If David Tennant had his way, Star Trek would get a bit more wibbly wobbly, timey wimey.
Is it time for a Time Lord in Trek?
BAFTA-winning Scottish actor David Tennant has more recently been seen starring in Amazon’s Good Omens, but he’s probably best known for his role as the Tenth Doctor in BBC’s venerable time-travel series Doctor Who. While promoting the second season of his podcast David Tennant Does a Podcast With… with a Reddit AMA and he was asked what other big franchise would he be interested in joining. He quickly replied…
Star Trek would be great. After talking to George Takei for the podcast I’ve got a bit immersed in it.
Star Trek’s Takei is one of the guests in the new season of Tennant’s podcast, which debuted this week. (Takei’s episode hasn’t aired yet.)
Tennant does have one connection to the Trek franchise: He co-starred with Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Sir Patrick Stewart in 2008 for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet, which was adapted into a feature film in 2009. At that time there was even a rumor that Stewart would be the one crossing over to play a Time Lord along with Tennant in Doctor Who.
David Tennant with Sir Patrick Stewart in Hamlet
A number of actors have appeared in both franchises, including Simon Pegg, Nana Visitor, John de Lancie, and Star Trek: Discovery season 3 star David Ajala. But if Tennant were to get his wish, he’d be the first Doctor from Doctor Who to cross over to Star Trek.
By the way, Star Trek and Doctor Who have (sort of) officially crossed over already. In 2012, IDW published a crossover comics mini-series titled Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation 2. That series featured the Eleventh Doctor working with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the USS Enterprise-D.
Tennant isn’t the only high-profile star who has recently raised a hand to show interest in jumping into the final frontier. This year both Rosario Dawson and James McAvoy have continued their long campaigns for Trek roles. With so many Star Trek Universe shows in development, and possibly a new Paramount movie too, there could be room for all these actors.
Keep up with all the Great Star Trek Links at TrekMovie.com.
Who’s to say Gary Seven wasn’t a Time Lord?
There is actually a theory about this. Even the sonic and servo are the same.
The Cat was the Master
Missie… Mistress…
LOL.
I’d so much like to see a period-style mini-series of “Assignment: Earth” finally done. Now there is a pocket within the Trek universe that needs further exploration. But I doubt Gary Seven is a Time Lord. There’s too much craziness in the Whoniverse to fit with Trek’s slightly more realistic SciFi approach.
There are a lot of little threads in Trek that Short Treks could have a lot of fun with.
Because Roddenberry could read the writing on the wall, “Assignment Earth” was actually meant as a sort of introduction or pilot for a possible spin off.
Yes, time to greenlight the backdoor pilot! It would make a great mirror to today, a series set in 1968, “the most critical time in Earth’s history,” with a civil rights movement underway.
Second season of the umbrella academy explored that period and i think it was fun and interesting. I can absolutely see it work with a, Gary Seven Miniseries.
Also, it would be cool to have a BBC “An Adventure in Time and Space“ (?) Special style real world depiction of Roddenberrys struggles to get Star Trek produced in the 60s
Noel Clarke is another actor to cross over.
Mickey !
Rickey!
Mickey’The Mick’
Certainly not official Trek, but as close as you can get to it, Colin Baker appeared in an episode of Star Trek Continues.
Great web series!
No.
Yes
No, what? Tennant playing a different character in the Star Trek universe? Absolutely yes! He’s a great actor. Him playing The Doctor in Trek? No, indeed! But that’s obviously not what he suggested…
That isn’t what I said “no” to. I was saying “no” to the article’s suggestion of a Who-Trek crossover, which is a lousy idea. Playing someone else other than the Doctor? Absolutely–he’s a great actor and I’d welcome it.
That’s all it’s suggesting Rios, the Who crossover it mentions was just an IDW comic.
Okay, okay… So Tennant wants a role in Star Trek! That’s a good idea, but your heading suggested he wants a crossover between Trek and the Whoniverse and that is an awfully bad idea.
