Mixing the universes of ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Doctor Who’ has been a fan dream (and likely some fan fiction) for a long while. But it’s been just that, a dream… until now. Now that both the ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and ‘Doctor Who’ comic franchises are under the same banner at IDW Comics, the company has done exactly what any fans would do if given the opportunity… and thus we have ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation 2’, a miniseries that crosses over the two universes in an attempt to stop a threat unlike any either have faced before!
We begin on the planet Delta IV (homeworld to Llia from ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’) and we’ve got action on page 1 as the Borg ascend onto the planet, attacking all of the world’s major cities. The Deltan Prime Minister flees the devestation to a safe room somewhere beneath the surface of the planet. The Prime Minister attempts to contact Starfleet for assistance and, as is usual when the Borg is involved, the Federation seems at a disadvantage. Amidst the chaos, the Deltans realize that the Borg are not alone! There’s some new kind of cyborg lifeform mixed in with the Borg invaders.
Cut to ancient Egypt where we’re introduced to The Doctor and his companions, Amy and Rory Pond as they attempt to save the Earth from yet another alien menace. This second half of the issue has some wonderful writing and reads very much like a ‘Doctor Who’ episode. Mix The Doctor’s rambling madness with some near perfect characterization with the Ponds and you’ve got a fun story. On top of that, they do a pretty decent job working in some backstory for the characters, even including Rory’s time as a Roman Soldier.
After the Earth is saved, The Doctor and his companions travel to 1940s Los Angeles where they run into some very familiar faces… well… familiar to ‘Star Trek’ fans anyway, if not The Doctor.
To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to this book. Because it was mixing two such beloved universes and reeked of fan-fic, I just knew it was going to be horrible. Then when the BBC released the first seven pages yesterday, I figured it didn’t look so bad and decided to give it a shot. To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. This was a great read and one that’s sure to please fans of both the ‘Trek’ and ‘Who’ universes.
On top of some top-notch writing by Scott and David Tipton, the art in this title is fully painted by J.K. Woodward. That means when you see some of your favorite characters, it looks like the characters. There are even some scenes where I get the sneaky suspicion that the painting was done over some photos but it’s not glaring (if that’s what they did) enough to detract from the break-neck speed at which this issue runs.
If they can write the ‘Next Generation’ characters next issue as well as they did the ‘Doctor Who’ gang in this one, then this series is going to be one heck of a ride!
Verdict: Buy
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION / DOCTOR WHO: ASSIMILATION 2 #1
Story by Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee
Art by J.K. Woodward
Cover by Woodward, David Messina
