I Disagree That a Star Trek & Doctor Who Crossover “Must” Happen, But I’d Love to See It

Although I would be thrilled to see the TARDIS appear on board the starship Enterprise, I don’t agree with Russell T. Davies when he says that a crossover between Star Trek and Doctor Who “must” occur. During the Star Trek X Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, the showrunner of Doctor Who made these remarks. Davies’ latest attempt to combine the Doctor Who and Star Trek universes on film is his statement at Comic-Con. RTD wanted the two programs to crossover 20 years ago, when he was planning his Doctor Who resurrection while Star Trek: Enterprise was still airing on television.

When writing the scripts for David Tennant’s last Doctor Who specials in 2009, Russell T. Davies revisited this concept, but he soon gave it up. Russell T Davies’ unmade Star Trek crossover is clearly an ambition that he’s still keen to realize in 2024. The sly joke in “Space Babies” that Doctor Who and Star Trek take place in the same universe was RTD’s first step to making this dream a reality. However, Davies’ assertion that it “must” happen suggests that a Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover is a non-negotiable inevitability, rather than merely something it would be fun to see.

Summary

• Russell T Davies believes a Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover “must” happen, but the story reasons why are still unclear.
• RTD says that fans play a crucial role in making a crossover episode a reality through their continued interest and support for the idea.
• A potential crossover should focus on a strong story that showcases the differences between the Doctor and Starfleet’s approaches to cosmic threats.

RTD Says a Star Trek Doctor Who Crossover “Must” Happen but I Disagree

Saying Doctor Who and Star Trek “must” get together doesn’t answer “why”.

In response to a query from the crowd regarding a prospective Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover episode, RTD stated the following at the Star Trek X Doctor panel at Comic-Con:

“The fans are the reason we can bring you a crossover episode, which we would love to do. The fans never stop creating crossover artwork and stories, as well as asking and insisting that these two universes be combined. since we need to get together. It has to take place.

Russell T. Davies’s exaggerated and exacting remarks are nothing new to Doctor Who fans, but it presents a Star Trek crossover as an act of fan service. Fan art, like the gorgeous Comic-Con exclusive poster by Dusty Abell below, is great, but it also doesn’t have to sustain 60 minutes of television drama.

Russell T. Davies talks a good game about how Doctor Who and Star Trek “must” work together, but he never really explains why. RTD is obviously a Star Trek fan, while writers for Star Trek such as Hageman Brothers of Star Trek: Prodigy are obviously admirers of Doctor Who. Even though fans of both of the biggest sci-fi TV series are screenwriters, combining them isn’t enough to satisfy their need. There needs to be a compelling narrative behind Doctor Who and Star Trek’s crossover, but social media support will be crucial in convincing the BBC, Disney, and Paramount to accept the proposal.

A Star Trek Doctor Who Crossover Needs a Great Story

It is important to remember that a Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover need a compelling tale to keep it grounded. Gizmodo reports that Russell T. Davies’s affection for the Borg is indicative of his lack of creativity when it comes to integrating the TARDIS into the Enterprise. To begin with, Star Trek severely overexposes the Borg. Additionally, the Collective’s tagline, “resistance is futile,” is identical to the Cybermen’s own claim, “resistance is useless,” from Patrick Troughton’s 1967 serial “The Tomb of the Cybermen.” This is another way in which they are very similar to the Cybermen from Doctor Who.

A scenario that pits the Doctor and Starfleet against a foe that highlights their diametrically opposed strategies would be far superior.

Doctor Who

The latest season of Doctor Who introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, joined by new companion Ruby Sunday. Their first adventure begins with “The Church on Ruby Road,” where they face powerful new foes and unravel the mystery surrounding Ruby’s origins. The Doctor grapples with the aftermath of a unique regeneration event and battles enemies more formidable than ever before.

