Easter eggs are usually just blink-and-you-miss-it fun for the nerdiest fans in the room. But when you’re talking about TARDIS Strange New Worlds connections, things get weirdly complicated and incredibly exciting. It’s not just about a blue box. It’s about how two of the biggest sci-fi titans—Star Trek and Doctor Who—have been flirting with each other for decades without ever actually getting married.
Honestly, the "crossover" in Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7, titled "Those Old Scientists," wasn't a literal appearance of the Doctor. That would have broken the internet and probably several licensing agreements. Instead, it was a subtle, clever nod that sent Trekkies and Whovians into a total frenzy.
The Moment the TARDIS Invaded Star Trek
If you haven’t seen the episode, let me set the scene. This was the legendary crossover between the live-action Strange New Worlds and the animated Lower Decks. Boimler and Mariner end up on Pike’s Enterprise. It’s chaotic. It’s hilarious. But the real gold is hidden in the background of the set design.
During one specific sequence, fans noticed a very familiar silhouette. It wasn't the U.S.S. Enterprise. It was a Police Public Call Box.
Wait. Why?
It turns out that the production designers on Star Trek have a long history of hiding things. In this case, the TARDIS Strange New Worlds connection was a physical prop placed in the background of the portal room. It’s a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but for those who caught it, it felt like a massive validation. It wasn't just a random box. It was the Doctor's ship. This kind of meta-commentary is what makes modern Trek so rewarding for long-time viewers who actually pay attention to the corners of the screen.
It’s All About the Production History
You've gotta understand that these two shows share DNA. Not literally, obviously. But the people who make them are often the same people. Many writers who have worked on Doctor Who have also penned scripts for Star Trek novels or comics. There is a deep, mutual respect between the two fandoms.
When Strange New Worlds showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers talk about their influences, they don't just mention Roddenberry. They talk about the "spirit of adventure." That’s a very Doctor Who sentiment. The TARDIS appearing—even as a tiny model or a shadow—is a way of saying, "We see you, and we’re playing in the same sandbox."
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Why These Two Worlds Keep Colliding
There is a long-standing "shared universe" theory that fans have been building for years. It started with the IDW comic Assimilation², where the Eleventh Doctor met Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D. They fought the Borg and the Cybermen together. It was epic.
But back to the TARDIS Strange New Worlds context.
Strange New Worlds is, by design, more episodic than Discovery or Picard. It’s a "planet of the week" show. This format mirrors Doctor Who almost perfectly. You land, you find a problem, you solve it with science and diplomacy (and maybe some punching), and you leave.
Because both shows are currently filming or have filmed in the UK or Canada with overlapping crew members, the props sometimes migrate. It's a logistical reality that creates accidental lore.
The Time Travel Connection
Time travel is the bread and butter of both franchises. In Strange New Worlds, we’ve already seen the Department of Temporal Investigations. We’ve seen Romulans trying to rewrite the past in Toronto. We’ve seen Paul Wesley’s Jim Kirk navigating a timeline that shouldn’t exist.
When you have a show that treats time as a fluid, breakable thing, the TARDIS isn't just a cameo. It's a reminder that the universe is vast.
There’s this one specific fan theory—and it’s a bit of a reach, but bear with me—that the portal used by Boimler and Mariner in "Those Old Scientists" was actually powered by technology that looks suspiciously like Gallifreyan tech. The swirling blue energy? The specific hum? It’s a deliberate stylistic choice. The designers know what they're doing. They’re teasing us.
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How to Spot More "Hidden" Doctor Who in Trek
If you’re looking for more TARDIS Strange New Worlds-style crossovers, you have to look at the LCARS displays. For years, Star Trek graphic designers like Michael Okuda have slipped names into the scrolling text.
- Check the ship manifests. You’ll find names like "The Doctor" or "Rose Tyler."
- Look at the coordinates. Sometimes they point to 1963 (the year Doctor Who premiered).
- Watch the background characters in the bars. Some of those aliens look suspiciously like they stepped off a BBC set.
It’s a game of cat and mouse. The lawyers might say they can’t officially cross over, but the artists don't care about lawyers. They care about the fans.
The Reality of Licensing
Let’s get real for a second. A full-blown crossover where Ncuti Gatwa walks onto the bridge of Pike's Enterprise is probably never going to happen. Paramount and the BBC are different beasts. The paperwork alone would be a nightmare that would take years to resolve.
However, the "spiritual" crossover is already here. Strange New Worlds has a sense of humor. It has a sense of whimsy. It isn't afraid to be "silly" in a way that Star Trek hasn't been since the 1960s. That "silliness" is the core of Doctor Who.
When Boimler screams about the "rules of time," he sounds like a frantic Companion. When Pike shrugs off a temporal anomaly with a smirk and a coffee, he’s basically a Time Lord in a gold tunic.
The Cultural Impact of the TARDIS Reference
Why does anyone care?
Because we live in an era of "IP soup." Usually, when a brand references another brand, it feels like a marketing meeting. It feels fake.
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But the TARDIS Strange New Worlds nod feels different. It feels like a secret handshake between nerds. It’s the showrunners saying, "We love the same stuff you love." It adds a layer of depth to the world-building. It suggests that even in the 23rd century, people still remember the old legends of a traveler in a blue box. Or maybe, just maybe, he’s still out there, hiding behind a nebula while the Enterprise sails past.
The beauty of Strange New Worlds is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It knows it’s a TV show. It knows it has a legacy. By acknowledging Doctor Who, it honors the entire genre of science fiction, not just its own narrow history.
What You Should Do Next
If you want to find the TARDIS yourself, you need to go back and watch "Those Old Scientists" on a high-definition screen. Specifically, look at the scenes in the portal chamber.
- Pause the frame when the lighting shifts.
- Check the far-left corner of the hangar-style room.
- Look for the distinct roof-cap of a 1960s British police box.
Once you see it, you can't unsee it. It changes how you view the episode. It turns a funny crossover into a multiversal event.
Keep an eye on Season 3. The rumors from the set suggest more "Easter Egg" surprises are coming. The production team has seen the fan reactions to the TARDIS Strange New Worlds buzz, and they love it. They are leaning into the "Lower Decks" style of humor, which means more deep-cut references are inevitable.
Go watch the "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" episode again too. Pay attention to the background noise in the 21st-century scenes. There’s a sound effect that—if you squint with your ears—sounds remarkably like the TARDIS "vwoorp vwoorp" sound.
The Doctor is always there. You just have to know where to look.
Next Steps for the Dedicated Fan:
- Re-watch Season 2, Episode 7: Set your playback to 4K if possible and scan the background of the portal room at the 12-minute mark.
- Compare the Audio: Listen to the temporal rift sounds in Strange New Worlds and compare them to the "Time Vortex" sounds from the Russell T. Davies era of Doctor Who. The similarities in frequency are startling.
- Check the IDW Comics: Grab a copy of Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation² to see what a full-scale interaction actually looks like when the "Easter eggs" are turned into a full plot.
- Follow the Production Designers: Keep tabs on the social media accounts of the SNW art department. They often post high-res photos of the sets that reveal details you can't see on a standard TV broadcast.