space 1999 star trek crossover

Stories involving characters and situations from fictional works other than Space:1999. There are 28 crossover fandoms in this list.

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Crossover (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Story and script
• 3.2 Production
• 3.3 Reception
• 3.6 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest Stars
• 4.4 Co-Stars
• 4.5 Uncredited Co-Stars
• 4.6 Stand-ins
• 4.7 References
• 4.8 External links

Summary [ ]

The Mirror Klingons seem fearful of Kira.

As Major Kira and Doctor Bashir make their way back to Deep Space 9 , Kira asks Bashir to take over the helm control of the runabout USS Rio Grande , as she has a headache and would like to meditate . Bashir mentions that he once had the opportunity to study with a rhythmic breathing expert named Isam Helewa , but Kira seems rather less than interested. When he mentions that he would like to learn any Bajoran techniques, Kira tells him that Bajorans usually just sit quietly. There is a brief pause as Kira meditates before Bashir begins breathing spastically. She irritatedly asks him what he is doing. He explains that he is using a technique called Bellows Breath meant to increase one's energy flow.

In an attempt to change the subject, Kira suggests that they listen to some music . An undaunted Bashir asks what type the Major prefers, but unfortunately her musical knowledge is limited to Bajoran composers. He immediately tells the computer to play a selection by Tor Jolan , one of Bajor's greatest composers, much to Kira's surprise. She wonders how he knows of Tor and he explains that he has made a point to listen to Bajoran music ever since he was assigned to DS9. They seem on the verge of finding a common ground when he starts comparing Tor to the great Boldaric masters of the previous century which seems to further annoy Kira. He remains as gung ho as ever, attempting to get to know Kira on a first-name basis.

Bashir goes on to say that Nerys is one of the most interesting women he has ever met and he is glad they are putting their past conflicts behind them. Kira sarcastically adds that they are making room for new ones. Laughing, Bashir relates that he and Chief O'Brien were once at odds with one another, but now he claims they are "like this" as he crosses his fingers. He presses on, trying too hard as usual, and tries to get Kira to call him Julian instead of Bashir. However, when he attempts to hit on her, she tells him to stick with Dax instead. This finally silences the doctor.

As their runabout drops out of warp , the warp field does not collapse properly and they are engulfed in a white flash upon entering the wormhole . Kira activates the emergency stabilisation control which brings the runabout under control. She and Bashir are all right other than feeling dizzy, and exit the Bajoran wormhole in the Alpha Quadrant . There they are shocked to see the station is gone, instead orbiting Bajor . Before either of them can react, the runabout's sensors detect a Klingon Vor'cha -class attack cruiser moving towards them. Two Klingon officers beam aboard the runabout and are shocked to see Kira. Apologizing profusely, they offer to escort her back to the station; she simply nods, obviously confused.

Upon arriving at Terok Nor , the two Klingons confer with a Cardassian officer named Garak . Bashir and Kira board the station, where they are confused to see Garak and even more confused to see another Kira Nerys ... dressed entirely in black.

Act One [ ]

Bashir politely asks where they are and Garak informs him that they are aboard Terok Nor , the center of authority in the Bajoran sector for something simply referred to as " the Alliance ." Kira observes that she and Bashir took a wrong turn at the wormhole, suggesting they return to their runabout. However, the other Kira, whom the Klingons and Garak address as " Intendant ," seems to have other plans. Bashir attempts to intervene, only to be vociferously chastised as a " Terran " for his tone of voice. The Intendant believes she has an idea of who their visitors are, and if she is right, she tells Kira she cannot let them go. Dismissively, she orders one of the Klingons to put Bashir to work and reminds them to tell the supervisor to keep an eye on him, as the doctor is unaware of their rules.

The Terrans

Garak and the remaining Klingon escort Kira as they follow the Intendant out the airlock area and onto an identical version of the Promenade . Large banners display what appears to be a winged version of the Cardassian emblem enveloping the Klingon emblem, and below the flags, exhausted Humans carry large pieces of machinery in service to the Klingons and Cardassians. A Klingon officer named Telok informs the Intendant that a Terran has been discovered attempting to stow away aboard a freighter and brings the man to her. Approaching the Terran, the Intendant takes on a compassionate tone, asking his designation; she is dismayed to hear he is a Theta and observes how long and hard he had worked to earn this designation. Her tone changes to business as she tells Garak to send the Terran to the mines . Garak wants to execute the Terran to make an example of the man, but the Intendant claims Garak has made a career out of setting examples. He presses the issue, pointing out that two other Terrans have been caught trying to escape and asking that he be allowed to conduct an interrogation at least. While the Intendant permits this, she warns Garak not to kill his prisoner.

Mirror Odo explains his " Rules of Obedience "

Elsewhere on the station, an ore processing section identical to the one on DS9 houses dozens of Humans, who perform the same slave-like role as their Bajoran counterparts once did in the "normal" universe. As Bashir is escorted to the processing area, Miles O'Brien warns Odo that they need to upgrade one of the machines' thorium containment cells or there will be an accident. O'Brien stresses to Odo that he will not be held responsible for the resulting consequences. The Klingon escorting Bashir brings him to Odo and informs Odo that Bashir does not know the rules. Odo asks Bashir for his designation. Bashir can only think of his name, which Odo interprets as a joke; as a result, Odo brutally slaps him. Again, Odo asks for a designation, so Bashir informs Odo he does not have one; Odo corrects him, adding "sir" to the end of the statement. A rhetorical response garners another slap. Bashir becomes visibly enraged as they talk, but it is apparent that Odo takes perverse pleasure in provoking him. Upon hearing that Bashir is a doctor, Odo sarcastically reminds him to scrub before he operates. Bashir is put to work but notices that O'Brien has observed the exchange with great interest.

Leading Kira and the guard escorting her to Ops , the Intendant passes several Alliance emblems before entering the office normally occupied by Benjamin Sisko . She sits and urges Kira to do the same, dismissing the guard, her eyes feasting on Kira like an excited child on Christmas . The Intendant reveals to Kira that almost a century ago, a Human named James T. Kirk accidentally traded places with his mirror universe Terran counterpart and drastically altered the course of history on this side.

At the time of the switch, the Terran Empire was barbaric but strong. While in the mirror universe, Kirk met a Vulcan named Spock and had what the Intendant calls a "profound influence" on him. Spock preached peaceful reforms after "our" Kirk left, rising to commander in chief of the Empire in the process of doing so; however, once he had completed his reforms, the Empire was too weak to defend itself from the newly-formed Klingon-Cardassian Alliance . Kira wonders how Bajor fits into the picture. The Intendant explains that the planet had been occupied by the Terrans for decades when the Empire fell. Upon becoming free, it petitioned for entry into the Alliance and became "quite an influential member" in later years. Her story finished, the Intendant wonders if the other side is similar at all.

Unfortunately, Kira informs the Intendant that her Bajor has not been so fortunate. The Intendant is eager to hear about life in Kira's universe, but Kira insists that she cannot stay. However, the Intendant does not know how to send her back, nor could she if she wanted to do so. The Alliance, upon seizing power, declared that any visitors from other universes must be killed immediately to prevent future incursions after the first crossover, but unlike Garak, she says she does not like using violence. Kira knows exactly what she means, and that she is looking for an excuse not to kill "our" Kira.

The Intendant is in love – with herself

Kira solicits the Intendant's help, as she feels a leader like the Intendant could teach her what she needs to know to bring about a stronger Bajor in her universe. " My side once changed the course of your history ," she says. " Well, maybe your side can change mine ." While the idea appeals to the Intendant, she says she will still have to kill Bashir. When Kira asks her not to, she says letting him live is too dangerous and the Klingons and Cardassians would not allow it; however, Kira knows herself too well and points out that the Intendant does not give a damn what the Klingons or Cardassians think. " Oh! " the Intendant croons. " You know how to manipulate me! " She agrees to go along with Kira's idea and calls for a guard to find her some quarters.

Act Two [ ]

" Have you ever heard of a Starfleet captain named James Kirk ? "

The next day, Kira, who has essentially been given free rein, visits the ore processing center to find a now-filthy Bashir pushing a cart full of ore. Mirror Odo greets her at the door. Like his counterpart on the other side, he prides himself on his efficiency. He offers assistance should she need him to explain anything, and when she demurs, citing that she has worked in ore processing before, he laughs out loud. When Kira mentions the name Kirk to Bashir, he immediately realizes where they are, having read about the transporter accident at the Academy . He plans to befriend the mirror O'Brien in the hope that this O'Brien knows as much about transporters as theirs does; meanwhile, Kira tries to find other help.

Mirror Quark

Quark's is no different in the mirror universe aside from the clientele, with a mixed group of Bajorans and Cardassians standing around a dabo table as Kira enters. Quark has heard of the crossover and remarks that Kira is indeed the spitting image of the Intendant. However, he is surprised to find that Kira knows him. She claims that the two of them are close friends on her side and that her Quark does her a lot of favors. As her Klingon escort still observes them from the doorway, Kira nonchalantly mentions that her Quark gets things done for her that no one else can and inquires about a transporter. He is aware of how the first crossover occurred and agrees to help her if she can show him how to send other people across. Although Kira begins to talk about revolving doors, Garak enters followed by two Klingons and yells Quark's name angrily.

Greeting Garak amicably, Quark attempts to act as if nothing is wrong. However, Garak informs him that he is under arrest for helping Terrans escape from Terok Nor. Quark claims he is a coward who does not stick his neck out for anyone, but the Terran whom Garak interrogated has said otherwise. Knowing what is about to happen, Quark pulls out a Cardassian phaser rifle and attempts to escape, only to be dragged away by the Klingons. " I shall miss him ," Garak observes. " He always let me win at dabo. " Shortly thereafter, Benjamin Sisko and a group of Terrans enter, helping themselves to free drinks in Quark's absence, and Kira sees another potential window of opportunity.

Meanwhile, the exhausted Terrans are allowed a lunch break. Bashir seizes this opportunity to introduce himself to the mirror O'Brien. Handing what little food he has been given to one of the other workers, he makes his way over to where O'Brien is fixing a panel of some sort. Hearing that the two of them are best friends in the other universe piques this O'Brien's interest; he wonders what he does on the other side. Bashir informs him that he is chief of operations of the station, giving him reason to pause his work and consider the possibilities. When Bashir describes the other details of his O'Brien's life, mirror O'Brien says his other half must have gotten the lucky draw of the two of them.

Bashir switches subjects, asking how much O'Brien knows about transporters. While he claims to be no expert, he adds that he knows as much as any Terran. " I hope that will be enough ," Bashir remarks, explaining about the transporter plan. O'Brien finds the plan untenable and believes Bashir is lying to solicit his help. While Bashir insists that he is sincere, the spell that came over O'Brien when he heard of his other half seems broken, as he goes back to work and tells Bashir he does not know him. Odo interrupts to announce that break time is over and that Sisko has requested O'Brien's presence. O'Brien protests that he must finish his repair work, but as usual, no one listens to him.

Kira with Mirror Sisko

Back in Quark's, Sisko and the other Terrans are enjoying themselves at the bar and he remarks that the Intendant called him all the way from the Fowla system just to see Kira. She observes that he and his friends do not act like typical Terrans. As he explains, the Intendant provides him with a ship in exchange for "duties... of a sort" that he collects from other vessels. While most Terrans are enslaved, he and his crew are allowed relative freedom because he amuses the Intendant. He observes that Kira must amuse her as well.

O'Brien enters the bar to ask what Sisko wanted, and seeing him seems to brighten Sisko's day. Referring to O'Brien as " Smiley " despite O'Brien's objection to the nickname, Sisko asks how he is being treated in an attempt to make small talk. He observes that Smiley does not like him, which O'Brien reluctantly confirms, evoking a laugh from Sisko. He states that the fact that Smiley is not afraid to show this dislike is why he amuses Sisko. Getting to the point, Sisko tells O'Brien that his impulse driver coil needs to be repaired. O'Brien notes the problems in ore processing which he needs to fix first, but Sisko cannot be bothered with such things and orders him to fix the ship first. As the Intendant calls for Sisko and he leaves the bar, Kira realizes that she may not have any hope at all.

