First First Contact (episode)
The USS Cerritos is tasked to aid another starship on a first contact mission. (Season finale)

Summary

Teaser
"Captain's log, Stardate 58130.6. The Cerritos has rendezvoused with the Archimedes, and my old friend, Captain Sonya Gomez, so that we can assist in her first contact of the Lapeerians."

Captain Carol Freeman is being briefed about the Laap system by Admiral Alonzo Freeman and Captain Gomez informs Freeman that the Cerritos will initially be positioned outside the system, as Gomez doesn't want to intimidate the Lapeerians with the sight of multiple ships. After first contact is made, the Cerritos can install subspace transponders and then will be free to join the Archimedes crew planetside for the celebration.  At the end of the briefing, Admiral Freeman hands his wife a glass of champagne and proposes a congratulation toast in her name.

In the space station corridor, Ensign Beckett Mariner is carrying a box of contraband when she bumps into Ensign Jennifer Sh'reyan, causing the contents to spill out. Mariner begrudgingly asks her not to tell Commander Jack Ransom about it, and Sh'reyan just walks away, not caring about the incident. When Mariner finishes picking up her mess, Freeman and Gomez walk out from a nearby room and Mariner quickly ducks behind a corner. Mariner overhears Gomez telling the dismayed Freeman that as she will not be able to transfer her senior staff to her new ship as Starfleet Command likes to have consistency with  crews, so she may need to make some "tearful goodbyes."

Act One
In the repair bay, Ensigns Brad Boimler, D'Vana Tendi, and Sam Rutherford are working, when Rutherford's cybernetic implant obstructs his vision with an alert. Rutherford asks Boimler if he can cover his upcoming shift in Cetacean Ops while he gets his implant fixed, but Boimler is unable to do so as he is too busy preparing decorations for Captain Freeman Day. Mariner walks into the repair bay and tells them that she overheard that Freeman is getting a promotion. While others express excitement for the captain, Mariner is more hesitant. Boimler wonders if Ransom could move up Captain Freeman Day to better line up for Freeman's promotion, but Mariner says that Freeman hasn't told Ransom yet, and he'd likely be "super pissed" about it. This gives Mariner an idea to annoy her mother by telling Ransom about the captain's pending transfer, and she excitedly runs off to go find him to Boimler's dismay. Tendi then gets called by Dr. T'Ana to report to her office, and she can't help but wonder if T'Ana is mad at her. Rutherford assures her that she's overthinking it, and this reassures Tendi.

In the mess hall, Ransom is socializing with  and Shaxs when Mariner sits at their booth. While Ransom tries to dismiss her, Mariner tells them that she has something that they will want to hear.

The Cerritos and Archimedes disembark from the space station for the Laap system, and the Archimedes goes to warp first after exchanging some pleasantries. Freeman asks Ransom to take them out, but Ransom begrudgingly acknowledges her order. She asks Shaxs about the repairs to the phasers, and he angrily replies that if he had an update, he would tell her. Billups then emotionally says that "her ship" is ready for warp. Freeman wonders why everyone's mood seems to have soured. As the Cerritos goes to warp, she angrily tells her senior staff to report to her ready room.

Tendi is about to enter Dr. T'Ana's office when she sees Dr. T'Ana talking with Nurse Westlake about her. When Tendi overhears T'Ana commenting that she is not cut out to be in Starfleet Medical and deleting her profile from the medical roster, she runs off in panic. T'Ana senses Tendi is nearby by her scent.

In Freeman's ready room, Freeman angrily demands to know what's going on, and Mariner admits that she overheard that she will be getting a promotion and a new ship, and the senior staff voice their grievances. Freeman tries to say that she would take them with her if she could, but before she can say anything else, Mariner decides to toss some more fuel on the figurative fire and asks who the new captain will be. Ransom is confident that he will assume the role, before Freeman reluctantly says that the admiralty will be bringing on someone new, which causes further anger amidst the senior staff. Freeman shoots a glare at her daughter.

In the lower decks crew bunks, Tendi rushes up to Rutherford, and tells him that she's afraid she's going to be transferred off the ship, as she saw T'Ana delete her from the system. Rutherford looks up the medical roster, and confirms that her name is no longer there, and Tendi begins to cry, as she will miss the Cerritos greatly. Rutherford then gets an idea for them to visit all her favorite places on the ship one final time so that she can have a proper goodbye. Tendi is cheered up by the idea, and leads the way, as Rutherford's implant is still impeding on his vision.

