July 30, 2024
Boldly go into the TARDIS with some recommended Doctor Who adventures, in honour of the inaugural Intergalactic Friendship Day on 30 July...
For almost 60 years, the Doctor has had a constant companion on their adventures across time and space – but not in the TARDIS. Out there, elsewhere, navigating the final frontier of space and exploring strange new worlds, the crew of the Star Trek franchise has been present. Whether you consider yourself a lifelong Whovian, a diehard Trekkie, or both – there are plenty of stories waiting for you across these expansive sci-fi universes.
To celebrate Intergalactic Friendship Day and the bond between Doctor Who and Star Trek, we’ve curated a list of stories from several eras of Doctor Who, especially for the Trekkie in your life!
IF YOU LIKE: Aliens and Monsters
Star Trek’s varied and colourful cast of extra-terrestrial crew members, friends, and villains are part of the show’s DNA, and Doctor Who is no different. Much like the voyages of the Enterprise, every journey in the TARDIS presents an opportunity to encounter something new, weird and wonderful – or occasionally, something to make you jump behind the sofa...
The Star Beast
60th Anniversary Special (2023)
As we’ve learned from the adorable Tribbles, even the cutest aliens can become bothersome! The Fourteenth Doctor learned this the hard way after the Meep crash-landed on Earth, apparently fleeing the ‘fearsome’ Wrarth Warriors – until the Doctor exposed the Meep’s true nature and intentions by putting it on trial!
Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children
Season 12 (2020)
Emotionless, uniform, and hell-bent on assimilating the entire universe – does this sound familiar? Trekkies and Whovians have always made comparisons between the Borg and the Cybermen. This epic two-part story, set at the height of the Cyber Wars, highlights why these robotic warriors are among the Doctor’s most fearsome enemies. Plus, this story also features the mind-blowing origins of the Doctor’s race, the noble and enigmatic Time Lords.
The Devil’s Chord
Season 1 (2024)
The Whoniverse is home to billions of humans, aliens, robots... and gods? A fun jaunt to watch the Beatles record their first album in 1963 turns into a battle of song between the Fifteenth Doctor, Ruby, and the all-powerful Maestro, the god of music. Fans of Star Trek's extra-dimensional mischief-maker Q will feel right at home with Maestro’s calamitous yet camp interference in Earth’s musical history...
IF YOU LIKE: Crews and Friendships
At the heart of every Star Trek series is its diligent and diverse Starfleet crew united by a common cause: exploration and discovery. Similarly, the crew of the TARDIS, regardless of which Doctor or companion(s) are on board, shares the same importance. The relationships between these characters are as crucial to the series as the adventures they embark on together!
Space Babies
Season 1 (2024)
Meet the cutest crew in the cosmos! The Doctor and Ruby stumble upon a space station in the far future, manned by artificially born babies. Ruby Sunday’s first adventure in the TARDIS has everything for a Doctor Who first-timer: a quick summary of the Doctor’s background, a colourful cast of supporting characters, a hop into the past AND future – and finally, the sharing of a much-coveted TARDIS key.
Deep Breath
Series 8 (2014)
Change and renewal are fundamental to Doctor Who, and this is most evident when the Doctor regenerates into a new face. Like us, their companions must adjust to their friend becoming an entirely different person. Deep Breath introduces us to Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, as Clara laments the loss of the Eleventh and what that means for their dynamic. This story also features the Paternoster Gang, a ragtag trio of the Doctor’s allies from across the cosmos, who live and solve mysteries together in Victorian London!
The Waters of Mars
Special Episode (2009)
When the Tenth Doctor stumbles onto the first manned mission to Mars, it’s a battle against time itself to save the crew of Bowie Base One from their tragic yet historic fate. From the stern but starry-eyed Captain Adelaide Brooke to the base’s kindly nurse Yuri Kerenski and Gadget the funny robot, you might find yourself wishing at the end of The Waters of Mars that we’d had more time with this intrepid crew of space explorers...
IF YOU LIKE: Phasers, Gadgets and Tech
While the Doctor usually never carries a weapon (diplomacy is always the first option), they’re often equipped with some handy tech, including their trusty sonic screwdriver – or anything else they can build on a whim! The Whoniverse is full of time-travelling wristwear, weapons that can dissolve reality, and of course, machines that go ‘ding’… A bit more eccentric than Starfleet’s standard issue!