Act Three [ ]

Kira enters the Intendant's quarters to find the Intendant in a bathtub with several Vulcan servants massaging and bathing her as Sisko sits on a couch facing the door. The Intendant wants to know if there is another Sisko on the other side, and on hearing there is, the idea of two of Sisko pleases her. As she speaks, Sisko gets up to check on his ship, obviously not amused, but the Intendant stops him to ask if she has hurt his feelings. Obediently, he replies, " I never had any to hurt ," and exits.

Once Sisko is gone, the Intendant talks to Kira as the Vulcans help her out of the tub and dress her. She mentions that she has heard Kira is looking for a transporter , and Kira reminds the Intendant that she is looking for a way back home. However, had Kira come to the Intendant with her request, she would know that transporters were re-designed after the first crossover to prevent future accidents. That leaves the Intendant to wonder why Kira did not do so. As she approaches Kira, her voice betrays a combination of hurt and distrust. Kira reluctantly admits that she is afraid of the Intendant. " I don't want your fear ," the Intendant confides as she stands face-to-face with Kira, " I want your love. If you can't love me, who can? "

The door chime rings. Telok informs the Intendant that Garak has arrived with a prisoner. She tells them to come inside; they drag Quark, who has visibly been beaten, with them. As Quark apologizes for what he has done, the Intendant kneels beside the Ferengi and comforts him, explaining that he helped the Terrans because he felt sorry for them. However, she reminds him that the Alliance needs the labor to process ore, for without the Terrans, nobody would perform such tasks. Rising to her feet, she tells Garak to give Quark a quick death and seems to all but forget about the incident as Quark is dragged away begging for mercy. Kira is aghast, but the Intendant, now in a happy mood, announces she plans to throw a party. " What shall we wear? " she asks her pet.

Mirror Garak

Kira enters her quarters carrying a lavender dress to find Garak waiting for her. " Lovely ," says the Cardassian of the garment. " I do admire a well-tailored gown ." He proceeds to explain that the Intendant will never let Kira return to "our" universe as she is clearly enamored with Kira. Describing how the Intendant talks about Kira constantly, Garak compares Kira to a Drathan puppy lig left on the Intendant's doorstep and hints at his true intentions as he makes a point of mentioning that the Intendant trusts Kira with her life. Kira points at the guard outside her door as evidence of how much the Intendant trusts her, but Garak reveals that he arranged the guard, not the Intendant. " Oh, she trusts you, as much as she trusts anyone. So who better to betray her? " he suggests. Garak's plan is that the Intendant will be "gone" in the morning and Kira will take her place. Shortly thereafter, he explains that Kira will retire to Bajor and he will take her place, at which point he will become the Intendant and Kira and Bashir will be sent home. He leaves Kira to ponder the idea and adds that, should she refuse, he has arranged for Bashir rather than the Intendant to be gone.

Act Four [ ]

Hurriedly entering the ore processing center, Kira warns Bashir that the two of them must escape tonight. She does not have time to explain the web of lies and treachery, but she tells him to be careful because he might be in danger. Regardless of where they go from there, she insists that they must find a way to the runabout. She tells him that there will not be much warning if an opportunity presents itself so he should be prepared.

On the Promenade , Kira finds Sisko half asleep, his eyes closed, leaning against a pillar. She claims to have valuable information that she is willing to trade, and he finds amusement in the idea that Kira has already "gone into business for herself." When she tells him she wants her runabout or a way off the station, he laughs. " She'll have my head... or something else ," he says of the Intendant's reaction to such a plan. Kira dispenses with the negotiations and announces that Garak is planning to kill the Intendant. However, Garak has been doing so since he first arrived on the station. She reveals the plot in hope that it will convince him she is serious, but he laughs and observes that the plan is more creative than Garak normally gets. Frustrated, Kira wants to know why Sisko does not seem to care about the fact that he and his fellow Terrans are slaves ; he counters by arguing that he has made the best of a bad life for himself. Disgusted, Kira accuses Sisko of being no less a victim than anyone else noting that out of everyone she has met in this universe the only person who had a shred of decency was, of all people, Quark; as she leaves, her words seem to weigh heavily on his conscience.

Kira attends the Intendant's party in Quark's that night wearing the purple dress and Garak greets her charmingly. Telok brags to his fellow Klingons about his time in service to the House of Duras , commenting on the unpredictable nature of Lursa and B'Etor , when one of Sisko's crewmembers accidentally bumps into him. He punches the Terran dismissively, adding, " Stupid Terran pig! " The Terran pulls out a knife and rises to his feet, but does so with restrained anger as he knows he is not an equal. At seeing that the Terran is willing to challenge him, Telok nods approvingly, ready for a fight. However, when Sisko shakes his head, the Terran puts the knife away. " What's wrong, Terran? " Telok taunts. " Lost your nerve? " Telok spits in the Terran's face and the man almost loses control, but another shake of the head from Sisko prompts him to restrain himself. Visibly disgusted, Telok orders the Terran to get out of his sight, and as the man does so, Sisko takes his place threateningly. However, the room shifts its attention as the Intendant enters.

The guests cheer as the Intendant enters followed by her Vulcan servants and the musician asks what her pleasure is. She tells him to play something bright in a happy mood and joins the festivities as Kira observes her, deep in thought.

Bashir shoots Mirror Odo

Meanwhile, Bashir sits exhausted in ore processing in front of a pile of rocks. Odo approaches him from behind and kicks him, noting that Bashir is not accustomed to the workload and, as such, has much to learn. " It's a shame this is going to be your last night on the job ," he adds, with a hint of sadistic pleasure. His taunting is interrupted when, just as O'Brien warned, the thorium containment field on one of the machines short-circuits. The Terran workers scatter as Odo contacts engineering , and Bashir uses this opportunity to steal a phaser from one of the Bajoran deputies. Still facing the deputy, he begins to back out the doorway following the panicked workers. Odo spots Bashir and reaches for his own phaser, but Bashir shoots the Changeling , causing him to explode, and splattering goo everywhere. Not taking the time to gawk, Bashir leaves immediately.

Act Five [ ]

Telok and some other soldiers can be heard in the distance as Bashir runs through one of the corridors and enters a conduit . A pair of Klingons runs by, oblivious to his location. He crawls a short way before he finds O'Brien attending a panel on the wall. However, when he solicits O'Brien's help, O'Brien claims not to see him and goes about sealing the thorium leak. Bashir realizes it is futile and remarks that he thought O'Brien was a decent man, which O'Brien insists he is. O'Brien is worried that the Alliance will find and kill him if he helps Bashir, but Bashir points out that O'Brien, as well as every other Terran, is already dead. He begins to enter another conduit, but O'Brien points out that the runabout pads are through another conduit, asking if there is room on the ship for him. The two of them emerge in another corridor only to find the Klingons have cut them off.

Interrupting the party, Telok brings O'Brien and Bashir and informs the Intendant of what has transpired; she immediately looks at Kira furiously. She declares that Odo's death is her fault for keeping Bashir alive in the first place and laments Odo's death. Garak and the others observe closely as she proclaims that Garak will use Bashir as his "example," and kill him slowly in public view for all Terrans to see. When Kira attempts to speak, the Intendant threatens to have Kira join him. She then turns her attention back to O'Brien. As he has been a perfect worker for years, she wonders what got into him, and he tells her that hearing about life on the other side and himself being chief of operations made him realize that, whatever the other side is like, there has to be something better than life as a Terran. " Not for you, Mr. O'Brien ," the Intendant informs him. " Oh, he's going to be taking you with him – just not exactly where you thought he would be taking you ."

A change of heart

With a nod from the Intendant, Garak begins to lead Bashir and O'Brien out of Quark's, but taking Garak's gun from its holster, Sisko intervenes, inspired by O'Brien's words. The Intendant does not believe what she sees and asks Sisko if he has lost his mind. He quietly replies, " No, I didn't lose it. I just... changed it. " By this time, "our" Kira and Sisko's crewmen have taken the cue and are all armed. They slowly exit the bar before Sisko shoots the panel above the door, locking it shut. As he does so, the Intendant is near tears; for all the disparity between them, she had true feelings for Sisko.

Kira warns Sisko as he escorts her and Bashir to the runabout pad that the Intendant will track him down wherever he goes. Bashir suggests that he and his crew come with them, but Sisko assures them he can stay ahead of the law. " Maybe we'll stir up some things on this side ," he adds with a grin. On hearing this, O'Brien changes his mind about leaving and joins Sisko's crew, as Sisko says he can always use a good tinkerer and putterer. Kira thanks Sisko before she and Bashir board the runabout.

Disengaging the docking clamps , Bashir and Kira take the runabout straight to impulse and depart Terok Nor as quickly as possible. As they head for the wormhole , Bashir reports that the runabout still has a plasma injector leak from the warp core , which Kira is counting on to return them home. They mimic the conditions of their original entry into the wormhole that brought them to the mirror universe, but a Klingon cruiser heads straight toward them, trying to keep them from leaving and nearly destroying the runabout. However, as the Klingons on this side know nothing of the wormhole, Bashir and Kira are able to maneuver toward it and enter. They are inside the wormhole when one of the runabout's systems short-circuits and there is another brilliant flash of light.

In Ops aboard Deep Space 9 , Commander Benjamin Sisko emerges from his office and asks if the crew has found anything. Odo stands next to Dax as she reports that a search vessel picked up traces of the runabout's warp signature and indications of a plasma leak, but no ship. There is an alert from the computer , and O'Brien announces it is them, although their deflector grid is damaged. Sisko tells Dax to hail the runabout and with a mixture of annoyance and concern, asks where they have been. " Through the looking glass ," Kira responds.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Bartender! " " He's just been arrested. " " Arrested? What a damn shame. Who wants a drink on the house? "

" I'm Kira Nerys." " That makes two of us."

" Wouldn't that be something , Benjamin? Two of you at my side! " " I need to check my ship. " " Benjamin. Did I hurt your feelings? " " I never had any to hurt, Intendant. "

" Smiley! " " Miles, Mr. Sisko. " " I don't like the name Miles. That's why I named you 'Smiley'! "

" What do you care about Terrans' freedom? " " I care about freedom ! What I don't understand is why you don't care. Why the only one I have met on this station who seemed to give a damn was a Ferengi toad named Quark! "

" You're not accustomed to this workload, are you, Doctor? You have much to learn. It's a shame this is going to be your last night on the job. "

" On this side, Terran workers do not speak to their superiors as you do. They certainly do not murder them! He was the only one of his kind, the man you killed. Do you realize that? He is irreplaceable! No one ran that operation as efficiently as he did. No one kept order among the workers as he did. This is my reward for treating you Terrans with the least bit of respect! Very well. I can learn from my mistakes. You want to set an example, Garak? Use him! Set an example for all Terrans! Let him die slowly in public view on the Promenade! Let his pleads for mercy echo through the corridors for all Terrans to hear!! " " Intendant! " " Another word from you, and you will die right beside him. "

" This man is a doctor where he comes from. And there's an O'Brien there, just like me... Except he's some kind of high-up chief of operations. And they're Terrans. Can you believe that? Maybe it's a fairy tale he made up, but it started me thinking how each of us might have turned out, had history been just a little different. I wanted him to take me with him because, whatever it's like where he's from, it's gotta be better than this. There's got to be something better than this. "

" We've got ships from here to New Bajor out looking for you. Where have you been? " " Through the Looking-Glass , Commander. But it's good to be back. "

Background information [ ]

Three background actors as Klingons on the set

Story and script [ ]

