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Star Trek: Picard #3
Rogue Elements
A thrilling untold adventure based on the acclaimed Star Trek: Picard TV series!
Starfleet was everything for Cristóbal Rios—until one horrible, inexplicable day when it all went wrong. Aimless and adrift, he grasps at a chance for a future as an independent freighter captain in an area betrayed by the Federation, the border region with the former Romulan Empire. His greatest desire: to be left alone.
But solitude isn’t in the cards for the captain of La Sirena, who falls into debt to a roving gang of hoodlums from a planet whose society is based on Prohibition-era Earth. Teamed against his will with Ledger, his conniving overseer, Rios begins an odyssey that brings him into conflict with outlaws and fortune seekers, with power brokers and relic hunters across the stars.
Exotic loves and locales await—as well as dangers galore—and Rios learns the hard way that good crewmembers are hard to find, even when you can create your own. And while his meeting with Jean-Luc Picard is years away, Rios finds himself drawing on the Starfleet legend’s experiences when he discovers a mystery that began on one of the galaxy’s most important days…
Starfleet was everything for Cristóbal Rios—until one horrible, inexplicable day when it all went wrong. Aimless and adrift, he grasps at a chance for a future as an independent freighter captain in an area betrayed by the Federation, the border region with the former Romulan Empire. His greatest desire: to be left alone.
But solitude isn’t in the cards for the captain of La Sirena, who falls into debt to a roving gang of hoodlums from a planet whose society is based on Prohibition-era Earth. Teamed against his will with Ledger, his conniving overseer, Rios begins an odyssey that brings him into conflict with outlaws and fortune seekers, with power brokers and relic hunters across the stars.
Exotic loves and locales await—as well as dangers galore—and Rios learns the hard way that good crewmembers are hard to find, even when you can create your own. And while his meeting with Jean-Luc Picard is years away, Rios finds himself drawing on the Starfleet legend’s experiences when he discovers a mystery that began on one of the galaxy’s most important days…
415 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2021
About the author
John Jackson Miller
383 books841 followersNew York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller has spent a lifetime immersed in science fiction. His Star Trek novels include the Discovery – Die Standing, the acclaimed novel Discovery — The Enterprise War, the Prey trilogy, and Takedown. His Star Wars novels include A New Dawn, Kenobi, Knight Errant, Lost Tribe of the Sith, and the Knights of the Old Republic comics, available from Marvel as Legends: The Old Republic.
He’s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect, with recent graphic novels for Battlestar Galactica, Dumbo, and The Lion King. Production notes on all his works can be found at his fiction site.
He is also a comics industry historian, specializing in studying comic-book circulation as presented on his website, Comichron.. He also coauthored the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.
He’s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect, with recent graphic novels for Battlestar Galactica, Dumbo, and The Lion King. Production notes on all his works can be found at his fiction site.
He is also a comics industry historian, specializing in studying comic-book circulation as presented on his website, Comichron.. He also coauthored the Standard Catalog of Comic Books series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
April 24, 2022
On the one hand, you have ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’. Slow, heavy on sense-of-wonder, visually sumptuous and, some would say, pretentiously cerebral about the ‘final frontier’, given the minimalistic plot. On the other hand, you have ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’. A fun romp that exploits the comedic potential inherent in the inter-relationship of the Enterprise crew, as well as pointing out that Star Trek can be, dare we say, relevant and ‘in’ with the ‘in’ crowd and hipsters.
Star Trek’s renaissance on television has allowed it to vacillate between these two poles, such as ‘Discovery’ and ‘Lower Decks’. Of all the newest shows (and I honestly think ‘Strange New Worlds’ is going to be firmly in the retro nostalgia camp), ‘Picard’ has perhaps been the strangest duck, and possibly the most divisive, of them all.
A frequent comment (or rather complaint, it seems) is that ‘Picard’ is not Star Trek enough. As if there were some magic formula or litmus test that every show could be subjected to and subsequently tweaked. True, ‘Picard’ does seem more interested in the psychology of its characters, often to the detriment of its central plot (who can forget that out-of-left-field conclusion to S01?)
I must say that for me ‘Picard’ has been the most interesting of the new crop of shows to date. Patrick Stewart is unafraid to show his age, which adds a sense of grace and brittleness to his performance that is simply magnificent. I have watched two episodes of the latest season, and it seems that ‘Picard’ has finally found its feet as a truly great and timeless incarnation of ‘Star Trek’.
As with ‘Discovery’, fans have been afforded the added opportunity of exploring the universe of ‘Picard’ in a series of novels written by well-known genre authors. Most of the ‘Discovery’ books have been very good, with one or two weaker entries in the series. ‘Rogue Elements’ is only the third ‘Picard’ tie-in novel, and for me sadly was a total miss.
John Jackson Miller explains in his ‘Acknowledgements’ that when his editor suggested he try his hand at a ‘Picard’ novel, he immediately thought of Cristóbal Rios and La Sirena, and the idea for ‘Rogue Elements’ was born. Oh, and throw in the Iotians from ‘A Piece of the Action’, episode 17 of the second season of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’, a planet with an Earth-like 1920s gangster culture (it’s a long story.)
“I wanted to write a novel that would be completely fun, for a world that needed a break,” says the author. An admirable sentiment, but he is only partially successfully. For one thing, this novel is way too long for its plot, and could have easily been cut by half without losing any of its impact. It may have been all the stronger for that.
The Iotians are a bit of a one-note joke, and soon become very tiresome. All the jokes around Rios seem based on his endless hologram avatars, instead of exploring a bit more about who Rios is as a person. Of course, the author was restricted in being unable to use the backstory gradually revealed in the series. But I do think there was more opportunity to explore the Han Solo side of Rios himself.
Still, it is great that Star Trek novels and authors continue to surprise. I was certainly not expecting a comedy of intrigue, manners, and pilfering set against the backdrop of ‘Picard’. Just a pity it is only successful up to a point. It is going to be interesting to see what John Jackson Miller writes next.
Star Trek’s renaissance on television has allowed it to vacillate between these two poles, such as ‘Discovery’ and ‘Lower Decks’. Of all the newest shows (and I honestly think ‘Strange New Worlds’ is going to be firmly in the retro nostalgia camp), ‘Picard’ has perhaps been the strangest duck, and possibly the most divisive, of them all.
A frequent comment (or rather complaint, it seems) is that ‘Picard’ is not Star Trek enough. As if there were some magic formula or litmus test that every show could be subjected to and subsequently tweaked. True, ‘Picard’ does seem more interested in the psychology of its characters, often to the detriment of its central plot (who can forget that out-of-left-field conclusion to S01?)
I must say that for me ‘Picard’ has been the most interesting of the new crop of shows to date. Patrick Stewart is unafraid to show his age, which adds a sense of grace and brittleness to his performance that is simply magnificent. I have watched two episodes of the latest season, and it seems that ‘Picard’ has finally found its feet as a truly great and timeless incarnation of ‘Star Trek’.
As with ‘Discovery’, fans have been afforded the added opportunity of exploring the universe of ‘Picard’ in a series of novels written by well-known genre authors. Most of the ‘Discovery’ books have been very good, with one or two weaker entries in the series. ‘Rogue Elements’ is only the third ‘Picard’ tie-in novel, and for me sadly was a total miss.
John Jackson Miller explains in his ‘Acknowledgements’ that when his editor suggested he try his hand at a ‘Picard’ novel, he immediately thought of Cristóbal Rios and La Sirena, and the idea for ‘Rogue Elements’ was born. Oh, and throw in the Iotians from ‘A Piece of the Action’, episode 17 of the second season of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’, a planet with an Earth-like 1920s gangster culture (it’s a long story.)
