Star Trek: Picard—Stargazer

Star Trek: Picard—Stargazer #1-3

by Kirsten Beyer, Mike Johnson, Ángel Hernández (Artist)

Following the climactic events of Season Two's finale, Jean-Luc and Seven of Nine launch an unsanctioned mission that sets the stage for the upcoming Season Three!

When the Stargazer, under a new captain, mysteriously disappears, Jean-Luc Picard is once more compelled away from his chateau to confront the shadows of his past. Before his days on the Enterprise, a young Picard violated the Prime Directive for the greater good...and created an enemy that now threatens not only the Stargazer, but an entire system.

For Seven of Nine, agreeing to help Picard means putting her own future at risk--but is it even the future she wants?

Star Trek: Picard creator Kirsten Beyer reteams with veteran Trek comics scribe Mike Johnson and artist non-pareil Angel Hernandez for an adventure that promises to unearth secrets--of the past, present, and future--at every turn!

Genres: Star Trek, Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2023

Reviews

[Eggith · Rating 5 out of 5]

a compelling story that is about the past and how Picard is takin seven under his wing. worth the 18 bucks and will go on my shelf

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek: Picard - Stargazer

An old command decision returns to haunt Admiral Picard when he returns to a planet he first visited while the captain of the 'Stargazer'.

This is an interesting interlude to explore as Beyer shows the transition of Seven of Nine from Fenris Ranger to Starfleet Officer, while showing that sometimes, the worst outcomes can come from trusting too much. There are echoes of "Space Seed" here, which is an interesting parallel to contrast Kirk and Picard.

In general, the artwork is good, but there are pages where key character art looks poor. This is a shame, as it detracts slightly from the overall story.

[Jon Huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. A quick adventure for Picard and Seven between seasons. I do wish IDW would do longer mini-series. Three issues goes by so quickly. The art, however, left a lot to be desired. It felt very rushed at times. The lack of an inker hurt a lot, because if the coloring wasn't there, people's faces became distorted looking in smaller panels. There are moments that are really good, though, so it seemed more like the artist was rushed than a lack of skill capturing likenesses.

[Eggith · Rating 5 out of 5]

forgot i read this. its a great trek story about getting along. "let me help" is a mantra for trek. this encapsulates that

[Rob Vitagliano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continued adventures of Picard and Seven


I read this story as individual issues, and I believe the middle issue was the best of the three. It’s good to see Picard and Seven together again, and I enjoyed the quick flashback to the old Stargazer. Overall, this wasn’t anything particularly special and the art didn’t exactly wow me. It is a nice little add-on to the series, however. 


The Romulan/Reman subplot added some intrigue, and I was curious to see how Seven ends up back in Starfleet. 


This issue concludes this short storyline relatively quietly, and perhaps too simply for my taste, though it does have a bit of action and a (somewhat) surprise cameo at the end.  I know a tie-in can’t add anything major to a television show, but I was still hoping for a bit more substance or something of more consequence than this. 

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Star Trek: Picard: Stargazer” Trade Paperback (IDW, 2023). Writers: Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson. Artist: Angel Hernandez. Color art by J.D. Mettler. Reprints: Star Trek: Picard: Stargazer #1-3 (August 2022 to November 2022). Read: 08/16/23 to 08/18/23. Opinion: Okay/average. Story takes place (and came out between) seasons two and three of the Paramount+ “Star Trek: Picard” series which this is obviously a tie-in to. Story is basically supposed to be about Seven of Nine, carrying her from where we see her at the end of season two to her being back in Starfleet already at the start of season three. Here, she still has her doubts about joining Starfleet and sticks with being a Fenris Ranger despite Picard’s attempts to lead her likewise. But then a mission to check up on a planet that Picard once visited decades earlier while Captain of *his* U.S.S. Stargazer (traveling there aboard the new version we saw in season two of the show) unexpectedly brings him and Seven back together again in a life or death situation, one that Picard is at least partially responsible for due to his actions the last time he was there (and involving Romulans). I thought it was an okay enough little story but pretty forgettable in the end. I don’t know if I would have thought differently if I read it back when it first came out, in between the two tv seasons, or not. I think I still would have felt it was a mostly irrelevant “filler” story. Everything was “okay” but not exceptional, including the art by Hernandez. (I felt his depictions of Seven were very inconsistent, though.) And my main “gripe” with this series is, why did they name this story “Stargazer”? Yes, the two versions of the Starfleet ship and their crews both appear, but not nearly enough to make the story about them. Again, while a fun little side adventure for Jean-Luc Picard, this is clearly a Seven of Nine story. I ended up giving it three out of five stars on GoodReads.

