8 Star Trek Comics Every Fan Needs To Read At Least Once

Originating in 1966, Star Trek has built a lasting legacy across television and film, but its stories have also flourished beyond the screen. This is especially true in comics, which have expanded the brand with new adventures, characters, and stories that explore corners of its universe that live-action adaptations could never or only briefly touch. These comics span different eras and creative visions, giving fans opportunities to revisit iconic parts of the franchise while discovering something new. They accurately capture the series’ essence despite varying storylines, consistently doing justice to one of fiction’s greatest ever properties. Each entry deserves proper recognition, and both longtime and newer fans owe it to themselves to explore these stories. 8 Star Trek #1 (Gold Key, 1967) Star Trek #1 holds a special place in the franchise’s comic book history, appearing in 1967 from Gold Key as the first Star Trek comic. Its story, “The Planet of No Return,” sends the U.S.S. Enterprise on an original mission in perilous territory. Dick Wood handled the script, while Nevio Zeccara illustrated the adventure. While exploring Galaxy Alpha, the Enterprise discovers a fertile-looking planet, prompting Captain Kirk to lead a landing party to its surface. Leonard McCoy and Yeoman Janice Rand accompany him as the crew investigates the world, soon discovering that its abundant plant life is far more dangerous than it initially appears. What makes the issue particularly interesting is how differently it interprets Star Trek compared with the television series. The costumes, equipment, ship interiors, and character appearances did not always match what viewers were familiar with, creating an unusual version of the Enterprise. Those quirks, however, became part of the Gold Key run’s identity and gave it a unique historical appeal. 7 Star Trek: The Motion Picture #1 (Marvel, 1979) Star Trek: The Motion Picture #1 marks Marvel’s first major attempt to bring the Enterprise crew into its comic book line. The adaptation was originally published in Marvel Super Special #15 in December 1979 before being reissued as Star Trek #1 in 1980. Marv Wolfman wrote the comic, with Dave Cockrum and Klaus Janson providing the artwork. The story follows the Enterprise as it races to intercept a mysterious entity moving toward Earth after it destroys several Klingon ships. Meanwhile, Spock undergoes the Vulcan ritual of Kolinahr but becomes distracted by an overwhelming consciousness from space. Admiral Kirk is then reassigned to command the Enterprise, setting the stage for his return to the crew’s latest mission. The comic adapts the first Star Trek movie rather than telling an entirely new adventure, making it an interesting link between the original television series and the franchise’s cinematic future. It also captures the film’s enormous sense of scale through sequential art, giving readers a chance to experience Kirk and his crew’s first big-screen mission in another format. 6 Star Trek: The Next Generation #1 (DC, 1989) Star Trek: The Next Generation #1 marked the beginning of DC Comics’ second TNG series, arriving in October 1989 after the publisher’s earlier six-issue miniseries. Michael Jan Friedman wrote the issue, while Pablo Marcos handled both pencils and inks. Jerome K. Moore provided the cover, completing the issue’s principal creative lineup. Here, the Enterprise-D travels to Raimon, where Captain Jean-Luc Picard has been invited to attend a traditional celebration held for the planet’s dying Primarch. What begins as a diplomatic visit quickly becomes far more complicated when the Primarch is unexpectedly murdered during Picard’s stay. Picard finds himself caught in an investigation that threatens to turn the Raimon visit against him. The story is known for expanding the Next Generation cast into adventures with no direct counterpart on television. Set during the Enterprise-D’s earlier years, it uses the crew’s established personalities while introducing its own supporting characters and conflicts. As the first part of a continuing mystery, the issue establishes a storyline designed to pull readers into what follows. 