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The Star Trek Lit-verse Reading Guide

Since 1967, when the first Star Trek comic was published, 2,651 Star Trek stories have been released in print, comic, and original audio form. In the first decades, the majority of these were standalone stories that only referenced the show. However, over most of the past twenty years the majority of Simon and Schuster novels took place in a shared continuity in which the events of one novel often had major repercussions on the novels following it. This modern continuity will be referred to here as the STAR TREK LIT-VERSE.

       Unlike the Star Wars Expanded Universe or various other media tie-in lines, no Star Trek novel, comic, or game is considered canon. Even those written in conjunction with the new, currently in-production series. However, that doesn't take anything away from the quality of the material or its ability to entertain. Even as Star Trek has returned to the small screen and the Simon and Schuster novel continuity has mostly drawn to a close, the inter-connectedness of the novels will likely continue in some form as it has for the majority of Trek history.

       The complete Lit-verse consists of a continuity web of more than 1100 stories. That is approaching half of all Star Trek fiction ever published. In addition to the majority of the novels which have been released over the past two decades, many older novels have been referenced in this continuity as well. Available to the left are reading lists for each of the series. Don't be overwhelmed by the length of some of the lists. All anthology short stories and many comic issues are listed individually, so it's not as much reading as it seems to a newcomer. Not all connections are noted, only the ones which form the branching out of the lists. Author annotations can be found for many stories to provide more extensive references.

       My placement of a story in the Lit-verse is not intended to imply that there are no continuity discrepancies included in the material. There are definite contradictions in the lists I've compiled. The fact is, not even the shows themselves are free of continuity errors, some quite large. The older novels do not always agree in every detail with the Lit-verse, or even with modern canon. Indeed, even the newer novels, written with the modern continuity in mind, sometimes contain a few mistakes. The majority of all this can be ignored, or explained away by a creative mind. My goal here was to include every link possible and leave the continuity problems up to the reader to resolve. If you don't want a book in your personal continuity, then just ignore it. Don't become so invested in continuity that you forget to enjoy the stories themselves.

A Note On the Format of This Website

       Each Star Trek series is given its own reading list page. The major Lit-only series, New Frontier, SCE, Gorkon, Titan, Vanguard/Seekers, Mirror Universe , and Myriad Universes also have their own pages. The easiest way to include Stargazer, The Lost Era, and certain other like-period pieces was to create an Early 24th Century reading list containing them all.

       I then have a simple list of Simon and Schuster stories that take place after Star Trek: Nemesis grouped into "chapters". A more detailed timeline of the stories following Star Trek: Nemesis is given on the Post-Nemesis: Month-By-Month page. Note that these stories were published in the years before Star Trek: Picard premiered, and the authors were given free rein to explore the late 24th century. Things do "eventually" lead back into the modern television continuity now shown in Star Trek: Picard and other series, but tell an alternate history of the intervening years that only makes sense in relation to the canonical storyline at its conclusion in the Coda trilogy.

       Also to the left is a month-by-month breakdown of the Five Year Mission. The Complete Pocket Books Novel List updates the novel list as given in the back of Pocket Books novels in years past, before the list became so long that it was considered impractical to include in every book. I also have a list of all the ebook exclusive Trek stories which have been published and never been released in print. Then there's a vast examination of the minutiae of Klingon date keeping systems. I've keep an exact count of every Star Trek story ever published, updated with each new month's releases, and a count of just how many stories have been told that take place in the Five Year Mission. And for the first two seasons of Discovery, I kept an examination of the dating of each episode. Don't miss pictures of my 1:5000 scale Star Trek ship model collection, and a page where I log all the updates to the site, for those interested in seeing what is new and what has changed.

       Forthcoming is the Complete Lit-verse reading list, which will include every story from the main reading lists in order. Also to come will be more specific reading lists (character specific lists, species specific lists, storyline specific lists). I also want to build a "Simple Pre-Nemesis Reading List." Someday I will develop an explanation of my own personal continuity and a list of what it includes.

       Each anthology is broken up into individual short stories, and each novella and comic issue is included separately. Special cases were The Lives of Dax and No Limits. These were both broken up into their individual stories (which spread them out over different series) and also placed in their respective series as a whole (for those only reading that series.) For example the short story 'Q'uandary from New Frontier: No Limits is essentially a TNG story and is included in that reading list, but for those only reading New Frontier , the entire No Limits anthology is listed there as well. In addition to being broken up across series lines, each story from Tales of the Dominion War is also included on the DS9 page, because of the centrality of the overall story to that series.

       New Frontier presented a specific challenge in that much back story had to be presented to get the series established, because of its Lit-only nature. Thus to experience many of its short stories in chronological order without breaking up some of the New Frontier flashbacks into separately listed sections would have been somewhat unintelligible to a new reader. This is not the case for the TV series based book lines, nor is it a circumstance shared by the other Lit-only series. So with New Frontier some of the flashbacks are presented as separate portions of the list. This is explained further on the New Frontier page.

       With comic series, miniseries were treated as whole unique stories, but only individual linked issues of anthology or ongoing series were included. I didn't consider the "Previously in Star Trek--" intros in Marvel comics to rise to the level of a story reference. Where possible, I have condensed miniseries or story arcs into single entries to trim the length of the reading lists. Above all the proceeding considerations, however, my overriding rule was that if multiple stories were published in the same work, such as a short story anthology or multistory comic book, all stories between those two covers would be included if anything from that volume was connected to the Lit-verse.

       The Strange New Worlds anthologies were forced to break this rule though. At least one story from almost all the volumes of SNW was referenced, and this would have necessitated putting almost every SNW story into the reading lists. Also specifically not included are references involving RPGs or video games.

       The timeline used for these lists was derived from the Timeliners chronology in Voyages of the Imagination by Jeff Ayers and lots of research done on my own, with the Memory-Beta timeline being a very important resource. Much of my process of figuring out the timeline of the various series was recorded on the TrekBBS. Starting here , with more to come in the future.

Note of Inspiration and Thanks

      Very special thanks goes to turtletrekker of the TrekBBS message boards. His work in compiling at least half of these continuity connections was both the inspiration of and basis for this website. This entire idea began from the dozens of message boards questions about what books had to be read before reading Keith R.A. DeCandido's Articles of the Federation. The specific thread that can be considered the grandfather of this website can be found here . Turtletrekker ran with this and compiled the vast Charting the Novel-verse project, the second version of which can be found here . My interest in the project began and was first manifested in a discussion here and continued here .

       More thanks to all the TrekBBS members who contributed to these discussions. Thanks also to Steve Roby, whose amazing Complete Starfleet Library is a great resource. And on the other side of the literary coin is Mark Martinez's Star Trek Comics Checklist , which is invaluable to me, and Curt Danhouser's Guide to the Star Trek Story Records

       None of this would be possible without the original Timeliners who created the Voyages of the Imagination timeline, and all of my colleagues who have kept it alive over the years. I thank them for their allowance to include small tidbits of information here and there. Keep in mind this is simply my interpretation of Star Trek continuity. Your mileage may vary. Enjoy, everyone!

      Questions? Comments? [email protected] Twitter: @ryan1234560 Or vist the Trek BBS Thread

The Star Trek Litverse Reading Guide is not affiliated with CBS Studios Inc.. Star Trek ® is a trademark of CBS Studios Inc.

• Schedules and Guides
• 2020 Schedule
• 2021 Schedule
• Reading Order
• Starships Index

Trek-Lit Reading Order Flow Chart

• Crossovers:
• To fully immerse yourself in the litverse, the big crossover event that really starting to bring things together was the Destiny trilogy - A  great place to jump in, leading to stories from several series set after it. One step back from Destiny is Articles of the Federation , which is the perfect introduction to the world of Federation politics which becomes prominent in Destiny and beyond.
• If you're looking to jump in further along, then  The Fall  is a good place to start; the five-part crossover brings together most of the 24th century series, and shakes up the status quo for the series as they continue independently after.
• A cohesive series of Mirror Universe stories builds to a grand finale that has knock-on effects in the prime timeline narrative. These stories begin in the anthology Glass Empire .
• DS9 was the first series to enjoy a post-TV relaunch; the main new DS9 adventures start from Avatar , which is also available in Twist of Faith , an omnibus of the first four books of the series.
• The ongoing TNG narrative really starts from the A Time to… series, but you could jump on from the first book set after Nemesis , Death in Winter . Later on in the run, other good jumping on points are the Cold Equations trilogy, or  Armageddon's Arrow , the first of a run of stories from the same mission for the Enterprise. 
• Another branch of TNG , Titan , featuring Captain Riker's ship, gets going from Taking Wing , or you can explore Picard's backstory in the run of Stargazer novels which begins with Reunion .
• Voyager 's first post- Endgame stories start from Homecoming , but the series got something of a second start later with the return to the Delta Quadrant in  Full Circle .
• Enterprise:
• Enterprise 's post finale adventures begin from The Good That Men Do . This series also has secondary relaunch with the post-Romulan War era in A Choice of Futures  beginning the Rise of the Federation series.
• TOS doesn't have quite the same sort of ongoing narrative as the other series, but there are a few books that form a loose continuity, and The Captain's Oath is a good place to start with those. 
• If you're looking for something more serialised in the 23rd century, then check out  Vanguard , which starts from Harbinger , and spawned a spin-off series Seekers , beginning with Second Nature .
• A side-step from regular TOS adventures gives us a linked series of books featuring the Star Trek universe of the 20th and 21st centuries. A good place to start exploring these is the Eugenics Wars duology.
• Other spin-offs
• New Frontier was the first major spin-off Star Trek book series, featuring the adventures of Captain Calhoun and the USS Excalibur. The series begins with House of Cards , but the first four books were all short, and are also available as a single omnibus .
• IKS Gorkon , retitled in its final book as Klingon Empire , is a Klingon series, which got it's first moment's in the TNG novel Diplomatic Implausibility . 
• Not listed in full on the chart is  Corps of Engineers , also known as SCE , this extensive series of novellas features the engineering specialists of the USS da Vinci and crosses over into other series every so often. Their stories begin with  The Belly of the Beast , or an omnibus of the first four books in the series,  Have Tech, Will Travel .
• Department of Temporal Investigations features the time traveling hijinks, and frustrated bureaucracy, of the Federation's time police. Their adventures start (depending on how you perceive time) with Watching the Clock .
• Prometheus is a unique series, the first tie-in to be originally written in German, but also available in English. A trilogy of books featuring the distinctive ship begins with Fire with Fire .

59 comments:

Thanks for the hard work !!! i do really appreciate it. Do you have plans on updating from time to time ??? regards

It's on version 2 at the moment, I'll probably do an update once The Fall is done and we know what effect that has on everything :)

Thank you so much for updating this. It is possible to find the info yourself on Memory Alpha etc but this is a much easier way to do it and a good way too not scare off new readers with them having to do too much own research.

Where is Spock Must Die in this? Also, you have a typo in the title of "Greater Than the Sum." But... wow, just wow. What a map.

Important question: where does "Planet X", the TNG/X-Men crossover, fit in?

Thanks for the note dwasifer, fixed that error now :) Rev, Planet X doesn't really much connect to the wider continuity as far as I know (I've not read it), but I believe it's a direct sequel to the TNG/X-Men comic Second Contact, which itself takes place immediately after First Contact.

This is an amazing reference. Thanks very much for putting it together. I've been using it to organise my Trek Books and for reading the 20 or so trek books that I've recently bought in the right order.

hi fantastic flow chart! ...what program did you use to create the chart?

I love you for making this. The Pocket Books Novel-verse is starting to become like it's own Star-Wars-Expanded-Universe-esque canon storyline.

This is really awesome! I love Star Trek and after watching everything 1000 times over I need new content so I figured I would dive into the book series for the first time. But where to start? This really helps answer that question and gives me a good reference! Thanks!

First, I absolutely love this thing. I've been trying to get caught up on Trek lit for a while now and this has been VERY HELPFUL. A couple constructive comments: #1 There's a dashed green line going to Serpents Among the Ruins/The Art of the Impossible/Alien Spotlight: Cardassians/Cardassia and Andor that doesn't have a beginning. It's all end arrows, so it's unclear which direction this is supposed to go. #2 Q Are Cordially Invited. I haven't read it yet so I don't know exactly where it goes but I'm thinking it needs to be included.

Hi Benjamin, apologies for the very slow reply, I hadn't spotted your comment! As you might see, we've just posted an updated version of the chart, which might help with your questions, but to expand on them: #1 We removed the multi-directional Cardassian story arrow because ti was a bit confusing indeed, but the idea was to show how all the Cardassian/Garak stories are generally a bit interconnected. But we can sort of communicate that with the series dots not, so we didn't need the confusing arrows to everywhere! #2 Q Are Cordially Invited... tells the story of the Picard/Crusher wedding, which took place some time before Greater Than the Sum. But there is a framing story on an unspecified wedding anniversary. As we couldn't spot a reference to which anniversary we've opted to put it down in almost publication order, with the other TNG ebook, just before The Fall.

Sadly the site that opens once I click on the flow chart stays blank.

Working fine for me. Anyone else having problems?

Thanks for this graphic, it really helps me and will from now on be my guide :) Do you have plans on updating it with the new novels that have been and will be released?

Of course, this is already version four, which includes most of the books coming out this year (that have connections to the wider continuity) and a few even further ahead already. As more books come we'll update accordingly, and also refine the chart once we know more connections in forthcoming books :)

@8of5 That's amazing to hear! Thanks again for your work it really helps!

Thank you for creating this. Watched all the shows, just now getting into the books! This helps a bunch!

I have watched the show, its better if you had created this flowchart with standard flowchart symbols

This is top-notch. Printed it off and have it laminated already! Been able to track all my reading and discover what else to read in some logical order. As a result, just bought 13 new books. Hunting down the older ones are a bit tricky - been using Abe Books but this can be a wee expensive when you live in Australia. Booktopia's great for the more popular and/or newer books. Just wanted to say thank-you

That should be Book Depository. Booktopia a place a hardly buy books from - but I do from time to time. Needless to say, I've never bought any Star Trek from Booktopia. Have a great day :)

I come back to this flow chart every couple of months. Just to find out which book(s) to read next. Thanks for the good work!

The DS9 upcoming book "The Empty Sack" is now titled "Rules of Accusation" and will be out in July, 2016

Thanks for the update Terry!

Hi, Any update incoming?

Working on an update right now in fact, I expect it will be up next week some time (complete with the final title for Terry's book!).

Excited to see it. thanks.

Thank you Baby Jesus I found this

This list is awesome. Unfortuantely, now that the color palette is up to 19, my mild color-blindness is making matching some of these difficult if not a lost cause. Guessing the circles are too teeny to use iconography, so probably not much to be done for it. Still, a minor issue with an awesome chart.

I did revise the colours this time around to try and make them distinct as possible, as someone made a similar remark at the last revision. But yes you're right, due to the rather large number of colours to mark all the different dots, and the dots being too small to do much else it would take a completely different design approach to make it easier to read. It's something we're aware of, but haven't found a solution yet.

A great effort / work! Kudos to you brave souls! :)

Where does the Genesis Wave fit in?

Ty for your hard work

Thanks for your work, I'm following this since version 2 and it's an amazing help for me. This is why I love Star Trek - the fans! (also: great that you included Prometheus!)

Been meaning to catch up with you - thanks for this updated and shared resource. Top-notch! Kimberley.

This has been a great resource for catching up on all of the books/series. I did find one error, though. Somehow, you've omitted A Time to Kill from the TNG:A Time To... saga in version 5. Thanks again for the hard work and maintenance!

This flowchart is really awesome. And thanks for adding "Star Trek Prometheus" But I found an error, too. "Star Trek: Prometheus: Into the Heart of Chaos" is volume III not II. "The Source of All Fury" is II. And: The connection to "Takedown" is the wrong way round. STP take place just before "Takedown" and while it was written later it references events, that take place at the beginning of "Takedown". Bernd

This chart is great, but do you have a merged list of everything in a single chronological order?

