Review of "Star Trek Picard: Countdown," by Kirsten Beyer & Mike Johnson

 Review of

Star Trek Picard: Countdown, by Kirsten Beyer & Mike Johnson ISBN 9781684056941

Five out of five stars

Saving a planet’s population

 Picard is now an Admiral, and the Romulan Empire is in dire peril. It has been predicted that a star in the Empire will supernova sometime in the near future. Picard is commander of a ship, and he is tasked with overseeing and carrying out the evacuation of a Romulan planet. As is always the case with the Romulans, there are many stages to the assistance, with several factions of the Romulans, not all of which are in favor of Federation help.

 When Picard meets with the Romulan governor and tours the planet, he discovers an indigenous, intelligent species that the Romulans were planning on leaving behind. When he objects to this plan, the governor has him incarcerated. This is when two members of the Romulan secret police known as the Tal Shar break Picard out of prison and get the evacuation back on track. It demonstrates the Romulans at their scheming, duplicitous “best.”

 It is gratifying to see one of the primary Star Trek characters back in action. Picard demonstrates once again the skill set he has that made him one of the best starship commanders in Star Fleet. He is capable of meeting and dealing with any situation, preferring to think/negotiate his way out of grim difficulties. Outplaying the scheming, factionalized Romulans is not an easy task.