• The original title of "Crossover" was to be "Detour". ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library )
• Michael Piller commented: " We've been pitched " Mirror, Mirror " sequels since Star Trek: The Next Generation began, and I wasn't interested. But I couldn't get away from the fact that it would be interesting to know what happened after "Mirror, Mirror" finished. I couldn't escape the idea that Kirk's influence in the world that he left might have been profound and changed history. What would be more of a gross violation of the Prime Directive ? Ira [Behr] said, 'What if he actually screwed things up?' Spock listened to what he said and then they turned this evil empire into a much more gentle empire that was conquered and taken over by the Klingons, the Cardassians and others. I was watching Schindler's List and I was thinking if I were a little older, I could have been in one of those camps in Poland. If Germany had won the war, I would not be here doing what I am doing today. I guarantee you. I was very pleased with the way the script turned out ". ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages )
• Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe wrote the fall of the Terran Empire into the script as an analogy for the fall of the Roman Empire to barbarians and the Chinese Dynasty to the Mongols . He also wanted to illustrate that if an Empire is as brutal as the Terran Empire was in " Mirror, Mirror ", there were probably reasons why it was so brutal and he wished to convey the message that, in such circumstances, one cannot change things overnight, and even the actions of Captain Kirk can have severe consequences; " Empires aren't usually brutal unless there's a reason. There are usually external or internal pressures that cause them to be that way. So I just thought that if the parallel Earth was that brutal, there had to be a reason. And the reason was that the barbarians (the Klingons and the Cardassians ) were at the gate ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. ? ))
• Wolfe elaborates on the political/historical metaphor contained in this episode when he says, " My analogy was to the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was as brutal and as nasty as it was because all around it, it had very aggressive barbarians that it was afraid of. The Chinese had the same thing, the Mongols were always there. So if you suddenly make the Romans nice guys, or the Chinese nice guys, well that's great and everything, but then the Mongols come across and it's all over. So that was kind of the idea, what was the mirror universe like a hundred years [after " Mirror, Mirror "]. Well, it might not be a very nice place ." (Hidden File 03, DS9 Season 2 DVD , Special Features)
• Worf was to appear in this episode, but Michael Dorn was unavailable as he was filming the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation , " All Good Things... ". His lines were given to Andrew Robinson and the lines intended for Elim Garak were used to create the character Telok . ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library ) When Dorn did appear in later mirror universe episodes, he played Regent Worf , leader of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Production [ ]

Three background performers on the set

• David Livingston commented on the filming of the episode that it was: " a killer. I don't usually call Michael Piller to comment on the scripts, but when I read the draft, I just called him and said, 'Cool', and hung up. It was not a pleasant experience for me because of all all the pressure. It was just not fun. I wanted it to be a lot more than it is, but I'm glad to do it. It's one of the most expensive episodes we've ever done. We had more prosthetic makeup because the station is inhabited by Klingon, Cardassians and Bajorans, and the humans are basically slaves so they're wearing different costumes. We had swing sets that were huge, like the mining set, and very complicated to shoot. The shooting time was long because of the look and because of special effects, like smoke and steam and that kind of thing. Plus, we did make changes in the sets themselves, like Quark's, in which we replaced the big graphic in the bar with the symbol that represented the Bajorans, Klingons and Cardassians melded together ". ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages )
• The teaser scene in which the two Klingon soldiers board the runabout is intentionally shot from extreme angles, which director David Livingston compared to essentially shooting up the actors' noses. He did this intentionally to emphasize how different things were in the mirror universe. During the preproduction period of this episode, Livingston watched the 1949 Carol Reed movie The Third Man for inspiration, although he has admitted that he may have gone too far in using radically different angles. ( DS9 Season 2 DVD .)
• The knife wielded by the Terran when he is knocked over by Telok was designed by Rick Sternbach for an episode called "The Beast", which became the basis for the episode " Blood Oath ", and it was originally intended to be wielded by a Klingon . ( Deep Space Nine Sketchbook , DS9 Season 2 DVD , Special Features)

Reception [ ]

• After this episode aired, there was a great deal of discussion about how sexy and alluring Nana Visitor was as the Intendant, with the costume she wore garnering a great deal of attention. According to costume designer Robert Blackman , the general consensus amongst fans was that it was the revealing costume that gave Visitor this new level of seductiveness, but Blackman disagrees; " It's not that I've exposed more of her body – it's exposed pretty much the same way it always is. What's the difference? She's the difference. It's how Nana wears it. It's what she does. She walks like a provocative woman, with her legs crossing in front. She uses her hips, and a whole other kind of body English than she normally uses ." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. ? ))
• In Star Trek 101 (p. 125), Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block list "Crossover" as one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
• This is the only Star Trek: Deep Space Nine mirror universe episode in which the crossover is made via the Bajoran wormhole. All subsequent episodes show the crossover being made by way of a specially adapted transporter. The novel Fearful Symmetry posited this is because the crossover in this episode was a deliberate attempt by the Prophets to connect the two universes.
• In later mirror universe episodes, the Terran Rebellion captured Terok Nor from the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, which is what Sisko alludes to when he says he and his men will "stir things up on this side."
• Cirroc Lofton ( Jake Sisko ) does not appear in this episode. Later episodes would establish that Jake Sisko was never born in the mirror universe, making him the only character in the Star Trek universe known not to have a mirror counterpart.
• While Avery Brooks , Rene Auberjonois and Colm Meaney all appear throughout the episode as their mirror counterparts, their regular characters of Benjamin Sisko , Odo and Miles O'Brien only appear in the final scene. Terry Farrell ( Jadzia Dax ) also only appears in the final scene.
• Quark does not appear in this episode, only his mirror counterpart .
• The mirror Odo's uniform sports a belt and collar, which Auberjonois liked so much that he began using it in his regular series Odo uniform as well.
• Prior to the establishment of the history of the televised mirror universe, a mirror version of O'Brien appeared in the novel Dark Mirror , depicting a mirror universe in which the Terran Empire had survived well into the 24th century . That version of O'Brien served as a conn officer aboard the ISS Enterprise (ICC-1701-D) from 2364 until at least 2367 .
• According to the novel Disavowed , Bashir steals the weapon he uses to kill Odo from the mirror counterpart ( β ) of Cenn Desca ( β ). The Desca of the "prime" universe is a long running character in the novels.
• This episode was nominated for an ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Regular Series ( Marvin V. Rush ).

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 22, 26 September 1994
• As part of the DS9 Season 2 DVD collection
• As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Alternate Realities collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Avery Brooks as Commander Sisko

Also starring [ ]

• Rene Auberjonois as Odo
• Siddig El Fadil as Doctor Bashir
• Terry Farrell as Lieutenant Dax
• Cirroc Lofton as Jake Sisko
• Colm Meaney as Chief O'Brien
• Armin Shimerman as Quark
• Nana Visitor as Major Kira

Guest Stars [ ]

• Andrew Robinson as " Garak "
• John Cothran, Jr. as Telok

Co-Stars [ ]

• Stephen Gevedon as Klingon #1
• Jack R. Orend as Human
• Dennis Madalone as Marauder

Uncredited Co-Stars [ ]

• René Auberjonois as Odo (mirror)
• Pam Blackwell as Terran slave
• Avery Brooks as Mister Sisko (mirror)
• Mark Lentry as Terran slave
• Colm Meaney as Smiley O'Brien (mirror)
• Estella Russell as Terran slave
• John Saint John as Klingon patrol guard
• Armin Shimerman as Quark (mirror)
• Nana Visitor as Intendant Kira (mirror)
• Bajoran guard
• Bajoran musician
• Bajoran personnel
• Female Cardassian guard
• Female Klingon guard
• Four Terran marauders
• Male Klingon guard
• Nine Terran slaves
• Vulcan servant 1
• Vulcan servant 2

Stand-ins [ ]

• Ivor Bartels as stand-in for Siddig El Fadil
• John Lendale Bennett as stand-in for Avery Brooks
• Mark Lentry as stand-in for Rene Auberjonois
• Robin Morselli as stand-in for Nana Visitor
• Randy Pflug as stand-in for Colm Meaney
• Unknown actress as photo double for Nana Visitor

References [ ]

2267 ; 2368 ; 0413 Theta ; ability ; Alpha Quadrant ; amusement ; arrest ; Bajor ; Bajor (mirror) ; Bajoran ; Bajoran music ; Bajoran sector ; Bajoran wormhole ; bath tub ; barbarian ; Bellows Breath ; B'Etor ; Boldaric ; bury the hatchet ; Cardassian ; career ; chief of operations ; college ; commander in chief ; composer ; confession ; crossover ; dabo ; Deep Space 9 ; deflector grid ; disruptor rifle ; dizziness ; docking clamp ; Drathan puppy lig ; driver coil ; Earth (mirror) ; electro-plasma ; emergency stabilization control ; euphemism ; expression ; fairy tale ; Fowla system ; Ferengi ; flag ; freedom ; Gamma Quadrant ; gift ; heart ; Helewa, Isam ; House of Duras ; impostor ; Intendant ; joke ; jumja tea ; Kirk, James T. ; Kirk, James T. ; kiss ; Klingon ; Klingon-Cardassian Alliance ; Klingon cruiser ; laborer ; lambda ; latinum ; leader ; long range sensor ; love ; Lursa ; marriage ; medicine ; meditation ; mines ; mirror universe ; mirror universe cultures ; mirror universe history ; New Bajor ; O'Brien, Keiko ; O'Brien, Molly ; nap ; Ops ; ore processing center ; pagh ; parallel universe ; pig ; Promenade ; plasma injector ; Promenade ; Quark's ; Quark's (mirror) ; revolving door ; rhythmic breathing ; Rules of Obedience ; runabout ; Smiley ; soul ; Spock ; spoon ; spitting ; Starfleet ; Starfleet (mirror) ; Starfleet Academy ; supervisor ; tax ; Terran ; Terran Empire ; Terran Rebellion ; Terok Nor (mirror) ; theta (classification) ; thorium ; thorium containment cell ; transporter ; thruster ; toad ; Tor Jolan ; transporter accident ; transporter technology ; Vor'cha -class ; Vulcan , warp field ; worker ; wormhole

External links [ ]

• " Crossover " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Crossover " at Wikipedia
• Crossover at StarTrek.com
• " "Crossover" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

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Screen Rant

Every star trek: ds9 & tng crossover ranked worst to best.

Star Trek: DS9 had several TNG crossover episodes over the years, with everyone from Thomas Riker to Q passing through the station, but which is best?

• TNG characters had varying degrees of success when crossing over to DS9. Worf's inclusion was a hit, while others weren't so lucky.
• DS9's crossovers with TNG characters often provided superior character development compared to their original appearances.
• "The Way of the Warrior" was the best TNG/DS9 crossover, seamlessly blending the strengths of both shows into an exciting episode.

As the first of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's spinoff shows, several TNG characters crossed over into episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , with varying degrees of success. While DS9 was always at its best when standing on its own two feet, it's widely agreed that the show confidently hit its stride with the inclusion of TNG 's Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) in season 4. However, Worf was far from the only TNG character to appear in DS9 over the years, after Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) was tasked with briefing Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) on his new role in the DS9 pilot.

Foreshadowing the 2010's age of the cinematic universe, there were multiple 1990s Star Trek crossovers , with various characters appearing across all three shows. Not every Star Trek: The Next Generation character performed as well as Worf did on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The gruff Klingon with the heart of gold fitted in beautifully with DS9 's more serious, character-driven approach to Star Trek . In fact, Worf's character development on DS9 was often far superior to anything that had previously been seen in TNG . Unfortunately for some other TNG characters, however, they weren't as lucky when they came aboard Deep Space Nine.

TNG Vs. DS9: Which Show Was Better For Worf?

11 star trek: ds9 season 1, episode 3, "past prologue" (lursa & b'etor), aired january 11, 1993.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 3, "Past Prologue" is a great episode that establishes the backstory of Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and introduces the fan-favorite character Elim Garak (Andrew J. Robinson). However, the appearance of the Duras sisters from Star Trek: The Next Generation distracts from the work that DS9 is doing to establish its own identity. As a TNG crossover, "Past Prologue" fails because Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) could be any arms dealers set on selling out Bajoran terrorist Tahna Los (Jeffrey Nordling). The House of Duras made a more successful appearance on DS9 once their arch-nemesis Worf joined the cast.

10 Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episode 7, "Q-Less" (Q & Vash)

Aired february 8, 1993.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's only Q (John de Lancie) episode is a major disappointment because it's too focused on continuing the story of the cosmic trickster's relationship with Picard's ex-lover, Vash (Jennifer Hetrick). In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Qpid", the trickster promised that he'd look after Vash while they adventured around the cosmos together. DS9 revealed Q broke his promise to Picard , however because Jean-Luc wasn't there to find out, this revelation lacked impact. There was certainly the possibility for a great Q crossover episode, given DS9 's treatment of faith, religion, and cosmic gods, but sadly, "Q-Less" falls short.

DS9’s Sisko Or TNG’s Q: Who’s More Powerful In Star Trek?

9 star trek: ds9 season 3, episode 10, "fascination" (lwaxana troi), aired november 28, 1994.

