8 Reasons Reading 'The Last Best Hope' Is Essential To Understand Star Trek Picard
2. Geordi LaForge
Geordi LaForge was of course the engineer of both the Enterprises D and E, therefore having a strong working relationship with Picard. Naturally to Picard, it made sense to make LaForge the director of the entire shipbuilding side of the rescue effort, a role he takes on with gusto.
Stationed on Mars, he is the one who approaches Maddox to supplement their workforce with androids and he works closely with Estella Mackenzie, a sometime critic of the operation, to ensure the smooth running of things. Coming from life on a star-ship, it takes time to adjust but he does so quickly and the relief effort begins in earnest.
When the attack takes place, Geordi is thankfully off-world. He was in fact on his way back to Earth on a transport vessel, having swapped with Mackenzie at the last minute. Therefore he is slammed with survivors guilt almost immediately when he hears of the devastation, coupled with the realisation that the work of years has been wiped away in a single morning. He confronts Maddox but sees the man is broken and there will be no help coming from there. With this as it is, the operation is called off.
As the novel closes, Geordi is both alive and active in Starfleet, but has yet to appear in Star Trek Picard. The show has, quite successful, rationed out the appearance of characters from the Next Generation. Geordi however seems to be a key character that will need to be brought into the show, particularly with the recent revelations about the attack.