Planet X (Star Trek)
Encyclopedia
The 1998 Star Trek
novel Planet X (ISBN 0671019163) by Michael Jan Friedman
is a crossover
between the X-Men
comic book
series and the characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation
. It was a sequel to an earlier crossover, detailed in the Marvel Comics
one-shot
Second Contact (which was itself similar to an earlier Star Trek/X-Men
crossover comic, where a slightly different team of X-Men encountered the characters of the original Star Trek series
). The novel is noteworthy for hinting at an attraction between Jean-Luc Picard
and Ororo Munroe (Storm), and made a forward-looking reference to the (then uncast) X-Men
feature film by remarking on the uncanny resemblance between Picard
and Xavier, as the two converse via the holodeck
after a reasonable facsimile of Xavier is programmed into it; (both characters were played by Patrick Stewart
in Star Trek: The Next Generation
and the X-Men film series
).
crew being transported to the Marvel Universe
, where they aid the X-Men against Kang the Conqueror
. However, a mysterious force (later revealed, to the reader, to be the entity Q
) causes the X-Men to be dragged into the Star Trek universe (depicted both in the novel and on the final page of Second Contact); though this happens to the X-Men immediately (from their point of view) after parting with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E
, a noticeable period of time has passed for the crew since returning to their own timeline.
The X-Men and Enterprise crew face a problem all too familiar to the Marvel mutants: a planet where some of the population have been spontaneously developing destructive, and often uncontrollable, super-powers, causing them to be quarantine
d and shunned by their fellow citizens—until, that is, one of the "Transformed" with the power to cause earthquakes escapes and leads his fellow super-powered outcasts in a revolution. Matters worsen when it is discovered that these beings had been genetically engineered by an aggressive alien race as living weapons, and now their creators were coming to collect them—by force.
Working with the X-Men, the Enterprise crew manage to disable the ship, Nightcrawler
teleporting himself and Data
over to the enemy ship through its shields and allowing them to shut down the ship's defenses long enough for a team including Worf
, Banshee
and Archangel
to transport
over and do further damage. With the ship disabled, the X-Men join the away teams down on the planet, with Storm soon defeating the rogue leader of the Transformed, even as Data and Nightcrawler manage to convince the other Transformed to listen to them by demonstrating how they also differ from those around them. The crisis resolved, Dr. Crusher
- aided by a hologram of Professor X created based on information acquired from the mansion's computers during the Enterprises visit to the X-Men's universe- manages to develop a cure for the Transformed before the X-Men are sent back to their reality. It is revealed at the end that this situation had been at least partly caused by Q
and the Watcher
, Q having manipulated events to send the X-Men through to the 'Trekverse' to help the Enterprise deal with the Transformed crisis.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
novel Planet X (ISBN 0671019163) by Michael Jan Friedman
Michael Jan Friedman
Michael Jan Friedman is an author of nearly sixty books of fiction and nonfiction, more than half of which are in the Star Trek universe. Ten of his titles have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list...
is a crossover
Intercompany crossover
In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...
between the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series and the characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. It was a sequel to an earlier crossover, detailed in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
one-shot
One shot (comic)
A one-shot is a comic book that is a pilot or a stand-alone story created as a single issue, rather than the more typical series format.-United States:...
Second Contact (which was itself similar to an earlier Star Trek/X-Men
Star Trek/X-Men
Star Trek/X-Men is a one-shot comic book crossover, written by Scott Lobdell and published in 1996.-Publication history:Produced by Marvel Comics as part of its short-lived Paramount Comics imprint, the book chronicles the first encounter between Captain James T...
crossover comic, where a slightly different team of X-Men encountered the characters of the original Star Trek series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
). The novel is noteworthy for hinting at an attraction between Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
and Ororo Munroe (Storm), and made a forward-looking reference to the (then uncast) X-Men
X-Men (film)
X-Men is a 2000 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Bruce Davison, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park and Tyler Mane...
feature film by remarking on the uncanny resemblance between Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
and Xavier, as the two converse via the holodeck
Holodeck
A holodeck, in the fictional Star Trek universe, is a simulated reality facility located on starships and starbases. The first use of a "holodeck" by that name in the Star Trek universe was in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint", although a conceptually...
after a reasonable facsimile of Xavier is programmed into it; (both characters were played by Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
and the X-Men film series
X-Men (film series)
The X-Men film series consists of superhero films based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The films star an ensemble cast, focusing on Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who is drawn into the conflict between Professor Xavier and Magneto , who have opposing views on humanity's...
).
Plot summary
The story takes place after the events of Second Contact, which involved the TNGTNG
TNG may refer to:* Degrassi: The Next Generation, a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe* The Newlywed Game, an American television game show* Samba TNG, a fork of the Samba networking protocol...
crew being transported to the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, where they aid the X-Men against Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
. However, a mysterious force (later revealed, to the reader, to be the entity Q
Q (Star Trek)
Q is a fictional character who appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as in related products. In all of these programs, he is played by John de Lancie....
) causes the X-Men to be dragged into the Star Trek universe (depicted both in the novel and on the final page of Second Contact); though this happens to the X-Men immediately (from their point of view) after parting with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
, a noticeable period of time has passed for the crew since returning to their own timeline.
The X-Men and Enterprise crew face a problem all too familiar to the Marvel mutants: a planet where some of the population have been spontaneously developing destructive, and often uncontrollable, super-powers, causing them to be quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
d and shunned by their fellow citizens—until, that is, one of the "Transformed" with the power to cause earthquakes escapes and leads his fellow super-powered outcasts in a revolution. Matters worsen when it is discovered that these beings had been genetically engineered by an aggressive alien race as living weapons, and now their creators were coming to collect them—by force.
Working with the X-Men, the Enterprise crew manage to disable the ship, Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
teleporting himself and Data
Data (Star Trek)
Lieutenant Commander Data is a character in the fictional Star Trek universe portrayed by actor Brent Spiner. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek...
over to the enemy ship through its shields and allowing them to shut down the ship's defenses long enough for a team including Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
, Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
and Archangel
Archangel (comics)
Warren Kenneth Worthington III is a fictional character, a comic book antihero in the Marvel Comics universe. Originally known as Angel and later Archangel, Worthington is one of the founding members of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-creator Jack Kirby, he first appeared in...
to transport
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
over and do further damage. With the ship disabled, the X-Men join the away teams down on the planet, with Storm soon defeating the rogue leader of the Transformed, even as Data and Nightcrawler manage to convince the other Transformed to listen to them by demonstrating how they also differ from those around them. The crisis resolved, Dr. Crusher
Beverly Crusher
Commander Beverly Crusher, M.D. , played by actress Gates McFadden, is a fictional character on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent spinoff films...
- aided by a hologram of Professor X created based on information acquired from the mansion's computers during the Enterprises visit to the X-Men's universe- manages to develop a cure for the Transformed before the X-Men are sent back to their reality. It is revealed at the end that this situation had been at least partly caused by Q
Q (Star Trek)
Q is a fictional character who appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as in related products. In all of these programs, he is played by John de Lancie....
and the Watcher
Watcher (comics)
The Watchers are a fictional race of extraterrestrials that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the first Watcher - named Uatu - appears in Fantastic Four #13 .-Fictional history:...
, Q having manipulated events to send the X-Men through to the 'Trekverse' to help the Enterprise deal with the Transformed crisis.