Classic Star Trek Episode Gets Comic Adaptation Oct. 13

IDW Publishing is releasing "Star Trek: The Edges of the Final Frontier: IDW Classic Collection" on Oct. 13, 2026, a pocket-sized comic collection that includes the original adaptation of "The City on the Edge of Forever" by Harlan Ellison, Scott and David Tipton, and JK Woodward.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is widely considered one of the best episodes of "Star Trek: The Original Series." In the episode, Doctor McCoy accidentally overdoses on a drug and travels through time via the Guardian of Forever. Captain Kirk and Spock follow him to the Great Depression and discover McCoy saved a woman named Edith Keeler, erasing Starfleet from existence. The episode's production was contentious. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry hired Ellison, a respected sci-fi writer, to write the story, but the two fell into a feud that lasted years. Ellison claimed he was paid a "pittance" for his work, while Roddenberry said Ellison's original script was rewritten partly because it included a scene of Scotty dealing drugs (which turned out to be false). Ellison sued Paramount and the Writers' Guild of America in 2009 over his original script, saying in a statement, "It ain't about the 'principle,' friend, it's about the money! Pay me! I'm doing it for the 35-year-long disrespect and the money!" He settled out of court and later saw his original teleplay adapted to comics by IDW.

The Tiptons' script preserves most of Ellison's original vision, including a rebellious crew member named Beckwith traveling through time instead of McCoy, and pirates raiding the Enterprise after history changes. Woodward's painted art gives the comic the feel of glimpsing an alternate timeline through the Guardian itself.

The collection also includes other stories set in the era of "The Original Series." Later "Star Trek" shows and novels have referenced or adapted "The City on the Edge of Forever," including "Star Trek: Discovery" (a two-part episode featuring a human version of the Guardian) and the novel "Imzadi" (in which an elderly William Riker travels through the Guardian). This year, IDW released "Star Trek: Deviations — Threads of Destiny" by Stephanie Phillips and Gregory Maldonado, presenting a version where Lieutenant Uhura travels through time to 1963 during the Civil Rights movement.

• comic book adaptation
• Harlan Ellison
• IDW Publishing
• pocket-sized collection
• Star Trek
• The City on the Edge of Forever