The reason that Star Trek is able to release so many books in the series is because they are written by different authors. There are a core group of authors that have been writing Star Trek books for years. John Jackson Miller has more Marvel and Star Wars books to his name, but he is also a veteran Star Trek writer. 

 

Rogue Elements introduces Cristóbal Ríos to the Picard book series. Like the previous books, we do not start following him until after he has been discharged from Starfleet. Looking for a future and solitude, Rios purchases a freighter ship. Instead of peace and quiet, he is thrown in on an adventure filled with nostalgic Star Trek characters and cultures. 

 

The story was engaging. It was like a space western combined with a murder mystery all set in the Star Trek universe. There are so many familiar Star Trek characters center to the plot - including the charming lotian. Interwoven through the narrative are aspects of Picard’s life. It is interesting to see how his actions ripple through the galaxy. You also have brief scenes with Picard. However, the majority of the book centers around Rios’ actions. 

 

I enjoyed the read. I was briefly confused at the beginning of the book with the lotians showed up, but then quickly figured out what was happening. The rest of the book was full of twists and turns that left me hooked. The read was nostalgic, which I think was part of the point. Every time a new character was mentioned the episode(s) they were in flashed in my head. 

 

One of the downfalls of a series with multiple writers is that the diversity representation changes through each book. Rogue Elements had great female empowerment and even touched on women’s roles in Earth history. It wasn’t a primary focus, but it was part of the story. I found it well done, especially from a male author. However, gone is the subtle LGBTQIA+ rep of the last book in the series. Now the author had Picard using gendered language. It was unnecessary - and not fitting with language in an enlightened multi-species community.