New Star Trek Comic and Film Plans Emerge

IDW's new comic Star Trek: The Last Starship revives Captain Kirk to confront a darker future tied to Discovery's "The Burn," in which dilithium was destroyed and Earth abandoned the United Federation. Comics have long patched and expanded Trek continuity—1986's Star Trek Annual #2 provided a cinematic-style send-off for The Original Series by revisiting Talos IV and Captain Pike. Comics also anticipated and influenced film ideas: Len Wein pitched an early Khan sequel in the 1970s (blocked by licensing), and DC's post-Wrath of Khan comics carried forward the movie-era storyline. Following the Paramount/Skydance merger, the studio is prioritizing new Star Trek films, with multiple projects reportedly in development. Pitches under consideration reportedly range from Quentin Tarantino and Mark L. Smith’s unmade script to Zachary Quinto-led efforts to revive Star Trek 4. Executives are weighing reinvention strategies that could draw on the franchise's comic legacy and recent small-screen successes to restore Star Trek's box-office prominence.