Explore the Final Frontier With These Stunning Star Trek Books

Agents of Influence is a new chronicle set during the original Five-Year Mission. While it allows for a deeper exploration of familiar characters, stories, and plot developments from previous novels, it’s written in a way that doesn’t require you to read Vanguard or Seekers first in order to enjoy it, though it does pick up right where Seekers 4: All That’s Left ended. 

We get to enjoy a mix of action from both the USS Endeavor’s crew and Kirk, Spock, Sulu, McCoy, and Uhura as the Enterprise is tasked with investigating the USS Endeavor’s mysterious disappearance after being sent to repossess the undercover Starfleet operatives from their Klingon mission. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 is a must read for any Trek fan. While the original Star Trek laid the groundwork for what was to come, it was The Next Generation that found widespread pop culture success. 

Against all odds Gene Roddenberry found a way to both honor and expand on the themes and mythology of the original series while simultaneously creating something distinct and fresh. The Next Generation 365 features a comprehensive episode guide alongside rarely seen photos and illustrations of the beloved series. 

Whether you’re a hardcore fan who’s trying to keep the Star Trek franchise’s 50+ year history in order, or a new fan who is trying to make connections between the never-ending characters and storyline, Star Trek: The Book of Lists is an invaluable piece of literature. It includes 100 concise lists with the most compelling Star Trek facts and trivia, including on and off-screen facts, facts about both the original series and spin-offs, and facts from its 13 films. 

It’s practically unarguable that William Shatner is the most involved person in the Star Trek franchise ever. In his behind-the-scenes memoir, Star Trek Memories, fans not only get personal insights but also personal anecdotes from the show’s creation. He provides an overall view of the show’s cultural impact and vision for the future, as well as the nitty-gritty things like the drama behind its most unforgettable episodes. 

Based on the Kelvin Universe movie saga, More Beautiful Than Death is a multi-storyline saga that, to most readers, luckily still feels very rooted in the Star Trek 2009 aesthetic. Kirk and the Enterprise crew escort Spock’s father, Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan, to the planet Akiron, only to find that it’s under siege by “demons.”

Though Sarek orders Kirk to abandon the mission, Kirk is dedicated to helping those in need. But his belief in a rational universe is questioned when he learns from a mystic that Kirk landed in Akiron by way of a Karmic debt, and not by coincidence. Meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise, Sarek’s young assistant L’Nel has plans to murder Spock. 

Overall, reviews declare that More Beautiful Than Death is a fun twist on a classic episode, and the exploration of the Vulcan storyline was well-received. 

Regarded as “one of the finest one-off multi-series crossovers to date” at the time of its release, Catalyst of Sorrows seamlessly features a plethora of characters, all familiar yet not all previously connected, into an entertaining plot that simply works. 

In it, Zetha, a Romulan-trained killing machine, turns against her masters to undertake a dangerous quest through the Neutral Zone to warn Admiral Uhura of an impending biological holocaust. Now equipped with the knowledge Zetha risked her life to bring her, Admiral Uhura must send hand-picked Starfleet officers to trace the sickness to its source and contain it at any cost … if they’re not already too late to stop it. 

The “Trouble with Tribbles”, the iconic Hugo-nominated second season episode of Star Trek, is arguably the best known episode of the series. 

Towing the line between high camp and provocative sci-fi, it may be the episode the best encapsulates all facets of the charm of the original series. 

Here, David Gerrold, the episode’s writer takes fans deep behind the scenes to explain how the episode was made from conceptualization to filming. It’s a fascinating read lifted by thirty pages of rare photos and illustrations. 

“City on the Edge of Forever” is one of the best episodes of a Star Trek series ever produced. For me personally, if you were only to watch one episode of Star Trek, this would be it. 

The award-winning episode simply hit all the right notes, from its thought provoking take on time travel to its devastating–and painfully honest–conclusion. This volume features the original teleplay in its entirety as well as an introductory essay from Harlan Ellison, who penned the episode. 

Control inserts us straight into the action as Doctor Julian Bashir makes his final attempt to take down section 31, a rogue covert operation and shadow group that will defend the Federation at any cost. When Bashir discovers a 200-year-old secret, he identifies it as his best chance at destroying section 31 for good. But neither side will go down without a fight, and the repercussions will be paid in blood. 

Though clearly written to appeal to Star Trek fans, you don’t have to be deeply familiar with the lore to enjoy this one. Building an expansive narrative spanning from the 22nd to the 24th centuries, readers get a comprehensive exploration of the Federation’s true origins. 

When Gene Roddenberry created “Star Trek” he pulled together a collection of the top writers in science fiction at the time to get the series off the ground. 

David Gerrold was among that group and as a result had an inside view of not only what made the show tick, but also what inspired its ravenous fandom. The World of Star Trek takes fans deep behind-the-scenes as Gerrold delves into every facet of the beloved series. 

The Kobayashi Maru is the infamous practical exam at the Starfleet Academy that pits young command cadets against an impossible no-win scenario. 

