Recommend Picard-centric novels for someone who's only watched Trek on film and TV

[RonG]

Hi all,

The news regarding Picard's return continues to have an impact and a good friend who's only watched the TV series and films wants to read Picard-centric books before the series arrives..

So, I was wondering what books you'd recommend as those with the best insight on Picard's character.

thanks!

 

[20fridge]

Personally I'd recommend:
1) The Buried Age - mostly about what Picard was doing between losing the Stargazer and the start of TNG
2) Death in Winter- not the best book but a must read if you're a Picard/Crusher shipper
3) The Destiny Trilogy (Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls)- not Picard-centric but has some great Picard moments
I know there are some better examples that I haven't read but these are the ones I can personally vouch for.

 

[ryan123450]

20fridge gave the correct answer. There is no other.

 

[tomswift2002]

Unification
All Good Things
Reunion
Dark Mirror
Ship Of the Line
The Valiant
Starfall
Nova Command
The Captain's Table: Dujonians Hoard
Section 31: Rogue
A Hard Rain
A Time To Be...Born/Die (duology)
Death In WInter
Resistance
Q&A
Requiem
Stargazer Series

 

[JD]

I'd definitely start with The Buried Age, it is pretty much the Picard book IMO.

 

[Paris]

My picks would be The Buried Age, The Destiny Trilogy, and the Picard autobiography by Goodman

 

[thribs]

Buried Age is about his time after Stargazer but yet the cover has him wearing a First Contact era spacesuit.

 

[rahullak]

Although parts of the Picard biography may become apocryphal when the new series arrives.

 

[Mage]

Buried Age is about his time after Stargazer but yet the cover has him wearing a First Contact era spacesuit.

So? We never saw spacesuits in the entire run of TNG. WHo's the say Starfleet wasn't using that design 20 years earlier?

 

[Damian]

I agree with most of the picks here. For Picard history the Stargazer series is a great read. I'd start with Valiant which is where he first takes command and go from there. The Buried Age is an excellent pre-TNG novel and starts off with the end of the Stargazer.

Speaking of which I'd love to see more Stargazer books someday. Michael Jan Friedman tied up his loose ends in his last Stargazer book but that was just at the very beginning of Picard's command. I'd love to see someone take up the line and move it forward, esp. once Jack Crusher joins the crew and his eventual death which obviously had a big impact on Picard's character.

"Dark Mirror" was a fun book to read to. An alternate mirror universe where the Terran Empire was still intact (it was written before the DS9 mirror universe episodes). It features an evil-Picard in command of the Enterprise- but a cruel Enterprise. And it's been years since I read it but I seem to remember Troi used her empathic skills to torture and manipulate her fellow crew members.

 

[Jinn]

So? We never saw spacesuits in the entire run of TNG. WHo's the say Starfleet wasn't using that design 20 years earlier?

Because Starfleet can't go five minutes without redesigning everything

 

[Mage]

Because Starfleet can't go five minutes without redesigning everything

This is true.

 

[Christopher]

Because Starfleet can't go five minutes without redesigning everything

Except for the 80 years between the movies and TNG where they kept the exact same ship classes the whole time and the uniforms most of the time.

 

[Paris]

Except for the 80 years between the movies and TNG where they kept the exact same ship classes the whole time and the uniforms most of the time.

But that era has no shows or movies to go in and change things..

 

[Jinn]

Except for the 80 years between the movies and TNG where they kept the exact same ship classes the whole time and the uniforms most of the time.

Yeah, but on the other hand I was making a joke.

 

[thribs]

I just assumed that the story started off later on and then it flashbacked.
It also looks like he’s in a Space Jockey ship.

 

[Christopher]

Yeah, but on the other hand I was making a joke.

I kinda was too, or at least pointing out the amusing contrast between the rapid change during the shows/films and the lack of change between them.

 

[thribs]

Except for the 80 years between the movies and TNG where they kept the exact same ship classes the whole time and the uniforms most of the time.

Now there’s where they should have placed Discovery.

 

[Damian]

But that era has no shows or movies to go in and change things..

But whenever they showed flashbacks or crew from the mid 24th century they were still wearing the TWOK uniforms at least through the time of the Enterprise C and the Stargazer (sans the turtleneck). I guess Starfleet really liked that uniform.

 

[Christopher]

But whenever they showed flashbacks or crew from the mid 24th century they were still wearing the TWOK uniforms at least through the time of the Enterprise C and the Stargazer (sans the turtleneck).

I wish they'd done it the other way around -- ditched the jackets and kept the turtlenecks. The TWOK uniforms are ludicrous as everyday duty uniforms, far too fancy and cumbersome. I could buy them as dress uniforms, but it would've made more sense if for everyday use they'd gone without the jackets and just worn the turtlenecks, like the pilot uniforms.