Star Trek
- You may be looking for discussion of the Star Trek franchise from a real world perspective.
Star Trek was a popular American science fiction television series of the 1960s, featuring among other characters, Spock, Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy. A Time Lord, Marnal, going by the human alias Marnal Gate, also sold a script to Star Trek, but unhappy with the changes made, he saw to it that he was not credited for it. (PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles [+]Loading...["The Gallifrey Chronicles (novel)"]) One of the rules of engagement in Star Trek was the so-called Prime Directive not to meddle in other civilisations. (PROSE: The Secret in Vault 13 [+]Loading...["The Secret in Vault 13 (novel)"])
Star Trek later spawned a long-standing entertainment franchise that included motion pictures and additional TV series lasting into the 21st century. There were many avid fans who were thrilled by the debuts of movies based on the series beginning in the late 1970s. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad [+]Loading...["Return of the Living Dad (novel)"]) Sam Jones was reminded of one Star Trek movie which featured a leech-like creature crawling into a person's ear. (PROSE: The Taint [+]Loading...["The Taint (novel)"]) Bernice Summerfield saw ten Star Trek films at an all-night movie festival with Jason Kane. The first eight films were released before 1997; in this year Benny told a fan the plots of the ninth and tenth films. The tenth film was considered poignant as it was "his last one" and "they could get away with all sorts". (PROSE: The Dying Days [+]Loading...["The Dying Days (novel)"])
Izzy Sinclair, a companion of the Eighth Doctor, watched Star Trek to vicariously escape her unhappy home life. (COMIC: Oblivion [+]Loading...["Oblivion (comic story)"]) She frequently watched Star Trek: The Next Generation on VHS. (AUDIO: Izzy's Story [+]Loading...["Izzy's Story (audio story)"]) Her comment upon entering the TARDIS for the first time was to say, "Not exactly the Starship Enterprise, is it?" (COMIC: Endgame [+]Loading...["Endgame (DWM comic story)"]) Her affinity for Star Trek — as well as her use of it to escape her home life — was something she shared with Destrii. Indeed, when the two first met, they bonded over Sulu's dialogue from the episode, Spock's Brain. (COMIC: Ophidius [+]Loading...["Ophidius (comic story)"])
Star Trek was a frequent point of comparison by late 20th and early 21st century humans for alien technology or species. Craig Owens figured that a teleport relay was "a beam me up teleport, like you see in Star Trek", (TV: Closing Time [+]Loading...["Closing Time (TV story)"]) and Nardole compared the Shadow World to "the holodeck on Star Trek". (TV: Extremis [+]Loading...["Extremis (TV story)"]) Similarly, Andy Davidson claimed to watch Star Trek when the Eighth Doctor questioned why he was familiar with energy weapons. (AUDIO: Divine Intervention [+]Loading...["Divine Intervention (audio story)"]) Upon witnessing a Silent in the White House, Joy thought it was Ben in a Star Trek mask. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut [+]Loading...["The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)"])
Jolene Blalock starred in Enterprise, which wrapped up prior to 2007. (PROSE: Border Princes [+]Loading...["Border Princes (novel)"])
The Star Trek franchise faded out of public consciousness within a few centuries. 26th century native Bernice Summerfield thought The Next Generation was a documentary when she first saw it. (PROSE: The Left-Handed Hummingbird [+]Loading...["The Left-Handed Hummingbird (novel)"]) 51st century native Jack Harkness was unfamiliar with the name "Spock". (TV: The Empty Child [+]Loading...["The Empty Child (TV story)"] / The Doctor Dances [+]Loading...["The Doctor Dances (TV story)"])
Upon explaining what Dark Gallifrey was to the War Master and Captain John Hart, Hart responded with "blah blah Star Trek blah" in response to the technobabble. (AUDIO: The War Master [+]Loading...["The War Master (audio story)"])
Specific mentions[[edit] | [edit source]]
Upon seeing her future self for the first time in Los Angeles in 2009, the Fifth Doctor's companion Peri Brown wondered if she was an actress who used to play the Fonz's girlfriend in Happy Days or a "green good time girl" in Star Trek. (AUDIO: Peri and the Piscon Paradox [+]Loading...["Peri and the Piscon Paradox (audio story)"])
Spock's Brain was an episode of Star Trek that both Izzy Sinclair and Destrii had seen. Destrii even went so far as to call it her "favourite". She cited "the bit where Sulu has to do the captain's log" as a particularly memorable moment and even quoted back a portion of the log, in unison with Izzy: "Captain Kirk's hunch that Spock's brain is on this planet appears to be correct!" (COMIC: Ophidius [+]Loading...["Ophidius (comic story)"])
In 1969, when Joy encountered a Silent in the White House, she thought it was someone wearing a Star Trek mask. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut [+]Loading...["The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)"])
