Star Trek Discovery publishing updates

Star Trek: Discovery is to set new standards for Star Trek tie-in fiction integration, with novels and comics launching alongside the series, co-ordinated by novelist and Discovery writer Kirsten Beyer. Befittingly, amongst all the other Discovery talk at the Star Trek las vegas convention, publishing got it's very own panel, which delivered lots of exciting news. Continue below to learn what's new:

First up, David Mack's first Discovery novel, Desperate Hours (which will be released near simultaneously with the start of the TV series), had it's cover and blurb reveal:

Aboard the Starship Shenzhou, Lieutenant Michael Burnham, a human woman raised and educated among Vulcans, is promoted to acting first officer. But if she wants to keep the job, she must prove to Captain Philippa Georgiou that she deserves to have it.

She gets her chance when the Shenzhou must protect a Federation colony that is under attack by an ancient alien vessel that has surfaced from the deepest fathoms of the planet’s dark, uncharted sea.

As the menace from this mysterious vessel grows stronger, Starfleet declares the colony expendable in the name of halting the threat. To save thousands of innocent lives, Burnham must infiltrate the alien ship. But to do so she needs to face the truth of her troubled past, and seek the aid of a man she has tried to avoid her entire life—until now.

Reporting from the panel, TrekMovie quoted David Mack on the setting, a year before the TV series begins, and a year after The Cage:

There may also be a situation where, when the crisis on the planet gets out of hand, help needs to be rendered by another Federation starship with which fans may have a passing familiarity.

He also discussed the genesis of the book, and how he has created it in collaboration with the TV production:

They have kept me in the loop throughout the season with all the scripts and the story development. There were a few false starts, but eventually it allowed us to collaboratively create this story, which by the way sprung from a direct request by Bryan Fuller, the co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery – he basically asked that we write a book on this basic premise.

The panel also announced the second Discovery novel will be written by Dayton Ward, and is set for publication early next year. This one is also a prequel, set a decade before the series!

The cover for the first Discovery comic, written by Mike Johnson and Kirsten Beyer was also revealed. As it subtly hints, this first four-issue arc will focus on T'Kuvma. The cover, and interior art, are by Tony Shasteen.

IDW plan to continue Discovery comics in miniseries rather than an ongoing, each exploring a different aspect of the series.

While all these efforts continue to be strictly non-canon, they are definitely be treated differently to previous tie-ins, as Beyer described (again via TrekMovie):

Because of the collaborative nature of this process, we’re able to go farther, take bigger risks. The danger is that, in the future, somebody will come upon with an amazing story idea that would incompatible with what we’ve already established and just like always, the series is going to take priority. But the hope is that we can carve out these places that are safe and that we can continue to protect because as much as possible we want this to be one integrated universe…we’re doing what we can to make sure these stories all fit together moving forward.

You can keep an eye on the all the latest novels and comics by checking my schedule pages. Star Trek: Discovery is due to start this September, with Desperate Hours also due out then, and the comics beginning in October. To keep track of all the latest details from the new show, visit my Star Trek: Discovery guide page.