Star Trek's "Lost" Spinoff Returns This Week

Published Oct 11, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Shaun Corley has been with ScreenRant for over 5 years, and is currently the Coordinator for PR and Outreach for the Comics Team. This week, Star Trek’s “lost” spin-off makes a grand return. There have been many spin-offs and prequels to the classic Star Trek series, each expanding and adding to the lore. These follow-up shows, like Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, are regarded as classics in their own right. Despite being one of the most recognizable pop culture franchises, Star Trek’s success did not happen overnight. After The Original Series was canceled in 1969, it entered syndication. With episodes now airing nightly, Star Trek began to find an audience, leading to an explosion in fan communities. Many aspects of today’s fan culture, such as conventions and fan fiction, can trace its roots back to the early days of Star Trek fandom. By the late 1970s, the momentum was too much to ignore, and Star Trek returned, this time on the big screen. Many aspects of today’s fan culture, such as conventions and fan fiction, can trace its roots back to the early days of Star Trek fandom. The success of the Star Trek movies eventually inspired Paramount to make a new series: Star Trek: The Next Generation. This show inaugurated a steady stream of new Star Trek series and movies. Yet, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry envisioned an earlier spin-off, happening right after the end of the show’s second season. The episode “Assignment: Earth” introduced the mysterious Gary Seven to Star Trek lore, and hinted at many more adventures for him to come. And while an Assignment: Earth television series never came to pass, a Marvel legend gave his own take on the potential spin-off. Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final FrontierTrivia Challenge 🚀ShipsEnterprise! ⭐CrewMake it so ☠EnemiesResistance is… ⚡TechWarp speed! 📖LoreLive long… ENGAGE → 01 The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series? ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656 ✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager. ✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager. NEXT → 02 Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character? AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek ✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise. NEXT → 03 Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called? AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive ✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols. NEXT → 04 “Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called? AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472 ✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.” ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.” NEXT → 05 Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him? AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula ✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard. NEXT → 06 Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called? ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive ✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive. NEXT → 07 At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called? AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru ✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario. NEXT → 08 In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain? AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat ✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life. ✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos. REVEAL MY SCORE → Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record / 8 Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty? ↻ RE-ENGAGE Gary Seven Returns In A New Collection: Star Trek: The Edges of the Final Frontier This week, IDW Publishing will release Star Trek: The Edges of the Final Frontier. This digest-sized compilation, similar in size to DC’s Compact Comics editions, collects three different Star Trek comics. One is a Klingon-centric story while another gives fans a glimpse at what “City on the Edge of Forever” could have been. Gary Seven was depicted in "Assignment Earth" by Robert Lansing. Perhaps the centerpiece of The Edges of the Final Frontier is John Byrne’s Assignment: Earth series. This five-issue miniseries, first published by IDW in 2008, was written and drawn by Byrne, and chronicled Gary Seven’s missions on present day Earth after Kirk and Spock took their leave of him. At the time of Assignment:Earth’s publication, Byrne was doing extensive work on IDW’s Star Trek comics, having also crafted minis and one-shots centered around the Romulans and the Klingons. Gary Seven Is A Fan Favorite Star Trek Character Star Trek Hinted There Was More To Gary Seven And His Bosses, And The Franchise Needs To Explore It Further Although Gary Seven and his team never appeared in live-action again, the character continues to fascinate Star Trek fans. Gary Seven has popped up in several Star Trek comics and novels, most notably during IDW’s Year Five maxiseries. And while Seven may have been a fan-favorite, it would not be until 2022 that the franchise returned to his corner of the universe on-screen. Star Trek: Picard drew a connection between Gary Seven and the mysterious Travelers, who counted Wesley Crusher among their numbers. Fans learned that Seven and the “Supervisors” were agents of the Travelers. However, Byrne’s Assignment: Earth series was published many years prior to these stunning revelations about Gary Seven and his employers, but it will in no way detract from the story’s quality. Gary Seven was (and remains) an enigma in the Star Trek universe. It may be many years before the franchise revisits the Travelers and the Supervisors, if it ever does again, making The Edges of the Final Frontier essential to those curious about Star Trek’s lost spin-off. Star Trek: The Edges of the Final Frontier is on sale October 13 from IDW Publishing!