Star Trek: Picard's Academy Series About Young Jean-Luc Announced

Star Trek fans got to see what happened to Jean-Luc Piard after Star Trek: The Next Generation in Star Trek: Picard, and now they'll see what he was like before Star Trek: The Next Generation in Star Trek: Picard's Academy, the latest Star Trek comic in IDW Publishing's expanding Star Trek line, which just earned the Star Trek franchise's first-ever Eisner Award nominations. IDW previously delved into Jean-Luc's past with the Star Trek: The Next Generation – IDW 2020 one-shot, which told of one of Picard's first missions as captain of the Stargazer. Star Trek: Picard's Academy goes back even further, revealing what Jean-Luc Picard was like during his days at Starfleet Academy, a time in Picard's life only barely glimpsed in Star Trek: The Next Generation through episodes like "Tapestry." Sam Maggs, who previously wrote a story in Star Trek: Waypoint #2, writes Star Trek: Picard's Academy. The series has artwork by Ornella Greco and colors by Charlie Kirchoff. 

"We're in the middle of the Star Trek renaissance, and as a life-long fan I'm both honored and overjoyed to be able to contribute to a universe that has meant so much to me for so long," Maggs said in a statement provided to TrekMovie. "The Next Generation was my first introduction to Star Trek and I've always wanted to know more about how the Jean-Luc we all know and respect came to be; we've seen glimpses of his childhood and early adulthood, but what really forged our Earl Grey-loving leader into the man we got to see in Picard? Diving into the psyche of an Academy student under so much pressure—and with so many personal issues shadowing his past—has been such a delight with the help of the amazing teams at IDW and Paramount. And, come on: cool teen Picard with luscious hair? His weirdo group of kinda-friends? Starfleet Academy teen drama? Sign me up!! But beyond all that: we need stories about the building blocks of Starfleet—love, acceptance, and found family—now more than ever, and I hope Picard's Academy is as exciting for readers to pick up as it was for me to write!"

What is Star Trek: Picard's Academy about?

IDW Publishing provided the following synopsis for Star Trek: Picard's Academy: "Before becoming the Federation's finest, Jean-Luc was an ordinary student at Starfleet Academy with sights on the stars. His path forward was charted: blow his classmates out of the water on the infamous Evasive Maneuvers exam and graduate early. But there's a detail Cadet Picard hadn't factored into his plan: the exam was a group project and he'd need to make friends with, ugh, people if he stood a chance at passing. Federation starships aren't run by a party of one, after all."

Star Trek: Picard's Academy should offer more insight into the life of young Jean-Luc Picard and offer a taste of what stories set at Starfleet Academy are like ahead of Paramount+ launching its upcoming Starfleet Academy streaming series. Star Trek: Picard's Academy #1 goes on sale in September.