In the Laap system, the Archimedes drops out of warp, and Gomez tells her helm to take them in nice and slow, hoping the Lapeerians will get a chance to notice their arrival and scan them. When an ensign trips on a step after leaving the operations console, Gomez immediately gets up to help her, but the ensign nervously declines and insists she's okay, clearly embarrassed it happened in front of the captain. Giving her a reassuring smile, Gomez assures her not to worry about it as she herself has done "way worse in front of much more intimidating captains", putting the young officer at ease.

Tendi and Rutherford make their way around the Cerritos, narrowly avoiding T'Ana at the warp core, who is actively looking for Tendi. They find themselves in the exact spot in the Jefferies tubes where they watched the Trivoli pulsar together, and Tendi once more gets emotional, saying that while they are advised not to get too attached to your ship, it is incredibly hard not to. Rutherford then admits that he loves the Cerritos as well, and they embrace one another. Rutherford then says that he has an idea of an off-limits area they should go to next.

Back in Freeman's ready room, the senior staff are still angry about the situation, and Freeman tells them that their complaints are noted, and orders them back to their stations. Freeman then takes Mariner aside, and furiously tells her that she was going to tell them all at the right time. Mariner replies that as they're her friends, they should know, but Freeman says she can't allow her personal feelings about them to impede on this kind of decision. As they continue to argue, a red alert interrupts them, and they rush on to the bridge. Asking for a report, Boimler tells Freeman that the Lapeerian sun has just emitted an unexpected solar flare, which is heading straight for an unstable planetoid.

The flare envelops the planetoid, and destroys it, sending out a wave of magnetized ionic plasma and debris. The wave hits the Archimedes, overloading its systems, causing the ship to fall into a blackout and go adrift.

Act Two
The Archimedes crew recovers from the plasma wave impact but finds the ship disabled, with the warp core offline and backup power cells down: the first officer compares it to being hit with an EMP. However, they can see from the stars passing by through the transparent bridge dome that the momentum from the impact has kept the ship moving. Gomez realizes that the Archimedes has fallen into the gravity well of the Lapeerian homeworld, and the ship will crash into the planet if they cannot restore power. With their current problems outlined, she encourages the crew to start working on solutions.

The Cerritos bridge crew monitors the situation and estimates that the Archimedes is twenty hours away from crashing into the Lapeerian homeworld and causing catastrophic damage. Freeman wants to use the tractor beam on the Archimedes, but Billups informs her that the Cerritos can't get close enough due to the radiolytic isotopes within the planetoid debris which has been caught in orbit between the two ships. If any piece of the debris as small as a pomegranate was to hit the shields, Cerritos systems would be similarly disabled. Freeman asks about using the deflector to keep the debris away, but Boimler notes that projecting any energy field would draw in the ionic plasma. Kayshon proposes warping past the debris, but other officers berate the suggestion. Freeman asks if there is anything they can do to help, even breaking rules to do so, but Mariner is at a loss and replies that she does not know. Freeman then leaves the bridge in frustration.

Mariner follows Freeman to the captain's yacht, where Tendi and Rutherford have been secretly eating ice cream cones before running to hide. Freeman intends to take the yacht through the debris to get to the Archimedes, but Mariner counters that not only does the yacht have the same shield technology as the ship, as Freeman hasn't piloted anything in years, she is better suited to fly the yacht. As they argue, Tendi wonders if the yacht is off-limit because Mariner and Freeman often come here to fight, while Rutherford notes the ionic plasma within the debris. Mariner declares that she isn't going to let Freeman get herself killed, comparing herself to James T. Kirk. Freeman says that Mariner is not as confident as she once was and that she gets in too many fights; she instead needs to drop her defenses and make some allies. Inspired, Rutherford enters the yacht's cockpit and suggests that dropping defenses is how they can save the Archimedes. Freeman indicates that even if they lower their shields, the hull has magnetic shielding that they cannot discharge, and Rutherford proposes removing the hull. Confused, Mariner points out that the hull is needed to retain the ship's atmosphere, but Freeman realizes that he's referring to the removal of the outer hull, which is technically an extra layer of protection, while keeping the inner hull intact. Rutherford notes that the inner hull will still protect them from the vacuum of space, and since they will not be going to warp, the protection of the outer hull will not be needed. Freeman notes that the entire crew will have to help nonstop to strip the hull and then fly through dangerous debris with no protection, all in eleven hours. Grabbing Mariner and Tendi by the hand she leads them off the yacht, quickly saying that they have to hurry.

