Home  Info  Starships  Fleet Yards  Treknology  Episodes  Database  Fandom  Community	Space Art in TNG   FAQ   Site Map

Visual Crossovers with Other Series/Movies
by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Other Series/Movies in Star Trek - Star Trek in Other Series/Movies

Props from other TV series or movies repeatedly appeared in Star Trek, sometimes to save budget, sometimes as deliberate in-jokes or homages. Vice versa, visual cues to Star Trek can be found in a large number of otherwise unrelated series and movies. Please take the following pictures with a grain of salt. It is not our intention to endorse theories that any of the crossovers could be canon.

Other Series/Movies in Star Trek

The Outer Limits of exobiology The stuntman and animal imitator Janos Prohaska worked for many TV productions of the 1960s, including Star Trek and also notably The Outer Limits. It appears that Prohaska brought a couple of costumes and masks to Star Trek, which benefited the show with its notoriously low budget. Prohaska shows up as soon as in "The Cage", where he portrays the anthropoid ape and the humanoid bird. The mask of the former creature is definitely a re-use of Calco from the Outer Limits episode "Fun and Games". It is quite possible that the latter originates from The Outer Limits too, more precisely from the Megasoid in "The Duplicate Man". The beak and some details are different though.

Anthropoid ape vs. Calco in "Fun and Games" (screen capture by Jörg)

Humanoid bird vs. Megasoid in "The Duplicate Man" (screen capture by Jörg)

There is another possible re-use from The Outer Limits that is often hinted at. The famous Horta (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark") is said to have previously appeared as the microbe beast in The Outer Limits: "The Probe". However, while there is definitely a resemblance, the microbe beast has some sort of tentacles, unlike the Horta.

Horta vs. microbe beast in "The Probe"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Logan keeps running The Sandmen Headquarters from the science fiction movie "Logan's Run" (1976) appears on two occasions in Star Trek, in TNG: "Final Mission" and "Tapestry". A portion of the cityscape with is characteristic pyramids appears on the Enterprise's viewscreen, behind Admiral Bennett, in "Star Trek V".

Sandmen HQ, model, in "Logan's Run" (screen capture by Jörg)	Building on Gamelan V in TNG: "Final Mission" (screen capture by Jörg)
Starbase Earhart in TNG: "Tapestry" (screen capture by Jörg)	Cityscape in "Star Trek V" (screen capture by Jörg)

Re-Used Planet Sets - Buildings from "Logan's Run"

From the 25th to the 24th century The planet matte of Aldebaran II from Buck Rogers: "The Plot to Kill a City" was re-used for Relva VII in TNG: "Coming of Age". The painting was modified in a couple of details. A dish antenna left of the main dome was replaced with a ball-shaped structure, instead of the red palm symbol on the dome there is now something like writing, there are additional blue lights around the landing platform and new details on the rearmost buildings, including a small dome and some sort of garden around them. The apparent mesa at the middle distance was reshaped to a hill chain, and the otherwise unchanged mountains in the background are partially covered by a layer of mist. The sky looks somewhat different too.

Aldebaran in Buck Rogers: "The Plot to Kill a City" (screen capture by Jörg)

Relva VIII in TNG: "Coming of Age" (screen capture by Jörg)

Another re-use from Buck Rogers can be found in the form of the Boslic vessel in TNG: "Babel". The miniature was originally built by Ken Larson as the "Ranger", Buck's own ship, but remained unused. It was purportedly visible in a throw-away shot at the end of the first season, of which we have no visual evidence though. In Star Trek, the model continued its career as the basis for Neelix' Baxial, albeit as a CGI.

Ship miniature from Buck Rogers (photo by Universal Hartland)

Boslic vessel in DS9: "Babel" (screen capture by Jörg)

Mel's Maid We can see the same tunnel in TNG: "Too Short a Season" and, a few years later, in "Legacy". This painted extension was originally made for the access tunnels inside the "Mega Maid" in "Spaceballs"!

