Star Trek: New Frontier, a novel series launched in the late 1990s, is being highlighted as a spin-off that deserved a television adaptation rather than remaining confined to print. Written entirely by the late Peter David and developed with editor John J. Ordover, the series broke from the usual Star Trek novel format by not being tied to any existing TV show, instead following the U.S.S. Excalibur as it maintains order in a volatile region of space after the collapse of the Thallonian Empire. This freedom allowed the writers to permanently change characters' lives in ways the on-screen shows rarely could.

The series spans 24 novels and two comic runs, and introduced Mackenzie Calhoun, the first alien to captain a Starfleet vessel, whose unconventional command style made him a fan favourite. Ordover has said the project grew out of frustration that established Star Trek characters couldn't be meaningfully altered, prompting him and David to build a new cast free from continuity constraints, while still drawing on elements from The Next Generation. Although Deep Space Nine and Voyager touched on similar themes, New Frontier is seen as a forerunner to more recent Star Trek instalments such as Discovery.