Freeman runs the plan by Billups in Engineering, who confirms that while the ship would take a beating, the plan could work. Freeman then calls all officers, regardless of their duties, to help strip the Cerritos of its outer hull. The crew begins a massive space walk and works tirelessly to strip the ship by releasing each plating maglock and cutting them with hand phasers when necessary, when Rutherford's implant once again impedes his vision. Billups takes a tricorder reading and informs him that his implant's storage has maxed out, and Rutherford explains that since he lost his memories of Tendi last year, he creates three backups of new memories with her in case he were to lose them again. Billups notes that it will only get worse if Rutherford doesn't free up space. Rutherford fears not having a backup if he forgets again, but Billups advises that if new memories with Tendi cannot be made, will it really matter either way?

Inside, Shaxs leads crewmembers in moving anything volatile deeper into the ship to keep them from inadvertently exploding. On the bridge, as no power would make the viewscreen useless anyway, its entire panel section is detached from the ship and exposes the bridge to space, as Ransom explains to Kayshon that he will have to pilot the ship by sight.

Back on the Archimedes, Gomez falls back onto her engineering background and is working tirelessly to try and get a shuttlecraft operational, hoping to use them to redirect the ship or at least evacuate some of her crew, but is unsuccessful. Her first officer is worried that she needs some rest, but Gomez refuses while the ship remains in its blackout: in seven hours, she grimly notes, she'll get to rest one way or another.

Freeman and Mariner enter the ship from their work on the hull, and while they seal off a hatch, Freeman tries to make light of the situation, in that at the very least when she's gone, Mariner won't have someone consistently angering her anymore. Mariner gets upset that Freeman is always trying to change her, and that she is glad that Freeman will be getting transferred off the ship as she never wants to work with her again. Freeman looks on sadly as Mariner stalks away.

On the underside of the saucer section, Billups saves a crewmember from floating off into space when the maglock for the last panel malfunctions and causes her boots to momentarily demagnetize. Discovering the maglock's access controls are fused, he alerts Freeman of one last panel that cannot be released outside, and that it needs to be released manually from inside the ship. Warned by Ransom that they're out of time, Freeman calls for red alert and orders the Cerritos towards the debris field, hoping the panel can be released during the transit. Ransom activates the manual steering column and takes the Cerritos forwards.

While Steve Stevens hurries the last of the crew on the hull back inside through the shuttlebay, Rutherford and Tendi are running through the Cerritos corridors. Rutherford's implant once more impedes his vision, and realizing he cannot keep ignoring the problem, he reluctantly purges his backup memories. However, as he does this, he inadvertently comes upon a memory he doesn't recognize, in which he sees two people in shadow giving him his implant. After he ponders it for a moment, he calls over Boimler and Mariner from down the corridor and they enter Cetacean Ops, where Rutherford calls two beluga whale lieutenant junior grades named Kimolu and Matt. Rutherford explains that while he and Tendi override the safety protocols, one of the other two needs to swim deep inside Cetacean Ops' hydrotube and release the mag clamps, as the control node for the manual access clamps is located there. As the belugas cannot release the panel themselves, Mariner volunteers, but complains that while she would save the day, her mother would get the credit for it. Boimler angrily tells Mariner to stop, and that she's just upset that her mother is leaving. Mariner admits this and tells them of their recent fight. While they try to tell her to go and reconcile with her mother, Mariner tells them that they don't understand her family, which causes Tendi to shout that they're her family, and that she will regret not reconciling with her mother if it's potentially their last moment together. Mariner relents and rushes to the bridge while thanking and apologizing to her friends.

Rutherford then shows Boimler on Cetacean Ops' diagram that the mag clamps are deep inside the filter nodule that he'll need to squeeze into, at the end of a tunnel at the bottom of Cetacean Ops' hydrotube, which is as long as the hydrotube is tall. Boimler starts to become nervous, but somewhat annoyed, Rutherford reminds him that he was the one that wanted to 'dive into the unknown', and now is his chance. While still nervous, he gets himself ready and dives into the water, towed to the bottom of the hydrotube by Kimolu and Matt. He asks the lieutenants if they're planning anything for Captain Freeman Day, but Kimolu replies that they're not, as it's for calves. Swimming through the tunnel and having to squeeze through a narrow section, he reaches the end and exposes the manual mag clamps controls, but when he tries to turn it, it won't budge.