Painted corridor extension in "Spaceballs" (screen captures by Dan Carlson)

Painted corridor extension in two TNG episodes (screen captures by Jörg)

Indy's idol A replica of the fertility idol from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" can be seen in Dax' quarters in DS9: "Dax". Dax' version is not as shiny as the original, possibly in order to cover up its origin in another franchise. The prop from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is very closely on a real pre-Columbian artifact. It depicts Tlazolteotl, the Aztec goddess of licentiousness.

Indiana Jones fertility idol in DS9: "Dax"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Odo dreams of Jeannie? In DS9: "A Simple Investigation" we can see the same type of bottle that we know from "I Dream of Jeannie".

Jeannie's bottle in DS9: "A Simple Investigation"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Data's purple ancestor In Clara Sutter's quarters in TNG: "Imaginary Friend" we can see a small statue of Maria, the Maschinenmensch from "Metropolis". This particular replica was produced by Masudaya in 1984 at 1/5 scale and in purple color.

Maria from "Metropolis" in TNG: "Imaginary Friend"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Found in Space The lamp-like device on the ceiling of the (fake) Romulan holodeck in TNG: "Future Imperfect" is a replica of the spacecraft Jupiter II from "Lost in Space", according to Ed Miarecki. Also, the Jupiter II purportedly appears in the form of a chessman in TNG: "Unnatural Selection" (reported at Timecon '89). It is not really verifiable on the screen capture. But the chessman in TNG: "Conundrum" clearly based on the robot B-9, also from "Lost in Space", confirms that the first one is meant to be the Jupiter II.

Jupiter II in two episodes (screen capture by Jörg)

B-9 in TNG: "Conundrum" (screen capture by Jörg)

Use the Force! In TNG: "Sub Rosa" we can make out the grave of a Mr. or Mrs. Vader, next to that of a certain McFly (or one of his time-traveling incarnations). The criminal Ibudan from DS9 has listed the departure from a spaceport called Alderaan in his schedule.

Vader's and McFly's tombs in TNG: "Sub Rosa" (screen capture by Jörg)

Ibudan's schedule in DS9: "A Man Alone" (screen capture by Jörg)

That's no moon, it's too angular In "Star Trek First Contact" one of the Federation vessels fighting against the Borg cube is actually a Millenium Falcon, as was confirmed by ILM VFX artist John Knoll.

Millenium Falcon in "Star Trek First Contact"
(screen capture by Matt Wright)

The Force is strong with Abrams Presenting Starfleet's newest acquisition in the field of robotics. But the technology from a long time ago in a galaxy far away was no help against the Narada ahead of time in another universe though.

R2-D2 in "Star Trek (2009)"
(screen capture by Matt Wright)

A creepy ancient ship The Promellian battlecruiser from TNG: "Booby Trap" originally appeared in the horror movie "Night of the Creeps" (1986).

Alien ship in "Night of the Creeps" (top view) (screen capture)

Promellian ship in TNG: "Booby Trap" (rear view) (screen capture by Jörg)

A rather harmless visitor ship The Batris from TNG: "Heart of Glory" is a modification of a Visitor shuttle from "V" (the original series).

Visitor shuttle from "V" (screen capture by Harry)

Batris in TNG: "Heart of  Glory" (screen capture by Jörg)

Starfleet's submarine seaQuest DSV borrows many motives from TNG, and likes to cite it. There is one mention of seaQuest DSV in TNG too, the name "Seaquest" of Darien Wallace's ship on a list in "Eye of the Beholder".

