Last week I did a review of the book Thrawn. This week it's The Autobiography Of Jean Luc Picard. Just to say up front...I absolutely enjoyed this book.
Let's preface everything by noting that I am a sci-fi nerd. Some folks appear to have disdain for either Star Wars or Star Trek, depending on their tribal loyalty, but I love both universes. They are separate and have their own merits, so I've never gotten why people feel they have to only like one or the other.
Jean Luc Picard is, in my opinion, the best Star Trek captain out there, and his "autobiography" - actually written by David Goodman...because it should be obvious that fictional characters can't write books - is a fun look deeper inside the man. It talks more in depth about Picard's childhood, his days at Starfleet, and his time commanding the USS Stargazer(including his court-martial for its destruction). There is a little self-doubt in the pages, but not much, and certainly not more than we saw on screen. Picard seems to have natural human emotions, and although he wonders about his own maturity and the impact of his decisions, he doesn't come across as weak. He is an ideal for most of us to strive to without being so perfect that none of us could ever get there.
The only shortcoming in the book is that every story therein was at least mentioned during the Star Trek: The Next Generation series. Yes, it went deeper into the stuff talked about on the show, but I would've liked a few more nuggets that weren't talked about. The novel brings up how Picard won the Academy Marathon on Dalula Two, how his brother Robert hated him for daring to leave their village in France, and how he took control of the Stargazer's bridge when its captain was killed. Great stuff, but all at least talked about, however briefly, during the series. If one pays attention, as I tend to do with TV shows I really like, one can find every part of this book in the series. Some people may find that fun, and I found it fun for the most part, but I wish there'd been stuff not on the show so I could've learned more.
All in all, if you like the show, you'll like this book. I give it four out of five stars(I rarely give five stars to anything).
No comments:
Post a Comment