As Ransom continues to navigate the Cerritos towards the debris field while looking for the best entry point, Mariner enters the bridge and hugs Freeman, apologizing. Freeman says that she was also being a bit of a "jerk" as well, and orders Mariner to help navigate where the viewscreen was. She takes a position on the opposite side of Sh'reyan, and Freeman orders to get ready to cut the power. Billups warns her that the panel is still on the hull, but Mariner says that Boimler is taking care of it.

Down in Cetacean Ops, Boimler is struggling with the clamps, but finally manages to disengage it and release the panel. However, he also doesn't notice the shoulder of his EV suit tearing when he does so. As the panel is freed, Freeman has the power cut, and the Cerritos enters the debris field. Boimler is happy he was successful, but it turns to alarm when he realizes that his suit has been compromised, and his helmet is quickly flooding with water. Taking one last available deep breath, he removes the helmet and leaving it behind, swims as fast as he can to get out of the tunnel. He reaches the narrow section and starts squeezing through, but his exertions have used up all his oxygen; as he desperately reaches out for the hydrotube beyond the tunnel, he loses consciousness.

Act Three
Tendi and Rutherford are getting worried that Boimler hasn't come up yet, when Kimolu and Matt, having been able to get into the tunnel to rescue him, rush Boimler's unconscious body to the surface and toss him out of the water, reporting that he isn't breathing. Tendi realizes that Boimler is in cardiac arrest, and with no time to get to Sickbay, begins CPR. Tendi successfully resuscitates Boimler and he coughs up the water he swallowed. She has him speak to her: the first thing he asks is if he missed Captain Freeman Day, which she happily takes as a sign that he'll be okay. Kimolu excitedly invites them to go skinny dipping. A dazed Boimler mentions that he saw a koala, but Tendi suggests he keep that to himself.

With a heads-up display on his faceplate being his only available computer assistance, and Sh'reyan and Mariner reporting debris positions beyond the limited field of view from the first officer's chair, Ransom continues to pilot the Cerritos through the debris field on inertia and the ship's maneuvering RCS thrusters, but a massive piece of debris gets in their way. Unable to avoid it in time, he warns them to brace for impact: the debris collides with the Cerritos, dislodging Mariner from the floor and thrusting her out into space through the opening. Before Mariner drifts too far away, Sh'reyan makes her way onto the hull, and grabs her by the wrist. However, their joy is short-lived as more and larger debris comes upon Cerritos path.

The Archimedes is just minutes away from entering the planet's atmosphere. While Gomez tries to give her bridge crew the best chance of survival by ordering them to the back of the ship, they choose to stay with her. As Archimedes hits the atmosphere, its starboard warp nacelle is torn away due to atmospheric stress. The Lapeerians on the surface watch curiously, not knowing about the pending disaster. Before she can plummet further, the Archimedes and her stray nacelle are tractored into stable orbit by the battered Cerritos, having successfully navigated the debris field. Ransom reports that no lives were lost as Freeman sighs in relief.

Interlude
Later, Freeman, Mariner, Ransom, Shaxs, and Stevens beam down to the planet to initiate the first contact, having been offered by Gomez that the Cerritos crew finish the mission instead. As they ready themselves to meet the Lapeerian leaders, Mariner commends her mother. Freeman approaches the Lapeerians, and begins the first contact greeting. The Lapperian leader interrupts the greeting with a friendly hug and invites them all for a drink.

In sickbay, Tendi is helping to treat the injured from both ships, and Dr. T'Ana calls her over. Tendi reluctantly approaches her, and sadly says that she knows she doesn't belong in sickbay. T'Ana agrees and says that the way Tendi masters anything she puts her mind to is unsettling. She surprises Tendi by saying that she's being limited by working in sickbay, and thus is moving her from medical to senior science officer training. Much to her growing delight, Tendi realizes that means she'll get to work on the bridge like Jadzia Dax did (or Spock as T'Ana interjects, not knowing who Dax is). T'Ana adds that it will mean a lot more experiments and going on away missions, and asks if she can handle that; Tendi hugs her tightly in appreciation while tearfully thanking her. Deciding that she's fine with the hug, T'Ana happily returns it and purrs.

