10 Epic Star Trek Missions That Somehow Never Made It to TV

There have been many top-flight Star Trek missions in the franchise’s 59-year history, but some never made it to the screen, and instead can be found in the pages of licensed comics. Since its inception, Star Trek has inspired countless spin-off media, including novels and comics that chronicle the further adventures of these beloved icons. Some of these stories rank as high as a television episode.

The first officially licensed Star Trek comic, published by the now-defunct Gold Key, appeared in 1967, and the rights to produce them have changed hands several times. DC Comics published many acclaimed Star Trek comics throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, while Marvel had two runs with the franchise. Wildstorm and Tokyopop have also produced Star Trek material, and the rights currently reside with IDW Publishing. Regardless of who is publishing them, the commitment to Star Trek’s mission and ethos is there, and here are ten of the best.

10DC’s First Star Trek Mission Threw Down the Gauntlet for Future Trek Comics

DC’s Star Trek Comic Was a Turning Point

DC’s first Star Trek comic debuted roughly a year and a half after The Wrath of Khan, and picks up not long after the events of that film. The Enterprise has been repaired and recrewed, and is ready to once again “boldly go.” Yet a Klingon scheme involving a base outside the space-time continuum threatens to upend galactic peace. Throw in the Excalibans, a deep-cut species from The Original Series, and there are all the makings of a classic Star Trek story, one that would set the stage for all future entries.

What made DC’s first Star Trek mission so special was its scope. Previously, Trek comics were hamstrung by either restrictive licenses or lack of faith to the source material. DC’s Star Trek series, on the other hand, had no such hangups, and was free to draw on the entire franchise lore. While the appearances of races such as the Excalibans might seem like nothing but fan service, they actually raise the mission’s stakes even higher. The opening mission also introduced a number of Starfleet characters who were new to the comics, another DC innovation.

9Captain Kirk Had to Turn Back an Incursion from the Mirror Universe

It Would be the First of Many Mirror Universe Star Trek Stories

The Mirror Universe, introduced in Star Trek’s second season, has become a key part of the franchise’s lore, and the story “New Frontiers,” brought it back in a grand fashion. The inhabitants of the Mirror Universe planned to invade the Federation, and Captain Kirk had to find a way to stop it. What followed was an epic Star Trek mission, filled with double-crosses and mistaken identities. It would be the first of many Mirror Universe comic books, as both Marvel and IDW have taken trips there as well, yet “New Frontiers” still stands above the rest.

Sometimes called “The Mirror Universe Saga,” this story arc, set immediately after the Enterprise’s destruction in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, dealt with the fallout from that film. Spock, revived at the movie’s end, was struggling to regain his memories and his old personality, and, thanks to Mirror Spock, he was able to do this. “New Frontiers” also ended by setting up a bold new status quo for Captain Kirk: the arc culminated with him taking command of the Excelsior. For the first time, fans got to see Kirk command a ship other than the Enterprise.

8Renegade Borg and Tholians Lead the Enterprise Into a “War of Madness”

“War of Madness” Is a Vast, Sweeping Star Trek Saga

In addition to publishing comics based on the Original Series, DC also released titles based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and “War of Madness” is one of the best of the run. The renegade Borg that Captain Picard encountered in “The Descent” return. A break-off faction is kidnapping Tholians, attempting to unlock the secrets of their collective minds. The Tholians blame the Federation, and before long, Picard and the crew of the Enterprise must prevent the galaxy from exploding in an all-out war. The story concluded in the double-sized 75th issue of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

“War of Madness” is a vast, sweeping story that draws on all corners of the Star Trek universe. The Tholians are a fan-favorite race that does not get enough screen time, and writer Michael Jan Friedman and artist Gordon Purcell here weave them into a wide-reaching tapestry that also includes the Borg and the Klingons. Popular recurring characters, such as the Klingon Chancellor Gowron, also make appearances. Yet beyond being simple fan service, they help make “War of Madness” one of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s best stories.

