STLV 2019: Star Trek: Picard prequel comic and novel announced

At Star Trek Las Vegas it was announced that Star Trek: Picard will be getting a pair of prequels, one a comic from IDW and the other a prose novel.

If the reaction to the Star Trek: Picard trailer is any indication then fans are more than ready for the return of their beloved captain of the USS Enterprise.

The trailer, which premiered at San Diego Comic-Con has already racked up of 4.1 million views on YouTube and counting. Anticipation is building for the series and it looks like CBS is more than willing to capitalize on that by giving fans more of what they want.

On Thursday at Star Trek Las Vegas (and reported on Star Trek.com) during the Star Trek publishing panel, CBS Consumer Products announced that Picard will be getting a pair of prequels. One will be a comic miniseries from IDW Publishing and the other a brand new prose novel from Gallery Books.

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First in November will be Star Trek: Picard – Countdown, a three-issue miniseries written by Mike Johnson and Kirsten Beyer, who is a Supervising Producer for Picard. The miniseries will show readers the events that changed Picard’s life and led to him taking refuge on the family vineyard. No artist for the miniseries has been announced as of yet.

Then in February of 2020 fans will get The Last Best Hope, the very first Picard tie-in novel. Written by Una McCormack, who also wrote the best-selling Star Trek: Discovery novel The Way to the Stars, The Last Best Hope will continue the tale begun in Countdown. The novel will lead directly into the first season of Picard and reveal more of the background of the new characters fans will see in the series.

Veronica Hart, EVP Global Franchise Management and the head of the ever expanding Trekverse, said the two projects are a natural fit for the what they want to do with the series.

"“From the moment we announced this series, we’ve seen a groundswell of support from our fan base who are thrilled to have Jean-Luc Picard back on their screens. Having this brand new original backstory play out through both comic book and novel formats will set the stage for the new series in an exciting way while also showcasing the work of our talented partners at Simon & Schuster and IDW.”"

It’s more than likely with CBS wanting to expand Star Trek into more formats, fans are going to see more and more projects like this in the future. Which as long as they are well done and include top-notch talent, shouldn’t be a problem.

Star Trek: Picard arrives in early 2020 on CBS All Access. And keep it right here at Redshirts Always Die for more updates and news out of Star Trek Las Vegas all weekend.