This chart is great and all, but... where's Corps of Engineers? Because I don't see it on there.

Im thinking of reading Section 31 Control. Do I need to read Disavowed first?

Absolutely. I think ~most (all) would agree. They are both great reads.

If I remember right, way back last year I had the following experience. I had Disavowed as being the next read on DS9 having been through all the others. But I had to stop reading it after a while - I felt I was missing something. So, I went a few steps back and read The Fall series (esp. A Ceremony of Losses - I think), and then went through Vanguard, Lovell and Seekers (in that order) - I'm now on Seekers #2. It's been really interesting getting familiar with all the backdrop as well as having some great reads. Anyway, whatever you do have a great read. I'm sure you'll be able to get any background info to fill in any detail behind both Disavowed & Control from the Internet (Memory Alpha or Beta) - and thanks for reminding me to order my copy of Control!

Any updates inbound?

Yeah, this list is a bit out of date right now. I'm currently reading "Available Light." (The latest TNG book as of April 2019)

Please could this list be updated, I used to rely on this as which book to read and in what sequence but its now outdated.

Also really looking forward to an update :) would be really appreciated.

Also looking for an update, I use this to find out when new stuff is out, I didn't even know about Collateral Damage

I only just found out about Collateral Damage as well. This graphic is quickly falling behind! I hope it gets updated, it has been a valuable resource.

Kudos to the flow chart. That is awesome and exactly what I was looking for.

Everyone that's been asking for an update, please check the page now :)

Thank you very much for taking the time to update and expand it. Been using it since version 1. I almost read all novels that are one the chart and feeling both sadness that the litverse as we know it will come to an end. But I'm looking forward to what's to come and if there will be one last novel to bring the novelverse in line with Picard.

Great chart!! Thanks for the update. Loving your work. #LLAP

This is fantastic! Thanks for all of the work you did putting this together!

Just a quick nitpick, the "Created By" section in the 2020 version has a typo (I'm assuming). It says "For the latest version, and additional notes, visit: TrekTrekCollective.com" Looks like there's an extra "Trek" in the url. That said, I love the chart. Thank you!

Is a new version planned for rhe chart? One that goes up to the upcoming Coda trilogy?

There are a couple references to the Enterprise-E’s recent experience with the Genesis Wave in A Time to Sow.

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The 15 Best Star Trek Books Ever Written

Like all our favorite franchises, "Star Trek" is a multimedia phenomenon. Today's kids grow up in a world full of TV series, movies, comics, games, and, of course, tie-in novels. "Star Trek" novels are notable because they're non-canon by default, and that's allowed their writers to go ham while exploring strange new worlds. Some of these earliest tie-in writers went on to become science fiction titans, and sometimes those titans like to return for more Trekkie fun.

"Trek" books are also a unique part of the fandom experience. "Star Trek: The New Voyages" was a licensed, two-book anthology, printed in the late '70s and curated from fanfiction. Wilder still, in 1985, writer Della Van Hise saw her "Star Trek" novel "Killing Time" published and recalled for an edited reprint as longtime fans realized their beloved slash fiction pairing of Kirk and Spock was no longer hiding in the shadows. It's a goofy testament to how fans helped "Star Trek" thrive in the first place, and today, these tie-in novels are still great comfort food. These are 15 of the best that I've found, read, and loved over the years.

A Stitch in Time by Andrew Robinson

Elim Garak isn't special to "Star Trek" fans alone. He's also part of actor  Andrew Robinson in a unique way. The charming-yet-wily Cardassian tailor (and spy) called Deep Space Nine his home, but Garak's too big a personality to be contained by its steel corridors (or with a word from Dr. Bashir, his unlikely best friend.) Robinson grew him that way from the start, creating an in-character diary to guide him through Garak's behavior. Garak's diary, however, took on a life of its own as Robinson made readings from it part of his convention appearances. Eventually, Robinson was coaxed into turning it into a novel.

"A Stitch in Time" is epistolary, presented as a series of letters sent by Garak to Dr. Bashir in the wake of the Dominion War. Contained within are fragments of Garak's childhood, memories of a long-ago love, and preparations for the future. The greatest compliment I can offer is that every word drips with Robinson's genteel drawl. No one else could have written this novel, and it's the perfect love letter from an actor to the character he brought to life.

Imzadi by Peter David

"Imzadi" was rereleased in 2003, packaged with its sequel and listed as "Imzadi Forever." By all accounts, the follow-up is a fine tale, but I haven't read it. My recommendation is for the original 1992 release, which I eagerly bought in hardcover. Like another upcoming Peter David selection, "Imzadi" has a complicated timeline, but the emotional thread and David's clean prose make the plot easy to follow.

The word "imzadi" is first used in "Encounter at Farpoint," telepathically sent to Riker by Troi. However, it's author Peter David who expands on the power of the Betazed term for "beloved." The word refers not to a teen's first love but to something richer and deeper. The novel explores Riker's and Troi's early relationship through the lens of a distant, alternate future in which Troi is dead, and Riker is a bitter old cuss. Obviously, nobody wants a future like this one, but the Guardian of Forever, that magical archway from classic "Star Trek," has our backs. The return of this sentient space rock is always a selling point, but the story also has all the political twists and turns a Trekkie could want.

How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford

John M. Ford was one of the best, most underrated writers of the modern era. Until recently, almost all of his work had fallen out of print with his death in 2006. Most of his catalog is still pretty hard to find and requires trawling used bookstores with an eye for treasure. Unfortunately, that includes 1987's "How Much for Just the Planet?" It's Ford's second "Star Trek" novel, and it's a "Dr. Strangelove" -style artifact of perfect absurdity.

"How Much for Just the Planet?" is a surreal sci-fi mélange: Take the crew of the Enterprise, pit them against opportunistic Klingons, and add a previously undiscovered planet full of untouched dilithium. Then, mix in a troupe of truly incomprehensible, goofball aliens, slap everybody in a hotel (with a golf course — it's a plot point), and make them play in a "Squid Game"-style competition that focuses on heists and ballroom dancing instead of murder. The goal is friendship and having some good laughs along the way.

Spock Must Die! by James Blish

The first original "Star Trek" novel is still a good read and a great place to get some context for the ways "Trek" fiction has evolved. "Spock Must Die!" feels fresher than its 1970 print date in many places, but bear in mind, it plays with some "exotic sexuality" tropes regarding Spock. Yeah, he was definitely the unlikely sex symbol of original "Star Trek," but Blish's prose occasionally takes that to a funky place.

Otherwise, this book does introduce some neat concepts way before later "Star Trek" wore them out. The evil clone plot line is a groaner staple now, but Blish's novel twists it up with some unsettling fridge logic questions about how the transporter room could work with some mad science drive. From there, the science is pretty pulpy, but the high-stakes thrills leading up to the title drop — a Spock does have to die — make for a nice, cozy ride through an earlier science fiction era.

Q-Squared by Peter David

Like most "Star Trek” tie-ins, "Q-Squared" isn't canon, but it's close enough to an assumed truth that fans have kind of adopted it anyway. It's a three-lane timeline pileup, and this time, it is a little confusing. It makes sense for there to be some confusion over what the hell is going on because this book brings in John de Lancie's omnipotent trickster, Q . And it's not a Q story unless everyone (including Picard) asks, "What the hell is going on?" at least once.

In this case, what the hell is going on is a tantrum thrown by a young Q whom "Trek" fans know as Trelane, the Squire of Gothos. A longtime "Star Trek" favorite, Trelane was a quirky, omnipotent brat that futzed around with Kirk and his buddies until his family pulled him in line at the end of the episode . David's novel draws on the fan-inspired retcon that this classic character is actually a Q ( a speculation John de Lancie also shares ) and ties it all together in a messy bow. It doesn't always make sense, especially the semi-metaphorical sword fight finale. Still, it's a great trip through the fringes of the Continuum.

Spock's World by Diane Duane

Author Diane Duane is a modern treasure. Her "Young Wizards" fantasy series remains one of the best ways to hook a kid on the dreams hidden inside books. Still writing and still a part of fandom today, she also wrote 1988's "Spock's World," one of the first and best books to dig into the social intricacies and history of Vulcan.

The framing narrative deals with a fledgling separatist movement working to pull Vulcan out of the Federation, and it provides a chance for Spock and his family to take the spotlight. It's a great political yarn, and it pulls on some threads from classic "Trek" episodes, most notably "Amok Time." However, the real meat here is the intricate world building with lingering glimpses of major moments in Vulcan history. It's a great reminder that what makes "Star Trek" so special are the worlds it explores. Although "Spock's World" is not canon, Duane's graceful creation continues to influence other "Star Trek" creators .

The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack

With the debut of every new "Star Trek" TV series, you can rest assured that a swath of new tie-in novels are in the works. Obviously, the tie-in tradition continued with "Picard." The first novel based on Jean-Luc's solo outing was published within a month of the show's premiere. "The Last Best Hope" is a prequel to " Picard ," and it does a solid job of fleshing out a number of connections that the first season didn't get a chance to work on.

Though a lot of the novel is devoted to Raffi , the troubled intelligence officer we grow to love on the show, it's the glimpses of Romulan culture that stand out. The religious order introduced in the show, the Qowat Milat , are in sharp focus here and help round out the childhood of Elnor , our orphaned Romulan Legolas. "The Last Best Hope" has another trait that may make it attractive to fans of the show: Until "Picard" contradicts it, this book is currently as close to actual canon as a "Star Trek" novel can be.

Star Trek: The Eugenics War by Greg Cox

It's easier to refer to this bulk recommendation as "The Khan Trilogy." The first two novels are formally titled "The Eugenics War: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh" ( volumes one and two , respectively), and the third is "To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh." The trilogy is two parts covert war thriller and one part survivalist nightmare. All together, it pieces together the complete life of one of the mightiest (and bare-chestiest) foes in "Star Trek" history .

"The Eugenics War" is a look inside the doomed effort to prevent that legendary conflict from ever happening. As mentioned in the classic episode "Space Seed," eugenicist science created a social schism the likes of which Marvel's Magneto barely dreamed of. The effort to stop Khan from dominating Earth fails, but infighting eventually drives the tyrant into exile. The events of "Space Seed" happen after the first two books, and the final novel sees Khan struggle to survive on Ceti Alpha V , the sandy death-world we discover in "The Wrath of Khan," surrounded by loyalists and scarce resources. Great stuff.

The Final Reflection by John M. Ford

My prior John M. Ford recommendation may have the spotlight, but don't pass up "The Final Reflection" if you can find it. While not as richly built as Diane Duane's "Spock's World," Ford's book treats Klingons with such detail and complexity that it went on to affect later portrayals of the proud warrior race. It's a book that's occasionally lauded as a "Star Trek" novel that stands on its own as a great work of science fiction, which is a backhanded compliment that ignores the love and passion of "Trek" writers. Nevertheless, that is an accurate assessment here.

The focus of the book is on Klingon Captain Krenn, whose decades-long effort to prevent his own people from destroying the Federation remains a secret until he pens his own chronicle of events. During his career, Krenn flickers in and out of the lives of the characters we know, with special emphasis placed on his encounter with Spock as a child. There's some hefty focus on Klingon stratagems in the early part of the novel, which can be daunting for the reader, but the journey is worth it.

Fallen Heroes by Dafydd ab Hugh

"Fallen Heroes" is a sentimental choice. It's one of my gruesome comfort food books. Pairing the horrific invasion of DS9 with a time-shifted mystery, the novel puts Quark and Odo together as ad hoc detectives trying to stop the massacre of their friends from happening. It's not a perfect tale, and, coming back to it later, it misses some character tone due to how early in the show's airing it was published. Still, it's a good yarn from a time when we were starved for stories that put our best frenemies together.

Author Dafydd ab Hugh has a gift for crunchy, visceral action sequences, and that got him a pretty decent gig writing "Doom" tie-ins in the '90s. It's best to go in with the reminder that, according to the classic "Star Trek” fiction trope, our heroes will be alright by the end, but there's some gnarly road before this book gets there. "Fallen Heroes," like many older tie-in novels, is easily found used.

Q-In-Law by Peter David

Peter David gets on this list three times because, along with his clean prose and keen understanding of the franchise, he also understands what a fan would kill to see. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to great recurring characters, and two fan favorites take the spotlight in "Q-In Law." The omnipotent Q is a guaranteed good time, but adding Deanna Troi's dramatic mother Lwaxana to the mix makes for a salty popcorn festival.

The premise is simple: Noticing that the Enterprise is ready to host a wedding, Q shows up with mischief on his mind. Lwaxana arrives for the diplomatic event, and Q picks up on the Betazed noble's talent for chaos. However, for once in his life, Q gets more than he bargained for when he flirts with Lwaxana. Somewhere in the mayhem, Worf notes the crew might as well sell tickets to watch it all fall apart. I recommend tracking down the audiobook . It's narrated by John de Lancie and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (Q and Lwaxana themselves), and they happily go all in on the verbal sparring.

Prime Directive by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

The Prime Directive is one of the few immutable tenets of the "Star Trek” universe. However, Starfleet General Order 1 is not without its flaws. To wit, no Starfleet command or crew is to interfere with the development of an alien society. It's a Cold War product that was designed by minds worried about escalation and accidental destruction. Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' "Prime Directive," published in 1990, digs into what happens when that order is disobeyed.

In both the original series and the movies, Kirk and his crew rarely receive lasting consequences for their actions. This novel sets about dismantling that trope. Kirk, in charge of observing Talin IV, a world on the cusp of first contact, seems to accidentally violate the Prime Directive. Worse, his mistake devastates the developing Talin society. From Kirk to Uhura, the command crew of the Enterprise see their careers ended for their failure. The bulk of the novel is the long process of the crew (who have either resigned, been demoted to ensign, or court-martialed) seeking out what actually went wrong on Talin IV. The answers are complex, and the ethical questions are thought-provoking.

Sarek by A.C. Crispin

Author A.C. Crispin was a key figure in not only helping readers understand that tie-in novels shouldn't be dismissed as "amateur" content but also in protecting other writers from being scammed. Her talents as a writer provided light but intricate stories. "Sarek" (not to be confused with the phenomenal "Next Generation" episode of the same name ) is a rich look at one of "Star Trek's" most complicated figures .

"Sarek" is a political thriller tempered by Sarek's sometimes cold Vulcan discipline. A veiled threat from an unknown alien race aims to unbalance the core of the Federation. Balanced against these high stakes is the famed Vulcan ambassador's wife's illness. Amanda Grayson 's humanity helped both Sarek and Spock bridge their two worlds. However, her impending loss threatens to undo the peace father and son forged years ago. In the book, Amanda's journal provides empathetic glimpses inside Sarek's life. "Sarek" is a novel as crucial as "Spock's World" for fans of the iconic Vulcans.

Uhura's Song by Janet Kagan

Uhura 's popularity was a big deal for television back when "Star Trek" first came on the air. Unfortunately, moments in which she took the lead were all too rare. By 1985, Uhura was still a supporting character on screen, but now, she had a couple of novels that gave her some more in-depth attention. "Uhura's Song" is the best and, frankly, the weirdest slice of fanfic-style glory to make it to the printed page.

Long ago, Uhura made friends with a woman named Sunfall of Ennien, a diplomat from the planet Eaiaou, whose love of dance and song outlived her when a deadly pandemic decimated her world. However, there's a clue in the songs Sunfall taught Uhura that might help end the pandemic before it wipes out the whole planet. This is where I have to warn you that this strange and lovely novel is basically "Warrior Cats” in space. Yes, the people of Eaiaou are cat people — with emphasis on the cat side of that equation. Shut up! It's awesome!

Metamorphosis by Jean Lorrah

This last pick is going to be a divisive one. Jean Lorrah 's "Metamorphosis" is a chunky book that lags in a few places, but it does two things well enough to get a sentimental recommendation: First, though non-canon, the book picks up after "Measure of a Man," the "Next Generation" episode that gave Data legal protection as a sentient lifeform and explores the ethical aftermath in a way that's catnip to me. Second, the novel makes the acerbic Dr. Pulaski somewhat likable and empathetic. Now, that's an achievement!