U.S.S. Seaquest in TNG: "Eye of the Beholder"
(screen capture by Memory Alpha)

Illustrious family tree In TNG: "The Neutral Zone Deanna Troi sifts through Claire Raymond's family tree to find relatives of the woman who had been frozen since the late 20th century (actually the display claims she died as late as 2035 as opposed to the spoken dialogue). Claire Raymond learns that her two sons were married to "Ginger Grant" and "Maryann Summers" from "Gilligan's Island". Her four grandchildren were named "Jonathan Frakes Raymond", "Denise P. Raymond", "LeVar Burton Raymond" and "Cheryl Gates Raymond". Their spouses were "Brent Spiner Raymond", "Marina Sirtis Raymond" and "Wil Wesley Raymond". The next generation has "Charles E. Winchester", "Sherman T. Potter", "Francis J. Mulcahey", "Margaret Houlihan", "Walter O'Reilly" "Kelleye Nakahara" - all characters from "M*A*S*H". In the fifth generation we can make out "William Hartnell", "Patrick Troughton", "Jon Pertwee", "Tom Baker", "Peter Davison", "Colin Baker" - all of whom played the Doctor in "Doctor Who". In addition, we find "Mary Richards" und "Louis Grant" in this generation, from "Mary Tyler Moore". The following two generations are almost illegible owing to the smaller font size, but eagle eyes may make out Kermit T. Frog and Miss Piggy.

Family tree, part 1 in TNG: "The Neutral Zone" (screen capture by Jörg)	Family tree, part 2 in TNG: "The Neutral Zone" (screen capture by Jörg)
Family tree, part 3 in TNG: "The Neutral Zone" (screen capture by Jörg)

The 8th Dimension in Equilibrium The DS9 episode "Equilibrium" has two references to the 1984 movie "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension". The first is another re-use of the oscillation overthruster prop from the movie, this time as a medical scanning device of the Trill. The second is the alleged name "Whorfin Dax" of a former Dax host on a monitor, as a homage to the character of John Whorfin, played by John Lithgow. We can spot other humorous names in the alphabetical list, such as "Batman Androbin", "Bedrock Townof" or "Bell Pacific".

Medical scanner in DS9: "Equilibrium" (screen capture by Jörg)	"Whorfin Dax" in DS9: "Equilibrium" (screen capture by Jörg)
"Batman Androbin" in DS9: "Equilibrium" (screen capture by Jörg)	"Bedrock" and "Bell Pacific" in DS9: "Equilibrium" (screen capture by Jörg)

Regarding "Buckaroo Banzai", the movie also appears in the form of the ship SS Buckaroo Banzai BBI-993, "commanded by Captain John Whorfin, launched in 2137 on a mission to Planet 10 (DIM 8) in the Ficus Sector". At least, this is listed on an Okudagram in TNG: "Up the Long Ladder". Whorfin is also the class name of the two passenger transports in "Star Trek Generations".

Re-Used Props - oscillation overthruster appearances

Kira's Island It is barely recognizable, but the label on a monitor in DS9 reads: "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship."

Monitor with "Gilligan's Island" intro
(screen capture by Jörg)

Death Wing The casualty list from VOY: "Imperfection" has three "real" casualties listed, namely those of Marie Kaplan, Lyndsay Ballard and Timothy Lang who all died in the course of the series. The rest of the names seem to have been taken from "West Wing" characters!

Casualty list in VOY: "Imperfection"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Horizon Events Some of the frightening dream images from VOY: "Random Thoughts" were originally filmed for "Event Horizon".

Footage from "Event Horizon" in VOY: "Random Thoughts"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Look Who's Watching On the more light-hearted side, VOY: "Someone to Watch Over Me" shows us shots of a human ovum from "Look Who's Talking".

Ovum from "Look Who's Talking" in VOY: "Someone to Watch Over Me"
(screen capture by Jörg)

Star Trek in Other Series/Movies

Battlestar Galactica We can see a vessel with two suspiciously long jump drives as a part of the ragtag fleet. And in the 4th season episode "The Ties That Bind" the pivotal scene in which Cally learns that her husband, Chief Tyrol, is a Cylon, takes place in "Weapons Locker 1701D".

Enterprise in "Battlestar Galactica" (source unknown)

"1701D" in BSG: "The Ties That Bind" (screen capture by Jörg)

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey We can see the often re-used Tillman Water Reclamation Plant as "Bill & Ted University". After watching TOS: "Arena" earlier in the movie, Bill and Ted are transported to Vasquez Rocks, where they are tossed off the cliff and encounter Death (William Sadler aka Sloane).

