STAR TREK: PICARD’S ACADEMY (2023-) #2 Review

Star Trek: Picard’s Academy #2 is written by Sam Maggs and published by IDW Publishing. Artwork is by Ornella Greco and colours by Charlie Kirchoff, letters are by Jeff Eckleberry. Main cover art (left) is by Sweeney Boo.

Star Trek: Picard’s Academy #2 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.

Synopsis

Class. Homework. Sleep. Repeat! Such is the life for Starfleet Academy star pupil Jean-Luc Picard. But if he’s to achieve his dream of an early graduation and his own crew, he’ll need to face his worst fear head on: making friends. But this doesn’t come easy for Jean-Luc, not when he’s got a bully like the Betazoid Resh calling out all his mistakes and a really cute girl named Marty making him nervous… and certainly not with guest professor Spock analyzing every step he takes!

Review

Your new favourite Star Trek book is back with issue #2 today as Cadet Picard continues to struggle with adjusting to academy life. After proving the concept works with its debut, Sam Maggs and Ornella Greco’s second chapter in young Jean-Luc’s story further cements this as a worthy entry in the long-running franchise.

What’s immediately striking is how Star Trek: Picard’s Academy is a breezy read from start to finish. Greco’s artwork continues to captivate. Aside from already looking like an animated series, the book has so much life that it’s difficult not to feel immersed in Starfleet Academy life. This issue offers up a more diverse set of locations as Picard and Spock revisit the formers history via the holodeck. It’s fascinating to see Greco tackle locations that were glimpsed in both The Next Generation and Picard but never fully explored. Jumping back even further in to the character’s history injects even more youthful exuberance in to the visuals. We’ve truly never seen Star Trek quite like this.

There’s an easily detectable sense of fun that Greco is having exploring Picard’s world. It would be easy to overload a book like this with easter eggs. But the approached of both writer and artist is to honour the legacy without using nostalgia as a wait to bait the audience. So whilst some may be distracted by having Spock appear they might miss the nod to one of Jean-Luc’s favourite past times, fencing. It’s just one panel. But it’s one panel which connects Magg’s story to everything we know about one of Trek’s finest characters.

Speaking of Maggs, issue #2 features more versatility in her storytelling. Last month’s debut encapsulated telling a young adult story within the confines of Starfleet Academy. We really saw the burning ambitions that Jean-Luc has to succeed. It was clear that his desire to travel the stars was his single greatest motivator, even to a fault. This month Magg’s digs beneath the surface to explore the history and experience which has led up to this moment. We leave issue #2 with a much greater understanding and far more insight in to why Picard is the way that he is. It’s clear-cut, decisive storytelling which always feels in service of its characters.

Crucially there’s also some solid character development as Spock pushes Picard to socialise with his peers. As issue #2 draws to a close we’re seeing the kind of story advancement which delicately balances a reverence for the franchise with this fresh YA approach. It’s fun, fresh and yet appropriately Trek.

Verdict

Another engaging and entertaining read from Maggs and Greco. Star Trek: Picard’s Academy continues to delight with it’s fresh approach to Trek storytelling and captivating artwork.

⭐⭐⭐⭐