Although there's a handful of plot threads going on in this large, lumpy novel, the biggest one is Data's temporary tenure as what he's wanted to become all along — a fleshy human (with all that entails). As anyone who rolls out of bed to the symphony of their bones cracking could tell the android, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Still, he persists in a weird kind of hero's journey, and although everything is set back to baseline by the end, the trip is one of a kind.

Columns > Published on August 24th, 2020

The Best Star Trek Novels: A Personal List

Star Trek has always been my fictional comfort food. When times are tough, I can always put on an episode or open a book and things aren’t so bad for a while. I don’t know if it’s the excitement of scientific discovery, the positive vision of humanity’s future, or just the premise of a diverse and competent crew working together to make the galaxy a better place—I almost always end a Star Trek story feeling a little more hopeful than when I began. If, like me, you’ve watched all the Star Trek out there and still want more, here’s a list of books to get you started.

The Rihannsu Series

This series of novels follows the Original Series crew as they become entangled in various Romulan plots to dominate the galaxy, beginning with a secret lab of psychic super soldiers and climaxing with a doomsday weapon aimed at the heart of Federation space. Kirk is initially sent to investigate the hijacking of a Starfleet vessel. There he meets and (eventually) befriends Ael, commander of Bloodwing , a warship full of defectors from Romulus. Together, the two crews work to keep the simmering tensions between the interstellar powers from boiling over into all-out war. The Rihannsu books provide a densely detailed portrait of Romulan history, philosophy, and culture. You will come to understand the origins of their language, and how it shaped the thinking of their people and their quixotic sense of honor. While all of this is technically non-canon, you can definitely see its influence on the show Picard . If you always wanted to know more about this fascinating yet enigmatic people, Rihannsu and Picard make an excellent pairing.

Buy My Enemy, My Ally at  Amazon

"Metamorphosis"

The Enterprise-D finds a seemingly magic mountain on the planet Elysia. Commander Data is sent to investigate and ends up literally going on a Hero’s Journey, complete with a quest to help a fair maiden by traveling into the underworld. This adventure tests Data to his limits, for at the end awaits a treasure beyond compare, the android’s only wish: to become human. That would be enough to explore for any novel, but  Metamorphosis keeps going past where the credits would normally roll on an episode. We get to follow Data through his awkward first steps of being human, learning how to live with a fragile fleshy body, and coping with his new limitations. My favorite moment is when Data realizes he no longer has all of Starfleet’s databanks in his memory and will have to actually do his homework to prepare for briefings. The story keeps twisting from there, and goes to some pretty ridiculous lengths that I won’t spoil for you. The whole book feels like a metafictional commentary on narrative structure, and I love it just a little bit more every time I read it.

Buy Metamorphosis at  Amazon

"Planet X"

Speaking of ridiculous premises, there was a comic in which the crew of the Enterprise-D entered the Marvel Universe and fought Kang the Conqueror with the help of the X-Men. Even more ridiculous, this novel is a sequel to that comic book. This time, the X-Men end up in the Star Trek universe and help Picard and crew resolve the civil upheaval on a world experiencing mutations in its population. People are developing strange and dangerous powers, and the rest of the society hates and fears them for it. The X-Men find this all too familiar, and together with the Enterprise crew, they manage to bring both sides of the conflict together to find a peaceful way forward. There’s lots of fun bits like characters commenting on the uncanny resemblance between Captain Picard and Charles Xavier, years before Sir Patrick Stewart played the latter role. My personal highlight is Worf and Wolverine fighting X-Men villains together on the holodeck. Is it great literature? No. But it is a fun and weird pop cultural artifact worth exploring if you can find a copy.

Buy Planet X at  Amazon

The Mirror Universe Series

The Mirror Universe is a dark reflection of the Star Trek universe we know and love, and the source of endless “evil twin” plots. Basically, everything is its opposite. In the Mirror Universe, the tolerant and peace-loving United Federation of Planets is actually the xenophobic and warlike Terran Empire. Instead of the collegiate atmosphere of cooperation, these human supremacists are motivated solely by hatred and self-interest. In the Terran Empire, the quickest way to a promotion is literal backstabbing. The rest of the universe is similarly warped, and these books will take you on a guided tour through it all. You will learn the history of the Terran Empire’s bloody rise and catastrophic fall, follow the adventures of a space pirate named Luc Picard, and witness the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance crushing the galaxy beneath its boot heel. Just a few of the bizarre reflections you will witness as these books take you to all your favorite corners of a familiar galaxy to see just how different things could be. Honestly, it reads like what would happen if they tried to do a “darker and grittier” Star Trek reboot. If you enjoyed Discovery’ s voyage to the Mirror Universe, this series is for you.

Buy Dark Mirror at  Amazon

The Cold Equations Series

This series is all about the many different forms of artificial life that exist in the Star Trek galaxy. Doctor Noonien Soong is surprisingly not dead, and leads the crew of the Enterprise-E on a merry chase as he carries out a crazy complicated plan to resurrect his artificial son. On his journey you will learn a great deal about his life and work, as well as the development of Data. Once Soong succeeds in bringing him back, Data proves himself to be a chip off the old block, setting out on a quest to resurrect his departed daughter, Lal. Along the way they discover a secret Fellowship of Artificial Intelligences, from whom they learn the ancient history of artificial life. Of course, it turns out the AIs are scheming to destroy all organic life in the galaxy, but the books take this plot in an unexpected and much more satisfying direction than the more recent Picard . Finally, if you were wondering what the hell happened to Wesley after he vanished from TNG, these books have answers for that, too.

Buy The Persistence of Memory at  Amazon

The Department of Temporal Investigations Series

Time travel is a big no-no in Starfleet. Divergent timelines, alternate histories and temporal revisionism are all frowned upon by the members of the Department of Temporal Investigations. It’s their job to keep people from screwing around in the timestream and rewriting history. If you fly your ship back to the past and pick up a whale, you’ll likely get to have an unpleasant chat with Agents Dulmer and Lucsly. The regulation of time travel is a fertile subject for sci-fi, and this series covers every angle from policing abuses to helping victims of temporal displacement cope with their situation. There are complex political machinations between the different states as they try to agree on responsible rules for time travel. It’s fascinating to witness the debates of a governing body composed of people not just from different places, but also different eras. These books are able to cover (nearly) the entirety of Star Trek history, making narrative connections between almost every time travel event in the canon. It’s a real treat for completist fans, and has a ton of fun playing with all the tropes and toys in the time travel box. The second book in the series is both a sequel and its own prequel. They’re honestly some of the best time travel books I’ve ever read, Star Trek or not.

Buy Watching the Clock at  Amazon

The Klingon Empire     Series    

If you’re tired of reading about very polite and pleasant professionals working together in the post-scarcity utopia of the Federation, perhaps you’ll enjoy a rousing adventure with Star Trek’s beloved space vikings: the Klingons. The Empire must expand again, meaning there is battle, honor and glory to be had—a Klingon’s three favorite things. The first three novels of this series embed you with the crew of the IKS Gorkon on a tour of duty. It’s one of few stories that explores Klingon culture beyond the warrior class. The books use multiple point-of-view characters to paint a complete picture of life in the Empire at all levels of their society, from lowly medics to mighty commanders. It’s also a fun way for fans to catch up with all of the Klingon supporting characters from the shows. And of course, no Klingon tale would be complete without an epic battle. At one point, they pause their war of territorial conquest to fight a civil war on the side over the outcome of an honor duel. If you’ve ever been intrigued by Star Trek’s greatest warriors, the Klingon Empire series will show you a good time.

Buy A Burning House at  Amazon

The Q Continuum Series

This series focuses on the impish immortal prankster Q. He has once again kidnapped Picard to take him on a wild transcendental trip to learn about the secrets of the universe. They go back in time to see Q’s misspent, troublemaking youth and witness the secret history of the Q Continuum. But on this stroll down memory lane, Picard learns about a terrible threat that awaits them beyond the bounds of their galaxy. The Q Continuum is preparing to face its greatest foe, an utterly malevolent being with the ability to reshape reality at will, more powerful than even the Q. Picard and the Enterprise end up playing referee in a battle between gods for the fate of all existence. This series is another treat for completists—through Q’s life story, the novels manage to tie together the most extensive history of the Star Trek universe I had ever read at the time.

Buy Q Space at  Amazon

Star Trek is a fictional universe of unlimited narrative potential, perfectly built to support a never-ending collection of stories. Sometimes I find it hard to believe Star Trek didn’t begin as a novel, as its dense ideas and rich world-building are perfectly suited to the form. These are just a few of my most fondly remembered favorites. It is by no means a complete or ranked list. Any of the listed series will be worth your time, but there’s plenty more where that came from. If there are any great ones I left out, feel free to leave them in the comments.

About the author

BH Shepherd is a writer and a DJ from Texas. He graduated from Skidmore College in 2005 with degrees in English and Demonology after writing a thesis about Doctor Doom. A hardcore sci-fi geek, noir junkie and comic book prophet, BH Shepherd has spent a lot of time studying things that don’t exist.  He currently resides in Austin, where he is working on The Greatest Novel Ever.

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Mission to Horatius , the first Trek novel

Through a licensing process similar to those granted to create collectibles , comics , and games , Paramount Pictures has granted the rights to market Star Trek stories and books of various sorts through a number of different publishers, beginning in 1967 with a series based on Star Trek: The Original Series .

With the success of the Star Trek films and Star Trek: The Next Generation , a licensing office associated with the productions took stricter control of the franchise's image. Although writers of Star Trek publications were unlimited by TV budget and studio set constraints, they were discouraged from creating depictions that varied from the style and details of the franchise, as seen in filmed productions. Previous novels of the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s tend to vary from canon more than later series. Since most novels are produced by editors and writers not affiliated with franchise production staff , filmed productions generally regard the events and situations in most novelizations as completely apocryphal.

It should be noted that certain publications written by creators of Star Trek 's various series are sometimes referenced in later episodes of those series. Somewhat paradoxically, the novels themselves remain apocryphal in such cases while whatever information was mentioned on-screen becomes canon .

See also : Undeveloped Star Trek publications

• 1 Star Trek television tie-in series
• 2 Original ongoing series
• 3 Crossover series and anthologies
• 4 Other adventures
• 5 Young adult series
• 6 Omnibus collections
• 7 Reference works
• 8 External links

Star Trek television tie-in series [ ]

• Star Trek books and novelizations by Bantam Books
• Star Trek books and supplements by Ballantine/Random House
• Mission to Horatius (later reprinted by Pocket Books )
• Original Series novels and books
• Next Generation novels and books
• Deep Space Nine novels and books
• Voyager novels and books
• Enterprise novels and books
• Discovery novels and books
• Picard novels and books
• Prodigy novels and books
• Star Trek Which Way Books
• The Monsters of Star Trek
• Strange & Amazing Facts About Star Trek

Original ongoing series [ ]

• Star Trek: New Frontier
• Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers
• Star Trek: Stargazer
• Star Trek: Klingon Empire (Previously Star Trek: IKS Gorkon )
• Star Trek: Titan
• Star Trek: Vanguard
• Star Trek: Seekers
• Star Trek: Prometheus (in German)

Crossover series and anthologies [ ]

• Star Trek: Invasion!
• Star Trek: Day of Honor
• Tales from the Captain's Table
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
• Tales of the Dominion War
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Double Helix
• Star Trek: The Badlands
• Star Trek: Enterprise Logs
• Star Trek: Dark Passions
• Star Trek: Section 31
• Star Trek: Gateways
• Star Trek: The Amazing Stories
• Star Trek: The Brave and the Bold
• Star Trek: The Lost Era
• Star Trek: Mirror Universe
• Star Trek: Myriad Universes
• Star Trek: Destiny
• Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins
• Star Trek: Typhon Pact
• Star Trek: Department of Temporal Investigations
• Star Trek: The Fall
• Star Trek: Coda

Other adventures [ ]

• Legends of the Ferengi ( DS9 )
• Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth ( VOY )
• New Worlds, New Civilizations
• The Klingon Hamlet
• Articles of the Federation
• The Needs of the Many

Young adult series [ ]

• Star Trek: The Original Series - Starfleet Academy
• Star Trek: The Next Generation - Starfleet Academy
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Young Adult
• Star Trek: Voyager - Starfleet Academy
• Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Omnibus collections [ ]

• Star Trek: Odyssey
• Star Trek: The Captain's Table
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Millennium
• Starfleet: Year One
• Star Trek: Double Helix
• The Q Continuum
• Worlds in Collision
• Imzadi Forever
• Duty, Honor, Redemption
• The Hand of Kahless
• Sand and Stars
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Twist of Faith
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - These Haunted Seas

Reference works [ ]

• Adventures in Time and Space
• Voyages of Imagination

External links [ ]

• Novels at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek Book Guide - database of book releases
• Psi Phi Book Database - full book list and details on recent and forthcoming releases.
• Star Trek Books Board
• 1 Bell Riots
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

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A thrilling new Star Trek “movie era” novel from New York Times bestselling author Greg Cox! Three Eras. Three Mysteries. One Ancient Enemy?

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The first novel based on the thrilling Paramount+ TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds !

When an experimental shuttlecraft fails, Captain Christopher discovers the very principles on which Starfleet bases its technology have simply stopped functioning. He and his crewmates Una Chin-Riley, Spock, and Nyota Uhura are forced to abandon ship in a dangerous maneuver that scatters them across the strangest new world they’ve ever encountered.

Setting out to find his crewmates, Pike encounters a surprising face from his past—and realizes that one people’s utopia might be someone else’s purgatory. Now he must lead an exodus—or risk a calamity of galactic proportions that even the Starship Enterprise is powerless to stop...

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A thrilling prequel adventure based on the acclaimed TV series Star Trek: Picard ! Two years after the USS Voyager ’s return from the Delta Quadrant, Seven of Nine finds herself rejected for a position in Starfleet…and instead finds a new home with the interstellar rogue law enforcement corps known as the Fenris Rangers. The Rangers seem like an ideal fit for Seven—but to embrace this new destiny, she must leave behind all she’s ever known, and risk losing the most important thing in her life: her friendship with Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

A thrilling new Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine adventure from New York Times bestselling author Dayton Ward! 2369: Shortly after Starfleet thwarts a Cardassian attack on a Federation star system, the Cardassian government orders an end to its fifty-year occupation of the planet Bajor. As a result, a newly installed Bajoran government requests immediate assistance from the Federation to mediate how the withdrawal will proceed and what recompense, if any, Bajorans are owed from their brutal oppressors. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is ordered by Starfleet Command to oversee these tense negotiations on Terok Nor, the massive Cardassian space station still orbiting Bajor, even as he still deals with his own recent trauma as a prisoner held and tortured by a Cardassian interrogator. As these critical peace talks get underway, Ensign Ro Laren receives a call for help from a friend thought long dead, exposing an insidious secret from inside Cardassian space. Now, Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise must act to prevent an interstellar incident from reigniting deadly hostilities between the Federation and the Cardassians, and shattering any hope of justice for the Bajoran people… TM & © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So , a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.

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After a successful journey to yet another planet cut off from the Federation, Discovery picks up a distress signal located in a nearby star system—a plea that harbors roots from their past lives in the 23rd century, and which may now lead to an entirely new crisis, plunging them all into mortal danger…

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Star Trek: Prodigy is a brand-new animated series streaming on Paramount+ and airing on Nickelodeon! In this middle grade adventure based on the Star Trek: Prodigy video game, Dal and Gwyn must rescue their missing crewmates.

When the Protostar crash-lands in a peculiar star system, the crew ends up separated and Dal and Gwyn must work together to find their missing crewmates. They don’t have much time, though: the nearby star is destabilized and in danger of creating a supernova. Then Dal and Gwyn discover evil droids patrolling the area, and they look just like the Watchers back in Tars Lamora. How will Dal and Gwyn confront this nightmare from their past…and prevent an explosion in their near future?