Of the three Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes to feature the character of Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett), "Fascination" is the weakest. It plays up Lwaxana's more annoying traits long after viewers have got to know her more sensitive and empathetic side. Worse still, Lwaxana's Zanthi fever causes the crew of DS9 to succumb to their repressed passions for each other. This means that there are various comedy odd couples that don't seem as funny to an audience as they clearly were to the writers and the actors. However, it is lifted by some assured direction from Avery Brooks, and a genuinely heartfelt exploration of the relationship between the O'Briens.

8 Star Trek: DS9 Season 4, Episode 15, "Sons of Mogh" (Kurn)

Aired february 12, 1996.

Worf's brother Kurn (Tony Todd) returned in the controversial Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Sons of Mogh." After Worf turned his back on the Klingon Empire, the House of Mogh is ostracized by Chancellor Gowron (Robert Reilly), forcing Kurn to request that Worf kill him to restore his honor. The episode is controversial for the disappointing ending that Kurn gets, having his mind erased and handed a whole new identity to escape the shame of being associated with the House of Mogh. However, it's less finite than death, which is for the best, given that Worf was soon back in the Empire's good graces after unmasking the Changeling infiltration of the Klingon Empire.

7 Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episode 21, "The Muse" (Lwaxana Troi)

Aired april 29, 1996.

The central plot of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Muse" is centered around Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and a parasitic energy being called Onaya (Meg Foster). However, the real heart is the subplot centered around Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) marrying Lwaxana Troi to protect her unborn child. There's a sense that Odo is paying back Lwaxana for all her help in bringing him out of his shell since their first meeting. It's a great example of how a character from a different show, in this case Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Lwaxana Troi, can make a truly impactful guest appearance that changes the trajectory of the regular characters.

"The Muse" was Majel Barrett's final on-screen performance as Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek.

6 Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episode 9, "The Sword of Kahless" (Toral, son of Duras)

Aired november 20, 1995.

After Star Trek Generations failed Worf by robbing him of closure in his ongoing feud with the House of Duras. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine attempted to resolve this in season 4. In "The Sword of Kahless", Worf joins Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) and Kor (John Collicos) to retrieve a mythical artifact that is said will reunite the divided Klingon Empire. The last remaining member of the House of Duras, Toral, was also looking for the sword of Kahless, but was beaten to it. Worf ended Toral's dreams of leading the Empire when he jettisoned the cursed sword into space, and ended the power struggle between the House of Mogh and the House of Duras.

"The Sword of Kahless" is also a Star Trek: The Original Series crossover episode, as John Collicos' Kor was an old enemy of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

5 Star Trek: DS9, Season 6, Episode 3, "Sons and Daughters" (Alexander Rozhenko)

Aired october 16, 1997.

In "Sons and Daughters", Star Trek: Deep Space Nine finally allowed Worf to come to terms with the young man that his son had become. Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Alexander Rozhenko (Marc Worden) finally follows the path that his father wanted for him, but isn't up to the task. Alexander is clumsy and awkward, and an embarrassmentT to his stern and disapproving father. However, Worf and Alexander both learn that the young man has to go his own way and make his own mistakes, rather than live up to his father's ideal of a Klingon Warrior. It's a touching episode that reconciles a lot of Worf and Alexander's issues during TNG .

4 Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episode 17, "The Forsaken" (Lwaxana Troi)

Aired may 23, 1993.

"The Forsaken" was the original Lwaxana Troi episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and it's the best one. At such an early stage in the story of Rene Auberjonois' Odo , it's fascinating to see him open up to Troi's mother while the two are stuck in a turbolift together. Lwaxana opens up to Odo about her fears of being seen as " ordinary ", while the Changeling reveals to Troi how lonely his early life as a lab experiment was. Bringing in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Lwaxana was a smart move that allowed DS9 to show a new side to Odo so they could explore his more vulnerable and emotional side.

3 Star Trek: DS9, Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2, "Emissary" (Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Locutus of Borg)

Aired january 3, 1993.

Captain Picard's appearance in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine pilot, "Emissary", serves to establish how different DS9 would be from its parent show. The clash between Sisko and Picard, and the fundamental lack of understanding that Jean-Luc has of the responsibilities of being a father make clear how different the two leads are. "Emissary" is also the most emotionally nuanced of Star Trek pilots, making it a strong episode on its own terms that is heightened, rather than undermined by its crossover with Star Trek: The Next Generation . Patrick Stewart even gets to play multiple facets of Picard, from Locutus of Borg in a flashback to the Battle of Wolf 359, and one of the Wormhole aliens during Sisko's vision.

2 Star Trek: DS9 Season 3, Episode 9, "Defiant" (Thomas Riker)

Aired november 21, 1994.

Jonathan Frakes played the role of Riker's clone from Star Trek: The Next Generation in "Defiant", where it was revealed that Thomas was a Maquis traitor. When he arrived aboard Deep Space Nine, Thomas masqueraded as Commander William T. Riker, kidnapped Kira and hijacked the USS Defiant to expose covert Cardassian military activities. Although the reveal of the stick-on sideburns is silly, the choice to cast Jonathan Frakes as Thomas, rather than William Riker, gave Star Trek: Deep Space Nine a chance to tell a great story for Kira Nerys. Drawing on her own experiences in the Bajoran Resistance movement, Kira is able to counsel Thomas on the correct course of action to save his crew and expose the Cardassians' deception.

"Defiant" also features a guest appearance by Kalita (Shannon Cochran), the Maquis freedom fighter who previously appeared in the TNG episode "Preemptive Strike."

1 Star Trek: DS9, Season 4, Episodes 1&2, "The Way of the Warrior" (Worf and Chancellor Gowron)

Aired october 2, 1995.

Although Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's feature-length season 4 opener is Worf's first episode, it can technically be classed as a crossover until Captain Sisko officially welcomes the Star Trek: The Next Generation character aboard. "The Way of the Warrior" is a thrilling Klingon action movie that opens Star Trek 's best-ever fourth season and sets the tone of what's to come. Worf fits in perfectly, and Sisko is set up as the perfect mentor for TNG 's favorite Klingon. It's the best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine /TNG crossover because it seamlessly blends what makes both shows great into something genuinely exciting for the franchise's future.

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

The Top 57 Episodes of ‘Star Trek,’ Ranked From Great to Perfect

First, let’s be clear: Ranking the best “Star Trek” episodes is a silly thing to do. To date, the longest-running American TV franchise has aired a gargantuan 890 episodes and counting, starting with the original series in 1966. Since then, at least one “Star Trek” TV show has aired (or streamed) every decade, totaling 11 so far (with more on the way ). Choosing the best episodes within such a boundless, occasionally contradictory storytelling galaxy seems about as wise as cheating when playing poker with a Klingon.

On the other hand, there may be no more time-honored tradition among “Star Trek” fans than a vigorous debate over what constitutes the best of the franchise. (Best series ? Best captains ? Best starships ? Best aliens ? Best uniforms ? They’ve all been ranked multiple times !)

In that spirit — and to commemorate the 57th anniversary of “Star Trek” on Sept. 8 —  Variety ’s resident “Trek” geeks have ranked the top 57 episodes of all time, across the franchise.

Creating our list required some deep-dish nerdiness in its own right: We compiled a long list of episodes from each series that we felt deserved to be on the final ranking. Then we created our own individual rankings — and promptly realized our taste was quite divergent. To reconcile our lists, we adopted the approach of the great movie ranking podcast, Screen Drafts : We took alternating turns placing a pick from 57 to 1, and we each had two opportunities to veto the other’s pick (which in every case was to ensure it was placed higher on the list).

Other than the short-lived “Star Trek: The Animated Series” (1973-1974), this list reflects every other iteration of “Trek” on TV: “Star Trek: The Original Series” (1966-1969); “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994); “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993-1999); “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001); “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2001-2005); “Star Trek: Discovery” (2017-2024); “Star Trek: Picard” (2020-2023); “Star Trek: Prodigy” (2021-2022); and the ongoing “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2020-present) and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2022-present).

The Way to Eden

“The Original Series” — Season 3, Episode 20

Look, this episode gets a lot of hate. But the fact is “TOS” is known (by today’s standards) for being very campy, and there is no episode campier than this one. A group of space hippies board the Enterprise on their journey to a mythical planet called Eden, where they can live happily forever. The episode memorably features Charles Napier (who would go on to a long career playing tough guys, villains, cops and the like) breaking out into song a bunch of times, including a jam session with Spock (Leonard Nimoy). —Joe Otterson Original airdate: Feb. 21, 1969

Terra Prime

“Enterprise” — Season 4, Episode 21 More than any other episode of “Enterprise,” “Terra Prime” made the most of the show’s mission to dramatize the beginnings of Starfleet, 100 years before the events of “TOS.” Just as a newfound coalition of planets begins to form on Earth (a precursor to the Federation), Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew must stop a xenophobic terrorist (played to the hilt by future “Star Trek Into Darkness” villain Peter Weller) bent on forcing all aliens to leave Earth. Subtle, it ain’t, but the story feels more relevant today than it did 20 years ago, and everyone in the cast gets a moment to shine. Alas, it came too late: “Enterprise” had been canceled before this episode even went into production. —Adam B. Vary Original airdate: May 13, 2005

“Prodigy” — Season 1, Episode 6

The animated “Prodigy” was the first “Star Trek” series geared toward kids, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t things for older “Trek” fans to enjoy. In particular, “Kobayashi” perfectly embodies what makes this show a worthy entry in “Trek” canon. Dal (Brett Gray) and Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) discover the holodeck aboard the Protostar, where they decide to go through the Kobayashi Maru, a.k.a. the “no-win scenario” that Capt. Kirk successfully beat during his time at the Academy. He gets help along the way from legendary characters like Spock, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Odo (René Auberjonois). —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 6, 2022

Stormy Weather

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 6

On a mission to discover the origins of a cataclysmic gravitational anomaly, the U.S.S. Discovery enters a subspace rift and finds itself trapped inside a lethal black void that threatens to collapse in on the ship. The result is a classic race-against-time thriller (directed by “Trek” mainstay Jonathan Frakes), but what makes “Stormy Weather” stand out amid the heavily serialized episodes of “Discovery” is its emotionally resonant use of the ship’s sentient A.I. computer, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), who has to learn how to calm her mind from overwhelming stimuli in order to guide the ship out of danger. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 23, 2021

Seventeen Seconds

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 3

“Picard” didn’t find itself until Season 3, which reunited the core cast of “The Next Generation” — and it was really Episode 3 that sealed the deal. Riker (Frakes) is forced to take command of the Titan as Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and the Shrike hunt them. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Crusher get an all-time great scene together as she reveals why she never told him about their son, Jack (Ed Speleers). Worf (Michael Dorn) makes his big return. We learn the Changelings are still intent on attacking the Federation. Riker and Picard end up at odds in a way we’ve never seen before. In short, epic. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 2, 2023

The Enemy Within

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 5

The transporter — the cause of, and solution to, so many “Star Trek” problems — accidentally splits Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) into two people: Good Kirk, who is wracked with indecision, and evil Kirk, who is a histrionic asshole. Come for a meditation on the darkness that lies tucked inside everyone’s psyche, stay for some of William Shatner’s most deliciously hammy acting — and this was just the fifth episode of the series! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1966

Family Business

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episode 23

The Ferengi episodes of “DS9” are always great comic relief, with this episode giving fans their first view of the home planet of Ferenginar and Ferengi culture in general. Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Rom (Max Grodénchik) must return home when their mother, Ishka (Andrea Martin), is accused of acquiring profit (gasp!), something Ferengi females are forbidden to do. Shimerman and Martin shine as they play out Quark and Ishka’s relationship, while Grodénchik really gets to put his comedic chops on display. This episode is also notable as the first appearance of Brunt (Jeffrey Combs) from the Ferengi Commerce Authority, as well as Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), frequent love interest of Cmdr. Sisko (Avery Brooks). —J.O.

