The rights to produce Marvel in the late 1970s/early 1980s, after almost a decade at Gold Key/Western Publishing. Marvel’s Star Trek comic, launched to coincide with the release of Star Trek: The Motion PIcture, would feature a bevy of top talent of the day. After striking gold with its Star Wars title, Marvel and Star Trek seemed to be a winning combination.

Gold Key/Western Publishing's first Star Trek comic launched in 1967, a year after the show premiered.

However, the series only ran 18 issues before cancelation. Part of the book’s failure lies in Marvel’s licensing deal with Paramount, which only allowed them to use characters and concepts used in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Thus, the extensive lore that had built up around the franchise was now off-limits. Undaunted, Star Trek’s writers and artists still managed to produce memorable stories, and here are the best 10.

10 Marvel’s Star Trek Hit the Ground Running

Star Trek’s First Three Issues Adapt The Motion Picture

Marvel inaugurated its Star Trek run with a briskly paced three-issue adaptation of The Motion Picture. In this case, Marvel was duplicating the same approach it took to Star Wars, using the first few issues to adapt the film. Fans who have seen Star Trek: The Motion Picture knows the film is slow and plodding, but Marvel speeds it up in its adaptation, creating a unique take on it.

Marvel’s first Star Trek comic suffered from a revolving door of writers and artists, but these first three issues benefited from a stable creative team. These first three issues also give fans a glimpse as to how good this series could have been.

9 Marvel’s First Original Star Trek Story Sends Up a Franchise Trope

One of the Greatest Star Trek Comic Writers Ever Makes His Debut

Throughout the original Star Trek’s run, the Enterprise would discover “themed” worlds, such as a planet where Rome never fell, or a world patterned after the American West. Done to save money, these episodes would often stretch credibility to the limit, and Marvel’s attempt here is slightly better. The Enterprise encounters a haunted house floating in space, full of classic Earth monsters. They also find Klingons, who may have a hand in the proceedings.

Over the next decade, Barr would write many Star Trek comics at a variety of publishers, becoming perhaps the preeminent Trek comic scribe.

These two issues are a fun and nostalgic romp for classic Star Trek fans. Issue five is also the Star Trek debut of Mike W. Barr. Over the next decade, Barr would write many Star Trek comics at a variety of publishers, becoming perhaps the preeminent Trek comic scribe.

8 Kirk and Spock Must Solve a Murder Mystery Aboard the Enterprise

An Underused Star Trek Character Gets a Chance to Shine

Star Trek dabbled in the mystery genre on more than one occasion, and “The Enterprise Murder Case” is cut from that cloth. An alien ambassador beams up aboard the ship, only to materialize dead. Kirk and company must race the clock to solve the murder before it triggers an interstellar incident.

Perhaps Star Trek's most notable forays into the mystery genre are Data's Sherlock Holmes-centered episodes.

Marvel’s license only allowed it to use characters appearing in Star Trek:The Motion Picture. The movie did not introduce many characters for Marvel to draw from, save one: Chief DiFalco. Seen in the movie shortly after V’ger abducts Ilia, DiFalco was a minor character at best, but this issue sees her take a more active role. Marvel’s license may have been unusually restrictive, but this issue shows them making the best of it.

7 Star Trek’s “Trinity” Are Enshrined–Literally

Another Classic Star Trek Trope Is Explored Here

Time travel is common in the Star Trek universe, and issue seven of Marvel’s run gives this trope a unique spin. While on a rescue mission to a distant star system, the franchise’s “trinity,” consisting of Kirk, Spock and Doctor McCoy, are stunned to find giant statues of themselves on one of the worlds. These statues are in turn venerated by the planet’s inhabitants.

An intriguing mystery lies at the center of the issue, and its treatment of the time travel theme ranks among the franchise's best. By the time of the issue’s publication in 1980, time travel had already been used several times. Furthermore, later Star Trek shows employed it to the point where some argue it is overdone. However, this issue’s clever time travel story saves it from that fate.

6 A Wild Cover, and Unforgettable Premise, Make This a Unique Star Trek Story

Frank Miller Left His Mark on Star Trek

The phrase “do not judge a book by its cover” does not apply to issue 10 of Marvel’s first Star Trek run. The cover, drawn by Frank Miller, shows a spear-wielding Spock fighting off a horde of primitive humanoids. With a look of grit and determination in the face of adversity, Spock presses forward, and the issue declares him “Spock the Barbarian.”