“I wanted to write a novel that would be completely fun, for a world that needed a break,” says the author. An admirable sentiment, but he is only partially successfully. For one thing, this novel is way too long for its plot, and could have easily been cut by half without losing any of its impact. It may have been all the stronger for that.
The Iotians are a bit of a one-note joke, and soon become very tiresome. All the jokes around Rios seem based on his endless hologram avatars, instead of exploring a bit more about who Rios is as a person. Of course, the author was restricted in being unable to use the backstory gradually revealed in the series. But I do think there was more opportunity to explore the Han Solo side of Rios himself.
Still, it is great that Star Trek novels and authors continue to surprise. I was certainly not expecting a comedy of intrigue, manners, and pilfering set against the backdrop of ‘Picard’. Just a pity it is only successful up to a point. It is going to be interesting to see what John Jackson Miller writes next.
August 20, 2021
Star Trek Picard: Rogue Elements is the third novel in the Picard series. It was written by John Jackson Miller and was released in August 2021.
After nearly 6 years, John Jackson Miller returns with his third Hardcover novel...although this time, it is his first Hardcover for Star Trek. As such, Miller has made this quite the full story, tapping the full book out over 400 pages, a new longest novel for the illustrious author.
I had a really difficult time with the Picard series. As such, I was nervous that I wouldn't like the books involved. However, if the Discovery novels have taught me anything, it is not to judge a book by it's tie-in property. Earlier this year I read and absolutely loved The Last Best Hope. When it was announced that John Jackson Miller was going to be writing a Picard novel, I knew I had to read it.
This book follows Cristobal Rios, the captain of La Sirena(it is so hard not to type "the La Sirena"). You could probably tell from the show, but Cristobal Rios is really the Star Trek version of "Han Solo". Both are starship captains who gather eccentric crews to go on fun adventures. I really felt like I was reading one of the old Star Wars Han Solo novels, except this book was much better.
Miller throws in a lot in this book. He has stated in the past that this was intended to be a fun book, and a fun book it is. The shenanigans that Rios gets involved with are so much fun that I was racing through each chapter to find out what would happen. In typical JJM fashion, there are plenty of twists and turns that shocked me. I can totally see how he laid out the pieces in the beginning, but I did not see it coming as I read the book. Excellent execution of a mystery plot within the overall narrative.
Miller ties into a lot of different Star Trek episodes and lore. I won't spoil them all here, but there were some great references to TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and of course, Picard. There were some other references in there as well, including a "Knight Errant" reference which made me giggle when I read it.
Part of what makes this book so great is it's characters. All of the cast is easily distinguishable from each other, and yet they all work together so well. Ledger served as a great foil to Rios, and yet he played off all of the Holograms and crew members very well.
In the first half of the book, I was really feeling let down by Miller. It was a fun story, but I couldn't see the depth, the purpose, the pure HEART that all of his other books had. All of Miller's best books have something that I can hold onto and say "That's why you should read this book!". However, I just couldn't figure out what that missing piece was.
Until I got to the end of the book. Let me tell you, JJM knows how to write a climactic ending! I thought that not only was the ending of the book brilliantly executed, but it had that added depth and purpose that made the book so worth it. It truly turned around my thoughts for the better. Unfortunately, if I even danced around that theme, it would be a potential spoiler, so you'll have to read and find out.
I will say that I believe that Miller is best in the Star Trek universe when he is writing about Klingons. The "Sto-Vo-Kor" scenes were the absolute best in the book and I could've read a whole book about them. John's "Prey Trilogy" is one of the best, if not THE best Star Trek series, and it features Klingons heavily. Miller has definitely become my favorite Klingon writer. He also blends the histories of the 23rd and 24th century timelines well with the Discovery/Picard timelines. It all fit into place very well.
Recently I critiqued Miller's use of Ferengi in "Takedown". Mr. Miller informed me that he took another stab at them here, and he has very much improved his craft. He balanced all of the new species and characters well and they felt like they would have on the show.
I do have critiques though. One thing I've always enjoyed about Mr. Miller's books is that they are, for the most part, free of swear words and sexual scenes. This book had more swear words than everything else I've read by Mr. Miller combined(I'd have to check the math on that, but I don't believe it's much of an exaggeration). In addition, there are several moments of sexual innuendo(and not even innuendo, but straight up sexual scenes) that really took me out of the book and frustrated me. I expect this type of thing from authors like Dayton Ward and David Mack, but certainly not from Miller. It might have been that since the series Picard is rated R and has langauge and sex that the editors required it in the books. Whether that is the case or if Mr. Miller decided to include them on his own, I did not appreciate them and was very disappointed.
I will also say that the beginning of the book was a tad too slow for me. I can handle slow books, but this one needed more of a jump start. I don't know how that could have happened, but I'm sure there could have been more of a hook for the book. The true hook doesn't come until about 150 pages in. However, Miller's second 2/3rds of the book more than make up for the first portion, so it all worked out in the end.
If I might add one more piece of praise to the book, it is that the book was absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud many times, and that doesn't usually happen with Star Trek books.
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book by John Jackson Miller. It was definitely fun, but it had a very much unexpected heart at the end. I laughed out loud so much and enjoyed myself a lot. This feels like it could have been a prequel miniseries, but works just fine as a Star Trek book. I give this book 4.5 out of 5(or 9.0 out of 10).
In terms of my JJM ST book rankings, I'd say that this is above "The Enterprise War" for me, but is not quite as good as all of his other Star Trek books. If we are counting his Prey Trilogy as 1 single book, I would rank this book #6 out of 11 books that I've read of Mr. Miller.
After nearly 6 years, John Jackson Miller returns with his third Hardcover novel...although this time, it is his first Hardcover for Star Trek. As such, Miller has made this quite the full story, tapping the full book out over 400 pages, a new longest novel for the illustrious author.
I had a really difficult time with the Picard series. As such, I was nervous that I wouldn't like the books involved. However, if the Discovery novels have taught me anything, it is not to judge a book by it's tie-in property. Earlier this year I read and absolutely loved The Last Best Hope. When it was announced that John Jackson Miller was going to be writing a Picard novel, I knew I had to read it.
This book follows Cristobal Rios, the captain of La Sirena(it is so hard not to type "the La Sirena"). You could probably tell from the show, but Cristobal Rios is really the Star Trek version of "Han Solo". Both are starship captains who gather eccentric crews to go on fun adventures. I really felt like I was reading one of the old Star Wars Han Solo novels, except this book was much better.
Miller throws in a lot in this book. He has stated in the past that this was intended to be a fun book, and a fun book it is. The shenanigans that Rios gets involved with are so much fun that I was racing through each chapter to find out what would happen. In typical JJM fashion, there are plenty of twists and turns that shocked me. I can totally see how he laid out the pieces in the beginning, but I did not see it coming as I read the book. Excellent execution of a mystery plot within the overall narrative.
Miller ties into a lot of different Star Trek episodes and lore. I won't spoil them all here, but there were some great references to TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and of course, Picard. There were some other references in there as well, including a "Knight Errant" reference which made me giggle when I read it.
Part of what makes this book so great is it's characters. All of the cast is easily distinguishable from each other, and yet they all work together so well. Ledger served as a great foil to Rios, and yet he played off all of the Holograms and crew members very well.
In the first half of the book, I was really feeling let down by Miller. It was a fun story, but I couldn't see the depth, the purpose, the pure HEART that all of his other books had. All of Miller's best books have something that I can hold onto and say "That's why you should read this book!". However, I just couldn't figure out what that missing piece was.