The Woman Who Fell to Earth
Series 11 (2018)
Jodie Whittaker’s debut as the Thirteenth Doctor sees her go up against T'zim-Sha, a dangerous alien invader using technology to cheat in an intergalactic manhunt. With empty pockets and no sonic screwdriver to help her, this crafty Doctor gets to work on building one from scratch using melted-down spoons! In this story, the Doctor also meets her new friends Yaz, Ryan and Graham, who join her in many more adventures in the TARDIS…
The Power of Three
Series 7 (2012)
Humanity wakes up to find Earth has been invaded… by small, lifeless black cubes. As the Eleventh Doctor spends more time on Earth than usual to investigate, we see how the dynamic between him and his companions Amy and Rory has shifted over time as they settle back into a normal life. Not only that, we are introduced to a new era of the Doctor’s allies at UNIT – the scientific taskforce assigned to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats.
The Legend of Ruby Sunday
Season 1 (2024)
What if you could time travel inside a VHS tape? The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby team up with their friends at UNIT to get some answers about Ruby’s birth mother; in doing so, they get to play with some serious (though primitive for a Time Lord) Time Window technology. Plus, we get to see even more of UNIT’s upgraded headquarters and operations!
IF YOU LIKE: Outer-Space Politics
Whether it’s a fascistic alien race or futuristic humans engaging in hyper-dystopian forms of capitalism, politics and science fiction have always gone hand-in-hand. Star Trek fans who enjoy the nuances of Starfleet navigating the universe with their own ideals will find plenty of food for thought across the Whoniverse.
Boom
Season 1 (2024)
“War is business, and business is booming.” When the Doctor gets stuck on top of a futuristic land mine, he and Ruby find themselves caught in the middle of a war – but it’s hard to see who benefits from victory except Villengard, the shadowy weapons manufacturer arming both sides through their acceptable casualty algorithm.
The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
Series 5 (2010)
"Lizard people living underground” sounds like an idea that belongs in the more conspiracy-laden corners of the internet, but it also makes for a great Doctor Who plot! When an underground drilling project awakens a tribe of Silurians under the Earth, the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a mission of diplomacy to prevent Earth’s original inhabitants from rising up against humanity to reclaim their home. This thrilling two-parter explores how our most optimistic versions of the future hinge on humanity’s resistance to its own darker nature.
Dalek
Series 1 (2005)
The Daleks, the Doctor’s greatest enemies, have been all but wiped out in the Last Great Time War – along with the Doctor’s people, the Time Lords. But when one lone Dalek is discovered alive in an underground collection on Earth, the Ninth Doctor must wrestle with the ethics of being the last of his kind and destroying the last of another.
IF YOU LIKE: Classic Sci-fi
Since the 60s, Star Trek has continuously reinvented itself with the adventures of various Starfleet crews, while Doctor Who has regenerated over and over again. And while new is always exciting, you might be more a fan of The Original Series for its retro TV charm and optimism for the future. With that in mind, here are some picks for the classic fans in your life.
The Ark in Space
Season 12 (1975)
The Fourth Doctor’s first space-bound adventure sees the TARDIS land aboard Space Station Nerva in the very far future, carrying hibernating humans in orbit around an uninhabitable Earth. This serial is memorable for its utopian vision of humankind’s survival, illustrated by the Doctor’s iconic “Indomitable!” speech. It’s also a great example of the resourcefulness of special effects at the time – including the use of a lot of green bubble wrap!
Earthshock
Season 19 (1982)
While a military plot to unite against the Cybermen is underway, the Doctor’s longtime foes prepare to destroy Earth by crashing a freighter into the planet. The Fifth Doctor’s first clash with the Cybermen is famous for the surprise reveal of their return, but it is memorable for many other reasons – chief among them, the first death of a major companion.
Survival
Season 26 (1989)
The final serial of Doctor Who’s Classic era sees the Seventh Doctor and his companion Ace transported from 1980s Earth to an extradimensional sentient planet. There, they must protect friends, enemies, and even themselves from turning into savage Cheetah People. Fans of Captain Kirk’s iconic battle against the Gorn might enjoy the Doctor’s equally chaotic tussle with his long-time rival, the Master!
Looking for the perfect Star Trek stories for a Whovian? Head over to Star Trek’s official website for some recommendations...
