Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 4, Episode 2 - "Anomaly."
Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was directly referenced by Star Trek: Discovery season 4, and episode 2 repeated the controversial android body Jean-Luc received in Star Trek: Picard season 1. Star Trek: Discovery's new season 4 mission involves solving the mystery of the gravimetric anomaly that destroyed Book's (David Ajala) home planet of Kwejian and now threatens the United Federation of Planets. But despite that no-win scenario, Star Trek: Discovery hasn't forgotten Dr. Hugh Culber's (Wilson Cruz) promise to Gray (Ian Alexander) that he'd give the young Trill a physical body so he can finally be "seen."
Star Trek: Picard season 1 ended with Jean-Luc's death from Irumodic Syndrome before he's resurrected in a new synthetic body, which was known as a Golem. Picard's degenerative neurological disorder was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation but by Star Trek: Picard's 2399 timeframe, Jean-Luc's Irumodic Syndrome was advanced and incurable. Already in his 90s, Picard was fated to die from the disease and this urgency was part of the reason he underwent his quest to save Soji (Isa Briones) and the other synthetic "children" of Commander Data (Brent Spiner) from the Romulan Zhat Vash. In Star Trek: Picard's season 1 finale, Picard did indeed perish from his disease after he helped save the galaxy. But Dr. Altan Soong (Brent Spiner) and Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) successfully transferred Picard's mind into the Golem, granting the retired Starfleet Admiral a new lease on life.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4, episode 2, "Anomaly," name-dropped Admiral Picard when Dr. Culber explained his plan to use 800-year-old Soong technology to give Gray a new synthetic body. Culber warned that the process he'll attempt only worked once before, on Picard himself. Jean-Luc previously appeared in Star Trek: Discovery season 3 when Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) saw footage of Picard meeting Spock (Leonard Nimoy) in TNG's "Unification" episode. But this synergy between Discovery and Picard is exciting since the android technology that brought Jean-Luc back to life could potentially also be the solution to Gray's dilemma that only Adira (Blu del Barrio) can see and hear him.
Gray receiving a similar synthetic body likely won't be met with the same uproar and controversy as Picard becoming an android. Thematically, Star Trek: Picard's solution to Jean-Luc's fatal disease worked because Picard was a fierce advocate for the rights of artificial beings like Data. So it was ironic that Picard also became synthetic in his revival Star Trek series. But many Trekkers took issue with Picard becoming an android and saw it was an inelegant and silly solution when it would have been just as easy to conjure up a cure for Irumodic Syndrome. However, Gray gaining a similar android body as Picard makes a great deal of sense and it's a novel fix for his problem. Gray becoming a synth isn't as controversial as Picard because he's still a new character to Star Trek and fans don't have the same level of investment as they do for Picard.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4 may be set in the 32nd century but the show has followed up on and successfully incorporated many aspects from Star Trek: Picard. For example, the Qowat Milat sect of Romulan warrior nuns Picard introduced reappeared in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, with Michael Burnham's mother Gabrielle (Sonja Sohn) joining their ranks. It's a clever move by Star Trek: Discovery that the Soong android technology that resurrected Picard could also be used to give Gray a new, physical form. Although, it doesn't speak well for how android technology in Star Trek: Discovery's Federation of 3189 developed that they need 800-year-old synthetic tech from Star Trek: Picard to save Gray.
Star Trek: Discovery season 4 streams Thursdays on Paramount+.