The Cerritos and the Archimedes are joined in orbit by other Starfleet vessels, including a , an , a  docked with the Cerritos, and another . As the crew celebrates their first first contact, Shaxs tells an intoxicated Freeman, having had a lot to drink with the Lapperians, that the repairs on the Archimedes are going well and Gomez is recovering nicely. Mariner also thanks Sh'reyan for saving her life, and Sh'reyan apologizes for how she's treated her throughout the year. As the two reconcile, they commend Brad for his actions in Cetacean Ops. Freeman then offers a toast to the Cerritos. As the crew cheers, an officer contacts Freeman that a team from Starfleet Command is requesting to come aboard. Freeman has them escorted to the senior conference room. The bridge crew and Mariner all express how happy they are for Freeman and wish her well on her new ship. However, Freeman surprises them and says she is turning down her transfer, saying that working so hard for her transfer blinded her to the fact that she's already happy where she is.

Ransom, Shaxs, and Mariner go with her to the conference room to tell the officers of her intention to remain on the Cerritos and are greeted by Commander  and three other officers, all in operations gold. As Freeman begins to turn down her transfer, Mandel says that she doesn't have a choice. Freeman is then put in handcuffs, and arrested for the destruction of Pakled Planet to the shock of the others: the officers are with Starfleet Security. On the bewildered Freeman asking what the charges are, Mandel informs them that they have proof that she collaborated with Klingon extremists to plant a Varuvian bomb in the capital city. On Freeman asking when it happened, she's told it had detonated at 0900 hours that day while the Cerritos was on her mission, with Mandel certain that it was conveniently "just as planned". There will have to be a tribunal. While the others voice their objections, Freeman orders them to stand down and let the security officers do their jobs, confident that the Cerritos crew have the truth on their side. She also doesn't want the crew to know about her arrest until they learn more, but as they leave, the entire crew has already lined up, ready to cheer for her. Their joy quickly turns to shock as she is escorted out of the conference room in cuffs. They make way in silence for the officers and watch as Freeman is taken from the ship.

From the viewports, the Cerritos crew watches as the Nova-class starship to which Freeman was taken undocks from their ship, powers its engines, and goes to warp…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Memorable quotes
"Maybe everyone feels like they should know more about what's going on on the ship like need-to-know stuff that they don't know, you know?"
 - Mariner

"You're lucky I'm so spiritually centered, or I'd snap!"
 - Shaxs

"Uh, I'm okay. Please don't, it's fine."
"Don't worry about it. I've done way worse in front of much more intimidating captains."
 - an Archimedes ensign and Gomez

"Attention all hands, report to your commanding officers. The Archimedes needs our help, so we have to remove our hull one panel at a time. I'm calling on every officer, no matter what your usual duties are. We have to work together. It'll be close, people; our lives will be on the line. But we are Starfleet, and we never back down from a challenge. Now, get to work. Cerritos strong! Oh, and the ballroom dancing competition will have to be postponed."
 - Freeman, to the crew of the Cerritos

"Last year, I lost all my memories of Tendi, so whenever I make a new one, I save three copies just in case it happens again."
"Well, it's only going to get worse until you free up some space."
"But what if I forget her again?"
"Son, if you can't keep making new memories, does it matter?"
 - Rutherford and Billups

"You guys don't know anything about my family!"
"WE ARE YOUR FAMILY! We will always be there for you and right now, we're heading right into a pile of crazy dangerous space debris!"
 - Mariner and Tendi

"So, you guys doing anything for Captain Freeman Day?"
"No. That's for calves."
 - Boimler and Kimolu

"He's not breathing!"
"His blowhole's broken!"
 - Kimolu and Matt, about Boimler

"Nothing like saving your friend, then going skinny dipping!"
 - Kimolu

"You shouldn't be treating phaser burns. I'm moving you into senior science officer training."
"Wait, like to work on the bridge? Like Jadzia Dax?"
"Who the *bleep* is that? I don't know who that is. No, like Spock."
 - T'Ana and Tendi

"You're under arrest for the destruction of Pakled Planet."
 - Mandel, arresting Freeman

Background information

Title
 The title was announced in a ViacomCBS press release on .  as "First First Contact" but is listed on Paramount+ as just "First Contact" 
 This episode marks the third time that the phrase "first contact" is used in the title of a Star Trek installment, the first two being  and .
 The title refers to first contact missions, prestigious assignments in which Starfleet engages an alien culture for the first time. Despite her mission profile usually focusing on second contacts, the  is assigned to support the  during first contact with the Lapeerians. After the Archimedes is disabled, Captain Gomez allows Captain Freeman to finish the assignment, marking the first such accomplishment for the captain and her crew.

