‘Star Trek’ and ‘Doctor Who’: Is A Crossover Possible?
In all of time and space, there are many things. An OFFICIAL Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover isn’t one of them. That may change very soon.
Star Trek and Doctor Who. Both born in the 1960s. Both feature people traveling in both space and time. And both, despite the intervening decades, still remain a part of the television landscape.
Yet, in all that time, the two titanic series have never officially crossed over. They reference each other. Rose Tyler demands the Doctor give her “some Spock.” Riker uses a sonic screwdriver on Star Trek: The Next Generation. IDW Comics has a whole comic series where various Doctors and Enterprises take on the Borg and the Cybermen together.
But an official crossover? It has not happened. Back in the mid-2000s, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies wanted his then-upcoming reboot of Doctor Who to crossover with Star Trek: Enterprise. Unfortunately, Enterprise ended before that could happen. And so the merry dance of will they or won’t they continues on into the decades.
Except now, for the first time, maybe ever, there’s reason to believe a Doctor Who and Star Trek crossover event will happen. Let’s look at where we are, what gives us hope, and what the potential pitfalls are for what could be the biggest crossover event in science fiction history.
San Diego Comic-Con Brings Sci-Fi Showrunners Together
This year’s San Diego Comic-Con runs from July 25-28, and both Doctor Who and Star Trek will be there. On Friday, Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, and Russell T Davies will talk about the present and future of Doctor Who. On Saturday, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, Starfleet Academy, and Section 31 all have panels.
But the big deal is that on Saturday evening, Russell T Davies and Trek executive producer Alex Kurtzman will have a joint panel called “Friendship is Universal.” All we know is that these two men are going to have a conversation—that’s it—a little chat. However, that has not stopped fans from wondering if there might be something else going on. And, fair play, this is pretty unheard of.
And since in the 2024 episode of Doctor Who “Space Babies,” the Doctor tells his companion Ruby Sunday they should visit the crew of the Enterprise, it’s starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, a crossover announcement is imminent.
There’s another good reason to believe a crossover is coming, although it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of.
Star Trek And Doctor Who Kind of Need Each Other
This is not the happiest of reasons for a crossover, but by Russell T Davies’ own admission, the viewing figures for the latest Doctor Who relaunch are not where Disney wants them to be. The show is reaching the youth demographic in large numbers, but overall, the series needs a boost. While a second season of Who is already filming, there’s no official word on a season three. And while Davies is confident they’ll get the greenlight, better ratings would sure help!
Star Trek has good ratings. Shows like Strange New Worlds and Picard have each climbed to among the most watched shows across streaming networks. However, Paramount itself struggles financially enough to merit the recent merger with Skydance Media. And while Star Trek remains an important part of the Paramount stable, many of the shows within the franchise have been cancelled in the last couple years. So Trek needs a boost, too.
If we accept the notion that giving the fans what they want is a smart financial decision, a crossover between Star Trek and Doctor Who feels like a slam dunk. Fans have wanted this for decades, so there’s an argument to be made that people would watch in record numbers.
HOWEVER, there are a lot of questions that need answers to make this crossover financially viable.
Disney Vs. Paramount
Russell T Davies and Alex Kurtzman are nerds. There’s little doubt they’d be thrilled to facilitate a crossover event — but it’s not up to them. This is all about the parent companies. Disney, on the one hand, tends to buy out the properties they want to play with. The only reason X-Men is coming to the MCU is because Disney bought out 20th Century Fox.
Still, Disney does work with other companies. Sony owns Spider-Man, and there was at least a temporary union of the two companies to ensure Spidey’s participation in the big Avengers stuff. So Disney is capable of making these deals. But can Paramount? We do know that Skydance has an interest in seeing Paramount properties crossbreeding with other streaming services. So, that’s a firm maybe.
That being said, this isn’t about fans — it’s about money. And that brings us to all the obvious questions. Who is paying for this? Which streaming platform will the crossover live on? Would the crossover see a theatrical release? What contract renegotiations will be needed to get all the actors on board? Consider that to get the Doctor Who 50th-anniversary special in 2014 off the ground required a lot of luck that only came to fruition at the last second.
In short: while a crossover between Doctor Who and Star Trek is a guaranteed win for fans, it’s not a guaranteed win for Disney or Paramount.
A Star Trek and Doctor Who Crossover Needs To Go All Out
To borrow a concept from 1980s animation, if this is going to work, they need to write for the toy. Russell T Davies has a solid understanding of this principle. Part of what makes Doctor Who a success is the licensing opportunities. Sonic screwdrivers, action figures, statuettes, posters, comic-book tie-ins — Doctor Who can engage well with all that stuff. Star Trek can do that, too. But neither of them has done really well with that in recent years.
The smartest move is to go all the way with a crossover. That means having prequel comics and tie-in novels. That means making sure big villains from both franchises appear for later sales opportunities. Imagine an action figure two-pack with Spock and a Dalek or the Doctor and a Borg.
If they’re smart, they’ll make it a theatrical event. A crossover doesn’t have to be a movie. It can be two episodes of television that get a limited theatrical release. Put a pre-recorded Q&A with the cast at the front of that, and it’s a guaranteed money-maker.
But all that costs money and requires massive contract negotiations.
Listen. Is the notion of a Star Trek and Doctor Who crossover exciting? Yes, absolutely. This article would not exist if it wasn’t. But there’s a lot of red tape to account for and a need for long-term financial planning to make it viable.
What we’re saying is: this upcoming SDCC panel with Russell T Davies and Alex Kurtzman is still more likely to be a fun fan event than it is a crossover announcement. A crossover is possible! Just don’t get your hopes up.