7“Our Dearest Blood” Shows What Happened Before Star Trek’s First Pilot

The Battle on Rigel VII Would Haunt Captain Pike For the Rest of His Life

When fans first meet Captain Pike in Star Trek’s first pilot episode “The Cage,” he is still reeling from an incident on Rigel VII. The episode leaves the details vague, but issue three of Marvel’s Star Trek: The Early Voyages shows what happened in all of its gut-wrenching glory. “The Cage” did reveal that Pike lost one of his best friends on Rigel VII, the ship’s Yeoman to be exact. “Our Dearest Blood” shows this heartbreaking moment, one that would stick with Pike for the rest of his days.

“Our Dearest Blood” is the perfect example of Star Trek comics filling in gaps left by the television series. Whatever happened on Rigel VII had a profound impact on Pike, and echoes of his heartache can be seen in “The Cage.” The likelihood that the Rigel VII incident will ever be shown on-screen, even on Strange New Worlds, is slim, making comics the perfect medium to depict this often mentioned but never seen event. The Early Voyages was one of the best titles of Marvel’s late-90s run, and stories like “Our Dearest Blood” show why.

6The Enterprise Meets the Alien Grays at “Odyssey’s End”

The Enterprise’s Final Mission Connected the Franchise to UFO Lore

For all of its 59-year history, televised Star Trek never acknowledged any part of UFO lore; no mention of the Grays or alien abductions. All of that changed in “Odyssey’s End.” Set at the conclusion of the Enterprise’s second five-year mission under Kirk, it begins when the ship discovers a mysterious alien craft abducting people off a distant planet. As the crew investigates, they discover the culprits are a stand-in for the Grays, finally linking the elusive species to Star Trek lore. And in true Star Trek fashion, these equivalents of the Grays learn a valuable lesson.

“Odyssey’s End” is a fun but also bittersweet Star Trek story. Writer Glenn Greenberg and artist Michael Collins not only introduced the Grays to the franchise, but also gave them a connection to the Preservers, an ancient alien race first mentioned in The Original Series. “Odyssey’s End” is also especially poignant, as it is set at the end of Captain Kirk’s second five-year mission aboard the Enterprise, and before the events of The Wrath of Khan. Fans get to see, among other things, the transition to the movie-era Starfleet uniforms.

5Not Even Khan Could Withstand Star Trek’s Mirror Universe

Star Trek’s Mirror Universe Continues to Inspire Awesome New Stories

The Mirror Universe has proven to be one of Star Trek’s most enduring concepts, having appeared in numerous shows as well as licensed media, including the comics. “New Frontiers,” mentioned earlier in this list, was one such classic comic Mirror Universe story, and Hell’s Mirror, first published by IDW in 2020 is another. The premise is one that has intrigued Star Trek fans since the 1960s: what if Khan, the genocidal warlord of Earth’s Eugenics Wars, came to the Mirror Universe? Legendary writer JM DeMatteis and artist Matthew Dow Smith take this idea to its horrifying conclusion.

History unfolds much the same: Khan and his followers went into space in suspended animation, and were awakened in the 23rd century. Yet Mirror Khan is horrified at what humanity has become. The first three pages of Hell’s Mirror are gut-wrenching, as Khan laments the state of the galaxy. Fans then learn Khan leads a rebellion against the Terran Empire, but it is one doomed to fail. Not even Khan Noonian Singh was ready for the layers of deceit and trickery the Empire was willing to use, and his rebellion was crushed swiftly.

4Godshock Announces A Bold New Era for Star Trek Comics

Captain Sisko’s Mission to Save the Gods Would Have Multiversal Consequences

By the time IDW released Star Trek #1 in late 2022, the publisher had held the license for over a decade. The book’s publication was a new beginning for IDW’s Star Trek line, and it kicked off with a grand, epic mission: Ben Sisko and a group of officers from across the franchise had to stop the Klingon Emperor Kahless II from killing the universe’s gods. Sisko’s mission to save creation took him through almost 60 years of history and lore, incorporating deep-cut Easter Eggs that rewarded fans for their Star Trek knowledge.