Until I got to the end of the book. Let me tell you, JJM knows how to write a climactic ending! I thought that not only was the ending of the book brilliantly executed, but it had that added depth and purpose that made the book so worth it. It truly turned around my thoughts for the better. Unfortunately, if I even danced around that theme, it would be a potential spoiler, so you'll have to read and find out.
I will say that I believe that Miller is best in the Star Trek universe when he is writing about Klingons. The "Sto-Vo-Kor" scenes were the absolute best in the book and I could've read a whole book about them. John's "Prey Trilogy" is one of the best, if not THE best Star Trek series, and it features Klingons heavily. Miller has definitely become my favorite Klingon writer. He also blends the histories of the 23rd and 24th century timelines well with the Discovery/Picard timelines. It all fit into place very well.
Recently I critiqued Miller's use of Ferengi in "Takedown". Mr. Miller informed me that he took another stab at them here, and he has very much improved his craft. He balanced all of the new species and characters well and they felt like they would have on the show.
I do have critiques though. One thing I've always enjoyed about Mr. Miller's books is that they are, for the most part, free of swear words and sexual scenes. This book had more swear words than everything else I've read by Mr. Miller combined(I'd have to check the math on that, but I don't believe it's much of an exaggeration). In addition, there are several moments of sexual innuendo(and not even innuendo, but straight up sexual scenes) that really took me out of the book and frustrated me. I expect this type of thing from authors like Dayton Ward and David Mack, but certainly not from Miller. It might have been that since the series Picard is rated R and has langauge and sex that the editors required it in the books. Whether that is the case or if Mr. Miller decided to include them on his own, I did not appreciate them and was very disappointed.
I will also say that the beginning of the book was a tad too slow for me. I can handle slow books, but this one needed more of a jump start. I don't know how that could have happened, but I'm sure there could have been more of a hook for the book. The true hook doesn't come until about 150 pages in. However, Miller's second 2/3rds of the book more than make up for the first portion, so it all worked out in the end.
If I might add one more piece of praise to the book, it is that the book was absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud many times, and that doesn't usually happen with Star Trek books.
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book by John Jackson Miller. It was definitely fun, but it had a very much unexpected heart at the end. I laughed out loud so much and enjoyed myself a lot. This feels like it could have been a prequel miniseries, but works just fine as a Star Trek book. I give this book 4.5 out of 5(or 9.0 out of 10).
In terms of my JJM ST book rankings, I'd say that this is above "The Enterprise War" for me, but is not quite as good as all of his other Star Trek books. If we are counting his Prey Trilogy as 1 single book, I would rank this book #6 out of 11 books that I've read of Mr. Miller.
August 16, 2021
I will keep this relatively spoiler free because part of the charm of this one is honestly all of the unexpected references and cameos that occur throughout the novel. Just to tease, there are references to TOS, TNG, DSC, and the movies (and probably more but those are the obvious ones). I’ll say that I’m a huge Trek fan, but Picard is one of my least favorite series. I like it but don’t love it. With that in mind, this is one of my top five Trek reads of the year. I’ve grown to love Rios even more because of this novel and the characterization of him is so on point. The structure of the novel is incredibly intentional and I loved how the elements played into the story. It’s a very fun summer read chock full of adventure, mystery, discovery, and betrayal. The hits keep coming and the surprises don’t stop (even the epilogue has some stellar reveals). This is the best of the three Star Trek: Picard novels yet (and I frankly loved the other two to begin with). This is probably my favorite Trek read from JJM as well. He really hit this out of the park. Go pick it up and have fun now. 🖖🏻
August 11, 2021
I seem to be one of the few fans not greatly enamored with the TOS episode "A Piece of the Action". After a short amount of time, the Iotians and their slang get irritating, and I'm not the greatest fan of the con-and-caper genre. But put that aside, and the rest of the novel offers a giddy fill-in-the-blanks history of Cris Rios and how he obtained his ship, prior to meeting him in season one of "Picard". I don't think the series quite has a handle yet (as of this writing) on how to use Rios to his fullest, but this novel certainly points out the possibilities available. I also enjoyed the use of fanwank, and I wasn't expecting the devious-yet-entertaining return from TNG of the odious Kivas Fajo...but it's one of many delightful elements awaiting you in this novel. At this point, I'm going to guess that the next book is going to focus on Seven of Nine, and her post-Voyager/pre-Picard years.
August 15, 2022
Eine witziges, unterhaltsames Gangster-Epos um den Frachterkapitän Cristobal Rios, zwischen seiner Entlassung aus der Sternenflotte und einige Jahre vor der Begegnung mit Jean-Luc Picard (siehe Staffel 1 der Fernsehserie). Es wird erzählt, wie er an seinen Frachter "LA SIRENA" gekommen ist, wie einige Geheimnisse, Antiquitäten und Kunstgegenstände gejagt werden und den Besitzer wechseln.
Ich habe mich gut unterhalten gefühlt...
Ich habe mich gut unterhalten gefühlt...
February 23, 2023
This book focuses on one of the new characters of the Star Trek Picard TV series, Rios, but is almost completely disconnected to the titular character of Jean-Luc Picard, who only makes a brief inconsequential cameo in the form of a letter. There is heavy fan-service that mentions a couple of things from the original Star Trek series, but otherwise the story is all over the place.
The problem with these 'prequel' stories is that you can't do any serious character development since Rios has to end up where we find him at the start of the TV series, and the novel writers can't make up important plot points for fear of contradicting future plans of the TV show writers. What we're left with is a simplistic story about nothing that goes nowhere... Not recommended.
The problem with these 'prequel' stories is that you can't do any serious character development since Rios has to end up where we find him at the start of the TV series, and the novel writers can't make up important plot points for fear of contradicting future plans of the TV show writers. What we're left with is a simplistic story about nothing that goes nowhere... Not recommended.
March 20, 2022
Loved Rios in season 1 of Picard and loving him in the second season. I was delighted to find this book (which I didn’t know existed until I saw it on Santiago Cabrera’s instagram).
This is a really fun book! It’s a mystery, heist, action-adventure, with tons of philosophy and existentialism thrown in. But it’s mostly just fun and funny, which I loved!
The writing is gorgeous. I love the turns of phrases. And the way the author captures Rios’ speech is wonderful. It’s also obvious the writer loved the character from the way he describes Rios.
This is a Star Trek book through and through. I wish there was a list of films and episodes to watch before reading this book because it’s tied into almost every Star Trek property. What a joy!
I do wish there had been more of the holograms. There’s a bit but not as much. I also wish Rios had been more directly involved in naming them. But that’s a minor grouse.
I am surprised at how heteronormative this book was. It seems weird that Rios (or anyone in Star Trek) would be so aggressively straight. Alas.
But this was a really enjoyable and adventurous ride. A wonderful distraction during the worries of omicron. I seriously hope there’s going to be another book soon!
This is a really fun book! It’s a mystery, heist, action-adventure, with tons of philosophy and existentialism thrown in. But it’s mostly just fun and funny, which I loved!
The writing is gorgeous. I love the turns of phrases. And the way the author captures Rios’ speech is wonderful. It’s also obvious the writer loved the character from the way he describes Rios.
This is a Star Trek book through and through. I wish there was a list of films and episodes to watch before reading this book because it’s tied into almost every Star Trek property. What a joy!
I do wish there had been more of the holograms. There’s a bit but not as much. I also wish Rios had been more directly involved in naming them. But that’s a minor grouse.
I am surprised at how heteronormative this book was. It seems weird that Rios (or anyone in Star Trek) would be so aggressively straight. Alas.
But this was a really enjoyable and adventurous ride. A wonderful distraction during the worries of omicron. I seriously hope there’s going to be another book soon!