Original airdate: May 15, 1995

Blink of an Eye

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 12

The Voyager gets stuck in orbit around a planet where time passes far more rapidly than in the rest of space, as the episode alternates between the bemused curiosity of Capt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew and the awestruck preoccupation of the expeditiously progressing populace on the planet below, for whom Voyager is a sparkling, fixed constant in the night sky. At one point, the Doctor (Robert Picard) beams down to the planet to investigate, and a delay of only a few minutes on Voyager means he spends three years on its surface. He even adopts a son! One of the great, wild what if? episodes of “Star Trek.” —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 2000

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 23

Mark Lenard absolutely crushed the role of Spock’s father, Sarek, in multiple episodes across multiple “Star Trek” series and movies, but this episode is perhaps his finest performance as the character. Sarek comes to the Enterprise-D on what is meant to be his final mission, only for the crew to learn he is suffering from Bendii Syndrome. The condition leaves him prone to uncharacteristic emotional outbursts while also causing him to telepathically influence the emotions of those around him. Picard saves the day by mind melding with Sarek, allowing him to finish his mission with dignity — and provide Stewart with the chance for some powerhouse acting as he channels Sarek’s volcanic emotions. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 14, 1990

“Enterprise” — Season 3, Episode 10

“Trek” loves a moral dilemma, and this one’s a doozy: After Cmdr. Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is critically injured while the Enterprise is on a deep space mission, Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) suggests growing a “mimetic symbiote” of Trip — effectively, a clone with a built-in two-week lifespan — in order to create the brain tissue needed to save Trip’s life. But that means the Enterprise crew must endure watching Trip’s clone rapidly age from a precocious kid to an adult man (played by Trinneer with eerie self-possession), who then pleads for his own right to live. Creepy and heartbreaking in equal measure. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 19, 2003

Trials and Tribble-ations

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 5, Episode 6

This episode is a love letter to the original series, with the Defiant’s crew transported back in time to the events of “The Trouble With Tribbles.” A Klingon agent is planning to use a booby-trapped tribble to assassinate James T. Kirk. Thanks to digital editing, the crew is able to interact with the original Enterprise crew and keep the timeline intact. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 4, 1996

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 23

Mirror universe episodes of “Star Trek” are (almost) always fun, if ultimately a little silly. But this one — in which Kira (Nana Visitor) and Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) find themselves in an alternate reality in which Bajor, Cardassians and Klingons subjugate humans as slaves — comes closest to matching the spark of discovery in the original “TOS” episode. It’s especially fun to watch Visitor devour the role of Kira’s deliciously wicked mirror counterpart, the Intendant. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: May 16, 1994

Memento Mori

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 1, Episode 4

This episode proved “Strange New Worlds” — the newest “Star Trek” series — could be as action-packed as the very best of “Star Trek.” The Enterprise crew find themselves on the run from the Gorn, a savage enemy (first introduced on “TOS” and largely ignored in “Trek” canon) about which they know virtually nothing. They are forced to use every resource at their disposal to outwit and outrun the Gorn, including tapping into the subconscious of La’an (Christina Chong), the only crew member who has encountered the aliens and survived. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 26, 2022

Counterpoint

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 10

The main story is a tense, WWII allegory: Capt. Janeway and her crew hide telepathic refugees while passing through the space of the Devore, who have outlawed telepaths. But the real story is the relationship Janeway forms with the lead Devore inspector, Kashyk (Mark Harelik), who suddenly shows up alone and announces he’s defecting. As Kashyk aids Janeway in finding safe harbor for the refugees, she realizes how much he’s her intellectual equal, and she finds herself drawn to him — in spite of (or perhaps spurred on by) her continued suspicion of his motives. A great, subtle performance by Mulgrew captures both Janeway’s steely wits and her private yearning. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 16, 1998

The Drumhead

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 21

“Star Trek” has done a number of courtroom episodes, and this is one of the best. Rear admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons) is sent to investigate suspected sabotage aboard the Enterprise. The investigation quickly spirals into paranoia and accusations of treachery against a crew member who is revealed to have Romulan lineage. It is an excellent reminder of what can happen when persecution is dressed up as an attempt at greater security, with Picard using Satie’s father’s teachings to bring about her downfall. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 29, 1991

“The Next Generation” — Season 7, Episode 8

More thwarted romance! The seasons-long will-they/won’t-they between Picard and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) gets its best showcase, when the pair are captured by isolationist aliens and given implants that allow them to read each other’s thoughts. You get the feeling Stewart and especially McFadden had been dying to play out this dynamic on the show, so they both bring years of sublimated longing to the episode. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 8, 1993

In the Hands of the Prophets

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 20

Louise Fletcher’s performance as Vedek Winn (later Kai Winn) ranks among the best “Star Trek” villains of all time. Deeply religious to the point of fanaticism, Winn protests Keiko O’Brien (Rosalind Chao) teaching children on Deep Space Nine that the wormhole aliens are not deities, as many Bajorans believe. Winn’s words whip Bajorans on the station into a frenzy; Keiko’s school is bombed. But what Winn really desires is power, to the point she tries to get one of her followers to kill a fellow Vedek she sees as a threat. The episode sets up Winn’s role as a major antagonist throughout the series to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: June 21, 1993

The Trouble With Tribbles

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 15

If you’ve seen any episode of “TOS,” chances are it’s this one. While on shore leave at a space station, the Enterprise comes upon an adorably furry alien creature called a tribble, which are born pregnant, multiply exponentially, consume enormous quantities of food and react with alarm when in the presence of a Klingon. Fizzy and funny and, to this day, one of the best-known episodes of “Trek” ever. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 29, 1967

Balance of Terror

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 14

Introducing the Romulans alone makes this episode worthy of being on the list. But it’s also an epic cat-and-mouse game between Kirk and a Romulan commander played by none other than Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Sarek starting in Season 2. Kirk successfully lures the Romulan ship into a trap, leading to Lenard delivering the iconic line, “You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Dec. 15, 1966

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 20

John de Lancie never disappoints when he plays Q, but this episode offered a wonderful twist on his usual appearances. Following the events of “Deja Q,” Q returns to the Enterprise saying he owes Picard a debt. Picard repeatedly tells Q he wants nothing from him, but Q notices Picard has eyes for Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), the mercenary archeologist Picard first met on Risa. Being Q, he naturally transports Picard, Vash, and the bridge crew to a Robin Hood fantasy in which Picard must rescue Vash from the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Clive Frevill). Added bonus: Worf, in scarlet tights, exclaiming in protest, “I am not a merry man!” —J.O.

Original airdate: April 22, 1991

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 18

The classic “trial by combat” episode that pitted Kirk against a Gorn captain on a barren, rocky planet (i.e. the storied filming location Vasquez Rocks ). Few images from “Star Trek” have become more iconic than the original Gorn costume, which was essentially an actor dressed as a large lizard. The ending is also an all-timer, with Kirk choosing to spare the Gorn, proving to the all-powerful Metrons that set up the trial by combat that humans are capable of more than just random violence. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 1967

A Mathematically Perfect Redemption

“Lower Decks” — Season 3, Episode 7

“Star Trek’s” first pure comedy (and second animated series) often plays as a twisted love letter to the entire “Trek” franchise — like when Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue), one of the sentient Exocomp robots first introduced on “The Next Generation,” abandons the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in a time of need. This episode tracks Peanut Hamper’s journey to redemption afterwards, which involves her encountering a seemingly primitive species called the Areore. To say anything more would spoil the fun; suffice it to say, “Trek” has rarely provoked gasps of deep laughter like this episode does. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 2022

Bar Association

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 15

What better episode of “Star Trek” to talk about after Hollywood’s hot labor summer? Fed up with the unfair conditions at Quark’s bar, Rom talks the other workers into forming a union and going on strike. Max Grodénchik truly shines in this episode as the would-be union leader. Once Rom successfully gets Quark to agree to all the workers’ demands, he outright quits and goes to work as a repair technician for the station, setting up some of Rom’s best moments in the episodes to come. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1996

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 26 & Season 6, Episode 1

The Voyager swoops to the rescue of the Equinox, another Federation starship stranded in the Gamma Quadrant — only this one, led by Capt. Ransom (John Savage), is a smaller ship not meant for deep space travel. With their crew whittled down to just 12 people, Ransom has resorted to murdering alien creatures to use their bio-matter to boost the Equinox’s engines — a horrific violation of everything Starfleet stands for. The discovery pushes Janeway to her own limits, as she obsessively pursues the Equinox despite the cost to her own crew and her morality. The two-parter is one of the darkest episodes of “Star Trek,” a chilling reminder of how easily good people can find themselves slipping into disgrace. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: May 26, 1999 & Sept. 22, 1999

Who Mourns for Morn?

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 12

Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd) was a “Deep Space Nine” fixture, always at Quark’s bar, but never actually speaking onscreen. But in this episode, with Morn apparently dead in an accident, everyone reveals the offscreen times they spent with him, including the revelation that he “never shuts up.” Quark inherits all of Morn’s property, which Odo relishes revealing is ultimately nothing. But as it turns out, Morn had a much more adventurous life before his time on “DS9” than anyone knew, leading his former comrades to seek him out to get a hold of the money they believed he still possessed. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 4, 1998

Species Ten-C

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 12

Other than the Gorn, almost all of the aliens on “Star Trek” are, essentially, humans with slightly different forehead ridges. But in its most recent season, “Discovery” embraced “Trek’s” prime directive (seeking out new life, bolding going where no one’s gone, etc.) by crafting a species that is truly alien: the Ten-C. Throughout the season, the Ten-C are presented as both a total mystery and an existential threat; when Capt. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the Discovery finally reach them — outside the barrier of the Milky Way galaxy — they are unlike anything the show has ever encountered. Rarely has “Trek” applied more intellectual and emotional rigor to what it might actually be like to attempt first contact with extra-terrestrials, and rarely has it been this compelling. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: March 10, 2022

A Man Alone

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 4

Odo is one of the best characters in “DS9” — and in the “Star Trek” universe — in general, and this is the first episode to really establish him as a standout . A known criminal returns to the station only to die shortly after, and Odo is accused of his murder. Odo’s status as an outsider, but ultimately someone to be respected, is made crystal clear in this episode, with even his archenemy Quark acknowledging that Odo is not the type to murder someone in cold blood. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 17, 1993

Mirror, Mirror

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 4

The transporter strikes again, this time accidentally zapping Kirk, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan) and Bones (DeForest Kelley) from their reality into a parallel universe in which the benevolent Federation has been replaced by the bloodthirsty Terran Empire, governed by brute force and fascistic exploitation — and Spock has a goatee! More silly than serious (and no less fun for it), the episode effectively spawned an entire sub-genre of parallel universe episodes of TV (from “Supernatural” to “Friends”) and gave generations of actors a chance to play wildly against type. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1967

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 2

People rave about “The Best of Both Worlds” and Picard’s assimilation by the Borg, but fewer remember this incredible follow-up episode. Picard returns to his family vineyard to put the Borg incident behind him, even briefly thinking that he will leave Starfleet. Jeremy Kemp crushes it as Picard’s brother Robert, with the two sharing a memorable (and muddy) scene in which Picard breaks down and admits how much his assimilation has shaken him. The episode is also memorable for the appearance of Worf’s adoptive parents, who come to the Enterprise to be with him following his discommendation. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 1, 1990

Living Witness

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 23

For several minutes, “Living Witness” seems like a mirror universe episode, as a ruthless Janeway, captain of the “warship” Voyager, agrees to aid the Vaskans against the insurgent Kyrians by unleashing a biological weapon upon millions and executing the Kyrian leader. But then we realize that we’ve just witnessed a recreation at a Kyrian museum 700 years in the future, at which point a copy of the Doctor enters the story and learns, to his horror, how much the Kyrians have gotten wrong. What could have been a Rashomon-style caper instead becomes fascinating meditation on how the telling of history can be weaponized, even inadvertently, to maintain old wounds rather than heal them. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 29, 1998

Unification

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 7 & 8

Spock appeared on “The Next Generation” a month before the release of 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” — but this time, at least, crass cross-promotion prompted some sublimely entertaining TV, as Picard and Data (Brent Spiner) aid Spock in his effort to reunify the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. [Stefon voice]: This two-parter has everything : Klingon warbirds, rude Ferengis, Tasha’s evil Romulan daughter Sela (Denise Crosby), Data and Spock philosophizing on their twin pursuits of logic and emotion, the death of Sarek, Worf singing Klingon opera with a four-armed bar pianist, and Picard and Spock mind-melding! —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 4 & 11, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 7, Episode 9

Gul Dukat is the best villain in “Star Trek.” Yes, you read that right. The writers and actor Marc Alaimo created an incredibly nuanced character that goes through a remarkable arc over the course of the series. This episode, near the end of “DS9’s” run, reminds fans that Dukat sees himself as a savior, but is ultimately a force for evil. He establishes a cult dedicated to the Pah wraiths on Empok Nor, luring a number of Bajorans to his side. But of course, he also sleeps with his female followers and tries to trick them into a mass suicide. Amazing stuff. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 23, 1998

