Star Trek is officially changing genres for its latest return to Deep Space Nine. Since concluding in 1999, Deep Space Nine’s stature within the greater Star Trek fan community has grown, with some fans praising it as the best show in the franchise. Deep Space Nine took Trek in new, unexpected, and ultimately rewarding directions.
Star Trek is firmly rooted in the science fiction genre, but every so often the franchise will veer into other fields, including horror. The term “horror” can be loosely defined, and Star Trek takes advantage of this ambiguity, showcasing a variety of subgenres, such as psychological or body horror, with some of the best falling into the latter category. Star Trek eschews the supernatural in all things, which makes telling certain types of horror stories challenging. Instead, Trek usually repurposes ghosts, witches and demons as powerful entities who must still obey the laws of the universe.
The first Star Trek: Holo-Ween was written by Christopher Sequeira and drawn by Joe Eisma.
Despite this prohibition on ghosts and vampires, Star Trek has found some unique and fun workarounds. In 2023, IDW Publishing released Star Trek: Holo-Ween, a four-issue miniseries that saw the evil Redjac take control of the Enterprise’s Holodeck, subjecting the crew to their worst fears in the process. The miniseries was fun and now the publisher is releasing a sequel that takes the otherworldly horror to Deep Space Nine.
IDW Has Announced a Horror-Themed Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Series
The Four Issue Miniseries Arrives in Time for Halloween
As reported today on The Nerdist, Star Trek: Holo-Ween II, a four-issue weekly miniseries, will beam down to shops in time for Halloween. The book, written by Alex Segura and drawn by Bailie Rosenlund, pits the station’s crew against a dark and sinister presence that has taken over Quark’s Holo-Suites. IDW provided The Nerdist with a synopsis for all four issues. The solicitation for the first issue reads as follows:
A Halloween mystery unfolds on Deep Space 9! On the eve of a high-stakes diplomatic summit, Deep Space 9 is thrown into chaos by a sudden communications blackout and a string of deeply unsettling incidents. With senior leadership called away, Worf, Dax, Odo, and Bashir must hold the station together as tensions rise among visiting dignitaries.
In addition, IDW provided a look at all the main covers for each of Holo-Ween II’s four issues.
Holo-Ween II writer Alex Segura spoke with The Nerdist about the book, his first outing into the Star Trek universe. A life-long fan, Segura was quoted in The Nerdist as saying:
Writing Star Trek has been on my bucket list for as long as I’ve been a writer – probably even longer! I remember my well-worn copies of classic Trek novels lining my shelves alongside stacks of Star Trek comics. Getting to weave a tale of the final frontier aboard Deep Space 9, with one of my favorite characters, Jadzia Dax, front and center? To call that a dream come true would be an understatement. I’m so lucky to be working with an amazing team – and Bailie’s refreshing art will help guide readers through a winding supernatural mystery that will hopefully keep them guessing – and turning the pages! Whatever you do, don’t step into the holosuite alone!
Segura, whose writing credits include The Question: All Along the Watchtower as well as the novels Secret Identity and Alter Ego, will be joined by Bailie Rosenlund, one of the most exciting up and comers in the industry. Together, they are about to chill Star Trek fans to the bone.
Star Trek’s Holo-Decks Have Driven Some of the Franchise’s Best (and Worst) Episodes
Star Trek’s infamous Holo-Decks are a source of entertainment for the crew of the Enterprise, but many times they can cause problems. Be it Holo-Deck addiction, or a character gaining sentience, some of Star Trek’s best episodes have revolved around it. When the concept was ported to Deep Space Nine, Trek fans saw it cater to some of the galaxy’s worst. People came from all over the sector to partake in any number of illicit fantasies inside of Quark’s Holo-Suites.
And as seen in Star Trek: Holo-Ween, it can be a source of terror and carnage too. In Holo-Ween, Redjac perverted the Holo-Deck, turning it into a den of torture and depravity. Redjac reached deep into the psyches of the Enterprise’s crew, invoking the things and people they fear the most. In one memorable scene, Redjac recreated Armus, Tasha Yar’s murderer, and set him loose on the crew. It was jarring, and got under Picard and company’s skin, just like Redjac intended.
Will Sisko and Deep Space Nine’s Crew Survive Holo-Ween?
Now the horror is coming to Deep Space Nine. IDW did not reveal the identity of the dark force that takes the station, leading to speculation over whether it is a new character, or a previously existing one. Deep Space Nine introduced the Pah-Wraiths, malevolent extradimensional entities. The blasphemous counterpart to the Bajoran Prophets, the Pah-Wraiths could be construed as “demons.” Furthermore, the take-over on Deep Space Nine is totally within the scope of the Pah-Wraiths’ powers.
After 48 Years, A Science Fiction Master’s Lost “Star Trek” Story Is Finally Getting The Release It Deserves
Octavia E. Butler’s long out of print, Star Trek-esque novel Survivor is coming back after a nearly five-decade absence.
Another intriguing possibility is that the first Holo-Ween villain, Redjac, has returned, and is now ready to put Sisko and company through the ringer. The character has appeared not only on television, but in a wide variety of Star Trek spin-off media, something Holo-Ween acknowledged. Whatever the identity of the evil spirit that has taken over Deep Space Nine is, the crew will have their work cut out for them as they try not to succumb to the fear and the dread.
Star Trek: Holo-Ween II is on sale October 7 from IDW Publishing. FOC for all four issues is August 31.