# Peter David, Star Trek novelist and comic book writer, passes away **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [May 25, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795 "2025-05-25T23:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/1 "2025-05-25T23:09:39Z")
Peter David, well-known as a prolific writer of comic books and _Star Trek_ novels, has passed away at the age of 68. > **[Hulk, Aquaman, Spider-Man 2099 Writer Peter David Has Died, Aged 68](https://bleedingcool.com/comics/hulk-aquaman-spider-man-2099-writer-peter-david-has-died-aged-68/)** > > Hulk, Aquaman, X-Factor & Babylon 5 Writer, and Space Cases, Maestro & Spider-Man 2099 Co-Creator Peter David Has Died, Aged 68 My favorite Trek books of his are the _New Frontier_ books starring Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of the USS _Excalibur,_ as well as _Imzadi_ and _Vendetta._ He also penned a book called _Q-in-Law_ in which Lwaxana Troi, of all people, becomes a Q. I’m told it’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/2 "2025-05-25T23:22:09Z")
RIP. I enjoyed his Star Trek novels years ago. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/3 "2025-05-26T00:15:02Z")
I was a fan of his genre work, and enjoyed the extremely dark humor of the Sir Apropos of Nothing novels, which would be a good fit for the recent anti-trope thread. I hadn’t been aware of just how many, and how serious his health challenges had been (according to the limited details in the cite). ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/4 "2025-05-26T15:42:08Z")
He was a great talent and will be missed. It’s also another industry tragedy that a guy who made his bones during a time when creators could make a living at the “big two” and have a successful writing career outside of comics…and still struggle financially at the end of their life. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/5 "2025-05-26T18:10:08Z")
I got to see him at an “author appearance” at a local book shop, but that’s not the fun part of this story… I think his run on _Supergirl_ was some of the cleverest writing in comics, and I really wanted to have him sign a copy. Also took a copy of Spider-Man 2099 along (but that’s not the fun part either). The fun part was that the event was Peter David AND Harlan Ellison (who assumed HE was the only reason for the signing), and was flabbergasted that I didn’t want HIS autograph: > What are you doing? Just grab a Star Trek script and have me sign it. > Whaddya mean NO? Are you CRAZY? Look how old I am! I could keel over in the next two minutes and you’d have Harlan Ellison’s Last Autograph! > Put that up on eBay and you can retire early! ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/6 "2025-05-26T18:20:29Z")
I liked his _Q-Squared_ too. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/7 "2025-05-27T02:44:40Z")
> [@digs](#): > > The fun part was that the event was Peter David AND Harlan Ellison (who assumed HE was the only reason for the signing), and was flabbergasted that I didn’t want HIS autograph: Yes, I’d say this sounds very much like old Harlan. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/8 "2025-05-27T02:59:40Z")
RIP to a favorite writer. > [@ekedolphin](#): > > He also penned a book called _Q-in-Law_ in which Lwaxana Troi, of all people, becomes a Q. I’m told it’s hilarious. It is, in fact. He could be a pretty funny writer when he wanted. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/9 "2025-05-27T03:38:19Z")
I remember a _New Frontier_ novel in which the Vulcan Soleta’s brother stops by the home of Burgoyne 172, the dual-sexed Hermat. At the time, Burgoyne is walking around completely naked. “One of us is improperly dressed. If it were up to me, I would suggest you acquire clothing rather than I divest myself of mine. But it is your house, and I will follow your rules.” ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/10 "2025-05-27T17:06:15Z")
I haven’t read a Star Trek novel in ages, but I read a ton of them back when I was in middle school and high school. Peter David was by far my favorite Star Trek novel author. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-david-star-trek-novelist-and-comic-book-writer-passes-away/1018795/11 "2025-05-30T20:10:41Z")
This is very sad. He was super talented and it is a crime that he co-created Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) which recently made Sony a ton of money in the Spiderverse Movies but he had to run a GoFundMe for his medical bills. Unfortunately this is a pretty common thing in comics, more so Marvel than DC (who learned its lesson from the Superman debacle and became more generous). I know him more for his Trek novels but his comic writing was really great.