I like the Whoniverse but the issue with it is that it includes ideas and concepts that are so ridiculous, they wouldn’t be a good fit for Trek, even for a parallel universe of Trek. The absolute worst ideas included a giant planet-sized spider in the Earth’s core and – even more hilarious – the moon being an alien egg. Something like that may work in the Whoniverse but it would never fit with Star Trek.
Maybe Doctor Who and Star Trek are in the multiverse.
Everything is in the multiverse / megaverse / omniverse. That’s especially trcky with stuff like Doctor Who that is open for the weirdest concepts. Because even the most diverse megaverse imaginable must be able to find some common ground.
There are Klingons and Romulans in the Trek universe and Daleks and Cybermen in the Whoniverse. That could be because in the Whoniverse timeline, Daleks at some point destroyed all Klingons whereas Romulans were able to destroy the Cybermen in the Trek realm, hence their fear of artifical life.
The Minbari in Bablyon 5 might actually be Vulcans that evolved from their primordeal soup a million years earlier than in the Trek timeline. The Cylons could have whiped out most known Trek or Who races in the BSG timeline(s).
The Force could actually be another word for magic as observed in most fantasy worlds. The Q could be the Time Lords having evolved to a new stage of existence millennia ago in the Trek timeline etc…
But how can the moon be an alien egg in either timeline if it isn’t in the other one? It’s the same moon!
I wrote this fan fiction when I was in junior high school. Luke Skywalker was on the Enterprise. Gil Gerard’s Buck Rogers was there. Twiki met R2D2. Now I feel OLD because I would definitely argue that Luke can be anywhere, but Buck and Kirk can’t meet!
Doctor Who is super fun.
It is, absolutely. But yet, there are some plot points that ruined my enjoyment for it considerably. The Spider in Earth’s core and the moon being an alien egg are just too crazy to be aligned with anything else. If the Whoniverse is part of the Megaverse, I’d have a hard time imagining how the very same moon can be an alien egg in the Whoniverse while their is no sign for that in any other universe.
Magic may be just another word for the Force. Harry Potter’s midichlorian count maybe even higher than Master Yoda’s. They just don’t say that because of a different terminology. The One Ring can be a Horcrux.
The Mycelium Network could be a way to directly interact with the fabric of space-time…as is the Protomolecule on The Expanse and The Green on Killjoys. Marvel’s Infinity Stones might actually be compressed Protomolecules, Omega particles, Red Matter, Kryptonite or Kyber Crystals.
But how can our moon be an alien egg?
Considering that The Doctor/Timeless Child has many unknown regenations. Patrick Stewart could very well play the Doctor.
When did John Delancie or Nana Visitor appear in Doctor Who? I’ve got every episode from 63 to 20. They didn’t (unless the were Cybermen).
Wondering the same. I checked their IMDB pages and neither mentions Doctor Who
They weren’t on Doctor Who, but its spinoff about Captain Jack Harkness. It seems I can’t post the title for some reason.
Strange enough. I’ve tried to give you the name of the show, which is an anagram of DOCTOR WHO but whenever I try to post it, I get a “awaiting for approval” note and the post gets deleted eventually. This is truly mysterious. There seem to be forces at work trying to keep the name of that organisation a secret. If that’s on purpose, it’s a truly fun easter egg on Trekmovie’s part. Neat…
T0rchw00d. Figured that out when adult entertainment got filtered, but p0rn didn’t.
Yep. That’s what I was getting, too. “I’ll take overzealous internet filters for $500, Alex.”
Everybody knows that the greatest actor to appear in both franchises was Olaf Pooley. Well, the actor with the coolest name, anyway.
Red Dwarf/Star Trek crossover would be weird….
Didn’t Whoopi Goldberg want to take Guinan to Doctor Who as a crossover at one time?
I feel a bit embarrassed to say this but I never seen a single episode of Dr. Who to this day. IDK, I just never felt an urge to get into it. I know it’s a great and iconic show but never appealed to me personally. Seem a bit too goofy for me but maybe I’ll give it a shot some day.
I watched a few seasons with Eccleston and Tennant but despite the acting talent and the fact that all the ingredients should appeal to me I just couldn’t get into it.