"Bill & Ted University" (screen capture by Jörg)

Bill and Ted at Vasquez Rocks (screen capture by Jörg)

Firefly We can see Trek vessels in at least three episodes of the series.

Kradin fighters in Firefly: "The Train Job" (screen capture by Jörg)	Karemma ship in Firefly: "The Train Job" (screen capture by Jörg)
Trek ships in Firefly: "Our Mrs Reynolds" (screen capture by Jörg)	Trek ships in Firefly: "War Stories" (screen capture by Jörg)

In addition, an LCARS layout appears on a console. This prop can be rented from Modern Props, and at it has obviously retained the LCARS panel from an appearance in Star Trek Voyager.

LCARS display in two Voyager episodes (screen capture by Jörg)

LCARS display in Firefly: "Ariel" (screen capture by Jörg)

Mork & Mindy In the episode "Mork Goes Public" Mindy's father is wearing the protection suit from TOS: "The Naked Time" with the helmet from "The Tholian Web". Mork is wearing Colonel Green's uniform from "The Savage Curtain" with slight modifications. His helmet, by the way, originates in the Outer Limits episode "Soldier".

Mindys' father in TOS costume (screen capture by Jörg)

Mork in TOS costume (screen capture by Jörg)

Stargate There are references to Star Trek in various Stargate SG-1 episodes. In the Stargate Universe, Star Trek is "only" a TV show and is quoted as such. For instance, in the episode SG1: "Unnatural Selection" Jack O'Neill suggests the name Enterprise for the spaceship X-303. In SG1: "Children of the Gods" the character Louis Ferretti can be seen doing the Vulcan hand salute. SG1: "200" even shows the crew in a Star Trek parody with according uniforms. 

Vulcan salute in SG1: "Children of the Gods" (screen capture)

Trek parody in SG1: "200" (screen capture)

SG1: "The Other Guys", however, has a genuine in-joke, as we can see a bat'leth behind Khonsu's throne. The episode also features John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox) as a scientist who loves to quote Star Trek.

Bat'leth in SG1: "The Other Guys"
(screen capture by Michael Minnick)

seaQuest DSV seaQuest DSV: "Hide and Seek" has William Shatner as a guest star. When he appears on the viewscreen, we can spot James Tiberius Kirk's initials "JTK" along with a familiar starship registry at the bottom. On the top of the screen we can also see "WS" for William Shatner. In "Dream Weaver" we can see a commemoration plaque for Nomad Mk-25A, the "first interstellar probe to seek out evidence of new life-forms".

Shatner "JTK-NCC1701" in "Hide and Seek" (screen capture by Jörg)

Nomad plaque in "Dream Weaver" (screen capture by Jörg)

The Sarah Jane Adventures In the pilot episode of this Doctor Who spin-off series a map of the Milky Way Galaxy can be seen which was originally produced for TNG: "Conspiracy".

Galaxy map in "The Sarah Jane Adventures"
(screen capture by Jörg)

West Wing In "Manchester, Part I" the Botany Bay is listed on a situation chart along with several actual US Navy ships. This is no surprise, considering that no one else but Mike Okuda made this display.

Botany Bay in "West Wing"
(screen capture by Shaun Aki)

Credits

Thanks to Robert Heckadon, Paul Eisner and Michael Minnick for several contributions! Shaun Aki spotted the Trek ship in "West Wing", LearnedHand found the references in "seaQuest DSV", Lee discovered the real-life origin of the Indiana Jones idol, Greg Tyler found additional in-jokes in "seaQuest", Jochen provided the screen caps of the Millenium Falcon. The "Mega Maid" corridor was found by Dan Carlson, and the Mork & Mindy references are from a thread at the TrekBBS, with an additional hint from Frederick.

Back to Investigations index

Home   Top
	Last modified: 09.02.12
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/crossovers.htm