The Last Generation

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 10

The cast of “TNG” infamously never got their swan song, after 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis” bombed in theaters, so this series finale serves as a gift both to them and to “TNG” fans. Every character gets their spotlight, including the resurrected Enterprise-D, as Picard, Riker, Dr. Crusher, Data, Worf, LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) all help to take down the Borg once and for all. The final scene — everyone sitting around a poker table, laughing and reminiscing — is as pure and satisfying an expression of fan service as anything “Trek” has ever done. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 20, 2023

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 13

Until this episode, Q was an enjoyably malevolent force within “TNG,” an omnipotent being who’d gleefully pop up now and again to play with the lives of the Enterprise-D crew. But here, when Q suddenly appears on the bridge, he’s been stripped of all his powers (and all of his clothes) and begs Picard for safe harbor. At first, no one believes him — even after Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) stabs him with a fork — which only fuels John de Lancie’s sparkling performance, as Q confronts life as ( shudder ) a mortal human. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 3, 1990

An Embarrassment of Dooplers

“Lower Decks” — Season 2, Episode 5

The title refers to an alien called a Doopler, who duplicate themselves whenever they get embarrassed — which, naturally, becomes an issue the moment one steps foot on the Cerritos. But really, this episode is one of those deeply enjoyable “Trek” episodes that is less about story than it is about the vibes , as the characters spend their downtime winningly contending with the central premise of the show: The bittersweet contentment of life at the bottom of the ladder. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 9, 2021

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 19    

The lives of the past hosts of the Dax symbiont are a recurring plot device on “DS9,” and no episode does it better than this one. A group of Klingons who knew Curzon Dax arrive at the station and enlist Jadzia’s (Terry Ferrell) help in killing their sworn enemy, a criminal known as The Albino who killed the three Klingons’ first-born sons. Jadzia ultimately honors the blood oath, as the episode explores the meaning of honor and solidarity. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 28, 1994

Where No Man Has Gone Before

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 3

The famed second pilot episode of “Star Trek” (which introduced William Shatner as Capt. Kirk) is a strange artifact today: Bones and Uhura aren’t aboard yet, Sulu (George Takei) isn’t at the helm, the Enterprise has a psychiatrist (played by Sally Kellerman), and the uniforms and sets look a bit off. But the central story — Kirk’s best friend, Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), is zapped by an energy blast at the edge of the galaxy, and begins to exhibit extraordinary psychokinetic powers — is vintage “Trek”: Brainy, brawny, and just the right side of uncanny. And it’s fascinating now to see how well-established Kirk and Spock’s dynamic of emotion vs. logic was from the very start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 22, 1966

The Measure of a Man

“The Next Generation” — Season 2, Episode 9

Data’s quest for humanity is at the very core of “TNG,” and this stirring episode literally puts that quest on trial — and establishes the show’s voice for the rest of its run. A Starfleet scientist wants to dismantle Data in order to create more androids, but Data refuses, setting up an intense courtroom drama — is Data merely a machine and the property of Starfleet? — with Picard representing Data while Riker is forced to represent the scientist. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 13, 1989

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 26 & Season 5, Episode 1

The Klingons started on “Trek” as a not-that-thinly-veiled metaphor for the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, but over the decades, they’ve developed their own richly detailed mythology. This two-parter (which aired just before the fall of the USSR) depicts a civil war within the Klingon Empire that leads to Worf’s decision to leave the Enterprise and join the fight. For a series that was episodic by design, this is the closest “TNG” ever got to serialized storytelling, incorporating events from several previous episodes — including the shocking introduction of Tasha’s Romulan daughter, Sela. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: June 17, 1991 & Sept. 23, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 11

It is endlessly entertaining to see Quark get what he wants as he then  learns that it’s way more trouble than he realized. This episode sums that idea up nicely, while also featuring the first of many wonderful appearances by Wallace Shawn as Ferengi leader Grand Nagus Zek. Zek unexpectedly names Quark his successor, only for Zek to die shortly after. Quark is thrilled at first, before he realizes being the Nagus puts a massive target on his back. This episode also helps build the friendship between Nog (Aron Eisenbeg) and Jake (Cirroc Lofton), with Jake secretly teaching Nog how to read. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 22, 1993

Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 4

Yearning to grow past his programming, the Doctor allows himself the ability to daydream, in one of the flat-out funniest episodes of “Trek” ever. It opens with Robert Picardo singing opera as Tuvok (Tim Russ) undergoes pon farr (i.e. the madness to mate that consumes Vulcan males) and just gets wilder from there, up to the moment when the Doctor, who’d fantasized about taking over command of Voyager in an emergency, does it for real. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 13, 1999

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 1

Speaking of pon farr, this is the “TOS” episode that first establishes it — as well as the planet Vulcan, several Vulcan customs and traditions, and the now legendary Vulcan salute (honorable mention: Spock actually smiles!). Wracked with pon farr, Spock asks for leave back on his home planet, and eventually reveals that he must meet his betrothed, T’Pring (Arlene Martel). Naturally, Kirk and Spock end up in a fight to the death in one of the most iconic battles in “Star Trek” history. —J.O.

Original airdate: Sept. 15, 1967

Year of Hell

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 8 & 9

The most lasting criticism of “Voyager” is that every week, no matter what happened in the previous episode, the ship and crew emerged unscathed and ready for a new adventure. As if in response, this two-parter tracks a year in which the Voyager is ravaged to the point of near ruin by repeated encounters with an aggressive alien species called the Krenim. Unbeknownst to the crew, they’re actually the victims of a Krenim scientist, Annorax (Kurtwood Smith), who developed a technology to alter the fabric of time by erasing entire species from ever existing. This is as harrowing and merciless as “Trek’s” ever been, but it’s not quite the best episode of “Voyager” due to the irony of its ending: Janeway crashes the husk of the Voyager into Annorax’s timeship — which resets the timeline completely, as if nothing that we’d seen had ever happened. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 5 & 12, 1997

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episodes 11 & 12

“Star Trek” often addresses timely societal issues, but this episode put them firmly in a 21st century context. Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally wind up in San Francisco circa 2024, where poverty and oppression of the disadvantaged are running rampant (crazy how that remains timely, huh?). When a man meant to serve an important purpose in an historic riot is accidentally killed too soon, Sisko is forced to take his place. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 2, 1995 & Jan. 9, 1995

Those Old Scientists

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 2, Episode 7

In one of the rare “Trek” crossover episodes, Ens. Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Ens. Mariner (Tawny Newsome) from “Lower Decks” find themselves zapped back to the era when Capt. Pike (Anson Mount) captained the Enterprise. Marshalled by Jonathan Frakes’ steady hand as a director , the disparate tones of “Lower Decks” and “Strange New World” somehow mesh perfectly, and hilariously, together. Packed with guffaw-worthy laughs, “Those Old Scientists” also becomes a deeply poignant expression of the impact “Trek” has had on generations of fans. Maybe it’s controversial to place one of the most recent “Trek” episodes so high on this list, but this one more than earns its spot. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: July 22, 2023

The Best of Both Worlds

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1

This two-parter is frequently cited as the best “Next Generation” storyline of all time, mostly because it features one of the most iconic cliffhangers in all of television. The Borg attack the Federation, leading to a showdown with the Enterprise. Picard is captured and assimilated, revealing himself to his crew as Locutus of Borg. If we’re splitting Borg nano-probes, the second half doesn’t quite live up to the first, which is why, for us, it doesn’t quite rank into the Top 10. Special shoutout to this episode for setting up the incredible “Star Trek” film “First Contact.” —J.O.

Original airdate: June 18, 1990 & Sept. 24, 1990

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 19

When a Cardassian named Marritza (Harris Yulin) arrives on Deep Space Nine, Kira realizes he must have worked at one of the most notorious labor camps during Cardassia’s occupation of Bajor, and she arrests him as a war criminal. What follows is effectively a two-hander, as Kira’s interrogation of Marritza leads to a series of revelations that unmoor her hard-won fury at the atrocities inflicted upon her people. The conventional wisdom is that “DS9” didn’t get cooking until the Dominion War, but this early episode proves that this show was providing great, searing drama from the start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 14, 1993

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 22

Ricardo Montalbán makes his debut as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically superior dictator from Earth’s Eugenics Wars. Khan and his people have been in suspended animation for 200 years and are looking to dominate humanity once again. Naturally, Kirk is able to beat Khan in a riveting confrontation, but rather than send him and his people to a penal colony, he agrees to let them settle on the wild planet, Ceti Alpha V. The episode proved to be so good, it led to the 1982 film “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” arguably the best “Trek” movie of all time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 16, 1967

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 6

There’s something about time travel — and the twisty narrative paradoxes it can cause — that has engendered some of the best episodes of “Trek” ever made. That certainly includes this stunning “Voyager” episode, which opens with Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran), 15 years in the future, discovering the frozen husk of the Voyager buried inside a glacier on a barren ice planet. It turns out Kim made a critical mistake that caused the catastrophic accident, from which only he and Chakotay survived. Their unyielding fixation to right that wrong — and erase the previous 15 years from history — makes for a gripping nail-biter about regret and devotion. Not only did LeVar Burton direct, but he cameos as Capt. Geordi La Forge! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 18, 1998

The Defector

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 10

Did a Romulan admiral really defect to the Federation, or are the Romulans perpetrating an elaborate hoax on Picard and the Enterprise crew? This wonderful episode sees the admiral in question (played by James Sloyan) claiming the Romulans are building a secret base within the Neutral Zone, forcing Picard to consider whether or not he should investigate and thus risk starting a war. It also features the excellent opening in which Picard tries to teach Data about humanity by having him act out scenes from Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 1, 1990

Chain of Command

“The Next Generation” — Season 6, Episode 10 & 11

Lured into Cardassian territory under false pretenses, Picard is captured and systematically tortured by a ruthless interrogator, Gul Madred, in a chilling performance by David Warner. Their disturbing tête-à-tête — Picard is stripped naked and nearly broken by the end — would be enough for one of the all-time best “Trek” episodes. But this two-parter also boasts Ronny Cox as Capt. Jellico, Picard’s replacement on the Enterprise, whose prickly and demanding leadership style creates all kinds of thrilling friction among the crew. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Dec. 14 & 21, 1992

In the Pale Moonlight

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 19

In this fantastic episode, Sisko grapples with the ethics of doing whatever it takes to get the Romulans to join the Dominion War on the Federation-Klingon side. This includes falsifying evidence and freeing a known criminal from Klingon prison with the help of master spy Garak (played by the always wonderful Andrew Robinson). Sisko (while recording a personal log) delivers a series of powerful monologues direct to camera about why he did what he did, ultimately deciding it was worth it in the end. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 13, 1998

The City on the Edge of Forever

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 28

Accidentally hopped up on stimulants, a crazed Bones leaps through a time portal on an alien planet and winds up changing history so drastically that the Enterprise disappears. Kirk and Spock travel back to stop him, and land in New York City during the Great Depression, where they learn that Bones saved the life of Sister Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), a pacifist whose message resonates so strongly that the U.S. stays out of WWII, allowing the Nazis to conquer Europe. Alas, Kirk falls deeply in love with Keeler, establishing a classic “Trek” moral dilemma: How does one suppress their most profound personal feelings for the greater good? An all-timer that still resonates today. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 6, 1967

Far Beyond the Stars

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 13

In this Avery Brooks-directed episode, Sisko envisions himself as a Black science fiction writer in 1950s New York named Benny Russell. Russell dreams up a story about the crew of a space station led by a Black captain, but his publisher refuses to run it. This episode is memorable for many reasons, the biggest of which being its handling of racism, but it also allows the show’s main cast gets to appear without any prosthetics or makeup, as completely different characters, to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 9, 1998

Yesterday’s Enterprise

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 15

The Enterprise-C, believed to have been destroyed over 20 years earlier, emerges from a temporal anomaly and resets history into a decades-long war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Tasha — killed off in Season 1 (after Denise Crosby wanted to leave the show) — is brought back to life, and falls for the Enterprise-C’s helmsman (Christopher McDonald), while Guinan implores Picard that something is desperately wrong with history and he must send the Enterprise-C back to certain doom. Somehow, this episode crams a movie’s worth of story into a nimble and rousing 44 minutes. Not a second is wasted. Outrageously great. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1990

The Inner Light

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 25

When the Enterprise comes upon a mysterious probe, Picard is suddenly hit with a signal that plunges him into a different man’s life on a dying planet. There, Picard experiences half a lifetime, with a wife, children and grandchildren, all in the space of 25 minutes. When Picard realizes this was all meant as a time capsule — a way to preserve the stories of the people of the planet, which was destroyed 1,000 years earlier by an exploding star — the revelation that he lived the life he’d long forsaken as a Starfleet captain, only to have it ripped away, is almost more than he can bear. But hoo boy, does it make for stunning, deeply moving television. In fact, almost no episode of “Trek” is better. Almost. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 1, 1992

The Visitor

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 2

Don’t watch this one without tissues handy. This emotionally devastating episode gets right to the heart of what made “DS9” so special — the relationship between Sisko and his son, Jake. Told in flashbacks by an elderly Jake (Tony Todd), the episode recounts how Sisko became unstuck in time, briefly revisiting Jake over the course of his life, and how Jake is determined to bring him back. In brief, fleeting moments, Sisko tells Jake not to worry about him and to live his life to the fullest. But Jake cannot bear the thought of losing his father forever, ultimately sacrificing his own life to restore the normal flow of time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 9, 1995

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Star Trek: Best Crossovers

The Star Trek series has a long history, filled with epic, interesting, and sometimes wacky crossovers.

