REVIEW: ‘Star Trek Picard: Stargazer,’ Issue #1

Star Trek Picard: Stargazer #1 is published by IDW Publishing, written by Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson, art by Angel Hernandez, colors by J.D. Mettler, and letters by Neil Uyetake. When you’ve had as storied a career as Jean Luc Picard, there are plenty of memories to look back on. When the opportunity to follow up on a mission from decades before crops up, the Admiral can’t help but take the chance to learn what has become of a promising world.

Right off the bat, this story hits a wonderful note that speaks to its characters as well as gives a lovely nod to the franchise. We are treated with a special run of a Kobayashi Maru scenario on a holodeck. This new iteration of the classic scenario is overseen by Admiral Picard. Seeing Picard running an updated version of the same scenario that Admiral Kirk ran in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was an unexpected treat for my lifelong Trekkie soul.

From here, we see Star Trek Picard: Stargazer #1 take its titular character on a journey back to the planet Jenjor VI. In his early days as captain, Picard led a mission there that had nearly started a conflict with the Romulan Empire. While catastrophe was averted, the Federation lost track of the planet as the Romulan Empire swelled in size. After the devastation that has racked the Empire in recent years, the Federation has regained access to the planet. Receiving an offer to tag alone from the new captain of his old ship, the Stargazer, Picard heads out to see what has become of the world.

The most striking element of Star Trek Picard: Stargazer #1 is how wonderfully the book captures its preexisting characters. This isn’t a huge surprise, given Beyer’s work on the Picard tv series, but it is nonetheless nice to see the translation happen smoothly. The most substantial portion of this book’s narrative takes readers into the past, where they are privy to Picard’s original mission to Jenjor VI. This sequence provides both tension and plot setup, laying the groundwork for what is to come. While the overall sequence is excellently executed, the only problem with it is the transition into this sequence.

When the transition into the past happens, Star Trek Picard: Stargazer #1 indicates this by presenting the star date. Not being up on my Federation calendar, I didn’t realize this was the past rather than the date of arrival for the ship in the present. My confusion was further increased when the captain seemed to have spontaneously changed. This added layer of confusion came due to the not-bald Captain Picard in command and whom I did not recognize. I don’t feel this is entirely my fault, given that I can’t remember ever seeing Patrick Stewart with hair. Once this confusion passed, the story rolled on swimmingly.

The art in this issue keeps all the characters and setting firmly planted in a vision that calls back to the franchise’s live-action roots. This is the best fit for a story happening in a universe with such a familiar aesthetic. I’ve always appreciated it when similar comics have taken this approach, and it works just as well here. The coloring within these panels is not as spot on for me. Colorist Mettler utilizes an airbrush-looking style of color throughout the book, leaving some of the images feeling a bit fuzzy. This hits the more complex elements like faces the worst. It’s not bad, but it is distracting at times. Wrapping up our look at this book is the lettering. The lettering guides the reader through the story well, as dialogue placement weaves the story around all the crucial aspects of the art nicely.

When all is said and done, Star Trek Picard: Stargazer #1 gets the newest adventure of the famed space captain off to a strong start. With only a couple of minor bumps along the way, I hope this creative can take what they have begun and build upon it.

Star Trek Picard: Stargazer #1 is available wherever comics are sold.