Star Trek: Picard — The Last Best Hope
{5/5} “Strange as this may seem, Commander La Forge, Romulans are not popular. The people here will do what you order, and they will do their best, but do not expect them to be happy. Again, I say — you are asking people to put aside their life’s work, and to assist people they have been accustomed to thinking of as their enemy.”
Star Trek: Picard — The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack, published in 2020
The Romulan star is going to explode. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is asked to lead the Starfleet effort to help them. He’s promoted to admiral, leaves the Enterprise, and starts amassing a fleet of ships. He selects Commander Raffi Musiker as his XO on the Verity. Meanwhile, Commander Geordi La Forge heads up the ship building operation at Utopia Planitia. Meanwhile, Bruce Maddox and Agnes Jurati are working on creating nonsentient synthetics who will be able to build ships quickly.
This is the 1st novel based on Star Trek: Picard. You might want to read it before you watch season 1, as it provides valuable back story — it takes place 15 years earlier.
Although Picard contradicts the TNG novels from the last 15 years, that was pretty much inevitable. It’s slightly unfortunate but I’ll live with it — both series are worth watching/reading.
It’s about people who can wrap their heads around helping those who have been their enemy in the past, and people who can’t. It’s about decisions that are made when people are scared.
McCormack has been one of the regular Star Trek authors in the last 15 years. This is her masterpiece.
I’ve read 5 books by McCormack. I previously reviewed Star Trek: DS9 — Enigma Tales.