• Star Trek has had numerous crossovers throughout its history, with some of the best moments occurring when characters from different series interact.
• Notable crossovers include Sarek's appearance in The Next Generation, Riker's appearance in Deep Space Nine, and Riker and Troi's appearance in Lower Decks.
• These crossovers allow for unique storytelling opportunities and add depth to the overall Star Trek universe.

Star Trek has had a visual media presence off and on since the late 1960s. Five live-action shows and one animated series made it to linear television. Since the introduction of Paramount Plus, three more live-action series and two animated shows have also been created. Plus, 13 films have also been made.

RELATED: Star Trek: Best Pilots, Ranked

With this much Star Trek content, it was inevitable to see crossovers through the series even if they take place at different points in the Star Dates. While some have been just fine, others have led to some of the best moments in Star Trek history.

11 Sarek - The Next Generation

This season three episode of The Next Generation is viewed as the first real Star Trek crossover. Spock's father, Sarek, visits the enterprise. Mark Lenard reprises his role as the aging Vulcan ambassador. In the episode, he is suffering from a rare disease and can no longer control his emotions.

Sarek mind melds with Captain Picard allowing Picard to experience his emotions and say the name "Spock." It's also the first time the name of a character from The Original Series is spoken on The Next Generation (despite DeForest Kelly actually appearing in the pilot, he was just addressed as "Admiral.")

10 Emissary - Deep Space Nine

A few characters from The Next Generation also appear in the very first episode of Deep Space Nine , entitled Emissary . Captains Picard and Sisko meet on-screen in this episode for the only time in their Starfleet careers. This episode establishes Sisko's differences in leadership from Picard and the fact Sisko blames Picard for the death of his wife.

The episode also establishes beloved crew member Miles O'Brien would be leaving the Enterprise for Deep Space Nine, helping fans ease into the new series with a familiar face.

9 Kobayashi - Prodigy

The first children's show attempted by Star Trek , Prodigy tells the story of a group of kids who escape a prison colony and are guided by a hologram of Admiral Kathryn Janeway. In the episode entitled Kobayashi , the self-appointed captain among these kids, Dal, decides to take the Kobayashi Maru test.

Choosing an all-star lineup of Starfleet officers, this episode brings together Spock, Beverly Crush, Odo, Uhura, and Scotty as holograms for the test. Gates McFadden returns to record her dialogue as Dr. Crusher. The other characters' dialogue was created using archival audio since all of their actors have passed away.

8 Defiant - Deep Space Nine

This is a deep cut that works because of the amazing acting of Jonathan Frakes. After The Next Generation goes off the air, it appears Riker is taking shore leave at Deep Space Nine. He convinces Major Kira to show him their new ship, the Defiant, and it appears Riker has kidnapped Kira and stolen the ship.

RELATED: Star Trek: Deep Space 9: Best One-Off Characters

It's revealed the Riker they are seeing is Thomas Riker, a clone of Commander Riker created in The Next Generation . He has joined the Maquis and plans to use the Defiant to expose a secret fleet of Cardassian ships. It's a short-lived character that wasn't thought of much after his initial appearance, but he still managed to add weight to Deep Space Nine's storyline.

7 No Small Parts - Lower Decks

Riker and Troi have made several appearances across the franchise, and one of the funniest was their appearance on Lower Decks . The animated aspect of the series allows for more imagination in how it's presented. It's one of the few times we see Riker in command of the Titan.

Riker leads a mission to rescue the Cerritos from an attack by the Pakleds. Lower Decks is able to explore situations in ways the live-action series never would. Plus, it gives Riker and Troi a better crossover experience than their appearance in the Enterprise finale.

6 Relics - The Next Generation

Several The Original Series characters found their way into The Next Generation , but the most unusual appearance comes from James Doohan reprising his role as Montgomery Scott. In the episode entitled Relics , Scotty is released from a transporter buffer where he had been trapped for 75 years.

Scotty's appearance leads to a somewhat strained and adversarial relationship between him and Geordi. It also allows the series to explore the struggles aging populations can have as technology advances. It's some of the best storytelling in Star Trek history.

5 Trials and Tribble-ations - Deep Space Nine

Technological advancements in television led to the Deep Space Nine crew being pulled back in time. In Trials and Tribble-ations , The DS9 travels back in time and gets stuck in the events of The Original Series episode The Trouble With Tribbles . It features some amazing scenes where the DS9 crew interacts with the original Enterprise crew.

It is one of the most popular and beloved crossovers Star Trek has brought to television. And it remains a technical feat that stands the test of time.

4 Spock In Kelvin Timeline - Star Trek

When Paramount decided to reboot Star Trek , it was unclear how the new film series would be received. The filmmakers brought back Leonard Nimoy to reprise his role as Spock. In this case, he was an ambassador who tried to save Romulus but couldn't and wound up sent through time to interact with the USS Kelvin.

Following the attack on Vulcan, Spock helps a stranded Kirk, and a Scotty who had been given the worst possible assignment, return to the Enterprise to save Earth. It was a nice way to start a new timeline while paying homage to The Original Series .

3 Unification - The Next Generation

While Leonard Nimoy would appear in the first two Kelvinverse Star Trek films, his only television crossover appearance was in The Next Generation two-part episode called Unification . The Federation believes Spock has defected to Romulans, but he is actually trying to bring the Vulcans and Romulans together.

RELATED: Star Trek: The Next Generation Characters Who Appear On Other Series

This was the first time Star Trek fans got to see Spock on screen as a diplomat in his post-Enterprise years. The episode contains a very poignant conversation between the Vulcan and the android, Data, about humanity and the paths they take to seek it or deny it.

2 Kirk Meets Picard - Generations

While Generations may be hit or miss as a film for viewers, there's no denying fans loved the opportunity to see the two main captains of the Enterprise interact with each other on the big screen. After Captain James T. Kirk gets trapped in the Nexus, he is freed and helps Picard stop Malcolm McDowell's Soran.

The ending was polarizing with some fans loving the decision to kill off Kirk and others hating it. And many of those who liked the decision didn't like the execution. Still, it is one of the most high-profile crossovers between The Original Series and The Next Generation .

1 The Way Of The Warrior - Deep Space Nine

This was a crossover that, much like Miles O'Brien's appearance in Emissary, transitioned into a series regular. Worf first appeared on Deep Space Nine in the season four premiere where he was considering leaving Starfleet following his time on the Enterprise. He finds his way and joins the crew of the Deep Space Nine space station.

While the rest of his appearances can't really be counted as a crossover since Worf became a regular cast member , his first appearance can still count. It also led to Michael Dorn making more appearances across Star Trek than any other actor.

MORE: Star Trek: Best Villain In Each Series

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Books In Order

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The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series is a series of novels based on the science fiction genre and written by a number of noteworthy authors. The series consists of a total of more than 60 novels published between the years 1993 and 2008. The novels of the Deep Space Nine series are directly based on the television series of the same name which aired between the years 1993 and 1999. This series is the first one in the Star Trek franchise which has not included the franchise creator named Gene Roddenberry. The novels of the series are based on the time frame of the years following the 2370s and are set on a space station which is led by the Commander Benjamin Sisko. The Deep Space Nine novel series began in the year 1993, when author J.M Dillard published its first novel titled ‘Emissary’. A number of authors have given their contribution to the series and have written novels continuing with the plot of the series based on the television show. The Star Trek series is currently going on as the authors are busy writing the latest novels of the series. The readers all over the world enjoy reading the Deep Space Nine novels because they depict intricate mythology, and feature their own legitimate language, which is known as Klingon. The novels of the series have helped to enrich the mythos of the Star Trek franchise by accompanying the television series and the various Star Trek movies.

The first novel of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series was published under the title ‘Emissary’ in the year 1993. It was written by the author J. M. Dillard. The plot of the novel shows a new crew that takes over the space station at a distant space and is about to change the galaxy with its astonishing discoveries. The space station named Deep Space Nine is situated in the orbit of Bajor and is controlled by the station commander named Benjamin Sisko. The station was used by the Cardassian Union on previous occasions. Sisko loses his wife Jennifer in the Borg attack and hence becomes resentful of his duties. The attack also destroys his former ship named the USS Saratoga. He seems to be worried about the wellness of his son Jake on the Deep Space Nine station. When Sisko and his son arrive at the station, they find it almost bare on the unimportant system of the Cardassians. The Bajoran staff on the station is led by Major Kira Nerys. Kira does not trust the presence of the Starfleet staff on the station. Soon, the USS Enterprise sends more Starfleet staff on the station, including Chief Miles O’Brien. As Miles O’Brien and his family arrive at the station, Sisko becomes more despondent as he does not like to take orders from Captain Picard, the man whom he holds responsible for his wife’s death. He informs the station crew that he is going to resign from his post and take up a civilian position, but continues to work as the station commander. Sisko takes the help of the chief of security of the station Odo, who is a shape-shifter, and manages to convince the Ferengi barkeeper named Quark to remain on board the station in order to help him in keeping the station active. He also intends to provide Jake a friend in the form of Quark’s nephew named Nog.

Sisko visits Kai Opaka, a spiritual leader of Bajor. Kai Opaka shows the Orb of Prophecy to Sisko, which is believed to be sent by the Prophets of Bajor. Sisko decides to look into the Orb and relive his special moments with wife Jennifer at the time of meeting her for the first time. After reliving the moments, Sisko is informed by Kai that Jennifer has the faith in him to be the ‘Emissary’, a messiah who can help Bajor. Kai hands him the Orb so that he can study his role further. After returning to the station, Sisko learns about the arrival of his remaining staff including Dr. Julian Bashir and Lt. Jadza Dax. He gives the Orb to Jadza Dax and asks her to study the scientific explanation of its working. Soon, the former commander of the station, Gul Dukat visits the station. He was the last prefect of Bajor from the Cardassian Union and informs Sisko about his ship parked in an orbit near the station. He asks for the permission to allow his crew to visit the promenade of the station, to which Sisko does not hesitate. He learns from Dax that the Orb is related a few phenomena in the Denorios Belt situated near Bajor. He wants to investigate the phenomena, but knows that any activity by him will make the Cardassian aware of his mission. Sisko asks Odo to disable the Cardassian sensors with the help of his shapeshifting abilities. Sisko prepares himself to go to Denorios Belt along with Dax to investigate the phenomena and does not worry about getting detected by the Cardassian sensors.