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Star Trek: Prodigy is a brand-new animated series streaming on Paramount+ and airing on Nickelodeon! Don’t miss this thrilling, all-new original middle grade novel starring Dal, Gwyn, and the rest of the Protostar crew.

While traveling through the Delta Quadrant, the Protostar crew discovers a worn transporter coil on their ship. Despite Janeway’s misgivings, the crew decides to trade a Starfleet-issued battery for new transporter parts at a market on a distant planet. Little do they know that a group of rogue traders are intent on getting their hands on something much bigger: the Protostar ! Will the crew be able to defend their ship and stay out of trouble? Star Trek fans will love this brand-new, original story featuring all the heart, humor, and action of the Prodigy series.

The crew is on their way to Starfleet. Their shuttle is cramped, and everyone is cranky. That’s when Murf spots a moon that isn’t on their charts. Murf really wants to go there, so the crew decides to make a stop to stretch their legs and get some supplies. But a small detour turns into a big dilemma when the inhabitants of the moon ask Murf to stay with them. The rest of the crew begins to wonder if this is a sign. Could it be time for each of them to go their separate ways?

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The Best Star Trek Books (for the 50th Anniversary)

A must-read list of the best Star Trek books, featuring novels set in Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Original series timelines.

Kristen McQuinn

Kristen McQuinn is a medievalist who dreams of reading more, writing more, and traveling more while being the best single mama by choice she possibly can be. By day, she can be found working with English teachers at the University of Phoenix, where she also teaches the occasional class on mythology, Shakespeare, or Brit lit. Sometimes she updates even her own blog. Follow her on Twitter: @KristenMcQuinn  or www.hergraceslibrary.com .  Twitter: @KristenMcQuinn

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I have a confession to make. I am a hard core, died in the wool, unapologetic Trekkie. These are the best Star Trek books that bridged my love of the show and reading. 

I can’t remember a time when Star Trek wasn’t a part of my life. This year is the 50th anniversary of the series, which aired for the first time on September 8, 1966, so there are a LOT of people who can probably say they also grew up with it. I grew up watching episodes of The Original Series in syndication. I was nine when The Next Generation began, and I never missed a single episode. To this day, I can tell you what season an episode is from based just on the style of the uniform Captain Picard is wearing. I even have a sizable amount of memory devoted to being able to tell which episode is playing, complete with episode title and full plot synopsis, based on a five second clip. I can do the same with Voyager . Try not to be jealous. I have seen every episode of Deep Space Nine as well, although I came to its fandom later, so I didn’t devote as much time to my rabid fanaticism and, alas, can’t tell you quite as much about it. I’ve since decided that further study is required! The Dominion War was crazy, y’all!

I might joke about being a nerdy Trekkie, but truthfully, the Star Trek fan base is one of its greatest strengths. The Original Series was a relatively unsuccessful show in its initial airing, but eventually we got The Next Generation approved, and that lasted seven seasons. Scientists who are also Trekkies were inspired to make things like cell phones, laptops, tablets, and Skype based on things they saw on various episodes of the show. And we howled and initiated a massive letter writing campaign that resulted in us talking NASA into naming a shuttle after our starship. They say it is named after an aircraft carrier. Uh-huh. Sure it is. We all know better.

Star Trek is pretty unusual in that it is very supportive of fan-driven creative works as well. Many other fandoms are indifferent to fan creations, or worse, actively discourage them, citing legalese bullshit. Star Trek, on the other hand, has always actively encouraged fandom. In addition to the usual fanfiction and such surrounding any kind of fandom, there have been many official contests sanctioned by The Powers That Be (TPTB), much to the delight of the fans. Fan artists competed for the chance to design the starship Titan , William Riker’s ship when he left the Enterprise to take on his own command. Other fan artists also create the Ships of the Line calendar each year. There are fan films, some of them rivaling the quality of actual episodes, in my opinion. We’ve gotten multiple fanfiction contests in the form of the Strange New Worlds anthologies, comprised entirely of amateur short stories written by fans. I don’t know of any other fandom that allows its fans to do that in an official capacity. TPTB let us play in the sandbox with their characters and don’t make fun of us for wanting to. They let us have fun. We get to explore other stories that weren’t done on the screen. Basically, the Star Trek TPTB rock.

Naturally, my love of all things Trek extends to the novel franchise as well. Many of the best Star Trek books go into depth with a variety of social issues, just as the episodes do, and many go in entirely new directions. As with all publishing, Star Trek isn’t immune from needing a huge injection of diversity in their ranks, as their authors are incredibly white and male in general. There are a few women writing Trek novels, but generally speaking, sci-fi, including Star Trek, is really whitewashed. Maybe, hopefully, we will see an increase in both women and people of color writing in the genre. Honestly, come on, TPTB. Get with it. It would be in the finest tradition of the Federation to embrace diversity a lot more.

The Best Star Trek Books

This is by no means a comprehensive list of Star Trek books. There are hundreds of novels and I wish I could just put them all here. But I can’t, so instead I listed a few of the best Star Trek books from each series that I personally like for one reason or another. I truly hope you enjoy it. Want to revel a bit more in Star Trek bookishness? Check out our post on the best literary Star Trek moments !

Read long and prosper, friends!

Nonfiction Star Trek Books

Federation: the first 150 years , david a. goodman.

This is the history of the first 150 years of the United Federation of Planets. 

The Star Trek Encyclopedia , Michael and Denise Okuda

A newly revised, 2-book set is to be released on October 18, 2016 with about 300 pages of new and expanded entries, up to and including Into Darkness . YES.

The Star Trek Cookbook , Ethan Phillips and William J. Birnes

Some genuinely great recipes, many volunteered from the cast and crew themselves, and doctored up to sound more Trekish. Jeri Ryan’s wild mushroom soup is one of my very favorite recipes ever now and I make it often.

Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe , Lincoln Geraghty

A great discussion on the influence of Star Trek on American society at various levels.

The Physics of Star Trek , Lawrence Krauss

Real science, by a real scientist! 

The Best Star Trek Books: The Original Series

Star trek: the classic episodes (barnes and noble classics edition).

A very pretty hardbound book which includes several novelizations of the most popular episodes of The Original Series , including “The Menagerie,” “A Taste of Armageddon,” “The City on the Edge of Forever,” and “The Trouble with Tribbles.”

Star Trek Academy: Collision Course , William Shatner

I’m a huge sucker for back stories. This novel shows us the backstory of how Kirk and Spock met and became friends at Starfleet Academy.

The Kobayashi Maru , Julia Ecklar

Back stories! Dreaded no-win scenarios! Sign me up.

Black Fire , Sonni Cooper

Spock turns into some kind of space pirate. It’s fun, just go with it.

Shadow Lord , Lawrence Yep

Sulu is the star! 

The Best Star Trek Books: The Next Generation

Gulliver’s fugitives , keith sharee.

A  lost Earth colony where imagination and freedom of thought are crimes. Pairs well with modern American politics…

Imzadi , Peter David

One of my all time favorite Trek novels ever OMG. Riker and Troi’s entire back story, and you know I love me a good back story! Plus, Peter David is considered one of the greats of Trek authors. His novels are universally funny, action packed, and always amazing. 

The Death of Princes , John Peel

I’m also a sucker for books about diseases and plagues. This is disease and violations of the Prime Directive all in one book.

Double Helix six-book miniseries, John Gregory Betancourt, Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diane Carey, John Vorholt, Peter David, and Michael Jan Friedman & Christie Golden

This miniseries that incorporates back stories AND disease things rings all my bells!

Section 31: Rogue , Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin

Even Starfleet has its dark underbelly.

Articles of the Federation , Keith R.A. DeCandido

A novel that highlights the politics and administration of the Federation.

Destiny trilogy, David Mack

HOLY SHIT, THE BORG AND GENOCIDAL RAGE AND JUST FUCKING READ IT!

The Sky’s the Limit anthology, ed. by Marco Palmieri

Fantastic short story collection set during the years of TNG .

The Best Star Trek Books: Deep Space Nine

Fallen heroes , daffyd ab hugh.

The first DS9 novel I ever read. It was action packed and sad and made me fall in love with the characters. This made me a DS9 fan every bit as much as the show itself.

The Lives of Dax , ed. Marco Palmieri

I may have mentioned I’m a big fan of back stories? Yeah, this gives you ALL the back stories of Dax! What’s not to love?

A Stitch in Time , Andrew J. Robinson

Elim Garak. That is all I needed to know. 

Section 31: Disavowed , David Mack

More with the seedy underside of Starfleet, plus Julian Bashir. 

The Best Star Trek Books: Voyager

Pathways and mosaic , jeri taylor.

Back stories! Pathways tells the stories of all of the Voyager crew, and Mosaic tells Captain Janeway’s story specifically. 

Seven of Nine , Christie Golden

More back story, this time on the Borg drone who Capt. Janeway liberated from the Collective and who has since become one of my very favorite characters.

Death of a Neutron Star , Eric Kotani

I liked this book because it is written by a real scientist. Eric Kotani is the pseudonym for Yoji Kando, a Japanese astrophysicist.

Distant Shores , ed. Marco Palmieri

A delightful collection of short stories set on the voyage home.

The Best Star Trek Books: Enterprise

Surak’s soul , jm dillard.

I dig the Vulcans, their logic, and their stoicism, so any book about a Vulcan having an ethical or existential crisis really lights my fire.

Star Trek Anthologies And Crossovers

Tales from the captain’s table anthology, ed. by keith r.a. decandido.

Every star system has a bar called The Captain’s Table, where the first round is paid for with a story…

Tales of the Dominion War , Keith R.A. DeCandido

A short story collection that tells the tales of the various ways in which the Dominion War impacted all the characters we’ve come to know and love, and a few we can’t stand but want to know about anyway.

Strange New Worlds volumes 1-10, plus the new one coming out for the 50th anniversary this year

These are great because fans get to write fanfiction and get published, for reals, and it’s so rad. Also, yours truly was selected to be included in the anthology for the 50th anniversary, so naturally I think that one is awesome!

Federation , Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Technically this is listed as a TNG novel, but it has Kirk and Zephram Cochrane and Picard all in one book, so I’m counting it as a crossover. And it’s everything the movie Generations should have been.

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The Best Sci Fi Books

Find a great science fiction book, 25 best star trek books.

As one of the most popular franchises in movie and TV history, Star Trek is not lacking for extensive and thoughtful source material.

As of November 2019, approximately 850 novels, short story anthologies, novelizations, and omnibus editions have been published.

Star Trek books are often ignored (sometimes rightly so) by review sites like Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly , so you’ll have to decide for yourself if a certain book sounds like your cup of Earl Grey tea (hot).

Section 31, the covert organization which has operated without accountability in the shadows for more than two centuries, has been exposed. Throughout the Federation, the rogue group’s agents and leaders are being taken into custody as the sheer scope of its misdeeds comes to light. Now Starfleet Command must decide the consequences for numerous officers caught up in the scandal—including Admirals William Ross, Edward Jellico, Alynna Nechayev, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard who, along with many others, are implicated in the forced removal of a Federation president.

Meanwhile, deep in the distant, unexplored region of space known as the Odyssean Pass, Picard and the crew of the starship Enterprise must put aside personal feelings and political concerns as they investigate a massive mysterious spacecraft. Adrift for centuries in the void, the ship is vital to the survival of an endangered civilization which has spent generations searching for a world to sustain what remains of its people. Complicating matters is a band of marauders who have their own designs on the ancient ship, with only the Enterprise standing in their way….

The ancient Thallonian Empire has collapsed, throwing an entire sector of the galaxy into chaos and unrest. Billions of sentient beings are faced with starvation, warfare, and worse. Faced with a tragedy of interstellar proportions, Starfleet assembles a new, handpicked crew to help where it can and report what it finds.

Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, recommended by Jean-Luc Picard himself, takes command of the USS Excalibur , which is manned by Starfleet’s best and brightest (including some familiar faces from the Next Generation series).

They are a race of warriors, a noble people to whom honor is all. They are cousin to the Vulcan, ally to the Klingon, and Starfleet’s most feared and cunning adversary. They are the Romulans—and for eight years, Federation Agent Terise LoBrutto has hidden in their midst.

Now the presence of a captured Starfleet officer forces her to make a fateful choice—between exposure, escape, maintaining her cover, or saving the life of Dr. Leonard McCoy.

Spock’s mother, Amanda Grayson, is dying. Spock returns to the planet Vulcan where he and Sarek enjoy a rare moment of rapprochement. But just as his wife’s illness grows worse, duty calls Sarek away, once again sowing the seeds of conflict between father and son. Yet soon Sarek and Spock must put aside their differences and work together to foil a far-reaching plot to destroy the Federation, a plot that Sarek has seen in the making for nearly his entire career.

The crew of the USS Enterprise journeys to the heart of the Klingon Empire where Captain Kirk’s last surviving relative has become a pawn in a battle to divide and conquer the Federation. With Sarek’s help, the crew of the starship Enterprise learns that all is not as it seems. But before they can prevent the Federation’s destruction, they must see the face of their hidden enemy, an enemy more insidious and more dangerous than any they have faced before.

The USS Enterprise is on a peaceful mission at Starbase 12 when a bizarre cosmic phenomenon causes a Klingon ship to suddenly vanish—with Spock aboard for the ride. Spock’s last message from the Klingon ship is cryptic and frightening. The Klingons are traveling into the past, searching for the one man who holds the key to the future. If they can kill that man, the course of history will be changed—and the Federation will be destroyed!

“Fifteen years ago…you led us out of the darkness. You commanded the greatest rescue armada in history. Then…the unimaginable. What did that cost you? Your faith. Your faith in us. Your faith in yourself. Tell us, why did you leave Starfleet, Admiral?”

Every end has a beginning…and this novel details the events leading into the Star Trek TV series, introducing brand-new characters featured in the life of Jean-Luc Picard—widely considered to be one of the most popular and recognizable characters in all of science fiction.

Starfleet’s most sacred commandment has been violated. Its most honored captain is in disgrace, its most celebrated starship in pieces, and the crew of that ship scattered among the thousand worlds of the Federation.

Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the former crew of the Starship Enterprise to Talin, the planet where their careers ended. A world once teeming with life now lies ruined, its cities turned to ashes, its surface devastated by a radioactive firestorm, because of their actions. There, they must find out how—and why—this tragedy occurred and discover what has become of their captain.

Trelane is revealed to be a member of the Q Continuum. He taps into the power of the continuum and uses this ability to tamper with time and reality, resulting in the intersection of three different parallel universes, which are also referred to as time “tracks.”

Track A is a universe in which Beverly Crusher’s husband Jack never died, and now serves as captain of the Enterprise with Jean-Luc Picard as his first officer; in this universe, Jack’s son Wesley died as a boy and Jack and Beverly divorced.

Track B is the traditional universe depicted on Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Track C is akin to the more militaristic alternate universe shown in the Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” in which the Federation is at war with the Klingons.

Q, who had been charged with the task of “mentoring” Trelane (a task each “adult” Q must accept at least once for an “adolescent” Q), enlists the help of Picard and the crew of the Enterprise -D in the three different timelines in order to teach Trelane discipline, and eventually, to stop him from destroying the fabric of the universe by collapsing the alternate universes together.

The final frontier erupts into chaos as vast quantities of a rare energy source are discovered beneath the surface of Baldur-3, a remote planet beyond the outer fringes of Federation space. Now, an old-fashioned “gold rush” is underway as a flood of would-be prospectors, from countless worlds and species, races toward the planet to stake their claim.

The galactic stampede threatens the stability of neighboring planets and space stations, as widespread strife and sabotage and all-around pandemonium result in a desperate need for Starfleet assistance. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise are dispatched to deal with the escalating crisis… which lies on the other side of a famously perilous region of space known as the Antares Maelstrom.

Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy’s greatest scourge returns to wreak havoc upon the Federation—and this time its goal is nothing less than total annihilation.

Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth’s first generation of starships, lost for centuries, has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has raised disturbing questions, and the answers harken back to a struggle for survival that once tested a captain and her crew to the limits of their humanity.

From that terrifying flashpoint begins an apocalyptic odyssey that will reach across time and space to reveal the past, define the future, and show three captains—Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise , William Riker of the USS Titan , and Ezri Dax of the USS Aventine —that some destinies are inescapable.

In this award-winner for cheesiest title, Kirk and McCoy accompany Spock to the Vulcan Academy Hospital seeking experimental treatment for a badly wounded Enterprise crew member. Spock’s mother is also a patient in the hospital, and Kirk soon becomes involved in the complex drama of Spock’s family.

Suddenly, patients are dying, and Kirk suspects the unthinkable—murder on Vulcan! But can he convince the Vulcans that something as illogical as murder is possible? Until the Killer is caught, everyone is in danger!

Five thousand years ago, on the planet Sarpedion, Spock knew a beautiful, primitive woman. When the USS Enterprise is called upon to protect the Guardian of Forever, a mysterious time portal, Spock uses it to journey to the past, and to discover his own son.

A spy for the Typhon Pact—a new political rival of the Federation—steals the plans for Starfleet’s newest technological advance: the slipstream drive. To stop the Typhon Pact from unlocking the drive’s secrets, Starfleet Intelligence recruits a pair of genetically enhanced agents: Dr. Julian Bashir, of station Deep Space 9 , and Sarina Douglas, a woman whose talents Bashir helped bring to fruition, and whom Bashir thinks of as his long-lost true love.

Bashir and Douglas are sent to infiltrate the mysterious species known as the Breen, find the hidden slipstream project, and destroy it. Meanwhile, light-years away, Captain Ezri Dax and her crew on the USS Aventine play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a Typhon Pact fleet that stands between them and the safe retrieval of Bashir and Douglas from hostile territory.

In crystalline form, dilithium is the most valuable mineral in the galaxy. It powers the Federation’s starships and the Klingon Empire’s battlecruisers. Now on a small, out-of-the-way planet named Direidi, the greatest fortune in dilithium crystals ever seen has been found.

Under the terms of the Organian Peace Treaty, the planet will go to the side best able to develop the planet and its resources. Each side will contest the prize with the prime of its fleet. For the Federation, Captain James T. Kirk and the starship Enterprise . For the Klingons, Captain Kaden vestai-Oparai and the Fire Blossom .

Only the Direidians are writing their own script for this contest—a script that propels the crew of the Enterprise into one of their strangest adventures yet.

Aboard the starship Shenzhou , Lieutenant Michael Burnham, a human woman raised and educated among Vulcans, is promoted to acting first officer. But if she wants to keep the job, she must prove to Captain Philippa Georgiou that she deserves to have it.

She gets her chance when the Shenzhou must protect a Federation colony that is under attack by an ancient alien vessel that has surfaced from the deepest fathoms of the planet’s dark, uncharted sea.

As the menace from this mysterious vessel grows stronger, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of halting the threat. To save thousands of innocent lives, Burnham must infiltrate the alien ship. But to do so, she needs to face the truth of her troubled past, and seek the aid of a man she has tried to avoid her entire life.

While Kirk and his crew struggle to free scientist Zefram Cochrane from captors, ninety-nine years in the future Jean-Luc Picard must rescue a mysterious individual who holds the key to the Federation’s ultimate survival.

For nearly a decade, Garak has longed for just one thing—to go home. Exiled on a space station, surrounded by aliens who loathe and distrust him, going back to Cardassia has been Garak’s one dream. Now, finally, he is home.

But home is a world whose landscape is filled with death and destruction. Desperation and dust are constant companions and luxury is a glass of clean water and a warm place to sleep.

Klingon Captain Krenn is a ruthless war strategist. But on a mission to Earth, Krenn learns a lesson in peace. Suddenly he must fight a secret battle of his own. His empire has a covert plan to shatter the Federation. Only Krenn can prevent a war—at the risk of his own life.

When a freak transporter malfunction during a Klingon attack creates an imposter Spock, Captain Kirk must discover how to save his friend from the machinations of his exact replica.

Hearing of the outbreak of hostilities between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, Captain Christopher Pike attempts to bring the USS Enterprise home to join in the fight. But in the hellish nebula known as the Pergamum, the stalwart commander instead finds an epic battle of his own, pitting ancient enemies against one another—with not just the Enterprise, but her crew as the spoils of war.

Lost and out of contact with Earth for an entire year, Pike and his trusted first officer, Number One, struggle to find and reunite the ship’s crew—all while Science Officer Spock confronts a mystery that puts even his exceptional skills to the test, with more than their own survival possibly riding on the outcome.

Returning from its historic first voyage to the edge of the galaxy, the damaged USS Enterprise journeys through the Taurus Reach, a vast and little-known region of space in which a new starbase has been unexpectedly established. Puzzled by the Federation’s interest in an area so far from its borders and so near the xenophobic Tholian Assembly, Captain James T. Kirk orders the Enterprise to put in for repairs at the new space station: Starbase 47, also known as Vanguard .

As Kirk ponders the mystery of the enormous base, he begins to suspect that there is much more to Vanguard than meets the eye. It’s a suspicion shared by the Tholians, the Orions, and the Klingon Empire, each of whom believes that there are less than benign motives behind the Federation’s sudden and unexplained desire to explore and colonize the Taurus Reach.

But when a calamity deep within the Reach threatens to compromise Starfleet’s continued presence in the region, Kirk, Spock, and several key specialists from the Enterprise must assist Vanguard’s crew in investigating the cause of the disaster and containing the damage. In the process, they learn the true purpose behind the creation of Vanguard , and what the outcome of its mission may mean for life throughout that part of the galaxy.

The Enterprise is summoned to transport a dangerous criminal from Starbase prison to a rehabilitation center: brilliant physicist, Dr. Georges Mordreaux, accused of promising to send people back in time and then killing them instead.

But when Mordreaux escapes, bursts onto the bridge and kills Captain Kirk, Spock must journey back in time to avert disaster before it occurs.

Now there’s more at stake than just Kirk’s life. Mordreaux’s experiments have thrown the entire universe into a deadly time warp. Spock is fighting time, and the entire universe is closing in on itself.

On the planet Vulcan, a crisis of unprecedented proportion has caused the convocation of the planet’s ruling council, who summoned the USS Enterprise from halfway across the galaxy, to bring Vulcan’s most famous son home in its hour of need.

As Commander Spock, his father Sarek, and Captain James T. Kirk struggle to preserve Vulcan’s future, the planet’s innermost secrets are laid before the reader, from its beginnings millions of years ago to its savage prehistory, from merciless tribal warfare to medieval court intrigue, from the exploration of space to the development of o’thia—the ruling ethic of logic.

Spock, torn between his duty to Starfleet and the unbreakable ties that bind him to Vulcan, must find a way to reconcile both his own inner conflict and the external dilemma his planet faces, lest the Federation itself be ripped asunder.

Years ago, Lt. Uhura befriended a diplomat from Eeiauo, the land of graceful, cat-like beings. The two women exchanged songs and promised never to reveal their secret.

Now the USS Enterprise is orbiting Eeiauo in a desperate race to save the inhabitants before a deadly plague destroys them. Uhura’s secret songs may hold the key to a cure, but the clues are veiled in layers of mystery. The plague is killing humans, threatening other planets, and Kirk must crack the code before the Starship Enterprise succumbs.

Years before they became crewmates on the USS Enterprise , Commander William Riker and ship’s counselor Deanna Troi had a tempestuous love affair on her home planet of Betazed.

Now, as their passions have cooled, the two serve together as close friends. Yet the memories of what passed between them linger, and Riker and Troi remain Imzadi , a powerful Betazoid term that describes the enduring bond they still share.

On a delicate mission involving negotiations with an aggressive race called the Sindareen, Deanna mysteriously falls ill, and dies. But her death marks the start of an incredible adventure for Riker—an adventure that takes him across time, pits him against one of his closest friends, and forces him to choose between Starfleet’s strictest rule and the one he calls Imzadi .

9 thoughts on “ 25 Best Star Trek Books ”

Missing “Strangers from the Sky.”

Imzadi is my favorite read of the Star Trek universe. I don’t really remember how many I read, but it was a lot, mostly in Next Gen and DS9. Around the time Imzadi was published I was obsessed with the Star Trek universe and read nothing else but tie-in novels. Good times.

Would have been very disappointed had The Final Reflection not made the list. Awesome look into the Klingon Empire prior to the advent of the Next Generation

I was so happy to see Ishmael on the list. I still have the original copy I purchased back in 1985. I loved almost all the TOS books from around that time, but Ismael was my favorite. Only one I kept.

How is Destiny not on this list? You’ve got some wonderful titles here, but I think I’ve read the Destiny trilogy at least 5 times!

Zero for 25 here.

I did read the Star Trek Log books by Alan Dean Foster back in the 1970s. https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Alan-Dean-Foster/dp/0345250427/

Best Destiny should be on here as a great alternative Kirk coming of age story versus the JJ trash. Probe would have been a good book to include, as would Strangers from the Sky as someone else pointed out. I’m also disappointed that Starfleet Year One wasn’t included. Otherwise, I agree with this list mostly.

So glad Federation made the list. It’s my all time favorite Trek novel. The Ashes of Eden is great too and deserved a spot but overall, it’s a solid list.

I am amazed the Uhura’s Song is rated second best book let alone it is on this list at all. That book is awful – probably the worst of all the Star trek books I’ve ever read and that is a lot. I’m glad to see Yesterday’s Son on the list and surprised the First Frontier is not.

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TOME OF NERD

The 6 Best Star Trek Novels of All-Time

How did it take me this long to write a best Star Trek novels article? Don’t get me wrong, I love things like Warhammer 40 and Star Wars . But Star Trek is my bread and butter. It’s what I grew up adoring and continue to follow closely in adulthood.

So that is why Tome of Nerd felt a little incomplete without at least touching on the work of best Star Trek novels. The list below examines everything out there and tries to identify the best of everything. You will find books from almost every series and also a noteworthy spin-off. These are the best of the best and a great place to dive in for any fan of Star Trek.

And don’t forget to check out my companion articles The 7 Best Star Trek Voyager Novels and The 7 Best Star Trek DS9 Novels .

With that, take a look and enjoy!

Star Trek: Destiny by David Mack – Amazon

Star Trek: Destiny is an epic Star Trek adventure featuring the crews from The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager (with a few others thrown in). The story takes place post-Nemesis and spans the entire galaxy. The Borg have returned. A mysterious new world is discovered. And a long lost starship is found. Starring Picard, Riker, and Ezri, each crew finds themselves solving a different piece of the puzzle.

You will find Destiny on many of the best Star Trek novels lists because it’s the next great chapter after the television/film franchise. The trilogy, now collected together, touches on just about every aspect of the Star Trek universe imaginable. David Mack keeps the pace quick and jumps between the crews with skill. This is a page turner, a mystery, and an action-adventure all rolled into one. If you’re a Star Trek buff and want to start reading the book, this is the place to begin.

A Stitch in Time by Andrew J. Robinson – Amazon

Plain, simple Garak. The fan favorite character returns in the post-DS9 world to reveal his secret origins. As he works to rebuild his home world, he reflects on his history. Some of the biggest Garak mysteries, such as his exile from Cardassia and how he ended up on Deep Space Nine, are revealed in A Stitch in Time .

The biggest selling point of A Stitch in Time is that it was written by Garak himself, Andrew J. Robinson. It’s no cheap cash-in. The novel is expertly written and provides a wonderful addition to Star Trek lore. This is truly a rich character piece that only adds depth to an already strong character. If something like Destiny sounds too intense, A Stitch In Time might be right up your alley. Filled with mystery and intrigue, it’s easily one of the best Star Trek novels published.

Spock’s World by Diane Duane – Amazon

A crisis on the planet Vulcan has led them to request succession from the Federation. Spock must return home, with the crew of the Enterprise, so help solve the problem. As Vulcan history and rituals are revealed, Spock must try to mend the relationship between his two worlds. Can he find a balance within himself and save the Federation?

Spock’s World might sound like a random addition to a best Star Trek novel list, but this TOS-era book is highly regarded and praised. Diane Duane delves deep into Vulcan lore. Half the book is dedicated to the history of Vulcan culture. This provides many different tales to appreciate while keeping you hooked into the main plot. It is a foundational work, to say the least. If you are a fan of Vulcans, Spock, or really any TOS-era stories, Spock’s World is a must read.

Imzadi Forever by Peter David – Amazon

When Deanna Troi dies unexpectedly, Riker sets out on a time-traveling adventure to save her life. Traveling to the past and the future, Riker is at odds with his love for Troi and his duty to Starfleet. Will he be able to save his “beloved” Imzadi?

This is a shockingly good novel. When you think about the Riker and Troi dynamic, you might not necessarily want to read an entire book (or two, as they are now collected) about their history. But Imzadi will prove you wrong. Peter David masterfully crafts a time traveling tale that spans not only the history of Troi and Riker, but many of The Next Generation crew. This is a story of love between two people, but also one of mystery, science fiction, and adventure. It has all the makings of a classic Star Trek tale. The sequel, included in Forever , throws Worf into the mix as well. There is a reason this is considered one of the best Star Trek novels. Check it out.

Q-Squared by Peter David – Amazon

Q returns, but this time he needs Picard’s help. Q-Squared brings together the worlds of TNG and TOS as Trelane hijacks the Q-Continuum. Can the Squire of Gothos be stopped? Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise must traverse the multiverse and prevent the destruction of all existence.

If there was a Hall of Fame for Trek novelists, Peter David would be a shoe-in. He does it again in Q-Squared , a story that many consider one of the best Star Trek novels ever. If you love Q, then this book is a must read. But even for those of you who are less keen on Q (heresy!), there is a lot to love. Peter David mixes in various parallel universes, some you know and some that are new, to create a fantastic adventure in the world of Star Trek. This is one of the greats that can’t be missed.

New Frontier by Peter David – Amazon

Star Trek: New Frontier introduces us to Mackenzie Calhoun, captain of the U.S.S. Excalibur. Calhoun was handpicked by Captain Picard himself to command the new vessel to address the collapse of the Thallonian Empire. Joined by some TNG favorites, like Dr. Selar and Lt. Robin Lefler, the crew begins the next great Star Trek adventure.

More in the Tome of Nerd:

• Star Trek DS9: The Complete Dominion War Guide
• The 8 Best Star Wars Canon Books
• My Journey Through the Comic Book Speculation Bubble…
• The 7 Best Star Wars Books to Start Reading Now
• Maximum Carnage: Enjoying a Classic Spider-Man Event

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Star Trek Books in Order (55 Book Series)

Star Trek is a series of 55 books written by Various. Here, you can see them all in order! (plus the year each book was published)

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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024

• Star Trek Books in Order

Enterprise: The First Adventure

Star trek, book 1.

Strangers from the Sky

Star trek, book 2.

Final Frontier

Star trek the original series, book 3.

Spock's World

Star trek, book 4.

Prime Directive

Star trek, book 5.

Best Destiny

Star trek the original series, book 6.

Star Trek, Book 6

Shadows on the Sun

Star trek, book 8.

Star Trek, Book 9

Vulcan's Forge

Star trek the original series, book 9.

Treaty's Law

Star trek, book 11.

War Dragons

Star trek, book 12.

Where Sea Meets Sky

Star trek, book 13.

Vulcan's Heart

Star trek, book 14.

Star Trek, Book 15

One Small Step

Star trek, book 16.

The Last Roundup

Star trek, book 17.

Garth of Izar

Star trek the original series, book 12.

Star Trek, Book 18

The Case of the Colonist's Corpse

Star trek, book 20.

Star Trek, Book 21

Burning Dreams

Star trek, book 22.

Troublesome Minds

Star trek the original series, book 16.

Star Trek The Original Series, Book 18

Unspoken Truth

Star trek, book 25.

