Star Trek: Picard’s Academy #5 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 #5 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
Starfleet’s Evasive Maneuvers exam has turned into an actual battle for survival as Jean-Luc and his classmates find themselves facing the very real threat of death by vacuum of space! They can’t reach Starfleet, and enemy Romulans continue invading their ship. Can Picard and his crewmates outmaneuver the enemy in their first-ever ship-on-ship space battle, or will he, in his first role as acting captain, succumb to the chaos and shouting matches among his crew?!
Review
Caught in a literal battle for survival, Cadet Picard has his back against the wall this month as we pick up the penultimate issue of Star Trek: Picard’s Academy. Sam Magg’s story has been picking up steam month-by-month and it has all been leading up to this point. It’s immediately clear that this is crunch time for the young Jean-Luc as he fights his own insecurities and a desperate situation to take control and step up as the leader of his crew.
I’ve talked about this before but Maggs’ approach to the tone of Picard’s Academy is so refreshing. It tackles some serious coming-of-age angst for Picard. Speaking rationally this issue finds him staring down the barrel of a Romulan phaser bank. There are intruders on his ship albeit trapped in a hilarious holodeck simulation. Finally, his crew can’t collectively decide on a plan of action. It’s a pretty dire scenario. But even before overlaying Ornella Greco’s lively artwork, the high-spirited nature of Maggs’ script shines through. Again I’ve said this before, but Picard’s Academy should be an animated series because it just works.
There’s some crucial character development this issue. It really pushes Jean-Luc towards the character we first meet in the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Those flashes of the future Captain Picard are thrilling to pick up. But for long-time fans it’s also rewarding to see these pivotal moments in his development. The conflict between each of the crew is pitched naturally given the various character interactions so far. Neither does it escalate unnecessarily and become caricature just because of their lethal scenario. It feels tonally exactly where Star Trek should be within this YA-friendly genre.
The versatility of the story is also impressive. A key example of this in this issue comes when we switch from the Romulans, trapped in an Earth supermarket on the holodeck, to a flashback to Picard’s troubled family history. From the purest of comedy to the sharpest moments of his pained past. These moments slot together without issue which is testament to the quality of the writing.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with Greco’s charming artwork, particularly with the addition of Charlie Kirchoff’s colours. There are glimpses of a Lower Decks style but Picard’s Academy is nothing short of unique for the franchise in comic books. The character work is excellent and just the right level of emotive for the story. Likewise it’s able to capture the rapidly rising stakes.
Verdict
My favourite issue of the series to-date. An effortless example of how a long-running franchise like Star Trek has the versatility to take one of its most steadfast dramatic characters and put them in to a YA adventure story.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