The second novel of the Deep Space Nine series was published in the year 1993 under the title ‘The Siege’. The plot of the novel deals with the efforts of Benjamin Sisko and Li Nalas to stop the Bajorans from commanding the Deep Space Nine station and Dax and Kira trying to end the Circle. In the opening sequence of the novel, Sisko decides to evacuate the civilian population of the station as the assault vessels of the Bajor arrive near Deep Space Nine station. The crew of the station decides to stay behind and fight against the Bajorans along with their commander Benjamin Sisko. The resulting battle endangers the friendship of Jake Sisko and Nog, who have just become new friends. But the two decide to stay as friends forever. Chief Miles is urged by her wife to leave the station and Quark tries to use the opportunity to broker additional seats. However, he is left on the station when his brother Rom sells his seat to a Dabo girl. There should be no sign of the presence of the Federation crew once the forces of Bajor arrive, but General Krim doubts this. He finds out that the security net of the station is disabled and hence, he believes that the Federation crew is still on board. Krim is ordered by Jaro to capture Li Nalas alive. Odo tries to use his shapeshifting abilities to prevent the crew from getting detected. Finally, the battle comes to an end and Sisko is once again made the commander of the station. As Li Nalas gets killed by coming in the way of a weapon blast, everyone becomes confused by knowing the true nature of Li Nalas. Sisko says that he will always remember Li Nalas as the hero of the resistance.

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FANFIC CROSSOVER STORIES

Star Trek: Every Comic Book Crossover, Ranked

Comic book adaptations of properties allow for more crossovers than TV shows or movies, and this especially proved true for Star Trek comics.

Crossovers between the different eras of the  Star Trek  franchise are rare but highly valued by fans of the iconic sci-fi property. In film and television, Star Trek has never intersected with other genre franchises, but in comic books, they've crossed over with a surprising number of them.

RELATED: Star Trek: 10 Best Costumes, Ranked

Star Trek has made the most of the comic book medium by interacting with a variety of sci-fi franchises but also comic book-native ones, including the X-Men and Legion Of Super-Heroes , bringing the sandbox dreams of fans to four-color life.

10 Crossover With The Transformers, The Ghostbusters, & G.I. Joe

Infestation is one of the most ambitious comic book crossovers in recent years. It brought together all the major entertainment licenses IDW holds, including Star Trek , Transformers , G.I. Joe , and Ghostbusters in a space and time-spanning adventure.

This 2011 epic saw hordes of zombies infiltrate the individual universes of these franchises and they join forces to stop them. This wouldn't be the last crossover between Star Trek and the Transformers for IDW, with this story being one of the most essential Transformers comics .

9 Crossover With Star-Spangled War Stories

Star Trek 's first-ever crossover in comics is also one of its strangest. This crossover occurred in 1974 during the Gold Key Comics era of Star Trek . The most interesting thing about it is that it's not really a crossover at all, but a subtle sequel to an earlier story.

Star Trek  #22, written by Gerry Boudreau, with art by Alberto Giolitti, is an unbilled sequel to two of Boudreau's works from DC Comics' Star-Spangled War Stories — issues #170 (June 1973) and #180 (May-June 1974). The character Rhuna gives the backstory of the DC comics in Star Trek , connecting the two separate works. This unusual circumstance was revealed later by the writer in a blog post about Gold Key .

8 Crossover With Bloom County

The blink and you'll miss it Gold Key crossover isn't the strangest Star Trek interaction with another franchise though. Writer Peter David wrote the 1980s DC Comics version of the comic, as well as numerous best-selling Star Trek novels like Imzadi. He included a sly and quick crossover, of sorts, to a popular comics strip called Bloom County .

In issue #51, Captain Kirk hallucinates that Spock, Scotty, and Sulu have been replaced by the  Bloom County characters of Opus, Portnoy, and Hodge-Podge.

7 Crossover With Green Lantern

Star Trek crossed over with a major DC Comics superhero many years later. In many respects, the connection to Green Lantern is obvious. The Green Lantern Corps is as much about exploration and security in the galaxy as Starfleet is. But the crossover didn't take place at DC, but IDW Comics.

RELATED: The 10 Weirdest Star Trek Guest Stars

IDW's two crossovers took Green Lantern Hal Jordan to the alternate Kelvin Universe for Mike Johnson's Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War (2015) and its sequel, Star Trek/Green Lantern: Stranger Worlds (2016). Green Lantern is perhaps an easy crossover; many X-Men would make good Green Lanterns as well.

6 Crossover With The Legion Of Super-Heroes

The original Prime timeline of Star Trek crossed over with another cosmic group from DC Comics, the Legion of Super-Heroes. This event again was brought to life by IDW Comics, rather than DC.

In this miniseries, the U.S.S. Enterprise  encounters the Legionnaires after both groups end up on 23rd-century Earth, but it's not the earth either recognizes. The two teams work well together, proving that Legion Of Super-Heroes, like the Green Lantern Corps, is an easy group for other heroes to cross into.

5 Crossover With The X-Men

Star Trek and the X-Men may not seem as natural a fit as the cosmic entities of DC Comics, but the two franchises share a deep appreciation of diversity and exploration of the human condition.

It wasn't a huge surprise then that the two finally intersected in the 1996 one-shot Star Trek/X-Me n. Though limited in scope, this story likely ranks high among the best X-Men crossovers for some fans due to the inventive way it happens. Gary Mitchell, the villain from "Where No Man Has Gone Before"— one of the best episodes of the original Star Trek — rips open reality.

4 Crossover With Doctor Who

It wasn't only the original Star Trek crew that did all the crossing over—  The Next Generation era got in on the act as well. Given how intrinsic time travel is to both Star Trek and Doctor Who , it's no surprise the two franchises found each other in the IDW epic event  Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 .

The Borg, some of the greatest Star Trek villains of all time, team up with the Cybermen to unleash a robotic horde on the universe. The crew of the Enterprise-D joins forces with the Eleventh Doctor to stop them.

3 Another Crossover With The X-Men

The X-Men would team up with Star Trek again, but this time with The Next Generation crew.  Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Second Contact , written by Dan Abnett & Ian Edginton and with art by Cary Nord & Scott Koblish, debuted in 1998.

RELATED: Marvel: 5 Alien Superheroes Who Would Fit In On The Starship Enterprise (& 5 That Wouldn't)

In this story, Kang The Conqueror diverts the Enterprise to an alternate 20th century where they encounter the X-Men, and work together to stop Kang from another attempt to rewrite history.

2 Crossover With Planet Of The Apes

IDW Comics and Boom! Studios joined forces to unite the franchises of Star Trek and Planet Of The Apes in grand fashion. 2014's Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive  saw the crew of the original Enterprise team up with the heroes of the original Planet Of The Apes movie, including Cornelius, in order to fight back Klingon invaders from another time. The Klingons join up with the ruling apes to make it a fierce but fun battle for fans of both franchises.

1 Animated Series-Inspired Crossover With The Transformers

One of the most unique crossovers was 2019's Star Trek Vs. Transformers by IDW Comics. This five-issue limited series combined the casts of Star Trek: The Animated Series and the 1984 Transformers animated series, the original and still best Transformers cartoon .

This unique story saw the Enterprise encounter Decepticons trying to steal dilithium to take back to their own time. The series had been meant to be only four issues, but the positive reaction bumped it up to five.

NEXT: Rick and Morty: 5 Star Trek Characters They Would Love (And 5 They Would Hate)

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• Story Ideas & Recommendations

Star Trek/Babylon 5 crossover ideas - Input appreciated

• Thread starter Sacrilicious
• Start date Jul 29, 2018

Sacrilicious

• Jul 29, 2018

I like idea #2 the best. Idea #3 has some novel ideas, but is otherwise very similar to a story already on this site: Task Force 43. Idea #1, meanwhile, seems... standard. It might be from reading way too many Mass Effect and Halo crossovers over the years, or my love for space combat, but it just seems stale and not very interesting. #2 is distinct in premise from the big-name B5/Star Wars crossovers already posted, still promises some hot starship-on-starship action, and also actually has a solid thematic conflict to build off of.  

Updates come when they come.

Here's the question that you need to ask yourself. "What is the ending to my plot?" Creating a concept is all well and good but unless you have an end state you're spinning your wheels for no reason. Any premise, no matter how preposterous, can be sold to an audience as long as you're leading them towards some degree of pathos.  

• Jul 30, 2018

CV12Hornet said: I like idea #2 the best. Idea #3 has some novel ideas, but is otherwise very similar to a story already on this site: Task Force 43. Idea #1, meanwhile, seems... standard. It might be from reading way too many Mass Effect and Halo crossovers over the years, or my love for space combat, but it just seems stale and not very interesting. #2 is distinct in premise from the big-name B5/Star Wars crossovers already posted, still promises some hot starship-on-starship action, and also actually has a solid thematic conflict to build off of. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Todeswind said: Here's the question that you need to ask yourself. "What is the ending to my plot?" Creating a concept is all well and good but unless you have an end state you're spinning your wheels for no reason. Any premise, no matter how preposterous, can be sold to an audience as long as you're leading them towards some degree of pathos. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Sacrilicious said: Thanks for your input. Much appreciated. As for your point on idea #1, I was more aiming for a zoomed-in perspective of a crossover between these two universes. Mostly because I feel this is somewhat lacking in Trek crossovers, as most focus on big battles and grander themes. But I also see your point, because it would be a lot harder to write the story in such a way that keeps it exciting enough for readers to keep reading. As I've said, I've already fleshed out the three stories a bit more. I have a solid 'timeline' of sorts with major plot points, characters and even a rough ending for all three ideas. And idea #1 would not be lacking in spacebattles and much pew pew. Just a lot less Trek ships Vs. B5 ships and more B5 ships Vs B5 ships. As for idea #3, I would actually agree. I've actually read Task Force 43 a good while ago, but I never actually thought about it while dreaming up the premise. I guess I was subconsciously influenced by that story. Too bad though, as it seemed like a fun thing to write. But I don't want to go too much where others have gone before. And your favorite, #2, would most definitely have some 'hot starship-on-starship action'. There's just one thing I have yet to make a descision on when I look at the outline I've made for myself; At what point in time in the B5-verse would this take place? I could take a page from the premise of idea #3 and put it at the time of EA/Minbari first contact, with the Minbari bloodlust fueling the conflict between peaceful exploration in the face of a ruthless enemy. Or it could be coinciding with the start of the tv-series in a more 'peaceful' time. I prefer to not start too close to the Shadow/Vorlon conflict though, because there's be a crapton going on already by that time. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

CV12Hornet said: What about during the Dilgar War? Ups the temptation to stick around and do something, and has lots of conflict without the messiness of Vorlon/Shadow business. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

Sacrilicious said: I agree. That is why I've written a timeline, including a rough ending I'm aiming for, for each idea. It's just something I don't want to post here, as it'd mean spoiling most of the story. Click to expand... Click to shrink...

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired May 15, 1994

Kira and Bashir find themselves in an alternate universe. Kira and Bashir find themselves in an alternate universe. Kira and Bashir find themselves in an alternate universe.

• David Livingston
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Michael Piller
• Avery Brooks
• Rene Auberjonois
• Alexander Siddig
• 8 User reviews
• 4 Critic reviews

• Commander Benjamin 'Ben' Sisko …

• Constable Odo

• Doctor Julian Bashir
• (as Siddig El Fadil)

• Lt. Jadzia Dax

• (credit only)

• Chief Miles O'Brien …

• Major Kira Nerys …

• (as John Cothran Jr.)

• (as Jack R. Orend)

• Terran slave
• (uncredited)
• Star Fleet Crew Member
• Klingon Patrol Guard

• Terran Marauder
• Michael Piller (showrunner)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia Mirror Odo's uniform sports a belt and turtle neck, which Rene Auberjonois liked so much that he began using it in his regular series Odo uniform as well, starting in Season 3.
• Goofs The alternate universe Quark addressed Kira as 'Major', but Kira never mentioned her rank to Quark nor is it shown how he learned this.

Intendant Kira : And you... O'Brien, you... tinkerer and putterer and... fixer of broken things - you've been the perfect theta for years. What could possibly've gotten into you? What were you thinking?

Smiley O'Brien : Do you want an answer, Intendant?

Intendant Kira : Yes.

Smiley O'Brien : [referring to Bashir] This man... this man... is a doctor where he comes from. And there's an O'Brien there just like me. Except he's some kind of... high up Chief of Operations. And they're Terrans. Can you believe that? Maybe it's a fairy tale he made up, but... it started me thinking, how... how each of us might've turned out, if history had been just a little different. I wanted him to take me with him. Because, whatever it's like where he's from, it's got to be better than this. There's got to be something better than this.

• Connections Featured in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Through the Looking Glass (1995)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title (uncredited) Written by Dennis McCarthy Performed by Dennis McCarthy

User reviews 8

• Mar 27, 2022
• May 15, 1994 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes

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