The Children of Kings

Star trek, book 26.

Cast No Shadow

Star trek, book 27.

A Choice of Catastrophes

Star trek, book 28.

The Rings of Time

Star trek, book 29.

That Which Divides

Star trek, book 30.

Allegiance in Exile

Star trek the original series, book 23.

Devil's Bargain

Star trek the original series, book 24.

The Folded World

Star trek the original series, book 26.

The Shocks of Adversity

Star trek the original series, book 27.

From History's Shadow

Star trek the original series, book 28.

The Weight of Worlds

Star trek, book 33.

No Time Like the Past

Star trek the original series, book 29.

Seasons of Light and Darkness

Star trek the original series, book 30.

Serpents in the Garden

Star trek the original series, book 31.

The More Things Change

Star trek the original series, book 32.

Shadow of the Machine

Star trek the original series, book 33.

Foul Deeds Will Rise

Star trek the original series, book 34.

Savage Trade

Star trek the original series, book 35.

Crisis of Consciousness

Star trek the original series, book 36.

Child of Two Worlds

Star trek the original series, book 39.

Star Trek The Original Series, Book 40

The Latter Fire

Star trek the original series, book 41.

Elusive Salvation

Star trek the original series, book 42.

The Face of the Unknown

Star trek the original series, book 43.

The Captain's Oath

Star trek the original series, book 44.

The Antares Maelstrom

Star trek the original series, book 45.

The Higher Frontier

Star trek the original series, book 46.

Agents of Influence

Star trek the original series, book 47.

A Contest of Principles

Star trek the original series, book 48.

Living Memory

Star trek the original series, book 49, what to read next.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Books In Order

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Star Trek: The Original Series is a series of novels written by various authors and based on the science fiction genre. The novels of the series are adapted from the popular television series and movies of the same name that were telecast between the year 1966 and 1969. The original movies based on The Original Series television series were created and produced by Gene Roddenberry. The plots of the novels of the series are set on the starship named USS Enterprise, which is controlled by Captain James T. Kirk. Captain Kirk is assisted by his first officer named Spock. At the start of every mission on the USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk would utter the same message to his crew in order to make them aware of the mission as well as prepare them for the upcoming ups and downs in the mission. The missions of the USS Enterprise would normally be long voyages for exploring new and strange worlds and seek out new civilizations in the space.

Captain Kirk and his crew would always remain in search of a new life on their missions and go to places where no one else have ever gone to. The novels of The Original Series have been published by many publication houses, but the one published by the Pocket Books or the Titan Books in U.K is very popular. The Star Trek: The Original Series was started in the year 1979 when the first novel of the series was published by the Pocket Books. Since then, many authors have contributed to the series and have helped the series to be ongoing. The main character of The Original Series, Captain James T. Kirk is described by the authors of the respective novels as the youngest captain in the history of the Starfleet, taking command at the age of 34. HE goes on to exploit a career that lasts for more than 40 years. There are many tales that the authors have shared in the novels about the voyages of Captain Kirk, most of them being true in many senses. He was also the first captain who had brought his starship in a good condition after a 5 year mission. Kirk’s success as a captain can never be questioned by anyone as she has become an independent voyager.

Kirk was also involved in many violations of the rule of the USS Enterprise and has to his name a record 17 temporal violation. The ancestors of James Kirk have also served in various starships of the USS Enterprise and hence he has deep roots in the service of the USS Enterprise. He had an elder brother named George Samuel Kirk, who died along with his wife Aurelan in 2267 in Deneva. They are survived by a son named Peter, who is looked after by James Kirk. At the age of 13, James Kirk witnessed the massacre of around 4,000 people by the governor of Tarsus IV, during a famine. Even though he was a romantic person, he never indulged himself in long-lasting romantic relationships because he was devoted more towards his career. He had a short term relationship with Dr. Carol Marcus and had a son with from her named David. James eventually could not do the upbringing of David because of his service and so he did not know that his son had grown into a scientific genius, but was later killed. Kirk grieved the death of his son for a long time. He also had a relationship with a woman named Antonia for 2 years and regretted not being able to marry her.

James was helped in gaining entry into the Starfleet Academy by one of his family friends. Soon, he was able to earn starship duty as a fresh cadet. At one point in his career, James became an instructor for the fresh cadets and made friendships with them, who later saved his life on many occasions. He considers Captain Garth and Abraham Lincoln as his heroes. Because oh his dedication towards his duties, James was able to achieve the rare feat of beating Kobayashi Maru scenario, which was otherwise unbeatable. Actually, he had reprogrammed the system which allowed him to win in the scenario. James Kirk received his first mission after graduation on the USS Farragut as a new lieutenant. By the year 2267, Kirk had risen rapidly to the rank of the captain and had the opportunity to command a respectful and loyal crew of 430 members. During his successful career, he received many commendations and awards. On one of his missions, Kirk had accepted the offer of becoming the admiral in charge of the fleet operations, which he turned down later after regaining his command over the USS Enterprise in the year 2271. Just before his retirement from the Starfleet in the year 2293, James Kirk helped to maintain the peace in the galaxy by exposing a conspiracy from terrorists. He always involved in peace negotiations heavily with the Klingons.

One of the initial novels of The Original Series was published in the year 1981 by the Pocket Books. The novel was titled ‘The Entropy Effect’ and was written by the author Vonda N. McIntyre. The plot of the novel opens up with a mission in which the Starship Enterprise in order to transport Dr. Georges Mordreaux, who is a dangerous criminal and is being taken to rehabilitation. He is also one of the brilliant physicists by profession. He was taken under custody because of doing experiments on people by luring them to send back in time, but rather killing them. During the course of the transportation, Dr. Mordreaux manages to escape and bursts onto the bridge. He kills Captain Kirk in front of all the crew members of the starship. Kirk first officer named Spock decides to go back in time and stop Dr. Mordreaux from killing Captain Kirk. However, there is a great risk in doing so. Spock realizes that the experiments of Dr. Mordreaux have created a lot of chaos in the universe an he keeps fighting in order to bring peace back in the universe.

The other novel of the series was published in the year 1981 by the Pocket Books under the title ‘The Klingon Gambit’. The plot of this novel shows the Kingons trying to target the Enterprise and fight against its crew members. Captain Kirk gets the order to challenge the Klingon starship Terror, but he and his crew are unaware of the deadly effects of Terror. Other than fighting the Klingons, Captain Kirk is also on a mission to find an ancient city on the Alnath II mission. The Klingon does not let go their intention of destroying the Enterprise. Feeling stuck in the battle against the deadly Terror, Captain Kirk and his crew begin to lose their minds and do not know what to do. Slowly, they begin to become the targets of the Klingon gambit.

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Published Apr 16, 2020

Peter David's Best Star Trek Novels

From Imzadi to Sulu, we're looking at the best Star Trek novels from author Peter David.

StarTrek.com

Let’s face it, there’s a lot of Star Trek -related content in the world, but I’m sure that many die-hard fans have experienced this same excruciating moment: the moment when they’ve watched every series and movie.

What do you do next? Do you listen to a Star Trek podcast? Do you watch a behind-the-scenes documentary? And what do you do once you’ve consumed all of those? What’s left?

For a long time, I viewed the Star Trek novels as being a little too nerdy. And, to be completely honest, I really don’t know why I gave them that stigma. I’m a nerd! How could something be too nerdy? These books were made for people like me.

If there’s one thing that’s true, however, it’s that I love Star Trek . And I wanted more! So, I decided to take the leap; I made the decision to read a Star Trek novel.

For me, what made Star Trek special was the combination of good stories, great actors, and memorable directing. It was the stories, written for the screen by people like Gene Rodenberry, D.C. Fontana, Brannon Braga, and Rick Berman that I loved. Could these books really stand up to their live-action counterparts? Like a true skeptic, I became an internet sleuth and scoured the web for the best Star Trek novels ever written. If I was going to read one, I thought, I wanted to start out with the crème-de-la-crème.

And that’s when I noticed a trend. One name kept appearing over-and-over in my searches: Peter David.

The first Star Trek novel I ever read was Peter David’s Imzadi . Many say that it’s the best Star Trek novel ever written, and I have to agree. Truthfully, I think it’s an absolute tragedy that it was never adapted into an episode or movie.

It’s been a few years since I took the plunge and I’ve read a ton of Star Trek novels in the interim, but I keep coming back to the work of Peter David time-and-time again. It’s fast-paced, well-crafted, and humorous, but it’s not just Star Trek escapism; David often digs below the surface to explore themes of grief, jealousy, and existential despair. Like the greatest Star Trek episodes, David's work strikes the perfect balance between the forward momentum of the story and the idea/moral he's trying to convey.

And that’s why I want to highlight what I think are Peter David’s best Star Trek novels. So, if you’ve never read a Star Trek book before, or even if it’s been a while, here’s a list that’s guaranteed to deliver.

Imzadi (1992) and Triangle: Imzadi II (1998)

In the TNG series premiere, “Encounter at Farpoint,” Troi mentally whispers, “Imzadi,” when she lays eyes on Riker, and you know immediately that they shared a special kind of chemistry in the past. Throughout the television series we’re witness to their on-again, off-again relationship, but we never really got a true, honest-to-goodness love story between the two.

In Imzadi , David lifts the veil on their tumultuous past, spinning a tale of time travel, adventure, death, and love. I don’t want to go into too much detail, because the less you know the better. Just trust me, if you read only one Star Trek novel in your life, let it be Imzadi . You won’t be disappointed.

In the sequel, Triangle: Imzadi II , David adds Worf to the mix and things are further complicated. While it’s not as good as its predecessor, it’s still a solid read that adds further depth to their characters and backstory.

The Captain’s Daughter (1995)

In 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , George Takei was finally given a much-deserved promotion to Captain Sulu of the USS Excelsior . Throughout the following decades, Takei championed the idea of giving Sulu his own television series, but it never came to pass. If you want a glimpse at what a possible series may have looked like, however, then look no further than The Captain’s Daughter .

When Sulu’s daughter, Demora, suddenly attacks her superior officer, the officer is forced to kill her in self-defense. A grief-stricken Sulu is determined to discover the truth behind the circumstances of his daughter’s peculiar death. After traveling to the planet where Demora died, he’s confronted by an old enemy who plans on spoiling Sulu’s reputation and ending his life.

We didn’t get much time to learn about Sulu’s personal life throughout The Original Series .  Who is this guy? What makes him tick? What drink would I buy him at a bar? The Captain’s Daughter is like getting to know a long-lost friend.

Vendetta (1991)

This novel serves as a sequel to the TOS episode “The Doomsday Machine” and the TNG two-parter “The Best of Both Worlds.” Unlike most other Star Trek writers, David often cross-pollinates elements from different series into one story. For instance, he’s not afraid to use the time portal from the TOS episode “The City on the Edge of Forever” to tell a story surrounding the unrequited love between Riker and Troi in Imzadi . (I know, I know; I’ll stop talking about Imzadi now.)

After answering a distress call from a planet under attack by the Borg, the crew of the Enterprise meets the sole survivor of an alien race that the Borg obliterated, Delcara. And, just like the novel’s title, Delcara has a vendetta against the Borg that must be settled. When the crew learns about the devastating consequences associated with her plan, however, they must do anything in their power to stop her.

If you’re a fan of the Borg — and really who isn’t? — I suggest giving Vendetta a shot.

I, Q (1999) co-written with John de Lancie

When Q is involved, you know things are going to be high stakes, and in I, Q the stakes are as high as they get. In order to save the lives of his wife and child, and to ultimately avoid the end of the multiverse, Q must join forces with Picard and Data. We all know how much Q likes to ask for help, and so, yeah... it goes about as well as you’d expect.

The greatest achievement of I, Q is the language. Told mostly in first person, I, Q nails Q’s speaking mannerisms as portrayed by John de Lancie. It’s an absolute pleasure to read Q’s eloquent and overly verbose language. And I just love the fact that de Lancie played a hand in writing the novel; he’s the only TNG cast member to write a book based on the character they portrayed.

If you’re not familiar with Peter David, these five books are a good jumping off point, but he’s also written for Marvel and DC Comics as well as co-creating the Star Trek: New Frontier series and co-authoring James Doohan’s autobiography, Beam Me Up, Scotty . But that’s just scratching the surface; the guy is a monster at the keyboard and has an extensive back catalogue of work that’s well-worth checking out.

Things You Need to Know About Star Trek: The Next Generation

Anthony Darnell (he/him) is a writer for Phantastiqa and a fan of horror, science fiction, and cult media. Find him on Twitter @darnell_one.

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Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

The Entropy Effect , the first original Star Trek novel published by Pocket Books .

A novel is a literary work of over 40,000 words, as defined by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . Hundreds of Star Trek novels have been published under license from the owners of the Star Trek franchise. Since 1980 , Simon & Schuster has had the license from Paramount to publish Star Trek material, the bulk of which has been under their Pocket Books imprint. Previous licensees have included Ballantine Books , mostly under their Bantam Books imprint. The older Ballantine material is still occasionally reprinted under their Del Rey Books imprint, but the current Simon & Schuster license precludes Ballantine from publishing any new material. The first Star Trek novel was a young adult reader book titled Mission to Horatius , published by Whitman Publishing in 1968 , their only contribution to Star Trek prose publishing.

• 1.1 Canon series
• 1.2 Licensed series
• 2.1 Crossover novel series
• 3 Stand-alone novels
• 5 Connections

Canon series [ ]

• TOS novels ( Star Trek: The Original Series )
• TNG novels ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )
• DS9 novels ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine )
• VOY novels ( Star Trek: Voyager )
• ENT novels ( Star Trek: Enterprise )
• DSC novels ( Star Trek: Discovery )
• PIC novels ( Star Trek: Picard )
• SNW novels ( Star Trek: Strange New Worlds )

Licensed series [ ]

• Star Trek: New Frontier ( NF )
• Star Trek: Stargazer ( STA )
• Star Trek: IKS Gorkon ( GKN )
• Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers ( SCE ; CoE )
• Star Trek: The Lost Era ( TLE )
• Star Trek: Titan ( TTN )
• Star Trek: Vanguard ( VAN )
• Star Trek Online ( STO )

Crossover novels [ ]

• Engines of Destiny , by Gene DeWeese
• Federation , by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Crossover novel series [ ]

• The Badlands , by Susan Wright
• The Brave and the Bold , by Keith R.A. DeCandido
• Dark Passions , by Susan Wright
• Destiny , by David Mack
• Typhon Pact

Stand-alone novels [ ]

• The Eugenics Wars : The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1 , The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2 and To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh by Greg Cox
• Star Trek: Klingon novelization, by Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith
• Starfleet: Year One (serial novel), by Michael Jan Friedman
• Articles of the Federation by Keith R. A. DeCandido
• A Singular Destiny by Keith R. A. DeCandido
• Mission to Horatius by Mack Reynolds

See also [ ]

• short story

Connections [ ]

• 1 Odyssey class
• 2 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 3 Typhon class

• Lower Decks
• Short Treks
• Strange New Worlds
• Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: Picard
• Starfleet Academy
• The Next Generation
• The Original Series

UPDATED: Star Trek Books 2024

What to expect from star trek las vegas 2024, new trailer for star trek: section 31, robert picardo returns for star trek: starfleet academy series, star trek online introduces classic starships in new bundle, review: star trek adventures core rulebook 2e, review – sons of star trek #3, review – star trek: discovery finale ‘life, itself’, review – star trek: celebrations, review – star trek: discovery ‘lagrange point’ (s5, ep9), the siege of ar-558: a look at ds9’s darkest episode, beam me to ohio: a visit to federation hq, tribute – star trek’s patti yasutake, trek back to star trek: tng’s ‘all good things’.

UPDATED: NEW STAR TREK BOOKS & MORE FOR 2022

2021 delivered a plethora of new Star Trek reference books, comics and novels, from the Coda Trilogy, to Hero Collector’s popular ‘Shipyards’ series. And 2022 looks set to deliver even more epic tomes to fill up those bookshelves.