Yet beyond being simple fan service, Godshock featured an intriguing mystery and spot-on characterizations of established Star Trek icons. Godshock introduced new characters to the canon as well, such as T’Lir, the first non-binary Vulcan seen in the franchise. At its core, Godshock was classic Star Trek. Star Trek has never shied away from social commentary, or deep explorations of what it means to be human. Godshock and subsequent stories have explored the relationship between humanity and their gods, as well as the rise of religious-based fanaticism.

3Captain Sisko Prevented a War That Could Have Destroyed the Federation in Glass and Bone

IDW’s Star Trek Title Gave Fans a Glimpse of the Enigmatic Tzenkethi

The Tzenkethi began as a throwaway Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reference, but have still managed to become fan favorites. This is especially interesting in light of the fact that the Tzenkethi has never been seen on-screen. However, they have appeared in tie-in media, such as Star Trek Online. Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly were joined by long-time collaborator Marcus To help bring the Tzenkethi to comics, and they did not disappoint. Resembling dinosaurs, the Tzenkethi were, by all accounts, far more primitive than the Federation, but the aliens have embarrassed Starfleet at every encounter.

Previous Star Trek arcs drew heavily on Easter Eggs, but Glass and Bone broke new ground, giving the Tzenkethi a defined culture, one that appears to be barbaric and fatalistic. The Romulans, eager to exploit the differences between the Federation and the Tzenkethi to their own ends, attempt to provoke a galactic war. Sisko has been charged with curbing the Romulan’s influence, but there is an even bigger problem looming: the Tzenkethi homeworld is geologically unstable, and is about to explode very soon. Sisko must then race against time to not only broker an agreement, but save the planet as well.

2Worf as a Bounty Hunter? Yes, That Really Happened

Star Trek: Defiant Took Fans Through the Seedy Side of the Franchise

Months after launching Star Trek to great acclaim, IDW introduced its sister title: Defiant, which promised a grittier, more grounded take on the franchise. Another Piece of the Action made good on this promise. After Worf and the crew of the Defiant helped save the galaxy during Day of Blood, Starfleet gave them a new mission: bring in some of the galaxy’s biggest criminals. Furthermore, Starfleet disavowed any knowledge of the Defiant crew’s actions or existence, making any future missions off the books. It was hardly the fate Worf expected, but he went with it.

Another Piece of the Action, like the other arcs, employed some deep-cut references, such as the time-traveling con man Berlinghoff Rasmussen and the Talosians. These Easter Eggs, when combined with the dark and brutal nature of Worf’s mission, made Another Piece of the Action an unforgettable Star Trek mission. It depicted a side of Starfleet rarely seen. While creator Gene Roddenberry may have had a problem with the organization using bounty hunters, it still made for a gripping and compelling Star Trek story.

1Deep Space Nine Let Slip The Dog of War

Captain Sisko and His Crew Put Their Lives on the Line for a Dog

Released to commemorate Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s 30th anniversary, The Dog of War was a different kind of mission for Captain Sisko and his crew. Quark makes a deal to obtain a rare Earth dog for a mysterious buyer. However, there is much more going on under the surface. The dog, a cute Corgi Quark named “Latinum,” seemingly has ties to a super weapon that could alter the course of the Dominion War, which was raging at the time The Dog of War was set.

The Dog of War was billed a “lost episode” of Deep Space Nine, and it plays out like one, mixing high-stakes action with compelling characterizations. The Dominion War was one of the darkest storylines in Star Trek history, and The Dog of War, while fitting firmly within that arc, also helps break the grimness that had overtaken their lives. Latinum is a cute foil for Quark, and the scene in which Sisko and company board the Defiant to embark on a mission to save the dog’s life will have Star Trek fans pumping their fists.