Unusual New Worlds’ Paid Off a ‘Physician Who’ Joke

The most recent episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds planted the seeds for what’ll ultimately turn out to be traditional Star Trek by giving James Kirk (Paul Wesley) time within the captain’s chair. Alongside the way in which, it additionally determined to have somewhat crossover with Physician Who.

On this week’s “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail,” Kirk and the Farragut crew need to rescue the Enterprise from the tendrils of a power-draining scavenger ship. All through the episode, the digital camera cuts to the wrapped up Enterprise, and every establishing shot contains a tiiiiiiny glimpse on the Physician’s TARDIS on tendrils masking the ship’s left engine.

Throughout the premiere of Ncuti Gatwa’s inaugural Who season, the Fifteenth Physician’s companion Ruby compares his transporter know-how to Star Trek, which he agrees with and suggests they go take a look at that universe someday. Nicely, it occurred right here in “Sehlat,” and after the Enterprise breaks free, the TARDIS has disappeared.

For the Who heads who watched Gatwa’s two seasons, this little Unusual New Worlds cameo could be learn one in every of two methods: both the TARDIS additionally acquired trapped within the tendrils and left as soon as it may keep away from the explosion that worn out the scavenger ship, or it survived stated explosion because of its shields after which left with out anybody conscious. It appears like this Doctor would’ve let the scavenger crew perish, since they’ve been stealing energy from ships and killing the crews inside for hundreds of years.

Throughout 2024’s San Diego Comedian-Con, then-Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and Star Trek architect Alex Kurtzman did a panel collectively, the place Davies talked about he’d love to do a Trek episode that includes the Borg. This in all probability received’t result in such a crossover, however when it does occur, this is usually a enjoyable point out made by the Physician for viewers members within the know.

Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and all the pieces you want to find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.