This is a list of comics regarding theStar Trek media franchise.
Gold Key Comics published the firstStar Trek comics between 1967 and 1979. These were stylized and diverged from the TV series continuity. In most issues, the crew members, except for Spock, wear lime green uniforms. Most plots in the Gold Key series featured original characters and concepts, but later issues included sequels to the original series episodes "The City on the Edge of Forever", "Metamorphosis", and "I, Mudd". Writers included George Kashdan,Arnold Drake andLen Wein. Originally they were illustrated byAlberto Giolitti, anItalian artist who had never seen the series and only had publicity photos to use as references. Since Giolitti didn't have a publicity photo ofJames Doohan, early issues of the series had Mr. Scott drawn differently.
The Gold Key series had a run of 61 issues. Starting with issue #20 all but nine stories were also released under theWhitman Comics brand. The original issues, most of which featured photographic covers showing images from the series, are collectible. The comic book "Star Trek No. 1," published in 1967 by Gold Key was sold atHeritage Auctions for a record-breaking price of $46,500.[1] In the 1970s, Gold Key's parent company,Western Publishing, issued several volumes ofThe Enterprise Logs, republishing selected stories in omnibus form. Checker published a series of reprints ("The Key Collection") in 2004, in five volumes containing issues #1–40. From 2010 to 2015, Devil's Due Digital sold theGold Key series in digital form.[2] From 2014 to 2016, IDW published 5 volumes, covering issues 1-31.[3]
Gold Key lost theStar Trek license toMarvel Comics in 1979, but Marvel's license from Paramount prohibited them from using concepts introduced in the original series.[clarification needed][4][failed verification]
Marvel's series ofStar Trek comics began in 1979 with an adaptation ofStar Trek: The Motion Picture and continued for another two years. These tales take place during a second five-year mission ofKirk and theEnterprise that would have been featured in the never-producedStar Trek: Phase II TV series. Marvel's license from Paramount prohibited them from using concepts introduced in the original series. They were only allowed to use the characters and concepts fromStar Trek: The Motion Picture. However this did not prohibit a few of the writers from cleverly sneaking in subtle easter egg references such as character names or planet names from original series episodes that Paramount editors were likely to miss. The series lasted 18 issues and ended in 1981.
From 1969 to 1971, a series of weeklyStar Trekcomic strips ran in the British comics magazineTV21. 105 issues were produced, as well as various annuals and specials. All were original stories. Two more annuals, under theMighty TV Comic banner, also produced originalStar Trek materials: at the time, the weeklyTV Comic was reprinting – two pages a week – monochrome versions of the U.S.Gold Key comics.[5]
From 1979 to 1983, theLos Angeles Times Syndicate produced a daily and Sunday comic strip based uponStar Trek. The strip debuted on December 2, 1979. The Sunday strip ran until October 24, 1982. The daily continued until December 3, 1983.[6]Thomas Warkentin, Sharman DiVono,Ron Harris,Larry Niven,Martin Pasko,Padraic Shigetani,Bob Meyers,Ernie Colón,Gerry Conway andDick Kulpa wrote and illustrated these stories.[7][8]
The US strip had 20 stories over its four-year run, some with titles:[6]
In 1977, beforehome video was widely available, Mandala Productions andBantam Books published books based uponThe Original Series that included direct adaptations of actual color television episode frames (withword balloons) in comics format.
The plot of the 1984 DC series picked up immediately afterStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. After eight issues the series took place afterStar Trek III: The Search for Spock.[9] In these later issues, Kirk, after a multi-issue showdown with theMirror Universe, takes command of theExcelsior.Spock is mentally restored after mind-melding with his mirror self and takes command of the USS Surak.Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home took place right afterStar Trek III: The Search for Spock left off, so the series wiped the slate clean by having Kirk lose command of theExcelsior and Spock return to the state he was in at the end ofIII. AfterThe Voyage Home, the series continued with Kirk commanding theEnterprise-A. These issues re-introducedArex andM'Ress fromStar Trek: The Animated Series, and featured aKlingon who was a member of Starfleet, predating the same concept being featured inStar Trek: The Next Generation by several years. The first series ended in 1988 after 56 issues, 3 annuals, and two film adaptations, when Paramount required all tie-in licenses to be renegotiated.
After a year's hiatus, DC's secondStar Trek series began with an adaptation ofStar Trek V and took place during the gap betweenStar Trek V andStar Trek VI, although several issues (often either stand-alone single issues or short arcs) were also set within the timeframe of the Original Series. The new license with Paramount was more restrictive than previous, preventing characters introduced in the first series from returning. Although more limited in scope than the first series, due to restrictions from Paramount, the series lasted 80 issues and fleshed out some of the changes betweenV andVI, such asSulu's promotion to captain of theExcelsior. As part of Paramount's increased restrictions on storytelling, planned appearances from Arex and M'Ress were shelved, with some formative artwork showing M'Ress (that appeared in a preview) re-drawn. Peter David and Howard Weinstein, who are alsoStar Trek novelists, wrote most of this series.[10]
DC also published twoStar Trek: The Next Generation comic series. The first, a six-issuelimited series taking place during the first season, was published in 1988.[11] DC launched an ongoing monthly series in October 1989, covering from season two to just beforeGenerations.Star Trek: The Next Generation novelist Michael Jan Friedman wrote most of this series, which ran until 1996.[12]
DC also published one of the first crossovers between the TOS and TNG eras inThe Modala Imperative limited series.
