You may have heard about a series of comics called Assimilation2 that combine the universes of Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation (another show I’m a huge fan of). The series has now finished and I’ve recently caught up- as with any comics, it’s virtually impossible to keep up with any series due the limited availability in the UK. Normally I would warn you of spoilers now but I’m not going to have a detailed look at the story because I suspect many people might still want to read this. Instead I’m going to pick some of my highlights from the series- there may be some minor spoilers but I shall try my best to avoid any major ones!
Before that though, a basic summary of the plot. The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in the TARDIS on the holodeck of the USS Enterprise. Before they know it they need to help the crew take on an alliance between the Cybermen and the Borg. But can the Doctor get Captain Picard to trust him?
1: The TARDIS on the Enterprise
The TARDIS lands in the holodeck of the Enterprise. Except it looks like San Francisco. It’s only when the Doctor notices a certain android is present that all is not as it seems.
2: The Fourth Doctor and the Original Enterprise Crew
Data looks into the Enterprise’s records and discovers that the crew of the original Enterprise met the Fourth Doctor. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Bones join forces with the Fourth Doctor to fight off classic series style Cybermen. It’s a great link into the history of both shows- and there’s even some jelly babies!
3: The Doctor meets Guinan
The Doctor meets the oldest person on the Enterprise, bar tender Guinan. Being pretty much the eldest beings in their respective universes, they have a lot to talk about.
4: Doctor Who Continuity
There are plenty of references to past Doctor Who adventures and what the characters have been through. Amy and Rory mostly take a back seat in the story but every now and then they do something brilliant. (The panel above sees Amy explaining to Picard some of the events of The Eleventh Hour).
5: Picard in the TARDIS
The legendary Captain Picard enters the legendary TARDIS. He says the legendary line. The Doctor is very happy and so is everyone reading.
6: A universe ruled by Cybermen
The Doctor shows Picard a possible future, where both the Doctor Who and Star Trek universes are taken over by the Cybermen. We see them take over Raxacoricofallapatorius (home of the Slitheen), the Judoon (as seen above), the Klingons, Vulcan (home of Spock) and the Star Fleet academy.
7: The Next Generation Continuity
There’s not as much continuity from Star Trek as the episodes tend to be more standalone, but there’s lots of talk about the history of the Borg and when Picard became on of them. The Doctor, Amy and Rory even ending up meeting Locotus, the Borg version of Picard!
8: The Cybermen/Borg Alliance
The idea of some of the most feared beings from both universes working together is brilliant. This makes the whole idea of the squared bit of the title make sense- it’s both an alliance between the Doctor and the Enterprise crew AND an alliance between Cybermen and Borg. But will either alliance last?
9: Data looks into the heart of the TARDIS
Data does a Rose Tyler and looks into the heart of the TARDIS. It would destroy any human and forces Time Lords to regenerate. But can an android contain it?
To avoid being obvious, I am stopping at nine. Didn’t expect that did you? I was very excited when this series was announced and then quickly began to worry that it would be too hard to do. Well it turns out the writers created something fantastic. It combines Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation brilliantly in my opinion, making this a great read for fans of both shows. It also has fantastic artwork that captures the likeness of all the actors brilliantly. All in all, a truly wonderful thing.
The series was released over 8 issues but you can buy it as a graphic novel in two volumes. The first volume is on sale on Amazon in the UK right now, link here. If you live elsewhere, Google is your friend! Thank you for reading and there’ll be more from the Time Vortex very soon!