When retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard says “Engage!” in Star Trek: Picard, longtime fans of The Next Generation all high-fived each other, or possibly, their own childhoods. But did it take too long to get us here? With three episodes of Picard released so far (out of the total ten) there’s a contingent of criticism that laments how sluggish the series is moving. When you look at reviews for Picard, even the very positive ones seem to go out of their way to say the show is “slow.”

But, to that criticism, I have a question: Did we all forget that The Next Generation was perhaps the slowest Star Trek of them all? In fact, I’d argue, that loving Star Trek is—at least partially—less about saying “engage” and more about saying, “make it…slow.”

Light spoilers ahead for the first three episodes of Star Trek: Picard.
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Spoilers ahead for aspects of Star Trek: Picard episode 2: “Maps and Legends”.

One of the quirkiest mysteries at the start of Star Trek: Picard has suddenly been answered. If you’re confused about why Jean-Luc is living with a couple of Romulans at Château Picard, you’ll only get hints in the actual TV series itself. (Well, thus far.) Because the complete answer to this huge change in the status quo is elucidated in the final issue of the IDW comic book miniseries, Star Trek: Picard: Countdown.

Here’s how the third and final issue of the prequel comic reveals Laris and Zhaban’s fate and explains why they’re so loyal to Jean-Luc in Star Trek: Picard. 

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