[Peter Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The combined storytelling prowess of ST: Picard co-creator Kirsten Beyer and easily the best Trek comics writer Mike Johnson craft a stand-alone adventure starring Picard and Seven that loosely connects the very disparate Seasons 2 and 3 of the show.

Angel Hernandez does an excellent job of capturing likenesses, though such talents are under-utilised in a book that doesn’t feature other familiar faces.

Ultimately the story suffers through no fault of its own, instead having the thankless task of trying to bridge the ending of the very uneven Season 2 with what was essentially a hard reset/soft relaunch in Season 3. As a result the story is both a little too long and also wrapped up too easily.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picard heads across the universe to fix something he broke years ago. Seven Of Nine is there. Yeah, I got nothin'.

Ostensibly set between seasons 2 and 3 of the show, this one really doesn't do very much to light the galaxy on fire. The conflict is fine, the resolution is okay, and the characters aren't bad, but it definitely feels very 'safe'. I don't mind these tie-in comics being hog-tied by their own continuity if they tell a worthwhile story, but this is kind of just...there.

Not bad, but definitely not going to be near the top of any Best Star Trek Comics lists.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decently fun little side-story that probably merits a 3.5 but still can't quite earn a full 4 stars. It's a nice supplementary story that helps to further build on the relationship we see between Picard and Seven and explain how they ended up the way they did on the show.

The story is one of patterns and repetition, which I suppose is a bit of a Star Trek staple in itself but I do wish things hadn't been sooo on the nose here. And for the price, I kind of hoped for a longer story, but what can you do?

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather generic story. I'd like to see Star Trek directly address the fact that Federation diplomacy contributes to imperialism. Much like America, they paper over genocide committed by others. It's very cynical and contradicts the utopian values that make Star Trek so inspiring. The Klingons, Romulans, Ferengi and Cardassians need to address the harm they've committed instead of getting a wink wink that everything will be ignored as long as they play nice with the Federation.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Trek is giving authors so many different places and times to set their stories. This one is set during the time of the Picard series. The characters are well written (and well drawn for that matter). I like how the authors added depth to characters we know and introduce us to new characters who are just as interesting. Good story. Good mix of thoughtfulness and action.

[Zane Brumley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a quick adventure between seasons 2 and 3 of Picard. I wish the character arcs and plot had more room to breathe. The art is solid, though there were a couple of panels that looked like they were taken straight out of scenes of Seven and Jean-Luc speaking to each other in Picard.

I want more Picard-era comic adventures, especially anything with Seven!

[Ahdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story in this and the artwork, but pales in comparison to the series. If you want a little more, it can't hurt to indulge in a bit more Picard and crew.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but good. I loved the scenes between Seven and Picard, they show just how much they care about each other. I loved seeing young Picard, and the surprise cameo in the epilogue made me scream!

[Emily K]

Fun!

[Paul Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book set between season 2 and 3 of Picard. Great fun and some great fan service moments. IDW can do no wrong.

[SamB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly one of the better Trek graphic novels I've read. Reflects the Picard of the new TV series very well.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful story set between seasons 2 and 3 of Picard that lines up both Jean-Luc and Seven for their roles in the final season.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been better than any season 2 episode

[Puddle Jumper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and artwork :)

[Rei Smoak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not half bad for a short graphic novel.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story that was based on the series of Picard

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid story with Seven and Picard. I enjoyed this more than the show. Plus I’m a sucker for any Voyager callbacks.

We talk all things Trek in this special episode of Howe's Things: https://youtu.be/NxiqNsU79_c?si=ds9ao...

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, if stock, story. But the art is not very impressive. It all looks done very quickly. Layouts are fine but it looks like colored sketches with almost no inks.