Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Episode 6 - "Two of One"
After 21 years, Renée's Watcher, Tallinn (Orla Brady), keeps her distance from the young Picard, Jean-Luc took the opportunity to connect with his great-great-great aunt, and, in a surprise, Renée identified one of the ships in Enterprise's credits.
Originally titled simply Enterprise, Star Trek: Enterprise premiered on the UPN Network in 2001. The series, which ran just four seasons, was a Star Trek prequel set in the 22nd century that established the NX-01 as the first Starship Enterprise, which was commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). A departure from the previous Star Trek series executive produced by Rick Berman, Enterprise was also the first Star Trek show to use a pop song in its opening credits. The maligned intro, "Faith of the Heart," was sung by Russell Watson. Although Star Trek: Enterprise gained an appreciative new audience after it streamed on Netflix and Paramount+, "Faith of the Heart" remains divisive to Trekkers. However, theme song aside, the opening credits montage is intriguing as it charts the many ships named Enterprise throughout history, leading up to the launch of the NX-01. Yet one of the last ships seen, a space shuttle-like craft that appears right before Zephram Cochrane's (James Cromwell) Phoenix towards the end of the montage, has been a mystery - until Star Trek: Picard season 2, episode 6.
Aware that Renée suffers from crippling depression, Jean-Luc chose to ignore Tallinn's rule and make with his ancestor, who is the pilot of the Europa Mission. Posing as the gala's oldest security guard, Jean-Luc began to counsel Renée by echoing his mother, Yvette's (Madeline Wise), advice and asking her to "look up." Above the Picards was a model of the same shuttlecraft seen in Star Trek: Enterprise's opening credits. As she relaxed, Renée identified the ship as the OV-165 shuttle, which she nicknamed Spike because "it has these kickass aero-spike engines that use less fuel." Star Trek: Picard season 2 has no shortage of Star Trek Easter eggs but this was an unexpectedly special shoutout to Star Trek: Enterprise.
Renée confirmed that "Spike" is one of the few ships in Enterprise's opening montage not named Enterprise, along with the Phoenix and one of NASA's Apollo rockets. Yet the OV-165 shuttle must still be an important part of Star Trek's pre-Starfleet space history. Still, it won't be Spike that Renée will be piloting on the Europa Mission. Rather, Picard will be flying the Shango on what's destined to be one of the pivotal explorations of the solar system. According to Jean-Luc, history records that Renée will find a sentient microorganism on Jupiter's moon Io and she brings it back to Earth. It's this mission that Q needs to stop with the help of Dr. Adam Soong (Brent Spiner) to guarantee the timeline changes into the dark future ruled by the Confederation of Earth.
The OV-165's explanation in Star Trek: Picard season 2 is the latest mention of the Scott Bakula-led series. J.J. Abrams' Archer Space Dock, continuing Jonathan Archer's legend a thousand years after he led the NX-01 Enterprise, helped found the United Federation of Planets, and served as the first Federation President. Thanks to Renée and Star Trek: Picard season 2, the identity of the OV-165 will forever be known whenever Trekkers watch Star Trek: Enterprise (as long as they don't skip the credits to avoid "Faith of the Heart").
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.