The show can be goofy at times, and it tends to take itself a lot less seriously than Trek does. Its still a great show though. You might like some of the older episodes from the 60s to the 80s. They can still be very goofy at times, but they are much slower paced than the modern stuff.
Doctor Who is my all-time favorite sci-fi show, even beating out Trek, which is really saying something! I love all of it, especially the classic Doctors. For a new viewer, David Tennant’s Doctor (Series 2-4) or Matt Smith’s (Series 5-7) are excellent places to start. It’s just great fun, all the way around. Sometimes it’s heart-breaking, sometimes it’s silly, but it is always action-packed and full of adventure and positive energy. The Doctor, all of the Doctors, are just about trying to help make the universe a better place and having a good time with their friends along the way. I highly recommend giving the show a try!
I’ve been watching Doctor Who since I was 10. My love for the show is still going strong.
Here’s the funny thing about Dr. Who. Back in the 80’s I did see some of the older ones with Tom Baker and just couldn’t get into it at all. It just seemed way too cheesy. But when it was revived in ’00’s I tuned in and quite enjoyed the newer ones. Particularly Tennant’s Dr. I guess that might get compared to Trek fans who tuned into TNG but couldn’t get into TOS…
I never got into the original DH either. It was was considerably cheaper and less sophisticated than other contemporary shows in their day and age. Compared to DH, shows like TOS, Space:1999 or original BSG seem like modern cinema.
It’s not just FX or set pieces that don’t hold up. Especially the outdoor sequences come off like a cheap home video with no professional lighting. It took the BBC ages to adjust to some basic visual standards.
However, I really appreciate the new show despite some all too absurd plot points I mentioned above.
Yes. The production values of the early shows I watched were awfully bad. And TOS did look like 2001 by comparison. It was THAT bad. I recall laughing at the Daleks. I found it really hard to take seriously. The reborn series that I started watching I think strikes a decent tone. Sure, it can be a little over the top. But I have been enjoying the newer ones.
Sadly, the new show runner comes up short of the otprevious two, however. I’m considering bailing on it at this point. It has gotten that bad.
The cheesy visual effects and low production values are half the fun of Classic Who.
You need to watch Doctor Who. YOU NEED TO WATCH NOW!
Agreed! Everyone needs the Doctor in their lives. And while I have to admit that my beloved classic series, from 1963-1989 does not have flashy production values, it does have great writing and brilliant performances that stand the test of time. You just have to go into it aware that those shows are products of their era. BBC production in those days was much more like watching a play that happened on be on TV. The episodes were essentially rehearsed all week and then filmed in a day or two with minimal post production. Most effects were done essentially live in the studio. If you realize that and just go with it, you’ll be rewarded with some fantastic stories and characters that will stay with you for life. I’ve been a fan since I was 8 years old and I’m 50 now.
But I do realize that the 21st century show is much more palatable for most modern viewers. And that’s great because it is excellent! It’s very different from Star Trek and fills an entirely other niche you might not know you need until you try it!
Doctor Who has been more of a lifestyle choice than a show for me, so I might be biased, but I love it dearly and think the world would be a better place if there were more Doctor Who fans.
I so agree with you. I’ve been watching the show since I was a kid. I hate that the new season is delayed.
David you would have to be The Doctor in Star Trek. As a kid I use to day dream make up stories at night of The Doctor in his Tardis visiting the Enterprise.
Obviously Tennant would have to play an EMH.
wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff 😍
But I thought actors were running from modern Trek to go hang with the cool kids at Orville?
So… Robert Picardo’s Doctor character gets an upgraded mobile emitter, a 25th century time machine that’s a holideck inside and out, and looses his memory again…. Done.
I’d love to see David Tennent in a major role in Trek.
He could be a Q, a captain, an arch villain or just about any other super challenging thing the writers could throw at him.
This is definitely a “go for it” opportunity that CBSAA and Secret Hideout should seize with both hands.
Do a parody. Activate the EMH, and “The Doctor’ appears.
Or Tennant could be a new Squire if Gothos (Anyone else think Trelaine was a Q)?