August 26, 2021
4.5/5
I am a huge John Jackson Miller fan from the days when he was writing the KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC comic book. He is a writer that manages to carefully walk the balance beam between high comedy and aggressively serious depressing moments. I have yet to read something by him I didn't like and was compelled to pick up this book to read what he was doing with the Picard timeline.
I'm a huge Picard fan but I can't say that Cristobal Rios was my favorite character of the series. I felt he was just too similar to so many other tramp freighter captains I've seen over the course of my decades of science fiction fandom. JJM smartly plays into this with the fact that the story has Raffi Musiker arrange for him to become one while ignoring the fact that Rios doesn't want to be. He doesn't find it to be a romantic, exciting, or entertaining pulpy adventure as seemingly everyone else does. It makes a nice difference from Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds even as the story does become a romantic exciting entertaining adventure.
The premise is that Rios has just been kicked out of Starfleet for the crimes of his supervisor and he's lost all of his friends but one. Raffi decides to set him up with a tramp freighter and the life of a Han Solo-esque rogue but this proves to be significantly less glamorous than the movies show. I also got a huge kick out of finding out that JJM was going to make extensive use of the Iotians from "A Piece of the Action" with them being Rios' version of Jabba the Hutt. Still gangsters after a century of contact with the Federation, they are both ridiculous as well as very good at thriving in a galaxy that has largely forgotten how to deal with criminals.
Part of the book's fun is how miserable Rios is dealing with the loss of his Starfleet career, how disordered life is on a tramp freighter, and how angry he is about Starfleet's betrayal vs. the fact that he is going on a series of increasingly wild treasure hunts. Rios is a terrible businessman, fitting from an Earth Hu-Mon (to quote the Ferengi) and probably would have just given away his ship in a weak if not for new character, Ledger, forcing him to pay a debt that is obviously meant to never be repaid.
JJM's experience in Star Wars clearly shows as he makes the transition a bit better than other writers might. It reminds me of the old Brian Daley Han Solo novels that I felt were the best of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. JJM envisions a seedy underbelly for the galaxy that has always been there (Harry Mudd anyone?) but has never been given particularly much attention. I also appreciated the return of a TNG villain that was underused too and won't spoil the surprise of. I will say it was kind of amusing to note that this book brought them back just as they used as an inspiration for "Lower Decks" too.
While I rarely comment on this element, I also give the book's handling of romance props. Rios is a very dashing protagonist who manages to handle relationships with no less than three women in the book but somehow doesn't come off as skeezy over it. I also appreciated that one of them is with a signicantly older woman and it's not treated as the least bit weird. I actually regretted that at least one couldn't continue because, of course, he's alone at the start of Star Trek: Picard. I also regret we'll likely never see any more of the Klingon merchant lord Verengar--unless we get a sequel series to this!
So, top marks and people should really buy this! Some of the funniest most entertaining Star Trek fiction I've read in years and I've read over a hundred Star Trek novels. Hell, probably closer to two hundred. I have maybe a few minor complaints that are almost insignificant to mention like some of the goons getting away with their crimes when I felt a more final fate would have been better but forget it, Rios, it's Iotia. It's still a very solid and fun book that makes me like the Rios character a lot more.
I am a huge John Jackson Miller fan from the days when he was writing the KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC comic book. He is a writer that manages to carefully walk the balance beam between high comedy and aggressively serious depressing moments. I have yet to read something by him I didn't like and was compelled to pick up this book to read what he was doing with the Picard timeline.
I'm a huge Picard fan but I can't say that Cristobal Rios was my favorite character of the series. I felt he was just too similar to so many other tramp freighter captains I've seen over the course of my decades of science fiction fandom. JJM smartly plays into this with the fact that the story has Raffi Musiker arrange for him to become one while ignoring the fact that Rios doesn't want to be. He doesn't find it to be a romantic, exciting, or entertaining pulpy adventure as seemingly everyone else does. It makes a nice difference from Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds even as the story does become a romantic exciting entertaining adventure.
The premise is that Rios has just been kicked out of Starfleet for the crimes of his supervisor and he's lost all of his friends but one. Raffi decides to set him up with a tramp freighter and the life of a Han Solo-esque rogue but this proves to be significantly less glamorous than the movies show. I also got a huge kick out of finding out that JJM was going to make extensive use of the Iotians from "A Piece of the Action" with them being Rios' version of Jabba the Hutt. Still gangsters after a century of contact with the Federation, they are both ridiculous as well as very good at thriving in a galaxy that has largely forgotten how to deal with criminals.
Part of the book's fun is how miserable Rios is dealing with the loss of his Starfleet career, how disordered life is on a tramp freighter, and how angry he is about Starfleet's betrayal vs. the fact that he is going on a series of increasingly wild treasure hunts. Rios is a terrible businessman, fitting from an Earth Hu-Mon (to quote the Ferengi) and probably would have just given away his ship in a weak if not for new character, Ledger, forcing him to pay a debt that is obviously meant to never be repaid.
JJM's experience in Star Wars clearly shows as he makes the transition a bit better than other writers might. It reminds me of the old Brian Daley Han Solo novels that I felt were the best of the Star Wars Expanded Universe. JJM envisions a seedy underbelly for the galaxy that has always been there (Harry Mudd anyone?) but has never been given particularly much attention. I also appreciated the return of a TNG villain that was underused too and won't spoil the surprise of. I will say it was kind of amusing to note that this book brought them back just as they used as an inspiration for "Lower Decks" too.
While I rarely comment on this element, I also give the book's handling of romance props. Rios is a very dashing protagonist who manages to handle relationships with no less than three women in the book but somehow doesn't come off as skeezy over it. I also appreciated that one of them is with a signicantly older woman and it's not treated as the least bit weird. I actually regretted that at least one couldn't continue because, of course, he's alone at the start of Star Trek: Picard. I also regret we'll likely never see any more of the Klingon merchant lord Verengar--unless we get a sequel series to this!
So, top marks and people should really buy this! Some of the funniest most entertaining Star Trek fiction I've read in years and I've read over a hundred Star Trek novels. Hell, probably closer to two hundred. I have maybe a few minor complaints that are almost insignificant to mention like some of the goons getting away with their crimes when I felt a more final fate would have been better but forget it, Rios, it's Iotia. It's still a very solid and fun book that makes me like the Rios character a lot more.
July 28, 2023
I finished reading last night the “Star Trek: Picard” novel, “Rogue Elements” (2021), by John Jackson Miller. It is the third tie-in novel to that particular series.
Like with the previous two (“The Last Best Hope” and “The Dark Veil”), “Rogue Elements” is another prequel novel taking place entirely prior to the events of the first season of “Picard”.
This one focuses on the character of Cristóbal Rios right as he is acquiring his cargo freighter, La Sirena.
He is immediately in debt to the previous owner, though, and has to pay them off. Those owners just happen to be Iotians, from the same planet that Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise discovered a century earlier that had patterned their entire civilization on a book about the Prohibition era mobs of Earth’s history. Which makes this more of a Star Trek the original series sequel in many ways than a Picard prequel (although we do get scenes of Rios communicating with Raffi, another “Picard” character, and Jackson does indeed fit bits of Jean-Luc Picard into the novel as well, even though Rios and Picard don’t actually meet until in the streaming tv series).
But then there are also TNG elements (a particularly nasty nemesis from a very memorable episode of TNG is a major character here), and there are also call backs to “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”.
I’m not going to go into any more detail than that here so as not to give away everything. I will say that I enjoyed this novel a lot. Aside from the very ending being a tad bit contrived (where Miller brings all of the various plot threads together and reveals what’s really been going on), this is a real fun read. Miller weaves the TOS and TNG callbacks in expertly and, more importantly, manages to make Rios a much more interesting character than we saw most of the time on the actual “Star Trek: Picard” series. Enough so that I’d actually like to see another Captain Rios novel by Miller (although that’s very unlikely at this point).