We’ve got new Shipyards volumes, a new Star Trek: The Next Generation season-by-season guide series, anniversary specials for the Genesis Trilogy and much more headed our way this year. And we’re sure this is only just the beginning, with more – including hopefully more novels – yet to be revealed!

Here’s everything we know about so far, and don’t worry we’ll be updating whenever we get news.

Star Trek: Discovery – The Book of Grudge

By Robb Pearlman

Released: January 4, 2022

From the Publisher: New York Times bestselling author Robb Pearlman focuses on  STAR TREK: DISCOVERY’s  breakout star, Grudge the cat. Full of cat photos and whimsical illustrations!

Sharper than a claw and more stunning than a phaser blast, The Book of Grudge’s Prime Directive features her take on everything from space travel to the proper care and training of an array of alien species, STAR TREK-inspired quotes, and haiku meditations on Grudge’s most favorite things, including napping and people (as long as they’re far enough away). Make no mistake, Cleveland Booker’s massive – and massively cool – cat, Grudge is no mundane mouser. This taciturn tabby is, in fact, “a Queen.” She knows it, and everyone aboard the Discovery knows it, too… though some realize it just a bit too late!

Available to buy: Amazon

Star Trek Classics: The Mirror Universe Saga

By Mike W. Barr (IDW Publishing)

Released: March 15, 2022

From the Publisher: Picking up where  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock  left off, Admiral Kirk and the crew of the  U.S.S. Enterprise  face off with evil versions of themselves in the fan-favorite Mirror Universe!

Admiral Kirk and his crew must battle against a very familiar foe, as forces from the Empire have crossed an interdimensional breach to wreak havoc in Federation space. While deception and desperation unfold as the Empire tries to conquer another universe, it will take all the experience of Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the  Enterprise  to fend off the coming invasion and save the Federation!

Originally published by DC Comics in  Star Trek  issues #9–15 from December 1984 to June 1985, this collection presents the fan-favorite Mirror Universe story for the first time in almost 30 years!

Available to pre-order: Amazon

Star Trek: Year Five – Experienced in Loss

By Brandon Easton & Jim McCann (IDW Publishing)

Released: March 22, 2022

From the Publisher: The five-year mission reaches its epic conclusion, where Kirk and the  Enterprise  crew will have their bonds tested, secrets revealed, and futures cast into doubt!

First, Kirk meets his romantic match in fellow Starfleet captain Laura Rhone. But will she be the one, or the one that got away? Then, while investigating a mysterious structure on his home planet, Spock vanishes! Can Kirk, Bones, and company find where—or  when —their friend has gone? And what does Spock’s entanglement in Vulcan’s past mean for its future? Finally, the showdown that’s been building for the last year is here! Gary Seven and the shadowy AEGIS organization’s scheme has stretched from the grand Tholian Assembly to the pestilential Harry Mudd. Now their ultimate plan comes to fruition, and only the crew of the  U.S.S. Enterprise  can hope to stop it! When the smoke clears, what will be left for our heroes? For now, this is the final voyage of the starship  Enterprise . This volume collects issues #20-25 of the series, as well as the Valentine’s Day special, from writers Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Brandon Easton, Jim McCann, and Paul Cornell, and artists Angel Hernandez, Sylvia Califano, Stephen Thompson, and Christopher Jones.

The Star Trek Book of Friendship – You Have Been, and Always Shall Be, My Friend

By Robb Pearlmann & Jordan Hoffman

Released: May 10, 2022

From the Publisher: Star Trek  has energized friendships for over 50 years. Whether it’s exploring a convention, beaming into a movie theater, or joining in on a landing party watch party, generations have been as united in their love of the franchise’s bold storytelling and stunning action as they are in the honest fully realized relationships of their favorite characters.    Created by fans for fans, with a foreword from  Star Trek: Voyager ’s Robert Picardo and Ethan Phillips, this is a first-of- its-kind, fully authorized celebration of Star Trek’s most enduring and endearing friendships, including Kirk and Spock, Picard and Data, Janeway and Seven of Nine, Bashir and Garak, and more!    Whether you and your pals think of yourselves as a Sulu and Chekov, a Burnham and Tilly, or even an Archer and Porthos, this is the perfect book to gift to your best Trek friend or keep for yourself! A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book goes to benefit The Planetary Society, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration.

Star Trek Shipyards – Alpha Quadrant & Major Species – Acamarian to Ktarian (Vol. 1 )

By Ben Robinson (Eaglemoss / Hero Collector)

Released: May 17, 2022

From the Publisher: Boldly go and explore the ally and enemy ships encountered by the Federation in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants in the newest  Star Trek Shipyards  book.

Hero Collector’s popular  Star Trek Shipyards  series continues with detailed looks at ships from the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as seen in  Star Trek: The Next Generation ,  Star Trek: The Original Series , and  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . First up? Ships of the Breen, Cardassians, and those pesky Ferengi. Each featured ship is profiled with technical details, in-universe operational history, and illustrated with plan-view CG renders, wherever possible utilizing the original VFX models created for the  Star Trek  shows and features from across the franchise’s remarkable 55 years. This volume includes more than 40 ships, including the Anaxar cargo vessel, the Breen Warship, the Cardassian Bok’Nor, Cardassian military freighter, the Ferengi shuttle, the Gorn warship, the Husnok warship and the Jem’Hadar battlecruiser.

The Science of Star Trek – The Scientific Facts Behind the Voyages in Space & Time

By Mark Brake

Released: May 26, 2022

From the Publisher: Boldly go where no man has gone before and discover the real science behind the cyborgs, starships, aliens, and antimatter of the  Star Trek  galaxy. Star Trek  is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. It has changed our cultural landscape in so many ways since it first aired in 1966. The franchise has generated billions of dollars in revenue, leading to a wide range of spin-off games, novels, toys, and comics.  Star Trek  is noted for its social science, too, with its progressive civil rights stances and its celebration of future diversity that began with  The Original Series,  one of television’s first multiracial casts.   The Science of Star Trek  explores one of the greatest science-fiction universes ever created and showcases the visionary tech that inspired and influenced the real-world science of today. The perfect  Star Trek  gift for fans of the franchise, this book addresses many unanswered, burning questions, including: 

• What can  Star Trek  tell us about aliens in our Milky Way?
• How has  Star Trek  influenced space culture?
• What can  Star Trek  tell us about planet hunting?
• What  Star Trek  machines came true?
• When  will we boldly go?

Learn more about one of our favorite modern epics with  The Science of Star Trek !

Star Trek Genesis Trilogy Anniversary Special

By Titan Magazines

Released: June 21, 2022

From the Publisher: A special in-depth book celebrating the classic trilogy of  Star Trek  movies, #2 to 4,  The Wrath of Khan ,  The Search for Spock , and  The Voyage Home . With classic interviews, behind-the-scenes features, and rare imagery, relive the thrills and excitement of these unforgettable movies.  

The Wrath of Khan ,  The Search for Spock , and  The Voyage Home  – the  GenesisTrilogy  of  Star Trek  movies has a firm place in the hearts of  Trek  fans of all ages. Taking us from a deadly villain, a tragedy on the  Enterprise , and to a heart-warming reunion, this special book explores the making of the classic saga. Featuring classic interviews, in-depth features and amazing imagery.

Star Trek: Baby’s First Klingon Words

By Insight Kids

Released: July 12, 2022

From the Publisher: The first board book to teach your littlest warriors Klingon.  Qapla’ ! 

Help your little one learn first words and a new language with this out-of-this-world first words book! A mix of classic and unique first words are presented in English and Klingon with bright, child-friendly illustrations to help with language comprehension. Learn how to greet an enemy, or  jagh , to count from  wa’  to  wa’maH , and more. Soon enough your little one will speak with  batlh , or honor, with the help of this adorable guide. 

SCI-FI BONDING: Parents, grandparents, and Trek aunts and uncles can introduce young readers to their favorite series!    QAPLA’ !:   Learn over 40 Klingon words along with their English translations.

BUILD EARLY LITERACY SKILLS: Increase your child’s vocabulary by associating words in Klingon and English with adorable pictures.

THE PERFECT GIFT: Be the talk of the baby shower, birthday party, or Captain Picard Day celebration with this truly unique baby book.

Star Trek: First Contact – The Making of the Classic Film

By Joe Fordham

Released: July 19, 2022

From the Publisher: An in-depth look at the making of  Star Trek: First Contact , featuring rare and previously unseen production art and new and exclusive cast and crew interviews.

Twenty-five years ago,  Star Trek: First Contact  saw Picard, Data, and the  Enterprise  crew go back in time to stop the Borg before they could prevent Earth’s first contact with an alien species and assimilate the entire planet.  Celebrate this landmark anniversary by taking a deep dive into the stories behind this beloved film. This beautiful coffee-table book is full to the brim of archival material, behind-the-scenes photography, concept art, production designs, and much more, and includes new and exclusive interviews with cast and crew, including Jonathan Frakes, Alice Krige, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore, Marina Sirtis, Herman Zimmerman, and Michael Westmore.

Star Trek Cookbook

By Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

Released: August 4, 2022

From the Publisher: Learn how to make meals that are out of this world with this indispensable guide to the food of the stars! Perfect for every fan, this updated edition of  The Star Trek Cookbook  from the  New York Times  bestselling author comes with brand-new and delicious recipes, tantalizing visuals, and easy-to-follow instructions and advice to make the best foods from the future.

With all-new recipes right beside timeless classics, food stylist and  New York Times  bestselling author Chelsea Monroe-Cassel’s reimagining of  Th e  Star Trek Cookbook  presents a visual feast along with complete guides on favorite foods from across  Star Trek , adapted for easy use in 21st-century kitchens. Themed as a Starfleet-sponsored collection of recipes from across multiple quadrants and cultures, and intended to foster better understanding of different species from a human perspective with its Earth-centric ingredients, this must-have cookbook embraces the best of  Star Trek  and its core message of hope, acceptance, and exploration in the spirit of gastrodiplomacy.

Star Trek Explorer – Fiction Collection Vol.1

By Various Authors (Titan Comics)

Released: August 9, 2022

From the Publisher: Collecting the exclusive short story fiction from  Star Trek Magazine  tying into the  Star Trek  online game.   Featuring tales by Christine Thompson, Jesse Heinig, Tyler Nagata, Katherine Bankson, Jaddua Ross, Sean McCann, and Paul Reed

This incredible collecton features 19 illustrated stories exclusively written for the  Star TrekMagazine . It features action-packed tales starring iconic characters such as Data, Seven of Nine, and Scotty, plus alien enemies including the Klingons and the Jem’Hadar.

Star Trek: Discovery – The Girl Who Made the Stars

By Robb Pearlman & Brandon Schultz

Released: August 18, 2022

From the Publisher: A brave girl brings light to her dark world in this empowering and inspiring story officially licensed with Star Trek Discovery.

A long, long time ago, a young girl (based on the character of Michael Burman) found the courage to brave the darkness and to give her people the stars so they would no longer be afraid of the night. Adapted from the Short Trek “The Girl Who Made the Stars,” this picture book by  New York Times  bestselling author Robb Pearlman encourages young readers to be brave, to face their fears and accept challenges, and to always be true to who they are.  

Star Trek: My First Book of Space

By Eric MacDonald / Illustrated by Jason Kayser

Published: September 6, 2022

From the Publisher: Go where no board book has gone before with this cosmically awesome exploration of our solar system—and beyond! Thanks to its innovative storytelling, breathtaking special effects, and engaging characters,  Star Trek  has, for over 55 years, captivated the imaginations of generations of fans. But far more than a simple entertainment,  Star Trek  has long been cited as the inspiration for countless scientists, engineers, writers, artists, and, of course, astronauts, to enter and succeed in their chosen fields of study.    Now, for the first time, the youngest Trekkie can explore strange new worlds and see the universe through a Starfleet Academy telescope.    Illustrations of some of Star Trek’s most iconic space-faring vessels, including the  Enterprise ,  Voyager ,  Deep Space Nine , a Klingon Bird of Prey, and the Kataan probe are paired with real photographs of a nebula, the planets, Pluto, the Sun, and even a nebula! And because this pop culture primer is filled with more visual Easter Eggs and jokes than there are stars, it makes the perfect gift for the adult collector, too!   When enjoyed along with  Star Trek: My First Book of Colors ,  Star Trek: My First Book of Space  offers readers and fans of all ages an age-appropriate, entertaining, and energizing first contact with a comprehensive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) education.

Star Trek: My First Book of Colors

By Robb Pearlman / Illustrated by Jason Kayser

From the Publisher: Go where no board book has gone before with this exploration of colors seen across the galaxy!

Thanks to its innovative storytelling, breathtaking special effects, and engaging characters,  Star Trek  has, for over 55 years, captivated the imaginations of generations of fans. But far more than a simple entertainment,  Star Trek  has long been cited as the inspiration for countless scientists, engineers, writers, artists, and, of course, astronauts, to enter and succeed in their chosen fields of study.  Now, for the first time, the youngest Trekkie can explore strange new worlds and see the universe through the eyes of a Starfleet cadet. 

Enjoy illustrations of a SHINY SILVER space station, a GORN GREEN captain wearing a GOLD lame tunic and BROWN gauntlets, and of course Starfleet officers wearing BLUE, YELLOW, and RED shirts! And because this pop culture primer is filled with more visual Easter Eggs and jokes than there are tribbles, it makes the perfect gift for the adult collector, too! When enjoyed along with  Star Trek: My First Book of Space ,  Star Trek: My First Book of Colors  offers readers and fans of all ages an age-appropriate, entertaining, and energizing first contact with a comprehensive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) education.

Star Trek ll: The Wrath of Khan – The Making of the Classic Film

By John Tenuto & Maria Jose Tenuto

Published: September 6,2022

From the Publisher: An in-depth look at the making of  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , featuring rare and previously unseen production art and new and exclusive interviews.

Forty years ago,  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan  saw Kirk and the  U.S.S.Enterprise  crew face one of the greatest foes in  Star Trek  history, Khan Noonien Singh, as well as the death of Spock. Celebrate this landmark anniversary by taking a deep dive into the stories behind this iconic science fiction classic. This beautiful coffee-table book is full to the brim with rare and previously unpublished archival material, behind-the-scenes photography, production art, cut scenes, script extracts, and much more, alongside new and exclusive interviews with the creatives, including director Nicholas Meyer.

Star Trek: Picard – Second Self

By Una McCormack

Released: September 13, 2022

From the Publisher: A thrilling untold adventure based on the acclaimed  Star Trek: Picard  TV series!

Following the explosive events seen in season one of  Star Trek: Picard , Raffi Musiker finds herself torn between returning to her old life as a Starfleet Intelligence officer or something a little more tame—teaching at the Academy, perhaps. The decision is made for her though when a message from an old contact—a Romulan spy—is received, asking for immediate aid. With the help of Elnor and assistance from Jean-Luc Picard, Raffi decides to take on this critical mission—and quickly learns that past sins never stay buried. Finding the truth will be complicated, and deadly…

Star Trek: The Art of Neville Page – Inside the Mind of the Visionary Designer

By Joe Nazzaro

Released: September 27, 2022

From the Publisher: Showcasing his entire Star Trek career to date, this visually stunning retrospective celebrates the inventiveness of Neville Page’s designs.

During a career spanning over twenty years, visionary creature designer Neville Page has applied his considerable expertise to the creation and development of the aliens of the Star Trek Universe. From the movies  Star Trek  (2009) through to  Star Trek Beyond  (2016), as well as the shows  Star Trek: Discovery  and  Star Trek: Picard , Page’s incredibly detailed and intricate work has yielded some of the franchise’s most memorable characters.  Featuring captivating concept art and detailed sketches, Star Trek: The Art of Neville Page provides exclusive insight into Page’s creative process. This is essential reading for Star Trek fans as it includes a vast collection of illustrations from his remarkable work, plus an exclusive foreword and insightful afterword by award-winning filmmakers, Alex Kurtzman and Michael Westmore. Covers all aliens developed by Page for the recent entries in the Star Trek franchise, including the Klingon redesign and the Kelpiens.

