A Peek at The Dark Veil

by Theresa Gauthier

Star Trek’s recent renaissance has revived the business of publishing Star Trek books. I admit that, growing up, I was addicted to these TV Tie-in novels, along with Star Wars, Doctor Who, and other fandoms’ forays into storytelling. The latest line of books, based on the Paramount+ streaming series Star Trek: Picard, had inspired some excellent novels. The one I’ve read most recently, Picard: The Dark Veil, takes place well before the events of the first season of the show, and focuses more on Picard’s former First Officer, William Rider, now Captain of the U.S.S. Titan and his wife, Deanna Troi. 

There is a series of novels that cover quite a bit of the exploits of these two officers once they left the Enterprise D and began exploring the universe on the Titan. I’ve only read one of them, but that’s because I didn’t know about them and have had trouble finding copies.

Regardless, the new book is a great intro to their story. Deanna and Will’s son, mentioned in Picard is a pivotal part of this story, and there’s a lot the reader will recognize—things that make you see how the Riker family got to Nepenthe where they lived during the series. It’s all preliminary, but the observant reader can connect the dots.

In The Dark Veil, The Titan is escorting a race of aliens out of Federation space. They’ve decided to leave as they don’t really agree with decisions that the Federation has made since the incident on Mars (mentioned in the first season of Picard).

If you expect a Picard to be in the story, you might be surprised or disappointed to learn that the beloved character has a small—but important—part to play. Riker’s former captain weighs in on the circumstances the U.S.S. Titan has encountered, and it’s wonderful to see the two discussing things of such import but this time with Riker as the captain and Picard consulting.

There’s a great deal to discuss with Picard—as Riker and the Titan have encountered Romulans, who seem as unwilling to trust the Federation as ever, as they attempt to determine what secrets the Federation must be keeping.

The real secret keepers are the Jazari, a mysterious species who’ve worked closely with the Federation in the past, but who have always kept their culture, their beliefs, and even their physiology secret. They won’t use transporters. They won’t answer questions about their history, and they have decided that the Federation isn’t where they want to be. To that end, they’re leaving. 

The U.S.S Titan has the task of escorting the Jazari from Federation space, but a catastrophic accident puts them at the mercy of the Romulans. 

Trust isn’t easy between the Romulans and the Federation, and the Tal Shiar presence aboard the Romulan ship jeopardizes any progress made in that direction. 

The book is well-written and fits well within the backstory revealed in Picard’s first season, but truthfully the joy for me was in reading about Troi and Riker and their family. A great read—I recommend this one for all Trekkies, Trekkers, and even just the casual Picard fan.