Yes, Star Trek: First Contact Has a Sequel, And It Somehow Includes the X-Men

Yes, Star Trek: First Contact has a sequel, and it somehow involves the X-Men. The worlds of the Enterprise and Marvel’s mutants may seem light years apart, but the publisher managed to bring the two together in 1998’s Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact. Yet beyond being a simple gimmick, the story functions as a sequel of sorts to 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact.

Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact was written by Dan Abnett and Ian Edginton and drawn by Cary Nord. First Contact ended with the Enterprise traveling through a time portal back to their home in the 24th century. Yet the portal was unstable, and sent the Enterprise straight to the Marvel Universe. Picard makes contact with the X-Men. The two groups are visited by Kang the Conqueror, who offers the Enterprise crew a way home. But it is all a trap, as Kang is going to use the multiversal instability brought about by the Enterprise's visit to his own ends.

Marvel's Second Go At Making Star Trek Comics Mixed Old Ideas With Sky-Blue Thinking

Marvel Kicked Off Their Star Trek Comics' Line With an X-Men Crossover

Released in 1996 to commemorate Star Trek’s 30th anniversary, First Contact is one of the franchise’s finest outings. The Borg travel back to the mid-21st century to sabotage Zefram Cochrane’s warp flight, thus eliminating the Federation. Captain Picard and the newly christened Enterprise-E go back to undo the damage the Borg did. Picard must not only fight the Borg on board the ship, but confront his unresolved feelings about the species. The film, directed by Jonathan Frakes, was a massive box office success and is regarded as the end point of a “golden age” for the franchise.

Around the same time of First Contact’s release, Marvel Comics obtained the license to produce new Star Trek comics. The line kicked off with an adaptation of First Contact as well as a crossover between Captain Kirk’s crew and the X-Men. This meeting of the two IPs was greeted with derision at the time of publication, but it demonstrated that Marvel was going to take some big creative swings with its new line of Trek books. Star Trek/X-Men was then followed by new monthly releases for Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men Is a Great Story, Believe it Or Not

Second Contact Succeeds Where Its Predecessor, Star Trek/X-Men, Failed

Star Trek/X-Men, although not a hit with critics (and a contingent of fans), nevertheless did well enough to warrant a sequel, and this time it was Picard’s turn to meet the team. Second Contact references the events of the first Star Trek/X-Men crossover, and takes it a step further. Abnett, Edginton and Nord pack many Easter Eggs throughout the book: Picard and a contingent of X-Men travel to the Days of Future’s Past timeline, while another finds themselves aboard the Saratoga at Wolf 359, where they meet John Proudstar (Thunderbird).

Part of the criticisms aimed at the first Star Trek/X-Men crossover was how incongruous the two franchises were, and the book seemed to reinforce this, but Second Contact improves upon the formula. Abnett, Edginton and Nord are clearly having a ball working on this book and it shows. While the first Star Trek/X-Men crossover had its moments, it felt forced. Marvel clearly learned their lesson, and Second Contact is not bogged down by the same problems. Second Contact manages to seamlessly merge the worlds of the X-Men and the Enterprise.

Second Contact also works because it directly ties into the events of First Contact. The book begins literally seconds after the film’s ending, and the same riff that took the Enterprise back to the 21st century sends them to Earth-616. The Borg are also present in Second Contact. That the Enterprise’s arrival would cause space-time disturbances is pure Star Trek, and adding Kang the Conqueror to the mix raises the stakes even further. The shoutouts to continuity along the way, such as John Proudstar dying yet again, are pure fan-service but do not detract from the story.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's Crossover With the X-Men Was More Than a First Contact Sequel

Second Contact Also Wrapped Up One of the Most Underrated Star Trek Comic Lines

By the time Star Trek:The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact appeared on the shelves, Marvel’s license to produce new books was set to expire, so in a way it served as a capstone for the line. This was a fitting and poetic move, as the line began with Star Trek: First Contact and the X-Men. Second Contact was not only a stealth sequel to First Contact, but was a farewell to one of the best Star Trek comic lines ever.