout the series so when Data shows that he's outsmarted his brother and merges with him it's more then just a call back to a lot of episodes from TNG, it's the conclusion of his character arc.
And that's how it works throughout the season and why so many fans ended up loving this season.
To Quote Linkara "It's more about repairing the future rather then changing the past."
TDST looked upon all the films that came before and just tried to relive the glory days of The Original Trilogy and just called back to TOT for the sake of calling back to better times. STPS3 looked at the past and asked "What story has been left unfinished, what mistakes were made and how can we change that."
One thing that always bugged me about TDST was how the film had Han and Leia basically get a Divorce and had both of them regress as characters and the two NEVER get a chance to talk about their relationship. Season 3 of STP reveals that Picard and Crusher did end up in a relationship and that resulted in Crusher having Picard's child but she never told him that and the two decided that they never worked as a couple.
And the two TALK ABOUT THIS! They don't give some vague BS which basically translates to "OH just go and read the tie-ins if you want details but who cares LOOK C3P0 is back and he Calls Han a General and Leia a Princess!
"And what's great is the show do a great job at giving both Picard and Crusher a chance to present their side of the arguments and you realize that both sides have a point. Crusher lost a husband and a son and she didn't want to lose another and Picard was ALWAYS in danger and he would Never stop being in danger. And Picard has a point that he SHOULD Have been told he had a son and have been given the option to get to know him instead of missing out of year of his son's life.
The show takes a relationship that was thrown to the waste side in the films and EXPLORED It here in a GREAT scene between two great actors. TDST, Leia and Han broke up and both are back where they started when we first met the. Why, how, who cares we're here just for the nostalgia of the Original Trilogy not exploring the fall out of the Original Trilogy.
As Picard has shown calls backs can enhance the story as long as you're willing to actually Explore those Call Backs and what it means to the characters going forward. And that's why I feel that the Call Backs in Picard Season 3 are great.