Production
 This is the first Star Trek episode to feature the intertitle "To Be Continued..." since the  fourth season episode .

Cast and characters
 Lycia Naff reprises her role of Sonya Gomez, now captain of the . Gomez was introduced as an ensign in the  episode  and last seen in , the episode which introduced the Pakleds. In-universe, about 16 years have passed since these events while more than 32 years have passed since the first release of "Samaritan Snare". This likely marks the longest real-world timespan between two appearances of a character who is still portrayed by the same actor. Previously, Kor and Arne Darvin – portrayed by John Colicos and Charlie Brill, respectively – appeared on  over 28 years after their last appearances on .
 As solutions to save the Archimedes are discussed, Kayshon suggests warping around the debris field. Most characters hectically dismiss the idea and Shaxs can be heard yelling "Dr. Erin says we can't do that!" This is a reference to Dr. Erin Macdonald, the science consultant of .

Continuity

 The  is introduced for the first time with the . The ship combines design elements of the refit , notably in its engineering hull and neck, with the style of the , especially in the design of its nacelles, pylons, yellow deflector dish and elongated saucer. According to series creator Mike McMahan, the class is named for Lower Decks art designer Nollan Obena. McMahan also noted that the Obena-class is larger than the Excelsior-class and stated that this class is still in service. 
 When Mariner mentions that she doesn't want a new captain to be transferred to the  because the crew could potentially receive "some weirdo with a riding crop," this is likely a reference to Captain Lawrence H. Styles and his swagger stick in .
 Once again, it is noted that  starships are not considered prestigious assignments. As Captain Freeman expects a promotion to another ship, she duly notes that she will not be allowed to take her senior officers with her, as Starfleet tends to keep crews of California-class starships together. Although Freeman tries to spin this positively in front of her senior staff, the officers, notably Billups, seem to be aware of and upset about the class's negative perception.
 When Captain Gomez helps a nervous ensign who trips, she explains how she's done way worse in front of much more intimidating captains. This is a reference to a memorable scene in , in which Gomez accidentally spills a cup of hot chocolate on Captain Picard's uniform.
 Throughout the episode, Bradward Boimler is making preparations for Captain Freeman Day, including a banner similar to the one seen for Captain Picard Day in . Several characters point out that the festivities are actually an arts and crafts day intended for children (or calves). Due to the accomplishments during this episode, Boimler later crudely changes the banner to read "Happy First Contact".
 Tendi is excited at the prospect of going to the off-limits rubber ducky room, referencing the barely visible rubber ducks included as easter eggs by Michael Okuda in the master systems displays of the  and .
 A captain's yacht is shown only for the second time in this episode, after its first appearance in . Similar vessels have often been included in master systems displays and background information about various ship classes.
 As the implant of Samanthan Rutherford once again malfunctions, he quickly views several back-up memories of moments he has spent with D'Vana Tendi, most of which are taken from previous episodes. Notably, one previously unseen memory sees Rutherford and Tendi celebrating New Year's Eve in 2381, while another sees the pair painting a nude Jack Ransom in an apparent art class.
 Rutherford also views and dismisses a memory in which he seemingly receives his implant for the first time. The unidentified shadowy figures indicate that Rutherford actually does not need the implant and imply that it may have nefarious uses, unbeknownst to him.
 Cetacean Ops is shown for the first time, after several mentions and references in previous episodes, starting with . Its function is revealed to be associated with the ship's navigation. A similar facility was mentioned to exist aboard the  in  and . It has also been included as a piece of background lore in publications such as Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual and Star Trek: The Next Generation USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D Blueprints.
 Matt and Kimolu, two beluga whales, are the first shown Starfleet officers from an Earth-based species other than Humans.
 Matt only learns about Mariner being Captain Freeman's daughter in this episode, a revelation that caused quite a stir with most of the Cerritos crew in .
 As Boimler regains consciousness from nearly drowning, he claims to have seen a vision of a koala. In , Lieutenant O'Connor saw such a creature spanning the universe during his ascension.
 As Commander Ransom takes manual control of the Cerritos, he flies the ship with the help of the manual steering column, similar to the one used by William T. Riker in . The ship is also seen firing reaction control thrusters while in the debris field, similar to the Enterprise-D navigating an asteroid field in .
 As the Cerritos comes to the rescue of the Archimedes at the last second, an ensign excitedly points at the ship and exclaims "It's the Cerritos!". This is reminiscent of the Season 1 finale, , in which an excited Boimler points to the view screen and exclaims "It's the Titan!", as the  unexpectedly swoops in and saves the Cerritos from a vicious Pakled assault.
 An  vessel is seen at the end of the episode, tractoring the torn-off nacelle of the Archimedes. This marks the class's first on-screen appearance since it was seen in the background of the Battle of Sector 001 in . This also confirms the Oberth-class as one of the longest known serving Starfleet ship classes of the late 24th century, with its first appearance in  set in 2285, about 96 years before this episode. Not counting holographic depictions, only the  has seen a longer service, ranging for over 129 years from at least 2256 to 2385.
A  vessel was also seen at the end of the episode, first positioned near the Cerritos and then ferrying away Captain Freeman. The Nova-class was last seen on , during the Battle of Procyon V. However, the ship seen in this episode features differences from previous Nova-class vessels, notably a yellow deflector dish more reminiscent of the Archimedes.
 Tendi is finally dismissed from sickbay duty, something she feared throughout the season. However, her dismissal is actually a promotion, as Dr. T'Ana recommends her for senior science officer training, because she excels at every scientific task assigned to her.
 Tendi joyfully compares herself to Jadzia Dax at the prospect of becoming a senior science officer. T'Ana dismisses the notion, expressing that she has no idea who that is and compares her to the more famous Spock instead. This is a likely reference to the enduring cultural prominence of  and its characters over the various Star Trek spin-off series.
 After a long-standing feud throughout previous episodes, Beckett Mariner and Jennifer Sh'reyan become more friendly towards each other during the course of this episode and express their mutual respect. They also hint at a mutual attraction, which according to Mike McMahan will lead to the exploration of a romantic relationship: "So the themes in the second season about Mariner opening herself up and trusting people and not being afraid about abandonment and not pushing people away all the time, that actually fit into us seeing her in a relationship for the first time. Nothing felt more appropriate for Mariner than taking the person that she ostensibly dislikes the most on the Cerritos and finding out that, of course she's attracted to her because anything Mariner likes, she pushes away." 
 As the Cerritos crew intends to congratulate Captain Freeman for her promotion and wishes to bid her farewell, several officers line up in a corridor, similar to the farewell ceremonies seen in  and .
 The ongoing conflict with the Pakled takes a surprising turn at the end of this episode, as it is revealed that Pakled Planet was recently destroyed by a varuvian bomb. Such weapons were sold to the Pakled by Captain Dorg in the previous episode . Based on the evidence presented by Starfleet Security, Captain Freeman is accused of collusion and is considered a suspect in the destruction of the world and taken into custody.