5 Star Trek: Debt of Honor (DC, 1992) Star Trek: Debt of Honor also holds a notable place in DC Comics’ Star Trek history, arriving in 1992 as the publisher’s first original graphic novel based on the franchise. Chris Claremont wrote the story, while Adam Hughes provided the pencils, with Karl Story on inks and Tom McCraw handling the colors. Taking place after Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, the story follows Captain Kirk after his return to the rank of captain. A mysterious alien threat from his earlier Starfleet career resurfaces, but Kirk has struggled to convince anyone that it exists. He therefore takes matters into his own hands, bringing trusted officers along for the dangerous mission. The resulting adventure draws together Kirk’s Enterprise crew with unexpected allies from the Klingon and Romulan sides. It also moves through several periods of Kirk’s life using flashbacks, gradually revealing his previous encounters with the enemy and his connection to the Romulan commander T’Cel. This approach lets Claremont compellingly explore Kirk across time while piecing together the threat confronting him. 4 Star Trek: Early Voyages (Marvel, 1997) Star Trek: Early Voyages brought Marvel Comics back to the franchise in 1997 with a series centered on Captain Christopher Pike and the earlier U.S.S. Enterprise. Running for 17 issues until 1998, the series was written by Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton, with Patrick Zircher providing the artwork for much of its early run. It takes place more than a decade before James Kirk eventually assumes command, beginning shortly before the events of The Cage. Pike leads a crew that includes Spock, Number One, Dr. Philip Boyce, Yeoman J.M. Colt, and several original characters created specifically for the comic. Their missions take them into conflicts involving Klingons, Vulcans, and strange alien civilizations. The opening adventure, “Flesh of My Flesh,” immediately presents Pike and his crew with an unusual threat when the Enterprise encounters an organic vessel linked to several missing Federation ships. The alien entity abducts Pike and probes his memories, while Spock and Boyce struggle with a dangerous infection aboard the Enterprise and Number One organizes a rescue. 3 Star Trek: Year Five (IDW, 2019) Star Trek: Year Five gave IDW Publishing a chance to explore the final year of the Enterprise’s original mission, beginning in 2019 and running for 25 issues through 2021. Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly launched the series as writers, with Stephen Thompson providing the artwork for its opening chapters and helping establish its visual connection to The Original Series. Set in 2269, the series follows Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, Scotty, and Chekov as they approach the conclusion of their five-year assignment. Their remaining missions introduce new worlds and threats while gradually building toward the events viewers already know will follow, allowing the comic to explore how the crew changed during this missing year. The central storyline begins with the Enterprise responding to a distress call from a seemingly abandoned planet, where the crew discovers a young Tholian survivor they name Bright Eyes. Her presence soon draws the ship into conflict with the Tholian Assembly, creating an overarching storyline that develops across multiple adventures while giving the crew a personal stake in the crisis. 2 Star Trek: The Q Gambit (IDW, 2014) Star Trek: The Q Gambit marked one of IDW Publishing’s more ambitious Star Trek stories, beginning in 2014 as a six-part arc running from Star Trek #35 through #40. Mike Johnson wrote the story, with Tony Shasteen providing the interior artwork and covers. Roberto Orci, who worked on the modern films, also served as a creative consultant throughout. The story follows the alternate-timeline Enterprise crew as they first encounter the mysterious Q. The powerful being sends Captain Kirk and his comrades decades into their future, where they discover a radically altered galaxy. The Federation has fallen, the Dominion controls much of the Alpha Quadrant, and Kirk soon encounters Benjamin Sisko. The crossover becomes even more significant as Kirk and Sisko join forces against the Dominion, while Spock attempts to free the captured Enterprise from Gul Dukat’s control. The adventure eventually reveals that Q has his own reasons for manipulating events, involving a potentially devastating threat to the Q Continuum itself. 1 Star Trek: Defiant (IDW, 2023) Star Trek: Defiant launched from IDW Publishing in 2023 as a companion series to its ongoing Star Trek title, designed to expand IDW’s interconnected Star Trek continuity. Christopher Cantwell wrote the series, while Ángel Unzueta provided the artwork, with the story focusing on Worf and a hand-picked crew assembled for a precarious mission. Taking place after Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and before Star Trek: Nemesis, the story follows Worf after a disagreement with Benjamin Sisko over how to confront a radical Klingon movement. He steals the U.S.S. Defiant and assembles an unconventional team that includes Spock, B’Elanna Torres, Ro Laren, and the android Lore. The crew sets out to pursue Kahless and his followers, who are connected to a wider threat spreading through the galaxy. Their mission forces together characters with very different personalities and histories, while Worf’s son, Alexander, gets caught up in the conflict. The series also leads directly into the larger Day of Blood crossover involving IDW’s associated Star Trek titles.