I gave “Rogue Elements” four out of five stars on GoodReads.
My next two Star Trek novels that I plan on reading are also by Miller. His “Star Trek: Discovery” novel, “The Enterprise War” (2019), which shows up what Captain Pike and the Enterprise were doing during the Federation-Klingon war in “Discovery” season one, and the first “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” novel, “The High Country”, which just came out this year. So, I’m on a bit of a John Jackson Miller marathon here. 🙂
Like with the previous two (“The Last Best Hope” and “The Dark Veil”), “Rogue Elements” is another prequel novel taking place entirely prior to the events of the first season of “Picard”.
This one focuses on the character of Cristóbal Rios right as he is acquiring his cargo freighter, La Sirena.
He is immediately in debt to the previous owner, though, and has to pay them off. Those owners just happen to be Iotians, from the same planet that Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise discovered a century earlier that had patterned their entire civilization on a book about the Prohibition era mobs of Earth’s history. Which makes this more of a Star Trek the original series sequel in many ways than a Picard prequel (although we do get scenes of Rios communicating with Raffi, another “Picard” character, and Jackson does indeed fit bits of Jean-Luc Picard into the novel as well, even though Rios and Picard don’t actually meet until in the streaming tv series).
But then there are also TNG elements (a particularly nasty nemesis from a very memorable episode of TNG is a major character here), and there are also call backs to “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”.
I’m not going to go into any more detail than that here so as not to give away everything. I will say that I enjoyed this novel a lot. Aside from the very ending being a tad bit contrived (where Miller brings all of the various plot threads together and reveals what’s really been going on), this is a real fun read. Miller weaves the TOS and TNG callbacks in expertly and, more importantly, manages to make Rios a much more interesting character than we saw most of the time on the actual “Star Trek: Picard” series. Enough so that I’d actually like to see another Captain Rios novel by Miller (although that’s very unlikely at this point).
I gave “Rogue Elements” four out of five stars on GoodReads.
My next two Star Trek novels that I plan on reading are also by Miller. His “Star Trek: Discovery” novel, “The Enterprise War” (2019), which shows up what Captain Pike and the Enterprise were doing during the Federation-Klingon war in “Discovery” season one, and the first “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” novel, “The High Country”, which just came out this year. So, I’m on a bit of a John Jackson Miller marathon here. 🙂
February 23, 2023
Utterly inconsequential but somehow still great fun
I'm glad that I read the acknowledgements at the end of this novel, where author John Jackson Miller states that he wrote this book during the onset of the pandemic and just wanted to write a Trek book that was fun. Now knowing that this was his goal, to write a book in a typically serious series (too serious when we speak about Star Trek: Picard specifically,) I feel a bit better about how this book at times made me question why I was bothering with it. I didn't feel like it was adding anything to the overall Trek mythos. I didn't have any particular dislike of Cristobal Rios, but it wasn't exactly at the top of my list to find out his backstory, either. That being said, I actually had fun reading this novel. The Trek references are spread throughout and actually really heighten the sense of care that the author took while writing it. Minor spoiler, I recommend you watch these episodes/movies before reading this book, or at least refresh yourself on them.
TOS: "A Piece of The Action"
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
TNG: "Captain's Holiday"
TNG: "The Most Toys"
There are probably a few more that I missed, but those are the important ones. You'll appreciate the story and some of the characters that pop up a lot more if you're familiar with those.
The characters written specifically for this book are also enjoyable and there are definitely some moments to chuckle at, and in the end I found myself with a newfound appreciation for La Sirena, a ship that honestly did nothing for me when I saw it in season one of Picard.
Overall, I don't think you'll have to read this to understand any of the episodes of Picard, but if you're looking for a little lighter read for your next Trek novel, I have to recommend this one more than I thought I would going in.
I'm glad that I read the acknowledgements at the end of this novel, where author John Jackson Miller states that he wrote this book during the onset of the pandemic and just wanted to write a Trek book that was fun. Now knowing that this was his goal, to write a book in a typically serious series (too serious when we speak about Star Trek: Picard specifically,) I feel a bit better about how this book at times made me question why I was bothering with it. I didn't feel like it was adding anything to the overall Trek mythos. I didn't have any particular dislike of Cristobal Rios, but it wasn't exactly at the top of my list to find out his backstory, either. That being said, I actually had fun reading this novel. The Trek references are spread throughout and actually really heighten the sense of care that the author took while writing it. Minor spoiler, I recommend you watch these episodes/movies before reading this book, or at least refresh yourself on them.
TOS: "A Piece of The Action"
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
TNG: "Captain's Holiday"
TNG: "The Most Toys"
There are probably a few more that I missed, but those are the important ones. You'll appreciate the story and some of the characters that pop up a lot more if you're familiar with those.
The characters written specifically for this book are also enjoyable and there are definitely some moments to chuckle at, and in the end I found myself with a newfound appreciation for La Sirena, a ship that honestly did nothing for me when I saw it in season one of Picard.
Overall, I don't think you'll have to read this to understand any of the episodes of Picard, but if you're looking for a little lighter read for your next Trek novel, I have to recommend this one more than I thought I would going in.
August 14, 2021
I have not read a Star Trek book since Star Trek: Enterprise was still on the air. It has been a minute and I cannot think of a better book to reacquaint myself with a universe than John Jackson Miller’s Rogue Elements, the third book in the Picard tie-in series. (READ MORE: https://yourmoneygeek.com/review-star...)
Not only is it about Cristóbal Rios, who ended up becoming my favorite character in Picard, but it is an absolute delight to read. It is filled with humor, character development, and an extremely fun cons-and-capers plot that leads to Rios being held at gunpoint an astonishingly high number of times.
Rogue Elements is a prequel, set many years before he crosses paths with Jean-Luc Picard, that gives much-needed context to who Rios is when we meet him in Picard. Miller takes readers through the acquisition of La Sirena, and the perils and pitfalls that came with it, which occupies the majority of the plot thanks to the Prohibition-era Earth-obsessed Iotians that he acquired the ship from.
While the novel does not reveal the top-secret particulars of what led to Rios’ departure from Starfleet, it does delve into his emotional state including drinking till he blacks out, hapless carousing, and poor decision making. And of course, his long-time friend Raffi keeps tabs on him to ensure he doesn’t get himself into too much trouble. The best part, in my opinion, is the explanation and hilarity surrounding how his Emergency Hologram system came to be programmed to look just like him. Yes, Emil, Emmet, and Encho make an appearance.
One aspect that I was surprised by was the inclusion of Kivas Fajo, the Zibalian trader who appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was exciting to see familiar, but not major, characters make an appearance in Rios’ various exploits. Of course, the Iotians are also familiar adversaries, for fans of Star Trek: The Original Series. Their 1920s-obsessed colloquialisms are fun and not at all overdone throughout the novel.
Miller’s author's note at the back of the book discusses how he intended to write a completely fun book, to help readers unwind after a taxing year in quarantine, and he succeeded. If you are looking for a good time, stop what you’re doing and pick up Rogue Elements and join Cristóbal Rios on an epic odyssey filled with outlaws, fortune seekers, relic hunters, and so much more.
Not only is it about Cristóbal Rios, who ended up becoming my favorite character in Picard, but it is an absolute delight to read. It is filled with humor, character development, and an extremely fun cons-and-capers plot that leads to Rios being held at gunpoint an astonishingly high number of times.
