Highlights
- 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.
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.
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.
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.