According to local newspapers that drew Mickey Smith's attention to the UFOs above Deffry Vale High School, the invaders were not Klingons from Star Trek. (WC: Tardisode 3 [+]Loading...["Tardisode 3"]) An image of a popular girl on the Minotaur's prison ship asked Howie Spragg what "loser" was in Klingon. (TV: The God Complex [+]Loading...["The God Complex (TV story)"])
Andy Davidson suggested that Torchwood Cardiff get themselves a teleporter "like in Star Trek, that it would "save a lot of bother". Jack Harkness responded that he would bear it in mind. (AUDIO: Asylum [+]Loading...["Asylum (audio story)"]) Craig Owens compared the Cybermen's teleporter to something out of Star Trek, mentioning the phrase "Beam me up". (TV: Closing Time [+]Loading...["Closing Time (TV story)"]) Rose Tyler used the same phrase to describe Lect's transmat, (COMIC: Weapons of Past Destruction [+]Loading...["Weapons of Past Destruction (comic story)"]) and later asked Pete to "beam [her and Clive] up" back to Pete's World, with their dimension cannon. (AUDIO: The Flood [+]Loading...["The Flood (RTDC audio story)"]) When Tom realised he didn't have a pen on him, his bookseller, Lucretia, made a joke by saying that he should have one "beamed up" to him. (AUDIO: Wildthyme at Large [+]Loading...["Wildthyme at Large (audio story)"])
Alan Jackson noted how unrefined using vinegar was against the Slitheen, when compared to phasers and photon torpedoes. (TV: The Lost Boy [+]Loading...["The Lost Boy (TV story)"])
Sarah Jane Smith told Clyde Langer and Luke Smith that she didn't have a sonic lipstick and other helpful devices to escape from St Agnes Abbey. Clyde answered that they wouldn't need any Star Trek gadgets because Luke Smith knew about the secret passages of the abbey. (TV: Eye of the Gorgon [+]Loading...["Eye of the Gorgon (TV story)"])
The Varangians were 9th century Russian Vikings. Kate Wilson believed that they sounded like something out of Star Trek. (AUDIO: The Conspiracy [+]Loading...["The Conspiracy (audio story)"])
Cosplayers dressed as Star Trek characters at San Diego Comic-Con. (COMIC: Selfie [+]Loading...["Selfie (comic story)"])
Nardole compared the Monks' shadow world to "the holodeck on Star Trek". (TV: Extremis [+]Loading...["Extremis (TV story)"])
When the Thirteenth Doctor realised that a mysterious egg found was in fact a tiny spacecraft with artificial intelligence inside, Bruce Lee laughed at the mention of spaceships and claimed that "you've been watching too much Star Trek, Doc!", causing Ryan Sinclair to explain she meant what she said. (COMIC: The White Dragon [+]Loading...["The White Dragon (comic story)"])
Kurt McDonald compared his daughter being sent into space with the Ninth Doctor's pulse resonance chamber while deconstructed to converse with the Serapheem as "like something out of Star Trek". The Doctor was highly offended at this. (AUDIO: Girl, Deconstructed [+]Loading...["Girl, Deconstructed (audio story)"])
According to Cleo Proctor, her father loved both Star Trek and Star Wars. (AUDIO: SOS [+]Loading...["SOS (audio story)"])
Captain Kirk[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: James T. Kirk
When Clyde Langer and Luke Smith were on Kudlak's ship Luke asked Clyde if he could use his mobile phone to which Clyde sarcastically asked if he had a phone number for Captain Kirk. Luke was unfamiliar with the character. (TV: Warriors of Kudlak [+]Loading...["Warriors of Kudlak (TV story)"])
Anji Kapoor noted how all the attractive female aliens always fell for Captain Kirk. (PROSE: EarthWorld [+]Loading...["EarthWorld (novel)"])
The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble once compared the sonic screwdriver to Star Trek's tricorder. Shortly afterwards, the Doctor and Donna, briefly adopted the aliases Doctor McCoy and Captain Kirk, respectively. (AUDIO: Pest Control [+]Loading...["Pest Control (audio story)"])
Spock[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Main article: Spock
When the Third Doctor told Sgt. John Benton that he had visited a parallel universe, Benton asked, "You mean like that Star Trek episode where Spock had a beard?" (PROSE: The Face of the Enemy [+]Loading...["The Face of the Enemy (novel)"])
Rose Tyler compared the Ninth Doctor to the Star Trek character Spock, a name Rose later gave as the Doctor's own when she introduced him to Jack Harkness. Harkness subsequently began calling him "Mr. Spock" until he was corrected. (TV: The Empty Child [+]Loading...["The Empty Child (TV story)"] / The Doctor Dances [+]Loading...["The Doctor Dances (TV story)"])
At one point, Clyde described Luke as being "all science and logic and Spocky stuff like that". (TV: Mona Lisa's Revenge [+]Loading...["Mona Lisa's Revenge (TV story)"])
The Tenth Doctor taught Chloe Webber the Vulcan salute, famously used by Spock and various characters in Star Trek. (TV: Fear Her [+]Loading...["Fear Her (TV story)"])
Other realities[[edit] | [edit source]]
Earth-33⅓[[edit] | [edit source]]
