Traditionally in storytelling, a life changing or altering event, is the kind of moment that forces a character or characters, usually ones that are ‘bad’ in nature, to reflect upon their lives and their direction up to this particular point. Which is designed to serve a single purpose in said story in that, the person or people in question now see the error of their ways and understand the harm they caused, and they are now motivated to make great changes to their lives and be better. Which does indeed make for a fulfilling story of redemption, one that often ends in happy and charming fashion. But the fact of the matter is, that is a somewhat romanticized view of such matters since things often go differently in the real world when it comes to moments in this vein.
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For in reality, people who are negative or bad in nature, are comfortable in the life they lead. For this is all that they know and the prospect of stepping away from familiarity or changing their course is as terrifying as the life changing event in front of them. And more often than not, being forced to confront change and a new way of life can lead to disaster when they fight said alteration with every fiber of their being and that oddly enough, is the focal point of the next issue of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek: Picard countdown comic. For Issue #2 of this prequel to the highly anticipated show allows for us to see just how terrified some Romulans are at the prospect of having the life they’ve led taken away from them, despite the fact that it is for a better cause, and that made for a fascinating tale, one where Governor Shiana embodied everything we’ve just discussed to this point.

Because she continued to use deception and charm to try and woo Picard to bring her people up to the Verity and abandon the innocents here without giving it a second thought. Something that Picard was simply not inclined to do. But a surprise revolution from the natives on this world, is what brought out the darkest parts of Shiana, since she used the uprising to send a distress call to the Verity, allowing for her to execute a dastardly plan, one that saw her gain control of Picard’s ship, all in the hopes of keeping the ideals of the Romulan Empire alive and to likely save her from ever having to explain the truth about what’s happening on this planet. But all of that aside, it was just fascinating to see fear drive her in this manner and her desperate gambit to cling to the old ways, serves as proof as to how some people will never give up an ideal, or a way of life, that has served them well.

Yet what was truly impressive about this particular issue, is the sheer fact that it showed the flip side to this matter as well. Because there is a reason that stories love to explore the possibility that people can course correct when faced with a life changing event. For sometimes people do just that and a prime of example of this, was exhibited by Laris and Zhaban, the two Romulan wine makers we met in the first issue, who turned out to be Tal Shiar agents and well… they were the reason there was a revolt on this world, simply because they had enough of the Empire’s ways. They were tired of the treachery and the distrust and realized that Shiana would use the Verity for nefarious purposes, the kind that would likely foil the Federation’s plans for help and cost billions of lives in the process and they were ready to betray what they were taught, to help Picard put an end to this madness before it could begin and save lives.

If anything, it was wonderful to see this story dive deep into fear and how it can complicate errands of mercy and it does set the stage for a powerful conclusion, one that will likely see quite the fight for the Verity and one that could in fact… show us what changes Picard’s mind about serving in Starfleet after the evacuation is complete and that decision could relate to Shiana’s actions here. Because Picard came to Romulus with only the best and purest of intentions in his heart, preaching the wonder of the peace and unity, and the distinct possibility that there will always be elements of evil and distrust present within whatever the Empire evolves into, could be enough for him to walk away. Because seeing futility in doing good can break a man, especially one that’s dedicated his life to making the universe a better place. Time will tell I suppose, and the endless possibilities as to how this story will end, will have me counting down the days to its finale and the premiere of the series. Until next time.    

​It is no secret, that I am a huge fan of Star Trek and everything this storied franchise has to offer. But of the many iterations and stories that have played out in this universe throughout the years, The Next Generation is the series that holds a special place in my heart. Because the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the intrepid crew of the Enterprise 1701-D (and later 1701-E) are the ones that I truly grew up enjoying and I’ve followed every last one of them throughout the years and my love of this saga is precisely why I’m so excited to see this voyage continue in January with Star Trek: Picard.
 
Because now we get to see how this crew and its former Captain/Admiral are getting along years after they saved the galaxy on a weekly basis and let’s be honest, I think we are all dying to know at this point in time, what would motivate Picard to walk away from the Starfleet and everything that it stands for. Because the Federation and its goal to unite all lives in peace and harmony is something that Picard deeply believed in during his time on TNG and thankfully, it would seem we don’t have to wait until the premiere of the series to find out what caused this shift in his heart and his mind. For IDW Publishing is releasing a three-part Countdown comic book series designed to explore what drove Picard away from his life’s work and thankfully the first part of this series is available now and thus far, it’s quite the delightful read.
 
In fact, I won’t lie, it’s a tad jarring at first to dive back into the TNG era since it’s been ages since we last saw the crew assembled to remember Commander Data’s life in Star Trek: Nemesis, but seeing Geordi LaForge doing what he does best, helps to immerse one back in this world, as does seeing Picard on a bridge once again. Granted, he’s now decked out in Admiral garb, but he’s where he belongs in this tale and it is quite delightful to see him working seemingly around the clock to save the people of the Romulan Empire from the impending Hobus supernova and there really an odd comfort to be found in seeing him and some of his former shipmates still chugging along and doing the right kind of work and that comfort is exactly what makes the twist in this tale so powerful and devastating.
 
Because it isn’t long before Picard comes to discover that the Romulans proclivity for secrecy may in fact danger more lives than expected. For the world that Picard and the U.S.S. Verity visit in this story informs us of how the Romulans have plenty of slave labor being employed throughout the Empire and there’s a fair chance that millions if not billions will die if the Federation cannot figure out how to evacuate these lives off of countless worlds and therein lies the potential conflict. Because it is possible that both Starfleet and the Federation make the hard call to leave some of those innocents behind. And I could definitely see that as being something that Admiral Picard would deem to be disgraceful and against everything that the Federation stands for, to the point where he would walk away from the service and well, the vagueness present here is what makes this opening chapter so fascinating because it compels you press on and see if that’s the case, or if something worse happens before this comic series comes to a close.
 
Either way, this is quite the wonderful way to introduce the audience to the world of Star Trek: Picard and this ‘needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few’ conflict should allow for some fascinating and challenging ideas to come forth and for that reason, I personally declare the opening chapter of this comic series to be quite the success. Because these kind of questions and conflicts have always driven this franchise to new heights and clearly it is going to challenge Picard like never before and well, this one has me hooked. Because this is everything I could have hoped for and more, plus this comic also features some lovely geek out moments since the Verity is the same design as the Odyssey Class from Star Trek Online and you can’t go wrong with a little fan service and in the end, I’ll be anxiously awaiting the release of issue #2 so I can see where this powerful story is headed. Until next time.