Cast: Ncuti Gatwa, Susan Twist, Michelle Greenidge, Angela Wynter, Jemma Redgrave, Yasmin Finney, Anita Dobson, Millie Gibson, and others

Date of Release: 25 December 2023

Two seasons

BBC Network

Disney+, Max, Britbox, and AppleTV+ are the streaming services.

Doctor Who franchise(s)

Authors: Steven Moffat, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, and Russell T. Davies

Primary Category: Science Fiction

What We Know About RTD’s Unmade Star Trek & Doctor Who Crossover

Russell T. Davies, the showrunner of Doctor Who, has revealed that a crossover episode with Star Trek almost happened. But if it had gone beyond conversation, what would the special have been about? Davies acknowledges that not being able to produce the crossover episode is one of his greatest regrets from working on Doctor Who. Since Doctor Who and Star Trek are complementary science fiction products, Davies’ theory of their origins is still tenable.

William Hartnell portrayed the original iteration of the recognizable time-traveling Time Lord known as The Doctor in the 1963 television series Doctor Who. The show suffered a 16-year hiatus, during which Paul McGann took up the role of the Eighth Doctor for a poorly received TV movie, but was successfully revived with the Christopher Eccleston playing the Ninth Doctor in 2005. Russell T. Davies served as the head executive from Doctor Who seasons 1 to 4. He is slated to return to Doctor Who in 2023 for and also reclaim the showrunner’s seat from Chris Chibnall for the sci-fi show’s fourteenth season. The Star Trek series airing on UPN from 2001 to 2005 was Star Trek: Enterprise, starring Scott Bakula as Captain Archer of the Enterprise NX-01.

Star Trek and Doctor Who have both aired since the 1960s. The possibility of crossovers between the two science fiction series has been extensively deliberated by both producers and fan communities. A number of official crossover comics have been released, beginning with IDW Publishing’s 2012 release of Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2. But Russell T. Davies acknowledged in 2009 that a broadcast crossover between Doctor Who and Star Trek was a project that almost made it into production. When asked by the Times of London what he hoped to accomplish during his tenure as showrunner of Doctor Who but was never able to, Davies articulated his vision for the historic science fiction partnership:

“I would have loved to have done a Star Trek crossover. The very first year, we talked about it. Then Star Trek finally went off air. Landing the Tardis on board the Enterprise would have been magnificent. Can you imagine what their script department would have wanted, and what I would have wanted? It would have been the biggest battle.

The unmade Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover was Davies’ first regret, demonstrating just how close the episode or special was to happening. Russell T. Davies claimed that the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise during its fourth and final season was the only thing standing in his way of achieving his objective. Considering his worries about the competing script departments, it’s possible that the best result is for this project to be shelved at an early stage. Although Davies discusses the Tardis landing aboard the Enterprise, what would the actual plot of the science fiction crossover have involved?

The Tenth Doctor Would Have Run Into Jonathan Archer’s Enterprise

Up to Enterprise’s 2005 termination, Russell T. Davies was actively researching a crossover between Star Trek and Doctor Who. Given that Eccleston’s tenure ended in that same year, the project most likely featured David Tennant’s Doctor alongside Rose, his original companion. Or maybe Donna or Martha if the talks took a long time. Davies has already stated that the TARDIS should materialize on the Enterprise’s bridge, but that suggests the Archer crew may not be comfortable with the amiable yet chatty alien. Jonathan Archer and his crew are unfamiliar with space travel and extraterrestrial communication in Enterprise, and the Federation does not yet exist. As Doctor Who has glimpsed into the future of Earth before, and there has been no mention of the Federation, Star Trek: Enterprise and Doctor Who’s crossover might have been explained using the logic of parallel universes.

Star Trek is airing again, adding to the illustrious franchise with several CBS series including the greatly successful Star Trek: Picard and Strange New Worlds. With Russell T. Davies returning to helm Doctor Who season 14, the unmade crossover he regretted not doing during his first run could still come to fruition. For now, crossovers between Star Trek and Doctor Who will have to live on in the form of comics and fan-made content.