Star Trek also existed in Earth-33⅓. Star Trek's Beverly Crusher won the Favourite Doctor Award at the Doctor Who Magazine Annual Poll, leading the Doctors to realise they had been off the screens for too long. Spock and Captain Kirk apparently also existed as real people in this universe, with Spock referring to Beverly Crusher's performance as "'acting', Jim[,] but not as we know it.". (COMIC: Doctor Who? 176)
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
Shows[[edit] | [edit source]]
The first six live-action Star Trek series have been mentioned in Doctor Who media, but not all have been explicitly identified as Star Trek series:
- Star Trek: The Original Series (Only identified by its original title, Star Trek)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Deep Space Nine
- Voyager
- Enterprise
- Star Trek Discovery
Metafictional references[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Ace occasionally wore Starfleet insignia earrings. (COMIC: The Mark of Mandragora)
- The Eighth Doctor explained the chameleon circuit to Grace Holloway in terms of a "cloaking device", using a term coined by and closely associated with Star Trek (although in the context of Star Trek cloaking devices were used to make things invisible as opposed to merely changing their appearance). (TV: Doctor Who)
- Sometime later the Eleventh Doctor activated a TARDIS feature that he also referred to as a cloaking device, which did make the TARDIS invisible. (TV: The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon)
- Destrii watched a spacecraft design closely resembling that of the fictional Enterprise. (COMIC: Oblivion)
- The Eighth Doctor once wore a Starfleet-style space helmet that bore the ship registry NCC-1701-D, the registry of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a spin-off from the original series. (WC: Shada)
- In The Blue Angel by Paul Magrs and Jeremy Hoad, Captain Robert B. Blandish of the Federation starship Nepotist clearly parodies Captain Kirk.
- Bang-Bang-a-Boom! is a pastiche of Star Trek and its associated tropes and storytelling styles.
- The Teselecta bridge is also of a similar Star Trek style design. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler)
- In 2050, a spacecraft known as the NX-2000 began flight tests. This shares its name with the Starship Registry of the USS Excelsior, which also underwent flight tests. (TV: The Bounty Hunter)
- In Jaws of Orthrus, a CCPC states "Resistance is Futile" to Darius Pike, a catchphrase used by the Borg, and previously in several instances in Doctor Who.
- In The Time of Angels, River Song mentions that the Byzantium has gone to warp, a possible reference to Star Trek. In Flesh and Stone, the Doctor calls the Byzantium a Galaxy class ship, most likely a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- In The Lodger, the Eleventh Doctor's greeting to the autopilot hologram includes the line "please state the nature of the emergency", very similar to the line spoken by the Emergency Medical Hologram, also called The Doctor, ("Please state the nature of the medical emergency") in Star Trek: Voyager when he is activated. Similarly, the phrase "Please state the nature of your ailment or injury" is heard in The Night of the Doctor.
- In The Pandorica Opens, a Cyberman states "You will be assimilated" to Amy Pond, which is another catchphrase used by the Borg, who in turn resemble the original Cybermen, who also previously used the same phrase.
- Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation² causes challenges for those wishing to rectify it with established canon, given that Star Trek is established as a fictional franchise in the Whoniverse, yet this story depicts the Eleventh and Fourth Doctors encountering characters from the franchise. Other than a few vague "alternate universe" dialogue references, the story does not explain how this is possible in the context of previous on-screen references.
- In Into the Dalek, Rusty uses the phrase "Resistance is futile.", often used in Star Trek by the Borg. The Twelfth Doctor also states that himself and Clara Oswald are going "into darkness", which was the title of the Star Trek film released the previous year, Star Trek Into Darkness.
- The interior panels of Colony Sarff's spaceship are almost identical to those of Cardassian design, as seen throughout Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- In Under the Lake, a door is seen to have the serial number "1701B", the registration of the third U.S.S. Enterprise as seen in Star Trek: Generations. The alien craft is also of a similar shape to several Starfleet shuttle craft seen throughout various Star Trek series. A mural of a naval scene in the mess hall also features three sailors wearing red, gold and blue uniforms, the colours of Starfleet uniforms throughout various series.
- The Vesuvius is sent to the Mutara Nebula, a location in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. (AUDIO: Vesuvius Falling)
- The first lines in Oxygen, "Space, the Final Frontier", are said in the opening credits in Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
