A new version of the Star Trek timeline is officially on the way, rewriting not only the history of 20th Century America, but putting a completely different spin on one of Star Trek‘s most acclaimed and beloved episodes of all time. Only this time around, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura will be taking the spotlight.
Star Trek To Send Lieutenant Uhura Back To The Civil Rights Movement
New One-Shot Rewrites The Classic Episode “The City on The Edge of Forever”
In the latest official announcement regarding Star Trek‘s acclaimed line of comics, the new one-shot (revealed via IGN) will be revisiting the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode, “The City on The Edge of Forever.” But since this is an entry in the Deviations line, the story will be rewritten to ask: “What if Lieutenant Uhura had traveled back in time instead?”
Writer Stephanie Williams (Batman/Superman: World’s Finest) and artist Greg Maldonado (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) will be spinning this ‘what if?’ one-shot, with the official plot synopsis also revealing a change in setting. Instead of a Depression-era love story, Lt. Uhura will travel back to 1963, into the middle of the Civil Rights Movement.
This special one-shot features Lieutenant Nyota Uhura. In the 23rd century, she explores far-flung star systems with her crew on the Enterprise as part of her mission to communicate and build bridges with life found across the Galaxy. But in the 20th century, humankind was working to build understanding among themselves, with African Americans on Earth championing the Civil Rights Movement and using their voices and acts of protest to end racial segregation and discrimination.
Now, by way of the Guardian of Forever, Uhura is yanked back through time to 1963. There, she’ll join all those fighting for equality and justice and reconnect to why her work as a communications officer is perhaps the most important work of all.
The original Star Trek Deviations comic offered an alternate version of the main timeline, revealing that Romulans discovered Earth before the Vulcans… and turned it into a brutal penal colony. As a follow-up, this new one-shot will ask a very different question: what would Lieutenant Uhura make of an America still within the grip of segregation and racial inequality?
This Star Trek Rewrite Can Be A Perfect Tribute To The Late Nichelle Nichols
Nichols’ Own Meeting With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Changed History
The new story from Willaims and Maldonado has the potential to blur the line between fiction and history (and Trek as both) in the best way possible. Through thhe many comic convention appearances before her passing, actress Nichelle Nichols revealed that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to remain Lt. Uhura, during a chance meeting after the show’s first season.
Having even informed Gene Roddenberry of her desire to pursue work outside of the series, it was Dr. King who urged Nichols to change her mind, explaining the political message she was already making as other African Americans marched for a better future:
“No, you don’t understand. We don’t need you to march. You are marching. You are reflecting what we are fighting for.”
The cultural appreciation for Nichols’ groundbreaking role has only increased since her passing in 2022, which makes this ‘full circle’ story, returning Uhura to the same point in American history, could be one of Star Trek‘s most powerful to date. Not only honoring one of Star Trek‘s most heartfelt and ambitious episodes of all, but using it to tell another unforgettable story.
Star Trek Deviations: Threads of Destiny will be released on February 25, 2026 from IDW Publishing.
- Created by
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Gene Roddenberry
- First Film
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Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- First TV Show
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Star Trek: The Original Series
- First Episode Air Date
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September 8, 1966
- Cast
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William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh
- TV Show(s)
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Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Star Trek is one of pop culture’s biggest multimedia franchises, spanning multiple movies, TV shows, books, comics, video games, and various other media. The franchise was created by Gene Roddenberry and started with the 1960s TV series starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Over the decades, several equally popular series have come out since as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Discovery.