In 1993, Malibu published an ongoing series based onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine and collaborated with DC to publish a cross-over story with that company's TNG series. Malibu also published a standalone issue focusing on theRomulans and two issues of a "celebrity series" of stories written byStar Trek actorsMark Lenard andAron Eisenberg.[13][14]
In 1996, Malibu announced plans to publish aVoyager comic, and art from this comic appeared in some comic industry periodicals, includingWizard. Marvel Comics bought Malibu, andParamount Pictures signed a deal with Marvel to publish comics based uponStar Trek andMission: Impossible under the newParamount Comics banner. Subsequently, Malibu's DS9 comic came to an end and the announcedVoyager comic was never published.
Marvel Comics obtained theStar Trek license in 1996. Marvel (under the "Marvel/Paramount comics" imprint) published various one-shots and the quarterlyStar Trek Unlimited series, which coveredTOS andTNG.[15] Marvel also published monthly comics based uponDeep Space Nine andVoyager.[16][17]
They also introduced two new ongoing series,Star Trek: Early Voyages, which dealt withChristopher Pike's adventures as captain of theEnterprise, andStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, which dealt with a group of cadets, includingDeep Space Nine's Ferengi, Nog.
In addition, Marvel published a five-issuelimited series,Star Trek: Untold Voyages. Similarly to Marvel's first series,Untold Voyages took place followingThe Motion Picture, although the original series' stories were not part of this series' continuity. Each issue took place during one mission during each year of Kirk's second five-year voyage, with the first issue set immediately following the events of the film, and the fifth issue occurring at the end of the fifth year.
Fan acceptance of these comics got off to a shaky start when Marvel's inaugural publication of its newStar Trek line turned out to bea crossover between theOriginal Series cast and Marvel's popular superhero team, theX-Men.[citation needed] This was followed by an X-Men/TNG crossover and a Pocket Books novel,Planet X, which was also based on this premise. The different series turned out popular, withStarfleet Academy andEarly Voyages registering strong sales.[citation needed]
After about 18 months, Marvel's management reevaluated the cost of theStar Trek license agreement with Paramount and abruptly canceled allStar Trek titles, includingEarly Voyages, even though it was in the middle of a story arc.[18][19] TheStar Trek Collector's Preview #2, coverdated July 1997, mentioned aStar Trek: Phase 3 comic (reminiscent ofStar Trek: Phase II) that was supposed to be published in 1998 and to contain "an all-new ship" and "an all-new crew", but due to the general cancellation, it was never produced.
In 1999, the license returned to DC via itsWildStorm imprint. WildStorm decided to not do an ongoing series, instead publishinglimited series andtrade paperbackgraphic novels. Writers includedNathan Archer,Kristine Kathryn Rusch andDean Wesley Smith,[20]Keith R.A. DeCandido,[21]Scott Ciencin,[22]Kevin J. Anderson,[23]K. W. Jeter,[24]John Ordover andDavid Mack.[25]
TheirTNG publications dealt with the movie era betweenInsurrection andNemesis; theirDeep Space Nine stories were based on the post-Season 7 novel continuity, and theirVoyager series took place during the series. WildStorm also published an issue based on the novel seriesNew Frontier (written by series creatorPeter David)[26] and the video gameElite Force.
Their license expired in 2002.
For a couple of years, no comic book company held the rights to publishTrek-based comics. In October 2004,Tokyopop announced plans to publish an anthology ofNext Generation-based stories presented in the style ofJapanesemanga.
Eventually, the project evolved into an anthology project focusing on the Original Series. Three volumes were released by Tokyopop annually between 2006 and 2008. Five artists and writer teams presented five new stories, per volume, based on the original series.[27] A fourth volume, this time based onThe Next Generation, was released in 2009.
On November 9, 2006,IDW Publishing announced that it had secured the publishing rights toStar Trek fromCBS Consumer Products.[28]
IDW's first title wasStar Trek: The Next Generation: The Space Between, a six-issuelimited series launched January 2007.
Over the next six years, IDW published 31 mini-series and one ongoing series with a total of over 140 issues.
In 2009, IDW published a prequel to the 2009 reboot/prequel filmStar Trek, entitledStar Trek: Countdown.[29] The story picks up eight years after the events ofStar Trek: Nemesis, followingSpock's efforts to diffuse asupernova from destroyingRomulus—setting in motion the events of the 2009Star Trek reboot.