Rogue Elements is a prequel, set many years before he crosses paths with Jean-Luc Picard, that gives much-needed context to who Rios is when we meet him in Picard. Miller takes readers through the acquisition of La Sirena, and the perils and pitfalls that came with it, which occupies the majority of the plot thanks to the Prohibition-era Earth-obsessed Iotians that he acquired the ship from.
While the novel does not reveal the top-secret particulars of what led to Rios’ departure from Starfleet, it does delve into his emotional state including drinking till he blacks out, hapless carousing, and poor decision making. And of course, his long-time friend Raffi keeps tabs on him to ensure he doesn’t get himself into too much trouble. The best part, in my opinion, is the explanation and hilarity surrounding how his Emergency Hologram system came to be programmed to look just like him. Yes, Emil, Emmet, and Encho make an appearance.
One aspect that I was surprised by was the inclusion of Kivas Fajo, the Zibalian trader who appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was exciting to see familiar, but not major, characters make an appearance in Rios’ various exploits. Of course, the Iotians are also familiar adversaries, for fans of Star Trek: The Original Series. Their 1920s-obsessed colloquialisms are fun and not at all overdone throughout the novel.
Miller’s author's note at the back of the book discusses how he intended to write a completely fun book, to help readers unwind after a taxing year in quarantine, and he succeeded. If you are looking for a good time, stop what you’re doing and pick up Rogue Elements and join Cristóbal Rios on an epic odyssey filled with outlaws, fortune seekers, relic hunters, and so much more.
August 20, 2021
Watching “New Trek” is something of an assault on the senses when compared with the television of old. This book felt a bit like that, by turns a new and unsettling set of characters and species dynamics, then a good pirate-style rollick. Rios really didn’t imprint himself to me on screen, but it was quite interesting to see more of him here, even if I can’t yet bring myself to understand much of what drives him. It really doesn’t feel like a book from the old days, and perhaps that’s a good thing. The last Picard novel focused on Riker, and the first on jean-luc himself. Now we have an eye on what feels like the seedier, less seemly side of Trek.
It was only a few days ago that I watched plains mobbed by desperate civilians trying to flee Afghanistan. Being a long-time Trek reader my mind flashed back to the opening of yet another novel – Ambassador Spock is being evacuated from an embassy turned unfriendly and the novel’s point-of-view is in the support escort flight and evacuation team pushing through the angry and roiled crowds. So yes, of course we have seen the messier, less pristine before. Yet times have changed, and the politics of even the best fictional universes change too. I’m perhaps still on the fence. I still take comfort in old episodes and novels, showing us our familiar friends in familiar situations. But the story goes on, with others at the helm. Perhaps in 10, 20, 30 years, who knows. People will pine for what I consider flashy and strange. I can’t say I was hooked on Rios’s story, nor Miller’s narrative. But it’s part of the lore, and I’m glad to have had the chance to soak up more of that.
It was only a few days ago that I watched plains mobbed by desperate civilians trying to flee Afghanistan. Being a long-time Trek reader my mind flashed back to the opening of yet another novel – Ambassador Spock is being evacuated from an embassy turned unfriendly and the novel’s point-of-view is in the support escort flight and evacuation team pushing through the angry and roiled crowds. So yes, of course we have seen the messier, less pristine before. Yet times have changed, and the politics of even the best fictional universes change too. I’m perhaps still on the fence. I still take comfort in old episodes and novels, showing us our familiar friends in familiar situations. But the story goes on, with others at the helm. Perhaps in 10, 20, 30 years, who knows. People will pine for what I consider flashy and strange. I can’t say I was hooked on Rios’s story, nor Miller’s narrative. But it’s part of the lore, and I’m glad to have had the chance to soak up more of that.
August 27, 2021
This book is a love letter to Star Trek in all of its incarnations. It's also a character study of one of the most compelling figures introduced in Picard, Captain Cristóbal Rios, with additional insights into another, Raffi Musiker. When I first watched Picard, I was fascinated by both Rios's library and holographic helpers, and this novel provides delicious backstories for both.
While I enjoyed the laugh-out-loud capers and treasure hunts, what really moved me was how John Jackson Miller alludes to, celebrates, and highlights how tales -- both fictional and real -- shape who we are and what we do. This is a story about stories: the ones we tell and the ones we hide; the ones we turn to for meaning and the ones we strive to forget; the ones we create to help us cope and the ones we discover that shed light on who we are (and why).
While I thoroughly enjoyed the humor and lightness in this novel, I appreciated even more how effectively Miller delivers poignant, breath-stealing moments of heartbreak and truth. This novel really delivers on all counts. I'm intentionally being vague to avoid spoilers, but I was gasping, chuckling, and tearing up until the very last page.
While I enjoyed the laugh-out-loud capers and treasure hunts, what really moved me was how John Jackson Miller alludes to, celebrates, and highlights how tales -- both fictional and real -- shape who we are and what we do. This is a story about stories: the ones we tell and the ones we hide; the ones we turn to for meaning and the ones we strive to forget; the ones we create to help us cope and the ones we discover that shed light on who we are (and why).
While I thoroughly enjoyed the humor and lightness in this novel, I appreciated even more how effectively Miller delivers poignant, breath-stealing moments of heartbreak and truth. This novel really delivers on all counts. I'm intentionally being vague to avoid spoilers, but I was gasping, chuckling, and tearing up until the very last page.
November 18, 2021
A solid story that draws from an impressive variety of in-universe references. Regardless of which series you consider the best, this book incorporates elements that you'll recall with a smile. The plot hits that sweet spot, being neither too predictable nor too far-fetched. It's entertaining, and the author relies enough on character development that it's a more-rewarding read than most Trek novels. It provides satisfying back story for both Rios and his ship while also allowing plenty of room for more development in the future. Definitely a satisfying read.
And for audiobook fans, Robert Petkoff does his usual peerless work. This one's worth reading just to enjoy Petkoff's rendition of Kivas Fajo. That character was delightful and perhaps memorable, but Petkoff makes Fajo familiar, picking up on inflection and pacing with uncanny skill.
And for audiobook fans, Robert Petkoff does his usual peerless work. This one's worth reading just to enjoy Petkoff's rendition of Kivas Fajo. That character was delightful and perhaps memorable, but Petkoff makes Fajo familiar, picking up on inflection and pacing with uncanny skill.
January 23, 2023
This book was slow to begin with and I was beginning to lose interest when the bit with the Iotians dragged on. But things picked up when Rios finally left that system and I mostly enjoyed this book a great deal. A lot happens in it. A lot of characters across Star Trek properties appear and have roles to play. There are revelations, betrayals, triumphs. It’s all there.
Rios is a fascinating character—I’m not sure if he’s as competent as his screen counterpart though. He’s a bit at sea and often blindsided by others’ actions. He is smart and charming but I often felt like he was whisked away along some tide. He only really grabs situations by the horns a few times.
I love that this book is chock-a-block with women. They’re everywhere. I wish they hadn’t all been introduced as some kind of love interest. At the very least I wish they’d been clearly described as being differently shaped from one another. But I did like these eccentric ladies and the way they had a firm hold of their lives.
So many villains and antagonists. So cool. It’s obvious the writer is passionate about Star Trek. I will say since this book is very much in the noir heist/crime/caper genre, it’s not very representative or diverse. Definitely not with the romances. I found that annoying.
Lots to love and enjoy in this sci-fi adventure.
Rios is a fascinating character—I’m not sure if he’s as competent as his screen counterpart though. He’s a bit at sea and often blindsided by others’ actions. He is smart and charming but I often felt like he was whisked away along some tide. He only really grabs situations by the horns a few times.
