The comic book series Star Trek: Picard - Countdown is due to drop this Wednesday, November 27th, from IDW. The series is a prequel to the new Picard series and is expected to give fans important background information about what drove Picard to retire from Starfleet. Ahead of the release, Syfy Wire spoke to writer Mike Johnson about the upcoming series.

Johnson also wrote 2009’s Countdown prequel to Star Trek, the first J.J. Abrams movie. He compared that experience to this one, noting that it’s more secretive this time. But he said that was because the producers of Picard want to preserve the element of surprise. “And,” he said, “that extends to any ancillary materials, like the comics and the novels.” 

Johnson was able to give a few details about the plot of the comic series, though. He said, “This story takes place a fair number of years before the events of the Picard show. We couldn't do something that happens right before the show without actually spoiling stuff. [...] This story takes place after The Next Generation, but before he's retired from Starfleet.”

And what’s Picard up to? Johnson said, “We start to lay in some of the backgrounds for why he ultimately decides to leave Starfleet. He's an admiral, we see his new ship, we might see a familiar face or two and we see what he's been doing since the end of Nemesis.”

Johnson also revealed that the comic series will introduce us to new characters who will turn up in Star Trek: Picard. He said, “We're going to be meeting a couple of characters for the first time in the comic that will appear in the show. These are new characters and there are actually brief glimpses of them in the trailers.”

The Syfy Wire piece also has a few preview pages from issue #1 of Star Trek: Picard - Countdown. Otherwise, you can see them for yourself when it comes out on Wednesday.