68 books like Star Trek

Much of what I learned about real friendship I learned from Star Trek. From the many episodes of the original series I saw in syndication to the heartbreaking ending of Wrath of Kahn, the principle of “I am, and forever will be, your friend,” has influenced many of my friendships over the years. 

This book explores those friendships we have seen on screen, from Kirk and Spock, to Picard and Data, from Janeway and Seven of Nine to Bashir and Garak. Told through the eyes of fans, this is a great gift to yourself or your best friend if you want to make them jealous.

I got a sneak peek at this book at a convention, and it’s absolutely stunning. For the hard-core Trekkie, this is a must-have. It showcases detailed looks at ships from the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 

Each ship is profiled in extreme detail, with technical specs, the ship’s history, and some cool renderings created using the original models created for the show. 

While I didn’t get to study every profile, this book contains 40 ships, including the Anaxar cargo vessel, the Breen Warship, the Cardassian Bok'Nor, the Cardassian military freighter, the Ferengi shuttle, the Gorn warship, the Husnok warship, and the Jem’Hadar battlecruiser.

Looking for a birthday or Christmas gift for a Trekkie this year? This may be top on their list. 

Did I mention that I am a Trekkie and a science nerd? When I was in eighth grade, my science project was on ani-matter. I was thrilled to discover that it was a real thing, not just something Star Trek made up. In fact, Star Trek has inspired many things, from the cell phone to the tablet, and even Bluetooth communication devices.

In this book, Mark Brake explores all those things, from cyborgs and aliens to planet hunting, and even asking when we will boldly go into the galaxy. It’s available for pre-order now and drops on May 26.

Star Trek: First Contact for me symbolized a return to the big screen for Star Trek, and the introduction of the Borg, one of the constant “villains” in the series from that point forward. But one of the things that has always fascinated me has been how these movies themselves spawned innovation in filmmaking. 

This is certainly no exception, and Joe Fordham expertly explores how this film did just that in a coffee table book filled with never before seen production art, cast interviews, and more. 

I have no idea why this book was made. Star Trek was a cult show that was nearly canceled after its second season until the first fan campaign helped it earn one more run. So whose genius idea was it—in the midst of production—to create this book detailing how the show was made from soup to nuts? My thanks to the writers, editors, and publishers who made it happen. Because the result is an extraordinary contemporaneous look at a television show from the 1960s that changed the world. And my life, too. I found Star Trek as a child and this book as an early teen. Its insights made me determined that I, too, would somehow become a part of Star Trek production. Even if the show had finished filming before I was even born. Bless my Trekkie English teacher who had this book on her “borrowing” shelf. 

David Gerrold had a lot to say about the experience of writing his first episode of television in The Trouble With Tribbles. But that wasn’t all the insight he had behind the scenes of the Star Trek series. So he wrote another entire book about the show and the fandom that adopted it. Once again filled with wit and wisecracks, this book is another must-have for fans of the Original Series. At the time it came out, it was a book about a show that had only just begun to make its mark on popular culture. So the production and studio “machine” was not yet in control of what could and couldn’t be said about the property. Another raw and fascinating book by someone who was actually in the room where it happened. And one that made my entry into Star Trek fandom more understandable.

Travel back in time, reader, to the dark ages of the 1980s and a sci-fi convention full of eccentric gamers, puffed-up speakers, and fans unleashing their alter egos. And of course… murder. The hero, a professor with a surprise hit sci-fi book on his hands, is a charming fish out of water determined to do the right thing. Though the technology described in the book is dated, the quirky characters can still be found at any con today.

Of the novels based on the classic Star Trek TV series, this book is one of a handful that delves extensively into the background of arguably the show’s most iconic character. Diane Duane created a history for Spock and his birth world Vulcan, skillfully merged it with the show’s canon and used that as the backdrop for a political crisis that threatens to affect the United Federation of Planets.

Trekkie that I am, it felt like a pilgrimage of sorts when I read this book. I was fascinated with the past events that shaped the planet due to the extraordinary world-building covering Vulcan’s prehistory all the way to its peoples’ ventures into space exploration and, of course, the development of the famous Vulcan ethic of logic. What’s not to love about a novel that makes the most fascinating world in the Star Trek universe come alive in every aspect?

No, this isn't the title of a B-movie—it's the fun, sexy, and surprisingly sweet start of a series with wonderful world-building and likable characters.

This book is about how a group of human women abducted by evil aliens crash-land on a planet full of hunky, endearing aliens and the adventures they share.

I loved how the aliens cherished and celebrated the women in this story instead of reviling their humanity, as I've seen in other sci-fi stories. The spicy scenes are hot, and the heroine is a natural leader who doesn't passively wait around to be rescued.

This is a dual-POV story, and the alien hero's confusion over human quirks is quite funny. Escapism at its best!

Vandermeer is well known for his science fiction ‘southern reach’ trilogy, particularly Annihilation. This extraordinary novel is set in the same universe, but I found it quite different.

I loved the female narrator, who lives in a blasted, mysteriously bleak world with her companion, Wick. She comes across Borne, a strange, plant-like creature she cares for. Borne develops the ability to communicate and has a delicate, alien intelligence. As he grows and evolves, so does our understanding of Rachel and her past.

This book was a revelation to me because although it’s a wild and alien world, its heart is about maternal kindness and nurturing. Borne is a quirky and lovable creature (Vandermeer said his cat partly inspired it), but also mysterious and other. The novel questions this idea of otherness and what it means to be human.