Links and references

Starring
 Tawny Newsome as
 Beckett Mariner
 Archimedes cmd ens
 Jack Quaid as Brad Boimler
 Noël Wells as D'Vana Tendi
 Eugene Cordero as Sam Rutherford
 Dawnn Lewis as Carol Freeman
 Jerry O'Connell as Jack Ransom
 Fred Tatasciore as Shaxs
 Gillian Vigman as T'Ana

Special guest star
 Lycia Naff as "Capt. Sonya Gomez"

Guest cast
 Phil LaMarr as
 Alonzo Freeman
 Archimedes first officer
 Lauren Lapkus as Jennifer Sh'reyan
 Jim Piddock as 
 Ryan Ridley as Bajoran ops ens
 Paul Scheer as 
 Carl Tart as Kayshon

Characters with unidentified voices
 Kimolu
 Matt
 Cybernetic surgeon 1
 Cybernetic surgeon 2
 Lapeerian leader

Background characters
 Arjun
 Asif
 Barnes
 
 Castro
 Dahae
 Karavitus
 Jet Manhaver
 Migleemo
 Pon Darra
 Rumdar 
 Steve Stevens
 Vendome
 Westlake
 Alien ops ens 1
 Antaran ops ens
 Archimedes Human officers
 Archimedes Tellarite officer
 Archimedes Vulcan officer
 Benzite cmd ens
 Haliian ops lt
 Human cmd ens 2
 Human cmd lt 2
 Human ops ens 1
 Human ops ens 2
 Human ops lt jg 2
 Human ops lt 3
 Human ops cmdr
 Human sci ens 3
 Human sci lt
 Kzinti cmd ens
 Lapeerian bystanders
 Merp's species ens
 Napean ops lt
 Pakled leader 
 Pakled rebels 
 Starfleet Security ens 1, 2, and 3

