One Of The Best Star Trek Writers Was Also A Marvel Legend

On May 24, 2025, author Peter David passed away after a long series of health maladies. He was 68. David was best known to Trekkies as the writer of the best "Star Trek" tie-in novels, usually bringing a whimsical sense of humor and a lot of larger, headier concepts into his books. David penned the well-known "Star Trek: The Next Generation" novels "Imzadi," "Vendetta," and "Double Helix: Double or Nothing," along with the Q-related books "Q-Squared," "Q-In-Law," and "I, Q," which he penned with actor John de Lancie. He also wrote the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" novels "The Siege" and "Wrath of the Prophets," and three spinoffs of the original series called "The Rift," "The Disinherited," and "The Captain's Daughter." 

Most notably, David created his own "Star Trek" spinoff series in the form of "Star Trek: New Frontier." David assembled multiple supporting characters from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (including Commander Shelby, Dr. Selar, and Robin Lefler) and put them on a new Starfleet vessel called the U.S.S. Excalibur alongside multiple new, original characters, including Captain MacKenzie Calhoun, a member of the Xanexian species. From 1997 to 2015, David authored 21 "New Frontier" novels. Trek novels are not canonical (as has been mandated by Paramount), but many Trekkies consider the "New Frontier" series to be at least as worthy of consideration as some of the "Star Trek" TV shows.

David also wrote many "Star Trek" comic books and even co-authored "Beam Me Up, Scotty," James Doohan's autobiography. And that's just his work with "Star Trek." David has written 13 movie novelizations (mostly for high-profile superhero movies), "Babylon 5" tie-ins, and other I.P.-related works besides, including books based on "Fantastic Four," "Alien Nation," "Battlestar Galactica," "Halo," and "Dinotopia."  As for original works, he invented the character of Psi-Man, wrote the Photon novels, and invented the comedic knight Sir Apropos of Nothing. The world lost a great talent.

Oh yes, and we still have to explore his career writing comic books, and the sad circumstances of his death, which involved a struggle against the American medical industry.

David came to "Star Trek" and his various other novel-writing projects from the world of superhero comics. David came to the world of comic books after a stalled career in publishing, eventually getting a job with the Marvel Comics sales department. He was already known for trying to sell stories to Marvel, a fact that was remembered when a new editor took over the company's Spider-Man comics in 1985. The editor, Jim Owsley, liked David's old stories and bought a script from him that same year. A conflict of interest led David to get fired from Spider-Man books, but he was allowed to move his writing over to "The Incredible Hulk," a title that was struggling at the time. David was given full creative rein of the character.

What followed was a crackerjack 12-year run on "The Incredible Hulk," with David reinventing the character with humor, creativity, and thoughtfulness. David was the first to suggest that Bruce Banner was always angry because of childhood abuse, and also that he was kind of forced into a multiple-personality situation with his tendency to transform. Ang Lee's super-underrated 2003 "Hulk" movie is extrapolated from David's ideas. 

From Marvel, David began to branch out, writing for DC's Green Lantern, Aquaman, Teen Titans, Supergirl, and Marvel's X-Factor and Wolverine. David co-created the character of Miguel O'Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099. 

One might think that David would be a multimillionaire after revitalizing so many popular pop figures and writing his own novels, besides. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. Although movie studios and major comic book labels were raking in millions, David, because of the unfortunate state of compensation in the fantasy writing industry, was merely making ends meet. When he began to suffer health problems in 2010, it began to drain his funds, compounded by a pricey divorce he had gone through years before. David had to start passing the hat.

David divorced his first wife in 1998, right at the height of his career, and it wiped out his savings. He would remarry three years later, and continue to work his lucrative writing jobs, but, as mentioned, only to pay the bills. David suffered from a stroke in 2010 and had to undergo several months of painful physical therapy before he could regain the use of his limbs and one of his eyes. He did eventually make a recovery, although he also had to contend with complications due to diabetes. 

Then, out of the blue, David was hunted down by the IRS because he owed them $88,000 in back taxes. David didn't have that kind of money lying around, so he had to start a GoFundMe to raise the cash to get the Government off his back. He had to, like so many working professionals, start a Patreon account wherein he would do custom works on commission. Although he was one of the biggest celebrities in the comic book and "Star Trek" writing world, he still needed to hustle. 

He eventually paid off the IRS ... just in time for another personal crisis. David began to suffer from kidney failure in 2022, followed by a second stroke, and then a heart attack. He was rejected by Medicaid and required another GoFundMe to cover his medical bills. He was placed on a ventilator on the 20th of May and finally passed on the 24th. He was only 68. Sadly, it seems that creating Spider-Man 2099, a character utilized for the hit animated film "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," wasn't enough to ensure medical safety in America, nor was an extensive association with some of the most popular entertainment franchises currently out there. 

Peter David was deeply beloved by Trekkies and by superhero fans, and he loved the Beatles, the New York Mets, Sondheim musicals, and bowling. He will be missed.