I love that this book is chock-a-block with women. They’re everywhere. I wish they hadn’t all been introduced as some kind of love interest. At the very least I wish they’d been clearly described as being differently shaped from one another. But I did like these eccentric ladies and the way they had a firm hold of their lives.
So many villains and antagonists. So cool. It’s obvious the writer is passionate about Star Trek. I will say since this book is very much in the noir heist/crime/caper genre, it’s not very representative or diverse. Definitely not with the romances. I found that annoying.
Lots to love and enjoy in this sci-fi adventure.
October 27, 2021
I am tempted to mark this 5 stars. It is surely 4.5 no doubt. This is a breath of fresh air for me, and adds considerable depth to Rios who now might just be my favorite character from the Picard show. Overall, this story was just absolute fun. Rios in this novel basically becomes the Han Solo of the Trek world. Wooing various women and botching his job as a cargo hauler.
When the stakes were extremely high in The Last Best Hope and still major in The Dark Veil to get something that was inconsequential to the galaxy at large and just fun was exactly what I didn't know I needed.
When the stakes were extremely high in The Last Best Hope and still major in The Dark Veil to get something that was inconsequential to the galaxy at large and just fun was exactly what I didn't know I needed.
August 5, 2022
I had a misconception about these Picard books, I thought they were the series, but book form and wanted to read before I attacked the paramount production. But these books tell the story of before and do so nicely. I really enjoyed all three, I this one was special. I great adventure with flawed, relatable characters. No spoilers here, just a tribute to a fun audiobook.
April 22, 2022
Gorkon opened his palm -- and then clapped his hand on Rios's wrist. "You speak of right and wrong as if there is some way to tabulate one's accounts and arrive at a balance. No such arithmetic exists, known to the living -- or the dead."
Rios pulled away. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"*A great deed*!"
Rios looked behind him. The booming voice belonged to Kahless, here to refill Gordon's glass.
He did so -- and looked down on Rios. "You should do a great deed, young Rios. Not because it will solve your problem or make right a wrong." Kahless showed his teeth. "You should do a great deed because *you should always do great deeds*."
Rios stared. "What would this great deed be?"
Gorkon leaned across the table and poked him in the chest. "*You tell us*."
Rios pulled away. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"*A great deed*!"
Rios looked behind him. The booming voice belonged to Kahless, here to refill Gordon's glass.
He did so -- and looked down on Rios. "You should do a great deed, young Rios. Not because it will solve your problem or make right a wrong." Kahless showed his teeth. "You should do a great deed because *you should always do great deeds*."
Rios stared. "What would this great deed be?"
Gorkon leaned across the table and poked him in the chest. "*You tell us*."
August 20, 2021
A fun read, with lots of fan service (paused in the book to go back and watch episodes I hadn’t seen in some time - just to enrich) while setting up a lot for the Picard series. A really enjoyable jaunt!
December 19, 2022
Recycling of one of the silliest original series episodes. It's great to refer to these things as asides for fans, but I don't think it works that well to expand the gimmick into the basis for a novel.
January 20, 2022
It was interesting, with all the pieces, but so many different things pulled from previous series or movies... not really sure I'm liking that kind of thing anymore, but at least some of those things used here are different ones! In any case, it's a good look to what drives Rios and more of a look on his Starfleet past, and how he gets the ship.
July 6, 2024
This was a very slow start for me.
Had nothing to do with the book btw.
The story was exciting from the moment it started. Rios is a fantastic character in the series and i really enjoyed it. There were some interesting characters in this book. And I loved his journey of trying to get his own ship and ending up with a strange crew and a lot of shenanigans.
I loved getting to know Rios a bit more and how he got his ship. The storyline was sometimes really funny. But in the middle it did drag a bit. I absolutely didn't like Ledger in the beginning but while reading she really grew on me. I love the little throwbacks to older Star Trek shows!!
It was still a solid fun book for me that felt like a true Star Trek story. It's a mystery and a action adventure in one. I did like the open ending. Because just like the series it gives space and imagination for more adventures. This was a fun adventure!! I definitely enjoyed this book.
Had nothing to do with the book btw.
The story was exciting from the moment it started. Rios is a fantastic character in the series and i really enjoyed it. There were some interesting characters in this book. And I loved his journey of trying to get his own ship and ending up with a strange crew and a lot of shenanigans.
I loved getting to know Rios a bit more and how he got his ship. The storyline was sometimes really funny. But in the middle it did drag a bit. I absolutely didn't like Ledger in the beginning but while reading she really grew on me. I love the little throwbacks to older Star Trek shows!!
It was still a solid fun book for me that felt like a true Star Trek story. It's a mystery and a action adventure in one. I did like the open ending. Because just like the series it gives space and imagination for more adventures. This was a fun adventure!! I definitely enjoyed this book.
November 1, 2023
A fun Star Trek story revolving around the character Cristobal Rios from the first two seasons of Star Trek: Picard. The story details how Rios gained position of his ship the La Sirena and the story referenced Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek:? The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and surprisingly Star Trek Vi: The Undiscovered Country.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2021
So the book here takes place during the Picard era of Star Trek, yet it's set on a planet that we first were introduced to back in the TOS. The Episode "A Piece of the Action" featured an albeit silly concept but wrapped in an interesting and pretty fundamental Star Trek value. The USS Horizon leaves a book about Chicago Gangsters behind on the planet and it becomes their bible. So the entire race is all based on the US 1930's era Chicago. Anyway the book Rogue Elements bases the story here and from there....it sort of meanders... It's not bad..but just...dull. After the amusement of hearing some of the 30's dialogue in the context of Star Trek...the story here just seems to follow a heist.
Okay...it's been a long...long time since I've read a book that actively made me want to toss it across the room and never pick it back up. I could not have finished this any sooner, and I'm literally relieved to get a palette cleanser to rid myself of it. I can not stand this book. It has been the longest, slog I've gone through in a long time. Nothing in this book is remotely interesting. Rios a character who was one of my favorites in Picard, is just a pale shade of a character. Bouncing around from scene to scene with who knows what in terms of plot. There's something on about a heist and a hologram? I honestly don't know. No clue. If a phasor were to my head, only then may I be able to fumble enough to describe anything in the way of a plot. But thank god that I don't have said pistol pointed at me, so I can move on. This review is going to be quick and short just so I don't have to keep my mind lingering on this waste of time much longer. The thing is, I love John Jackson Miller as a writer. He wrote A New Dawn from Star Wars that I really enjoyed, and a number of other books which have been decent. I have no clue what happened here. The book is so mundane and ho hum, I feel like nothing has any weight and it's not even a fun romp. I'd love a story that were not high stakes, but just fun. This is not it. We get a ton of new characters that I can't even describe to you now who or what role they played. I all know is some switcheroo happened with some collector... and it involved a book. Literally all I took away from this snore-fest. I can't even say this feels like a science fiction story, let alone Star Trek. We get some known races, and Picard for like a chapter, that's about it.
This is such an easy pass in terms of recommendations. I can't even utter the words "Read it if you want to know about Rios" because honestly you don't even get that much character building with him. You get some interaction with Raffi... but the price it means to go through this nightmare reading this? Not worth it at all..