References
2381; 24-hour clock; access control; admiral; admiralty; Adonis; ; alert; alien; "all hands"; allies; Andorian; Antaran; ; arrest; asteroid; atmosphere; authority; away missions; baby; Bajoran; Ballroom dance; banner; bar; beating; beluga whale; Benzite; ; blowhole; bod; Bolian; booth; "brace for impact"; breathing; bridge; bridge crew; ; bush; butt; Caitian;  (aka ""), (unnamed); calves; captain (aka "", "cap'n"); Captain Freeman Day; captain's log; captain's yacht (unnamed); cardiac arrest; cardiopulmonary resuscitation; celebration; ; Cetacean Ops; challenge; s; children; choice; s; clapping; class J gas giant; class M; collusion; combadge; command; commander; commanding officers; conflict; congratulations; consistency; contraband; control node; coupling; court-martialed; crew; crying; culture; cybernetic implant; daughter; ; day; debris; decision; decorations; defenses; deflector; dinner; Diplomath; diving; doctor; "Dr. T"; drawing; dream; drinking; drowning; ego; EMP; energy field; engines; ensign; environmental suit; Erin; experiments; extremists; fajitas; family; Federation starships at Starbase; feelings; fight; file; filter nodule; first contact; flare; fleet; flippers; foot; formalities; "free spirit"; friend; ; gig; "good to go"; gravity well; guy; hallway; handcuffs; hangovers; hate; ; helm; hero; hiding; home; hostility; hours; hug; hull; hull plate; hull plating; hydroscoot; hydrotube; ice cream cone; idea; illusion; information; inner hull; invasion; Jefferies tube; jerk; job; kids; ; Klingon; koala; Kzinti; Laap system; Lapeeria; Lapeerian; Lapeerian sun; lieutenant; lieutenant commander; lieutenant junior grade; locals; love; mag clamp; magnetic shield; magnetized ionic plasma; Maintenance hatch 788; manual access clamps; master systems display; Medical; Medical Roster; memories; Merp's species; Migleemo's species; minutes; mission; mister; mom; momentum; mood-altering plant; "Mr. Humble Confidence"; nacelle; NCC; "need a hand"; New Year's Eve;  (unnamed); nudity; number one; ;  (unnamed); office; "okey dokey"; "on the fly"; "open book, an"; orbit; order; Orion; outer hull; Pakled; Pakled capital city; Pakled Clumpships (unnamed); Pakled Planet;  (unnamed); party; pee; people; phaser; planet; planetoid; pomegranate; Pon Darra's species; praise; promotion; proof; protection; purr; radiolytic isotopes; ready room; ; red alert; rendezvous; repairs; rescue; riding crop; rubber ducky room; safety protocols; satisfaction; senior conference room; senior science officer training; senior staff; Sequoia; shielding; shields; ship; shoulders; "shut up"; sickbay; sir; skinny dipping; ; space; space walk; ; Spock; spying; "stand down"; stardate; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; Starfleet Command; Starfleet insignia; Starfleet Security; Starfleet uniform (2370s-early 2380s); Starfleet uniform (early 2380s); stations; storage; stripping; stuff; subspace transponders; suggestion; sweaty; swimming; system; t-shirt; Tamarian; Tellarite; thing (aka "thingy"); toddlers; tractor beam; transfer; tribunal; tricorder; Trill; Trivoli pulsar; truth; type 2 phaser; Type 6A shuttlecraft; "up to speed"; vacuum; vanity holiday; Varuvian bomb; viewscreen; vision; voice authorization; volatiles; Vulcan; waitress; warp; warp core; water; week; "weirdo"; woman; work; working; year

Medical Roster references
Tanowski; Teagarden; Teague; Tegtmeir; Tehrani; Te' Mpest; Tellman; Tennyson; Ter Haar; Ter' Esi; Teshime

Meta references
bleep; cliffhanger; intertitle; subtitle

External links
 
 
 

de:Erster Erster Kontakt