In 2009, IDW publishedStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, written byAndy Schmidt and based on thesecondStar Trek movie, and the only movie with the Original Crew that had never previously been in comic form, as the film's release came during the gap between Marvel's and DC's licenses.[30]
In September 2011, IDW began publishing a new ongoingStar Trek series set in the continuity of the 2009 film. A number of storylines in the ongoing series featured retellings of Original Series storylines.
In 2012, IDW published a miniseries crossover featuring theLegion of Super-Heroes fromDC Comics. This was followed soon after by the first-ever licensed crossover between theStar Trek franchise andDoctor Who. These were the first of numerous crossover storylines featuringStar Trek characters interacting with characters from various superhero franchises.
In 2013, IDW published a prequel to the 2013 filmStar Trek Into Darkness, entitledStar Trek: Countdown to Darkness, which featured theEnterprise encountering Robert April, who was depicted as the first captain of theEnterprise inStar Trek: The Animated Series. Its main ongoing series began telling stories set after the film.
In 2014, IDW worked withHarlan Ellison to publish agraphic novel based on his original screenplay for "The City on the Edge of Forever".[31]
To coincide with the launch ofStar Trek: Discovery, IDW published a 4-issue prequel series in 2018 entitled "The Light ofKahless," chroniclingT'Kuvma's backstory and rise toKlingon warrior.
Star Trek: Discovery Annual #1 recounted the first meeting between Lt.Paul Stamets and Dr. Culber - the first openly gay couple onStar Trek.
AStar Trek andTransformers crossover,Star Trek vs. Transformers, was published in September 2018.[32][33]
WithPocket Books first announcing, and then dropping plans to publish original novels set in the continuity of the 2009 film, IDW is the only publisher of original continuation stories featuring the "alternate timeline" Kelvin crew.
This table shows which publishers have published ongoing series or miniseries in eachStar Trek era. This does not include inter-company crossovers.
| Publisher | TOS | TOS films | TNG | TNG films | DS9 | VOY | ENT | AR | DIS | PIC | LD | PRO | SNW | Non-TV series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Key |  Yes | did not exist | ||||||||||||
| British strips | Yes | did not exist | ||||||||||||
| Peter Pan | Yes | did not exist | ||||||||||||
| McDonalds |  No | Yes | did not exist | |||||||||||
| Newspaper | No | Yes | did not exist | |||||||||||
| Marvel | No | Yes | did not exist | |||||||||||
| DC (vol 1) | Yes | Yes | Yes | did not exist | ||||||||||
| DC (vol 2) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | did not exist | ||||||||
| Malibu | No | No | No | No | Yes | did not exist | ||||||||
| Marvel | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | did not exist | Early Voyages, Starfleet Academy | ||||||
| DC (WildStorm) | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | did not exist | New Frontier | |||||
| Tokyopop | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | did not exist | ||||||
| IDW | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | New Frontier, Resurgence,Star Trek, Defiant |
This is a list of allongoingStar Trek comic book series:
| Title | Publisher | Issues | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek | Gold Key | #1–61 | 1967–1979 | The Original Series |
| Star Trek | Marvel | #1–18 | 1980–1982 | 1979 film |
| Star Trek (Volume 1) | DC | #1–57 | 1984–1988 | The Original Series, 1984 and 1986 films,The Next Generation |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation (Volume 1) | #1–6 | 1988 | The Next Generation | |
| Star Trek (Volume 2) | #1–80 | 1989–1996 | The Original Series, 1989, 1991, and 1994 films,The Next Generation | |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation (Volume 2) | #1–80 | 1989–1996 | The Original Series,The Next Generation, 1994 film | |
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Malibu | #1–32 | 1993–1996 | Deep Space Nine |
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Marvel | #1–15 | 1996–1998 | Deep Space Nine |
| Star Trek Unlimited | #1–10 | 1996–1998 | The Original Series andThe Next Generation | |
| Star Trek: Voyager | #1–15 | 1996–1998 | Voyager | |
| Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | #1–19 | 1996–1998 | Deep Space Nine | |
| Star Trek: Early Voyages | #1–17 | 1997–1998 | Pre-The Original Series | |
| Star Trek: Untold Voyages | #1–5 | 1998 | The Original Series, 1979 and 1982 films | |
| Star Trek: Ongoing | IDW | #1–60 | 2011–2016 | Kelvin timeline continuity; set afterStar Trek (2009)[34][35] |
| Star Trek: New Visions | #1–22 | 2014–2018 | The Original Series | |
| Star Trek: Boldly Go | #1–18 | 2016–2018 | Kelvin timeline continuity; set afterStar Trek Beyond (2016)[35][36] | |
| Star Trek: Year Five | #1–25 | 2019–2021 | The Original Series continuity; continuation ofStar Trek: Year Four (2007)[37][38] | |
| Star Trek | #1–32 | 2022–2025 | Set betweenDeep Space Nine andNemesis.[39] | |
| Star Trek: Defiant | #1–27 | 2023–2025 | ||
| Star Trek: Lower Decks | #1– | 2024– | Lower Decks |
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