10 Examples Of Real Pop-Culture In Star Trek

Here at WhatCulture, we're huge fans of both Star Trek and Doctor Who, so we love when the two franchises reference each other.

Doctor Who is a lot more direct with its references. Star Trek has actually been mentioned by name on multiple occasions (like when Joy asked if a member of The Silence was wearing a Star Trek mask in the episode The Impossible Astronaut). Trek, by comparison, has been a bit more discreet.

This reference was removed from the blu-ray remaster of The Next Generation, but in the original version of The Neutral Zone, the graphic of Clare Raymond's family history included several names of actors who have played The Doctor. William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davidson (a misspelling of Peter Davison), and Colin Baker, all appeared as part of the family tree. Also, in The Naked Now, Riker asked for a 'sonic driver' to open a force field, which seems to be a clear reference to The Doctor's sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor has encountered the Federation in comic books like Assimilation², but we would love to see this happen on screen. Both franchises have already shown that interdimensional travel is possible, so maybe we'll get a full crossover episode one day, but it's probably a pipe dream.