According to some novel, he was. And that would have been addressed in the never-made Season 5 of ENT as far as I know…
I understand people thinking that. But one would think that a Q, even a new one, would know about the speed of light and looking in on Earth through some sort of scope would reveal the goings on from many hundreds of years ago. Further, they said he was looking 900 years in the past which would put him looking into the 14th century. Yet he mentioned Napoleon and other figures from the past from long after that. Something tells me a Q would not make such mistakes. Plus they could just appear on Earth and check it out directly anyway.
Crazy idea, but I’d watch just for the curiousity value.
OMG how cool would it be to see the blue police box spinning on the forward view of Enterprise?
Maybe have an episode in S2 of Picatd where Rios has a holdeck program based on Doctor Who circa 2005-2015 or so, and he gets trapped in there with the daleks and weeping Angel’s after him?
That’s your crossover right there and no fan can complain because it does not in any way compromise Star Trek continuity or whatever lol
David Tennant is a brilliant actor, it would be fantastic to see him working with Patrick Stewart. However, the story has to worth it.
The current cast of Dr. Who is good but the stories have been uninteresting. I’m hoping for better stories with their next season.
I always enjoyed the characters of the Big Bang Theory getting excited over both Dr. Who and Trek.
This year’s DW season was an improvement with a few game changing twists.
I thought the new Doctor was fine but the supporting cast comes up very short. But stronger episodes could overcome that and the show has been awfully weak in that department since the new guy took over. that previous season was indeed an improvement over the one before but only every so slightly. Overall it was still terrible. This is why I think I will bail on it unless a new show runner appears on the scene.
However I heard rumors that the show was heading to HBO or HBO max or something. So I won’t be following it there anyway should that happen.
No way BBC would let hbo snatch that show from them.
I think he should play a villain. He was excellent as the bad guy Purple Man on Jessica Jones. So evil and chilling.
Now the fun question for me is: does the Doctor Who franchise exists in the Star Trek Universe?
I think there where for, instance references to Star Trek in DW. Like, Stargates Characters are certainly familiar with Kirk and the Enterprise. And Star Wars was mentioned by Peter Parker in the MCU.
The fun is, within the ST universe, characters could immerse themselves in fictional stories from, DW, the MCU, SW and so on via Holodeck XD
Well, Rose did once tell the Doctor she was disappointed with his low-tech sci-fi vibe and wanted a bit more “Spock.” A crossover would be incredibly easy to explain! You just have to have the TARDIS hit some turbulence in the vortex and crash/materialize on the bridge of any Trek ship. The Doctor drops into alternative universes and dimensions all the time!
Peter David wrote a fanzine story that did just this several decades ago.
Russell T Davies had a crossover with Enterprise in mind when he was creating the first season of the new Doctor Who, but it was cancelled before anything could come from the notion.
But I would love to see Tennant play any character in the Trek universe. He’d be great as a recurring regular!
A true crossover wouldn’t make sense at all, especially because Trek had been referenced as a TV show on DH. The only way I could image such a thing to happen would be in some sort of fictional simulation, just like the White Rabbit on TOS Shore Leave, Q’s mind games or basically, the good old holodeck. But even that would seem unfair because the one universe would be reduced to a mere fiction by the other one which would provide us with a major paradox…
So?
Tennant would play a great villain in Trek.
He did a pretty good one in the first season of Jessica Jones…
Turns out sonic screwdrivers are intended to be used on self sealing stem bolts
I’m a fan of TOS and Doctor Who.
Star Trek has had some extremely well done light hearted episodes and it’s long over due to have a few more.
A TrekWho cross over would be just the vehicle.
It can be explained as they both exist in opposing universe that maintain balance of all univers. One can’t exist without the other.
Some force splinters both universes to converge which threaten to destroy all time and space…could be a Davros and our favorite Squire of Gothos Trelane demented revenge plan.
A million years ago (it seems) there was a fanzine that brought the 4th Doctor onto Kirks TOS Enterprise in a serial called “The Doctor and the Enterprise. That particular fanzine was a professional glossy papered thing, not cheap xerox.
I only bought it for the instructions of how to build the Reliant from the Enterprise model, around 1986, maybe.
Google it