First of all, I have to get this out of the way: I am a HUGE Star Trek fan. My dad basically brainwashed me into it since I was little. By the time I was 10 I was fluent in Klingon and knew the difference between a tricorder and a hypospray. Just kidding about the Klingon…I am not completely fluent. So, needless to say I was ecstatic when Sir Patrick Stewart announced at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas that he would be reprising his iconic role of Jean-Luc Picard for a new iteration of the franchise. The first season of Star Trek Picard has come and gone (spoiler alert, I loved it!) and after finishing it I dove into this prequel book.

The Last Best Hope fills in some of the gap years between Picard’s departure from the Enterpise to his current living situation at his vineyard at the start of the series. For those who have yet to watch the series and want some context, reading this prequel book is a good idea.

The rescue mission

The Romulan star is going supernova and the Romulans don’t have the resources to evacuate all the worlds that will be within the blast range in time. Picard leaves the Enterprise in order to head the evacuation effort Starfleet will provide in order to assist their long time enemy. Picard is convinced this is the right choice, but will everyone in the federation think the same?

What is the purpose of rules if they do nothing to protect the vulnerable- no, more, succor the vulnerable. Protection is not enough. Nurture is also necessary…Any rule that prevented that is not worth obeying.”

The politics

The first episode of the series makes allusions to the sentiment against the Federation aiding in the evacuation of Romulan worlds. This is explored further in the book. Within the federation, there is an ongoing tug of war between those that are against such a massive undertaking and those who believe it is their duty to aid those in need. Although I ultimately knew how this would end since I finished the series before reading the book, its still interesting to see how this plays out in detail.

There are other plot threads that tie into the main storyline of season 1 of the television series but I won’t go into that. For those who want explanations before diving into the series, this book is a must. For those like me, I was able to watch the series as it gives enough details for the story to move along.

The Verdict

For more stories related to the rescue mission, IDW is publishing a Star Trek Picard comic book series. There was one BIG question that was left unanswered which I’m hoping will be addressed in either the comic book series or the television series. For now, it is a mystery which I won’t spoil for anyone.

The book does well in filling in the gap between the end of Star Trek Nemesis and the beginning of Picard.

It’s 3 out of 5 for this one.

If you’ve read the book or have watched the new series, share your thoughts!