Okay...it's been a long...long time since I've read a book that actively made me want to toss it across the room and never pick it back up. I could not have finished this any sooner, and I'm literally relieved to get a palette cleanser to rid myself of it. I can not stand this book. It has been the longest, slog I've gone through in a long time. Nothing in this book is remotely interesting. Rios a character who was one of my favorites in Picard, is just a pale shade of a character. Bouncing around from scene to scene with who knows what in terms of plot. There's something on about a heist and a hologram? I honestly don't know. No clue. If a phasor were to my head, only then may I be able to fumble enough to describe anything in the way of a plot. But thank god that I don't have said pistol pointed at me, so I can move on. This review is going to be quick and short just so I don't have to keep my mind lingering on this waste of time much longer. The thing is, I love John Jackson Miller as a writer. He wrote A New Dawn from Star Wars that I really enjoyed, and a number of other books which have been decent. I have no clue what happened here. The book is so mundane and ho hum, I feel like nothing has any weight and it's not even a fun romp. I'd love a story that were not high stakes, but just fun. This is not it. We get a ton of new characters that I can't even describe to you now who or what role they played. I all know is some switcheroo happened with some collector... and it involved a book. Literally all I took away from this snore-fest. I can't even say this feels like a science fiction story, let alone Star Trek. We get some known races, and Picard for like a chapter, that's about it.
This is such an easy pass in terms of recommendations. I can't even utter the words "Read it if you want to know about Rios" because honestly you don't even get that much character building with him. You get some interaction with Raffi... but the price it means to go through this nightmare reading this? Not worth it at all..
September 22, 2021
I loved pitch perfect characterisation of Rios, and all the stuff about La Sirena and it's past crew, but big detective/spy story with slight overdependence on fanservice was a little to much for me.
Anyways, it was a fun listening :) Thanks John Jackson Miller and Robert Petkoff
Anyways, it was a fun listening :) Thanks John Jackson Miller and Robert Petkoff
November 29, 2021
Just seemed like fan service to me. Why give a chapter to Vash or even Picard himself when they don’t appear in the main story at all.
April 22, 2022
What a dump-truck-on-fire of a novel this was. I tried hard to like the book, and I even almost abandoned it several times, but I had to plow through it because I wanted to get to know more of Rios' backstory and how he came to be the captain of his starship of La Sirena. Considering these novels in the Picard book trilogy are to be regarded as canon, I had a certain level of expectation. But this author did the character Rios and the Star Trek franchise some grave disservice.
The author reduced Rios into a wise bumbling fool who can't catch a break and is always a victim of circumstance. Such a shame and waste of opportunity to bring Rios to life with a rich backstory. Instead, we get the one-trick pony slapstick humor repeatedly throughout the book, minor characters with no dimensions who we will probably never hear of again, and the Iotians.
I rate this book 1.5 star out of 5.
The author reduced Rios into a wise bumbling fool who can't catch a break and is always a victim of circumstance. Such a shame and waste of opportunity to bring Rios to life with a rich backstory. Instead, we get the one-trick pony slapstick humor repeatedly throughout the book, minor characters with no dimensions who we will probably never hear of again, and the Iotians.
I rate this book 1.5 star out of 5.
August 23, 2021
After the disastrous cover up following the events aboard the 'U.S.S. ibn Majid' and his subsequent dishonourable discharge from Starfleet, Cristobal Rios is drifting and without purpose. Then he finds a new ship, which he christens 'La Sirena' and embarks on a quest to uncover a mystery surrounding mysterious artefacts whilst outrunning the gangsters from Sigma Iotia who claim to own his ship.
Miller's fine heist novel makes for an enjoyable take on the character first introduced in 'Star Trek: Picard' and this should provide much needed insight into the character.
Miller's fine heist novel makes for an enjoyable take on the character first introduced in 'Star Trek: Picard' and this should provide much needed insight into the character.
March 26, 2024
Surprisingly good, and Rios (importantly) is endearingly, messily lovely. Looking forward to more!
September 6, 2021
One of the dangers inherent in books based on licensed properties is that the book will be bound by the constraints of the source material: the television series, in this case, in which a story has already been told, characters established and, thus, limitations created. Any book taking place prior to or during the series needs to make sure the elements borrowed from that toy chest are returned at the end in a state consistent with their portrayal on the show. This can often result in a dry, safe story where no real risks are taken. In other cases, it can inspire the writer to be creative and take up the challenge of delivering an engaging tale at the same time as needing to get characters and situations from one point to another to fit the defined framework. This book expertly manages the latter.
As with prior books in this series, Rogue Elements takes place in that largely unexplored period of time between Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Picard. In this instance, it focuses on the character of Cristobal Rios, independent freighter captain and disgraced former Starfleet commander. While it would have seemed simple enough for a writer to simply craft a tale getting the character from the former life to the current (and, to be fair, this story does establish the origins of elements present in the television show), it's really a sliver of that time, covering a single epic adventure.
In many ways, the story mirrors the noir adventures of Dixon Hill, that fictional P.I. who is brought up in the book. It's involves gangsters, shady upper crust characters, and a reluctant protagonist who attempts to piece together a puzzle that could cost him his life. By its nature, it's a rollicking adventure that only occasionally appears in the Star Trek universe. As such, it embraces its excesses, liberally making use of established elements of the Star Trek universe in a way that would seem like far too much fan service normally, but here serves to enhance the overall story, demonstrating the fun and care the author obviously had in weaving the elaborate web of a tale spun here.
The story told is clever and intricately mapped out, with seemingly minor elements coming into play later, either to validate revelations or to manipulate and misdirect the reader. However, it's really the characters that make this book and the author has made each well-rounded and engaging. The characters borrowed from the mythos act in accordance with their established on-screen personal, such that you can hear the lines in the voices of the actors who portray them. At the same time, original characters are introduced who are realized well enough that one wishes one could see the portrayed in live action.
If there is a failing with the book, it goes back to that initial point concerning the limitations of licensed novels. The character of Rios is established in the show and well-realized, with the backstory established. The book, for all its strengths, does not really have anything new to enhance the character. The way he engages with other characters, his thoughts and feelings regarding past events, all fall within the frame of what was painted on television. Ultimately, though, the book still accomplishes the goal of providing an engaging story that, while not offering anything extremely new about its hero, certainly makes one eager for further adventures with him and demonstrates how well he can work removed from the characters and situations of the parent series.
As with prior books in this series, Rogue Elements takes place in that largely unexplored period of time between Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Picard. In this instance, it focuses on the character of Cristobal Rios, independent freighter captain and disgraced former Starfleet commander. While it would have seemed simple enough for a writer to simply craft a tale getting the character from the former life to the current (and, to be fair, this story does establish the origins of elements present in the television show), it's really a sliver of that time, covering a single epic adventure.
In many ways, the story mirrors the noir adventures of Dixon Hill, that fictional P.I. who is brought up in the book. It's involves gangsters, shady upper crust characters, and a reluctant protagonist who attempts to piece together a puzzle that could cost him his life. By its nature, it's a rollicking adventure that only occasionally appears in the Star Trek universe. As such, it embraces its excesses, liberally making use of established elements of the Star Trek universe in a way that would seem like far too much fan service normally, but here serves to enhance the overall story, demonstrating the fun and care the author obviously had in weaving the elaborate web of a tale spun here.
The story told is clever and intricately mapped out, with seemingly minor elements coming into play later, either to validate revelations or to manipulate and misdirect the reader. However, it's really the characters that make this book and the author has made each well-rounded and engaging. The characters borrowed from the mythos act in accordance with their established on-screen personal, such that you can hear the lines in the voices of the actors who portray them. At the same time, original characters are introduced who are realized well enough that one wishes one could see the portrayed in live action.
If there is a failing with the book, it goes back to that initial point concerning the limitations of licensed novels. The character of Rios is established in the show and well-realized, with the backstory established. The book, for all its strengths, does not really have anything new to enhance the character. The way he engages with other characters, his thoughts and feelings regarding past events, all fall within the frame of what was painted on television. Ultimately, though, the book still accomplishes the goal of providing an engaging story that, while not offering anything extremely new about its hero, certainly makes one eager for further adventures with him and demonstrates how well he can work removed from the characters and situations of the parent series.
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