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  • The Last Best Hope

  • Star Trek: Picard
  • Written by: Una McCormack
  • Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
  • Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (148 ratings)

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The Last Best Hope cover art

The Last Best Hope

Written by: Una McCormack
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Publisher's Summary

An original novel based on the new Star Trek TV series!

A thrilling novel leading into the new CBS series, Una McCormack’s The Last Best Hope introduces you to brand-new characters featured in the life of beloved Star Trek captain Jean-Luc Picard—widely considered to be one of the most popular and recognizable characters in all of science fiction.

©2020 Una McCormack (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio

What listeners say about The Last Best Hope

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

ST:Picard makes more sense now

Admittedly, I found Robert Petkoff's accents and voice changes irritating at first, but it didn't take me long to adjust, and even grow to enjoy his reading style. The story really helps fill in the Romulan Relocation context for Picard's first season, and the frustration and heartbreak experienced by the novel's characters is palpable. I found I gained a greater understanding of, and appreciation for some of the show's characters and their relationships, particularly Raffi, Zani, and Bruce and Agnes. Elnor's role onscreen makes more sense to me now as well.

It isn't a happy story, but I think it's a necessary one to understanding the mission's backstory and how it went so catastrophically bad. I'm certainly glad I gave this one a listen.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Needed back story for the Picard Series!

As the headline says, I found this wonderful to give me some back story of the build up to the Picard series. I've bought the next book as well (a series of 4 as far as I know) and am looking forward to more filling in my Star Trek needs.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Hope you don't want any kind of conclusion

Story was very good, built up At a good pace it came to a climax around a plot point that wasn't the main plot of the story and then just... Ends with no wrap up no details no conclusion

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I Didn't Want it to End

I read some reviews from people who didn't like this book, saying that it is just a bunch of talking heads, people talking in one room after another the whole way through. This is actually true. There isn't a lot of action in this book. Actually, scratch that, there is plenty of action but we don't often get to be a part of it. Instead, we hear a lot of people talking about the action, discussing problems, making plans, etc. It sounds boring, I know. So much so, that I almost didn't buy the book, but now I am so glad I did try it! Despite the bad case of talking head syndrome, the story sucked me right in and I found it more engaging and stimulating than most other books I have read this year. More, The Last Best Hope made me think; about myself, my values, the world. And in my opinion, this is a lot of what makes Star Trek so great.

It may have helped that I listened to the book after I watched the series, so I already had a feel for some of the main characters and the overall situation. I may have not liked it so much if I had just jumped into it before watching the first season.

The only thing that I really didn't like was all the swearing. I don't mind swearing in general but it just really doesn't fit in Star Trek. It felt weird and every time I heard the f-word (which was probably 15 or so times), it really took me out of the story. Other than that, I thought it was fantastic.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great prequil

I listened to this book before beginning to watch the new Picard tv series and it was awesome. As always the depth of the story you get from the book far exceeds the show, but they work very well together.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Jim
  • 2020-06-18

Fans of the show Star Trek: Picard need this!

So great. It fills in all the details leading up to the series. Explains so many back stories that help explain the tv series.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Essential read to manage the disbelief

The change in tone and the absence of the Federation are hard to manage when going from TNG (including the movies) to Picard.

The book is a necessary "season 0" that would deserve its own movie or miniseries.

It tells the story of how the Federation drowned by attempting to save a drowning Romulan Empire.

This "post-apocalyptic" Federation will never be the same... Star Trek will never be the same... and that's fucking sad.

The book is a necessary read, not an happy
one.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 2021-10-19

A Fantastic Companion to the 1st Season of Picard

While not required to enjoy Season 1 of Picard it is worth the credit. I enjoyed the story and the feeling of hope that existed within the story. If you’ve seen Season 1 of Picard there won’t be much in the way of surprises, but it is still an excellent book.

Robert Petkoff did an amazing job at trying to match the intonations of the actors who play the characters from the show.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A return to a familiar feeling

A good story that will feel more familiar to TNG fans than the Picard series itself. the characters are well written, their psychology and motivations plausible. Petkoff does a surprisingly good Picard impression. It's a sad story, but we knew it would be, and sets up the characters for the next installment wonderfully. I wish there was more about what happened between JL and Musica after his resignation.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

This book really enhances the world of Star Trek.

The book really brought the world of Star Trek, and the backstory of Star Trek Picard to life. A great deal of thought went into the building of characters, worlds, politics, and how these things come together to shape lives.

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