By Michael Dismuke, STA Contributing Writer
Early on, I realized that Star Trek: Picard is a one-of-a-kind addition to the Star Trek universe. The premise of the show focuses on a band of bitter, hurt, and disillusioned individuals who have been screwed by Starfleet one way or another. Whereas most shows paint Starfleet and the Federation with the brush of cultural exceptionalism, Picard dives into the dark and dirty world of fear, prejudice, bias, greed, genocide, and multilayered plots focused on the criminal elements of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
Picard’s group of vigilantes works outside of the governing forces of law and order for the greater good. Sure, we’ve seen Kirk and his crew go rogue to save the universe. But season 1 of Picard is an entire show based on the premise. The reappearance of Seven and the plight of Picard has shaken Starfleet to the core; Starfleet beginning to look more like the military arm of a conglomeration of paranoid species unwilling to play nice with others.
Armed with the task of designing character sheets for these individuals presented a new challenge. I had to come up with new or modified focuses and talents for these people, as they were introducing skills that weren’t quite Starfleet 101. We also saw new technology coming from the year 2399, the year in which the show is set. For example, we were introduced to the field replicator with a neurocotamic interface, a strange mix between a replicator and an exocomp. We also met La Sirena, a wickedly agile freighter with a crew composed of hologram officers.
This exciting cast of characters are still overshadowed by my personal favorite Star Trek character of all time: Seven of Nine.
Trying to design a character sheet for an individual as complex and well-traveled as Seven was a formidable challenge. Seven, a person who has the memory of thousands of assimilated species, was now a vigilante fresh off of exacting revenge for the death of Icheb, a former drone that she helped liberate from the Borg Collective and who was murdered by the criminal Bjayzl. By the time we are reintroduced to her, she evolves from being a tightly wound science specialist as seen in Star Trek: Voyager to becoming a multi-disciplined, fast-moving, Fenris Ranger boasting awesome piloting skills, Borg superpowers, and insane hand-to-hand and phaser skills.
This isn’t to say the other characters are second-rate. Whether it is Soji, the three-year-old biological android, Dr. Jurati, the Earth’s leading expert on synthetics who murdered her lover and mentor, or Captain Rios, the disenfranchised former XO turned merc-for-hire, the new crew of La Sirena is truly going where no crew in Star Trek has gone before.
You may be looking to play a Star Trek Adventures game that strays from Starfleet protocol and offers a little bit more rugged, fast-paced action. If so, you and your friends might dare to travel to 2399 and pick up the adventures of Picard’s crew.
Grab a copy of the Star Trek Picard: Season 1 crew pack now at www.modiphius.net, www.modiphius.us, or DrivethruRPG!
Thanks for reading this article, and thank you for your interest and support of Star Trek Adventures! Keep frequencies open for news about additional STA products in the coming months. Live long and prosper!