It’s a means to determine the true character of the cadets involved. This classic novel features Kirk, Chekov, Scotty, and Sulu stranded on a shuttlecraft with little hope of rescue, exchanging tales of each man’s Kobayashi Maru. 

It’s a revealing look at the formative experience of these beloved characters. 

I, the Constable is written as equally science fiction, adventure, and classic detective story, almost in an old-fashioned noir sense from the Deep Space Nine universe. Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann are the authors, and as this was their third ebook exclusive, they’ve gotten very good at stories that feature fan-favorite character dynamics. In this one, Odo, Quark, and the Ferengi from Block and Erdmann’s previous works are the main characters. 

While Odo journeys to Ferenginar to track down Quark, readers learn more about the planet’s development, Ferengi culture, and the relationship between Quark and Odo. 

First introduced in “Trials and Tribble-ations,” the star of the show in this novel is the Department of Temporal Investigations. Continuing the Department of Temporal Investigations series, more specifically continuing the story from Time Lock, the DTI agents must retrieve a time-travel device that a rogue Aegis agent stole from their own vault. 

As a result, readers get an introspective, character-driven story that will absolutely delight fans of the DTI series. We get a deep-dive into several complex characters that makes for some very intriguing character arcs despite the short length of the novella. We’ll see if those arcs are enough to balance the potential consequences of protecting history and preserving the past. 

With twenty Star Trek books under their belts – including ten written with William Shatner – as well as stints as executive producers on Star Trek: Enterprise, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens have had a tremendous hand in shaping the expanded Star Trek universe. Collision Course is among their best contributions. 

The novel is a deep dive into the tumultuous friendship of Kirk and Spock and charts their first encounter in Starfleet Academy and the mysterious conspiracy that drew the promising but troubled cadets together. 

Set during the original series era, Infection actually had a boom in readership around 2020, during which many readers found several prescient themes, including an incurable flu, racial injustice, and local law enforcement complicit in acts of violence. 

In the story by John Gregory Betancourt, a violent epidemic swarms its way across Archaria III, not only making thousands fatally ill, but also acting as the catalyst for all types of mob violence as everyone blames everyone else for the spread of the disease. Data and Natasha Yar link up to uncover the illness’ true origins while Dr. Crusher discovers that it resists all her strategies to find a cure. But the already desperate quest only becomes more desperate when Deanna Troi becomes affected as well.

While he is best known as the legendary actor behind Captain James T. Kirk, William Shatner has also carved out an impressive writing career spanning entries in the Star Trek universe, a couple of memoirs, and his bestselling TekWar series.  

This boxed set features the first three volumes of TekWar and chronicles the story of disgraced Los Angeles detective Jake Cardigan in the twenty-second century. 

Framed for dealing a mind-altering drug known as Tek, Cardigan awakes from a four year stint in cryo-prison on a mission to clear his name and bring down the international cartel pushing the drug. 

Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal of the coldly logical – but deceptively emotional – Mr. Spock is one of sci-fi’s most beloved and celebrated. 

Having played the role across the entirety of the original series, seven films, and a two-parter on The Next Generation, no one other than perhaps William Shatner can claim a closer ties to the series. 

Here Nimoy recounts his experiences with the Star Trek universe, his sometimes tumultuous relationships with his co-stars, and his unique insights into the character that defined his career for better or worse. 

It is a frank and fascinating view into the mind of the sci-fi icon. 

In Living Memory, a two-part storyline is presented. In the first, we follow Kirk as he is settling in as commandant of Starfleet Academy. But it’s no easy task as he is confronted with the controversial and tumultuous integration of an alien warrior group into his student body; and the conflict only worsens when it escalates to murder. 

In the second storyline, Spock and Chekov are investigating cosmic storms that seem to be targeting Federation worlds–but they don’t know why. In their quest to uncover the truth, they find that the answer lies in Commander Uhura’s past–a past she no longer remembers.

Reviews reveal that Bennett has a knack for picking up on things that are either unexplained or contradictory in Star Trek canon and centering stories around them. Readers appreciate his exploration of the impact on Uhura’s life following her encounter with the Nomad probe in “The Changeling” when her memory was wiped. We get a lot of Uhura’s backstory as well as some strong character development that she wasn’t given in The Original Series. 

Peter David is arguably the most influential writer in the Star Trek expanded universe. His nearly fifty novels touch on virtually every era of Star Trek lore. His books are swashbuckling, addictive adventures that distill what fans love about Star Trek.

Imzadi may be just be his best contribution. It is a complex, poignant, and incredibly entertaining time-travel romance chronicling the Troi-Riker relationship. This one is a page-turning must read that perfectly illustrates David’s command of the underlying source material. 

With The Captain’s Daughter, Peter David turns his eye toward the beloved, but oddly overlooked Sulu. The book centers around a grief-stricken Sulu, now a Starfleet captain, as he tries to unravel the bizarre mystery behind his daughter’s inexplicable death. What he quickly discovers is an old enemy hell-bent on tearing Sulu’s world apart. It’s an emotionally charged, page-turning adventure.