The title is a play on the classic 1965 Sergio Leone spaghetti western, âFor a Few Dollars Moreâ, starring Clint Eastwood. That movie was a sequel to âA Fistful of Dollarsâ, which was referenced in the TNG episode title âA Fistful of Datasâ.
Badgey is an instructional AI created by Rutherford that went homicidally rogue (LD: âTerminal Provocationsâ). Badgey was thought destroyed in LD: âNo Small Partsâ but last seen encoded in Rutherfordâs original cybernetic implant and being salvaged from the wreckage of the Battle of Kalla in LD: âThe Stars at Nightâ. Badgeyâs code was also used in that episode as a basis for the Texas-class AI, with predictably disastrous results.
The ship that salvages Badgey is Drookmani, who scavenge the wreckage of battles, claiming âtrashâ as their own. They were last seen in LD: âA Mathematically Perfect Redemptionâ, where they raided the Areore on the instigation of rogue exocomp Peanut Hamper.
The Bynars are a cybernetically augmented species, connected to a master computer on their planet Bynaus (TNG: â11001001â). This is their first appearance since their introduction, despite occasional mentions in the series. The speech and lettering they use is consistent with that in the TNG episode.
Grapplers were used on starships and shuttlepods, like the NX-01, in the 22nd Century (ENT) as a precursor to tractor beams. LaâAn Noonien Singh and Boimler both said they liked grapplers (LD: âThose Old Scientistsâ). Pakleds also used gigantic grapplers to tear ships apart (LD: âNo Small Partsâ).
AGIMUS, another rogue AI, first appeared in LD: âWhere Pleasant Fountains Lieâ, where he was placed in the Daystrom Instituteâs Self-Aware Megalomaniacal Computer Storage facility. In âA Mathematically Perfect Redemptionâ, Peanut Hamper was placed in the cell next to AGIMUS.
The shot of the Daystrom Institute is of their facility in Okinawa, last seen in âWhere Pleasant Fountains Lieâ but also present in 2399 in Season 1 of PIC, where it housed the Instituteâs Division of Advanced Synthetic Research.
The drone AGIMUS produces is similar in design to the Echo Papa 607 drone of the arms merchants of Minos (TNG: âThe Arsenal of Freedomâ).
Montañita is a coast town in Ecuador known for being a party destination, at least in the 21st Century.
The movie the AIs are watching appears to be a Lassie movie, based on the appearance of the collie.
AGIMUS says the Bynar ship went missing on Stardate 58934.9, if anyoneâs keeping track.
If an attacking ship knows the frequency that the targetâs shields are tuned to, they can get tune their weapons accordingly to bypass them (ST: Generations).
Rutherford snapped Badgeyâs neck to âkillâ him inâTerminal Provocationsâ. Installing holo-emitters so that a hologram can appear off the holodeck first turned up in VOY: âMessage in a Bottleâ and then in VOY: âThe Killing Gameâ. Voyager was also installed with holo-emitters when converted into a museum ship in LD: âTwovixâ.
Tendi first encountered sand (and a beach) on the holodeck in LD: âSecond Contactâ. Boimlerâs plan to play along and get intel is similar to how Kayshon and Ransom dealt with the Pakled spy in LD: âThe Spy Humongousâ. AGIMUS says Plymeria is a planet that is ripe for domination.
Goodgey and Badgey splitting into good and evil parts is what happens with Kirk in TOS: âThe Enemy Withinâ, although that was the result of a transporter accident.
Root beer was used as a metaphor for the Federation in DS9: âThe Way of the Warriorâ. Alexander Rozhenko preferred root beer floats to bloodwine in DS9: âSons and Daughtersâ.
Neurazine gas is used to incapacitate humanoids (VOY: âMessage in a Bottleâ), not to be confused with neurocine gas, which is lethal to Bajorans and Humans (DS9: âCivil Defenseâ). The latter was used to fake WIlliam Boimlerâs death so he could be recruited by Section 31 (LD: âCrisis Point 2: Paradoxusâ).
Badgeyâs plan to upload himself into subspace relays and then take over bears some similarities to Controlâs commandeering the Section 31 fleet in DIS, the Constructâs taking over of ships in PRO, or the Borg taking control of the fleet in PIC. Seriously, guys, find a newer plan.
Boimler sarcastically remarking that Starfleet couldnât reverse the invasion in an hour refers to where catastrophic events are pretty much solved and reset within the hour runtime of an episode.
The Tyrus VIIA research station was where the exocomps first displayed signs of sentience (TNG: âThe Quality of Lifeâ). The station is the site of a particle fountain used in mining the moon below. The interior of the stationâs main control matches the set from the original episode.
Warp 9.9 is approximately 3029.26c, per the TNG warp scale. As Badgey uploads himself into subspace, we see shots of the Cerritos, the Vancouver (LD: âCupidâs Errant Arrowâ), with Boimlerâs ex Barbara Brinson, the VCF Shâval with Captain Sokel (LD: âwej Dujâ), Starbase 25 (LD: âAn Embarrassment of Dooplersâ), Deep Space 9 (LD: âHear All, Trust Nothingâ), Douglas Station (LD: âSecond Contactâ).
Badgeyâs ascension, including the blue hue he takes on and the bird-like shape surrounding him, is identical (but less painful) to LT OâConnorâs in LD: âMoist Vesselâ. He also sees the Cosmic Koala and mentions the Q Continuum and the Black Mountain (LD: âWeâll Always Have Tom Parisâ, and actually seen in LD: âIn the Cradle of Vexilonâ).
As theorized by many fans, the mystery ship isnât destroying the ships, but stealing them.
The choice of Bynars as the latest victims was clever; if youâre going to remind everyone whatâs going on with mysterious ship, but need to get through the entire sequence as quickly as possible, go with the species that transfer information at the quickest rate!