Patrick Stewart will bring Picard to new Star Trek series

Captain Picard on the bridge

So, here’s what we know about the impending Star Trek return of Jean-Luc Picard: he will be played once again by the inimitable Sir Patrick Stewart; he will reprise the role in a new series for CBS All-Access, where Star Trek: Discovery has been gaining warp-speed momentum. The new series will take place 20 years or so after the last Star Trek: Next Generation movie, Nemesis (a 2002 release).
Beyond that, we don’t know much for certain yet. According to Stewart, who came on stage to announce (or rather, tease) the series at Star Trek Las Vegas earlier this week, we could end up seeing a different Jean-Luc Picard than we’re used to. As Stewart clearly stated,

“I have to tell you, he may not – and I stress, may not – be a captain anymore. He may not be the Jean-Luc that you recognize and know so well. It may be a very different individual, someone who has been changed by his experiences.”

Scripts have yet to be written, and negotiations are underway, but Jean-Luc Picard will definitely be returning to a new Star Trek show. Cue Scotty/O’Brien/other transporter room specialist to beam us up for Trekkie bliss as soon as possible.

Additional Star Trek series have been hinted at as well, including a teen-oriented Starfleet Academy series and an animated series, but details have yet to be released.

Z-Man Chooses Adventure!

With board games becoming more story-driven, it makes sense for game publishers to look toward classic adventure stories for design inspiration. It makes even more sense to design a game around the Choose Your Own Adventure books – stories that invented the “gamebook” and captured the imagination of a generation of kids. Z-Man Games has got you covered with Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger, a cooperative board game based on the 1982 book (which was popular enough to be released in seven languages).CYOA Adventure GameDue to hit shelves in August 2018, 1–8 players will explore the aforementioned House together as psychic investigators, choosing their adventure path through story cards, gathering item cards, and hunting for clues. From Z-Man’s description:

Do you follow the noise you just heard? Do you venture down the dark cavern? It’s up to you to decide! Investigate the many narrative branches in each of the five exciting chapters, discovering hours of play and thousands of options. Face deadly challenges to find clues or increase your psychic skills. […] As you explore the mysteries of the House of Danger, new clues will guide your investigation, illuminating new paths or equipping you with useful items.

From the Z-Man announcement, the game promises skill development and item usage, two features the original books often struggled to emulate. If Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger is well received by gamers this fall, we could certainly see follow-up titles – after all, the CYOA book series boasts over 180 titles to play through. House of Danger will sell for $24.99.