While the story inside does not quite deliver on the cover’s promise, it is still an enjoyable Star Trek adventure.

This premise immediately jumps out at the reader, and Miller’s cover helps sell it even further. While the story inside does not quite deliver on the cover’s promise, it is still an enjoyable Star Trek adventure. Spock does indeed find himself on a planet of violent primitives, meaning the cover was not misrepresenting the story. As a bonus, the issue also contains informational pieces on the uniforms seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

5 Marvel’s Star Trek Title Gave An Unexpected Look Into Scotty’s Past

“A Woman Scorned” Also Showed the Limitations of Marvel’s Star Trek License

Despite being an integral character in the classic Star Trek, Scotty did not receive the same amount of character development as Kirk or Spock, so issue 11 of Marvel’s early run is a pleasant surprise. Andrea Manning, a former flame of Scotty’s, comes aboard the Enterprise, with a highly suspicious “guru” with her. Fans learn this guru has awakened something dark inside of Andrea…and now Scotty must stop it.

While it offers a much-welcome insight into Scotty’s past, the issue also showed signs the series was running out of gas. Some of the concepts used in this issue, such as thought projection and horror-based images, had already been done both on-screen and in the comics. This issue manages to overcome this limitation to create a good story, but the leaks were becoming apparent.

4 Janice Rand Finally Got a Compelling Star Trek Story Of Her Own

The Story Also Features Some of Star Trek’s Most Unique Aliens

Yeoman Janice Rand was poised to become a major player in the Star Trek franchise, to the point where her face appeared on early merchandise. However, she was written off the show, with no in-universe reason given for her departure. “Eclipse of Reason” fills in this gap, giving insight into not only Rand’s exit from the Enterprise, but also into her relationship with Kirk.

Janice Rand was played by actress Grace Lee Whitney.

The issue introduces the Phaetons, a non-corporeal race with a hidden agenda. Marvel’s Star Trek run did not hesitate to introduce unique and cool alien races, and the Phaetons rank as some of the most memorable. The issue sees the Enterprise cross the Galactic Barrier, allowing for references to Star Trek’s second pilot: “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”

3 Doctor McCoy’s Long-Lost Daughter Finally Enters Star Trek Continuity

Joanna McCoy Was Almost in the Original Series

Joanna McCoy, the daughter of Doctor McCoy, steps into the spotlight in this issue. McCoy’s sad backstory, including his divorce and family, were only hinted at in the Original Series, but here they are explored for the first time. McCoy’s first encounter with his daughter in over a decade does not go well, and when Klingons are factored in, it equals a mess.

"Way to Eden" not only had Joanna come aboard the Enterprise, but also become romantically involved with Kirk!

Joanna nearly appeared in the classic Star Trek. An early draft for the third season episode “The Way to Eden” had Joanna come aboard the Enterprise, but this never made it to the screen. Joanna has since appeared in other licensed media, but never in a Star Trek show or movie.

2 Marvel Broke One of Star Trek’s Cardinal Rules

Gene Roddenberry Had Ideas About Federation Starships

Issue 15 of Marvel’s early Star Trek run is a fun and engaging story, but along the way it breaks one of the franchise’s biggest rules: that Federation starships do not use cloaking devices. In this issue, the Enterprise uses one for a dangerous rescue mission in hostile territory.

Starfleet using a cloaking device would come back in the seventh season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Pegasus."

In the third season episode “The Enterprise Incident,” Kirk stole a cloaking device from a Romulan ship, with the implication the Federation was going to use it. Yet it was never seen again, and Roddenberry later decided Starfleet would not use cloaking devices. He reasoned that a high-principled organization like Starfleet would not “sneak” around with a cloaking device.

1 Marvel’s Star Trek Series Closed Out With a Bang

Marvel’s Final Issue Reads Like a Classic Star Trek Story

Issue 18, the finale of Marvel’s first Star Trek run, closes out the series with a story cut from the mold of the Original Series. The Enterprise runs across a massive worldship and Kirk and Spock are transported aboard. Subjected to torture, Kirk and Spock learn the truth about the ship and its inhabitants.

At its core, Star Trek is about tolerance and understanding, and the final issue of the first Marvel run exemplifies this perhaps better than any others. Kirk and Spock learn the “Sustainer,” the robot controlling the world ship, has benevolent intentions–just harsh ways of going about them. The two parties eventually come to an agreement that benefits everyone–classic Star Trek.