Star Trek – Trek The Halls

By Robb Pearlman / Illustrated by Luke Flowers

Published: October 11, 2022

From the Publisher: A delightfully quirky twist on “Deck the Halls” that will be a holiday must-have for  Trek  fans of all generations! This commercial and lighthearted holiday picture book features beloved  Star Trek  characters and locales from The Original Series,  The Next Generation ,  Deep Space Nine ,  Voyager,   Enterprise,  and  Discovery .    With playful, pithy text parodying the beloved holiday carol, this book features characters from across the  Star Trek  Universe and is illustrated in a fresh style that is sure to appeal to children and adult fans alike. Readers young and old will find themselves transported into the Federation alongside Captains Kirk, Picard, Janeway, and more as they celebrate with their respective crews while sporting their best “ugly” sweaters. This ultimate seasonal gift has page after page of Easter-egg filled scenes that include nods to the Gorn, Guinan, Grudge, and more. Resistance to the holiday spirit is futile!

A vailable to pre-order: Amazon

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – ‘The High Country’

By John Jackson Miller

Published : November 8, 2022 (Delayed to Feb 21, 2023)

From the Publisher:

An all-new Star Trek adventure—the first novel based on the thrilling Paramount+ TV series  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds !

When an experimental shuttlecraft fails, Captain Christopher Pike suspects a mechanical malfunction—only to discover the very principles on which Starfleet bases its technology have simply stopped functioning. He and his crewmates are forced to abandon ship in a dangerous maneuver that scatters their party across the strangest new world they’ve ever encountered.

First Officer Una finds herself fighting to survive an untamed wilderness where dangers lurk at every turn. Young cadet Nyota Uhura struggles in a volcanic wasteland where things are not as they seem. Science Officer Spock is missing altogether. And Pike gets the chance to fulfill a childhood dream: to live the life of a cowboy in a world where the tools of the 23rd century are of no use.

Yet even in the saddle, Pike is still very much a starship captain, with all the responsibilities that entails. Setting out to find his crewmates, he encounters a surprising face from his past—and discovers that one people’s utopia might be someone else’s purgatory. He must lead an exodus—or risk a calamity of galactic proportions that even the Starship  Enterprise  is powerless to stop….

Available to pre-order on Amazon: Amazon

Star Trek: The Original Series – ‘Harm’s Way ‘

By David Mack

Published: December 13, 2022

From the Publisher: An all-new  Star Trek  novel—continuing the legacy of the critically acclaimed  Vanguard  series!

Some secrets should stay buried.

Hidden Agendas – Captain James T. Kirk and the  Enterprise  crew race to save a missing Federation scientist, only to become trapped between the Klingons’ infamous Captain Kang and Starfleet’s mysterious Operation: Vanguard.

Ancient Terrors – In eons long past, alien hegemons known as the Shedai ruled thousands of worlds in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. For 100,000 years their former thralls have thought the Shedai were dead and gone. They were wrong.

Unlikely Allies – For a Starfleet landing party and a Klingon strike team, a race to capture the long-buried secrets of the Shedai turns into a fight for survival—one that can be won only by putting aside their conflicts and working together.

BOOKS NOW LISTED FOR 2023

• NOVEL – Star Trek: Discovery ‘New Horizons’ – January 17, 2023
• BOOK – Creating Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Season by Season Guide – Season 1: 1987-1988 – September 5, 2023
• BOOK – Star Trek: A Woman Trek – From Burnham to Uhura…. – September 5, 2023
• BOOK – Star Trek Shipyards – Alpha Quadrant & Major Species – Lysian to Romulan (Vol. 2) – September 5, 2023

More from Trek Central:

• New Star Trek Comics For April 2022!
• Strange New Worlds release date, plus Discovery Season 5, Prodigy & more!
• New Star Trek: Picard – Season 2 trailer reveal!

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7 Best Star Trek Novels, Ranked

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There have been Star Trek novels almost as long as there's been a show. The earliest books to take place in the Star Trek universe were released as early as 1967, and the trend continues right up until the present day. Given the popularity of the IP, there might be a new novel every day, and that's not including all the fan fiction.

Related: Star Trek: Saddest Deaths In The Franchise, Ranked

Given the breadth of choices when it comes to Star Trek novels, it's tough to choose only a few that could be the best . The following choices aren't novelizations of movies or shows, but unique stories that don't appear in other mediums. They do include settings or characters that have already been featured on the big and small screen even though most of them are considered non-canon.

7 Imzadi, By Peter David (1992)

The Next Generation fans will recognize Imzadi as a Betazoid term of endearment. Riker's mission to Betazed early in his career is alluded to on the show several times, but it was never really explored in detail like it is in this book. It's primarily an adventure, that involves time travel and the nature of the human soul.

The term "Imzadi" doesn't mean something casual like "honey" or even a more poetic term like "beloved." It's a deeply spiritual expression about the first being to touch your soul. Not to give away any spoilers , but the lesson here isn't one of universal diplomacy or stunning modern technology, just the ancient knowledge that love conquers all.

6 A Stitch In Time, By Andrew Robinson (2000)

Elim Garak is a familiar name to those who know their Star Trek lore, in particular Deep Space Nine . The character has an interesting history; he was intended as a one-off , but viewers and scriptwriters like the character so much that they wrote him in as a recurring plot device instead. In a further twist, the actor that portrayed the character also wrote this book, and since this novel evolved from a series of diary entries that were part of the show, that makes a lot of sense.

Related: Star Trek’s Planet Classes, Explained

Robinson wrote these diary entries, which go back to Garak's childhood and early training, to explore the character for his purposes as an actor. Another Star Trek and sci-fi writer, David R. George III, heard Robinson read part of the diary at a convention and thought it would make a good novel. The rest might not be canon, but it is history.

5 Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages, By Diane Duane & Peter Morwood (2006)

This is a series of four shorter novels, which can be read separately, but this is an anthology that collects all four under one title. One edition was called Star Trek: Rihannsu but this was a version limited to certain book club members, so those looking for the title in modern bookstores are advised to look under Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages .

The word "Rhannsu" is a word that means "Romulan" and the books follow a small group of characters while giving exposition on the lore in general. For viewers that are interested in Romulan lore, this novel is highly recommended reading, and for those who aren't, these books might change your mind about one of Star Trek's most notorious races.

4 Prime Directive, By Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens (1990)

Prime Directive is a novel of what could have been a typical The Original Series episode and features the classic team of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Instead of being flippant about the most important rule in Starfleet that nobody follows, this one takes it seriously and gives the reader some real-world consequences as to what happens when it's overlooked.

Related: Best Star Trek Admirals, Ranked

The plot revolves around an incident in which the crew decides to violate the Prime Directive, and the consequences are disastrous on a planetary scale. Spock helps the crew redeem themselves, however, and uncovers a much bigger plot and enemy in the process. The novel has some prescient ideas, like the beings that call themselves the One, who sound suspiciously like the Borg.

3 The Entropy Effect, By Vonda N. McIntyre (1981)

It's not just one of the oldest and best stories that focus on everyone's favorite Vulcan, it's the first original story in what would become an extensive library of Star Trek novels from Pocket Books publishing. Writer Vonda N. McIntyre was also a biologist, making The Entropy Effect higher on the reading list for those with an appreciation for the science fiction side of Star Trek.

The story revolves around two parallel stories that intertwine; one about Spock and his study of a naked singularity and the other about the transport of a dangerous criminal. The singularity, which is similar to a phenomenon like a black hole, was also the subject of study for the prisoner, Dr. Georges Mordreaux. The doctor, convicted of murder and other grisly crimes, is also a source of fascination for Spock, and as the story unfolds he has to confront and defeat a person he admires.

2 Dead Endless, By Dave Galanter (2019)

Dead Endless is one of the more recent additions to the Star Trek reading library, and it's based on one of the more recently released shows, Discovery . The story revolves around characters Hugh Culber and Paul Stamets, the latter of which uses his mind and consciousness to navigate the secret spore drive.

Related: Star Trek: Best Lieutenant Commanders, Ranked

The story explores the idea of the existence of human consciousness within the mycelial network, and it's not official canon it could fit into the Discovery timeline. For readers who are looking for more Discovery novels, Gallery Books has several others that take place in the same setting.

1 The Eugenics Wars: The Rise And Fall Of Khan Noonien Singh (2001)

This isn't a novelization of The Wrath of Khan movie but one novel in a larger series about the Eugenics Wars overall, and this volume focuses on the rise of Star Trek's most infamous villain. Considering that the movie came out in 1982, and the popularity of the character , it's amazing that it took so long to release a novelization of the same era.

The novel traces the very beginning of the eugenics projects that would eventually give rise to genetically augmented humans and begins on Earth in 1974. The Watchers have a team on earth who have been keeping an eye on the Chrysalis Project; Gary Seven, his human secretary Roberta Lincoln, and the shapeshifter Isis. These characters also appeared on the TOS episode "Assignment Earth" which was intended to be a backdoor pilot for a show featuring Gary Seven.

More: Star Trek: Times Seven Of Nine Saved The Day

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Star Trek Novel Reading Order

Star Trek is one of the largest media tie-ins around, next to Star Wars novelizations.  Although released in multiple series such as The Original Series, The Next Generation, Section 13, etc you can read these books as one large, interconnected story line.  This is a reading order for all of the published Star Trek novels done more or less chronologically (there are several time travel novels where it is set in multiple time frames, in those cases it is placed chronologically where the majority of the issue takes place).

***Update****

I’ve reworked this order.  Reading it through, it wasn’t quite right, and really to be enjoyed it should be done with all the media (shows, comics, books, etc).  I’ve made a working order that you can not only follow, but create an account and track your reading & viewing.  It’s still a work in progress, so if an era you are looking for you don’t see, just be patient.  I am adding dozens of listings a day.

http://startrekreadingorder.com/

If you still only want the books, there is a listing of just books (still in progress also) here: http://startrekreadingorder.com/novel_reading_order.php

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Den of Geek

The First Star Trek Spinoff Would Have Explored a Very Different Kind of Frontier

As Star Trek was meeting its potential end, Gene Roddenberry tried to make a very different sci-fi spinoff with Assignment: Earth.

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By the end of Star Trek ‘s second season, Kirk and the Enterprise had encountered many godlike beings and advanced technologies. Yet, they still reacted with shock when, during a trip back to 1968, a mysterious person interferes with the ship’s transporters, and even more so when the person reveals himself as a serious-looking human holding a black cat named Isis.

That man, they discover, is Gary Seven a 20th-century human and member of an alien peacekeeping force. Seven has been sent back to his home planet to prevent a rocket launch that would further enflame the Cold War, a mission that Kirk and Spock take too long to understand.

Such is the plot to “Assignment: Earth,” the 1968 finale to the Original Series ‘ second season, which was also almost the last episode of the entire series. But even if that had been the end of Kirk and crew on television, it may not have been the end for Gary and his feline companion. After all, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had originally hoped to turn “Assignment: Earth” into an ongoing spinoff series, one that would have taken a slightly more grounded approach than exploring the final frontier.

A Missed Assignment

“Captain, we could say that Mister Seven and Miss Lincoln have some… interesting experiences in store for them,” says Spock at the end of “Assignment: Earth.” The line was intended as a tease for the audience, capping a backdoor pilot that Roddenberry hoped would lead to his next hit sci-fi series. But even before it was folded into Star Trek, the idea for “Assignment: Earth” began life as its own standalone show. Unfortunately, when none of the networks showed interest in ordering a pilot, Roddenberry and co-creator Art Wallace reworked the idea, instead launching “Assignment: Earth” via the also imperiled Star Trek .

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For that reason, “Assignment: Earth” spends more time with Seven than it does Kirk and Spock. Played with stoic reserve by Robert Lansing, Seven goes about his mission to disrupt the launch at the (fictional) McKinley Rocket Base with utter seriousness. Along the way, we learn a bit about his backstory. The descendent of humans abducted by aliens in 4000 BC and brought to peak mental and physical ability, Seven has returned to his people’s planet to prevent Earth from destroying itself before they can achieve harmony.

Along the way, Seven dazzles audiences with his high-tech equipment, including a massive computer hidden behind a bookcase in his apartment, his voice-activated typewriter, and his “servo,” a pen-shaped device that operates as a multipurpose tool.

The episode also gave Seven two partners, the first was Isis, who may or may not also sometimes be a sexy lady (this is a Roddenberry show, after all). The second is a hip ’60s woman called Roberta, played by Teri Garr . In her first major role, Garr shows off the comic timing that will make her a star, playing Roberta as sometimes overwhelmed by the advanced technology, but with a strong moral core and moments of bravery.

But despite all of the pieces in place for a cool sci-fi series, in which Gary and his crew continue to protect Earth’s timeline from being altered, neither audiences nor networks wanted more of Gary Seven. And when we next saw the Enterprise crew, they had much more important issues to deal with, namely finding Spock’s Brain in the season 3 opener.

The Best Star Trek Books Ever Written

Modern Star Trek Needs to Bring Back ‘Filler’ Episodes

The assignment continues.

Even if Lansing and Garr never returned as Seven and Roberta, Trekkies didn’t forget about them. The characters play key roles in the Eugenics Wars novels by Greg Cox from the early 2000s. In those stories, Seven finds the boy Khan Noonien Singh in a secret lab in 1974 India. Seven rescues the boy and plans to raise Khan in the ways of the aliens who taught him, hoping that Khan will use his augments for the good of humanity.

But when Khan takes steps that lead to the Eugenics Wars, Seven and Roberta try to stop him, essentially becoming his first nemeses. Seven’s failure to prevent Khan’s rise leads to his retirement from his post, with the mature Roberta taking over in his place.

Seven and Roberta have also appeared in several Star Trek comics, including a 2008 five-issue miniseries Star Trek: Assignment Earth by IDW Comics , written and penciled by none other than comics legend John Byrne. The comic picks up three months after “Assignment: Earth,” and follows the duo on a series of adventures, which involve more nuclear facilities, secret cloning labs, and even a return trip to the Enterprise .

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All of these stories present Seven and Roberta as secret agents, which makes sense, given that Roddenberry modeled the characters on popular British agents James Bond and The Avengers . However, sci-fi fans will notice quite a few similarities between the “Assignment: Earth” heroes and another popular franchise timey-wimey franchise following an alien protagonist: Doctor Who .

Like the Doctor, especially William Hartnell ‘s first incarnation, Seven has a stoic demeanor, which sometimes clashes with his cool young female companion. He uses alien equipment to go where he needs to anywhere on the planet (not through time, but given how easily the Enterprise time travels, it’s hard to believe that Seven didn’t have a few tricks to pull it off).

Seven solves problems by pointing his pen-shaped servo at things, which allows him to open and unlock doors, turn on computers, and that can even be set to stun, just like the sonic screwdriver. He even gets past security with a wallet full of fake ID cards, which feels a lot like psychic paper. Of course, psychic paper wasn’t added to Who lore until the Russel T Davies reboot. And even the sonic screwdriver didn’t appear until the Second Doctor serial Fury from the Deep , which aired at the same time as “Assignment: Earth.” Clearly, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln were onto something in 1968.

“I have never felt so helpless,” Kirk confesses in a supplemental log late in the episode. It’s a telling statement. Not only does Seven get most of the attention in “Assignment: Earth,” but Kirk and Spock spend the entire episode following his trail, confused and inert.

Had a letter-writing campaign not convinced CBS to produce one more season of Star Trek , “Assignment: Earth” would have been an ignoble end to the series but perhaps also the jumping off point for new adventures starring Mr. Seven and his companions. But even if Trek ‘s legacy is more than secure in 2024, it would still be nice to see the characters of Seven and Roberta make some sort of return. After all, humanity still needs a lot of help.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

Own Sifu & High on Life with August’s Humble Choice!