Doctor Who Doctor Who is a long - running British science fiction television program and is the only major English - language science fiction franchise older than " Star Trek " . " Doctor Who " debuted on the BBC on 23 November 1963 and ran until 1989 . When premiered on BBC TV in the summer of 1969 , it took over " Doctor Who " s Saturday evening time slot . In 1996 , a was co - produced by the BBC and Universal Pictures and was aired on FOX in the US . " Doctor Who " details the adventures of a mysterious space - time traveler called . An ancient and nearly immortal , the Doctor comes from the planet . He travels time and space with ( usually human ) companions , fighting monsters and righting wrongs in a vehicle known as which resembles a blue 1960s - era London police box . The Doctor ' s ability to his body has allowed the series to continually recast its leading actor , contributing to its longevity . As of 2017 , thirteen actors have played the role of the " official " Doctor . In 2012 , two of those incarnations , the ( ) and the ( ) , met two different crews of the " Enterprise " as part of the only licensed " Star Trek " crossover to date , " . " A continuation of the series was produced by BBC Wales and has aired since 2005 on BBC One . The revival occurred in the same continuity as the original series , versus a " reimagining " or " reboot " of it . Like , it does share similarities with TNG in that the revival has featured " next - gen " equivalents of organizations such as UNIT and descendants of characters from the original series . Some original - series characters such as and have been seen in old age , much as Leonard McCoy and Spock were seen in their later years on TNG . " Doctor Who " has branched off into the spin - offs " " , " " and " " , and into the independent series " " , not produced by the BBC . " " had been developed into a pilot in 1981 but was not produced as a series . Additionally , the BBC has licensed the production of more than two hundred original audio dramas , beginning in 1999 . Hundreds of original novels , comics , novelizations and short stories have also been published from the 1960s onwards . " Doctor Who " is the only TV - based franchise to rival " Star Trek " in the realm of " expanded universe " releases . Much as " Star Trek " fans are known as " Trekkies " , " Doctor Who " fans have dubbed themselves " Whovians " . " Doctor Who " references in " Star Trek " . Television . " Star Trek " has referenced " Doctor Who " on a few occasions . In , Riker asks for a sonic driver to open a force field , a reference to the used by the Doctor to open doors and force fields throughout the " Doctor Who " franchise . In , an on - screen graphic of Clare Raymond ' s family listed William Hartnell , Patrick Troughton , Jon Pertwee , Tom Baker , Peter Davidson and Colin Baker among her descendants . These are , in order , the actors who played the first six Doctors . ( Davidson is a misspelling of the name of actor . ) At the time that " The Neutral Zone " was filmed , had been cast as the , but few of his stories had been aired in the United States . The Argolis Cluster , first mentioned in , references the planet , seen in the 1980 " Doctor Who " serial " " . In the " Deep Space Nine " episode , " Time ' s Orphan " , the daughter of Chief Miles O ' Brien falls into an ancient and unstable time gateway that transports her 300 years into the past . O ' Brien attempts to bring her back using the ancient technology , which includes a console that bears a resemblance to the TARDIS control panel . The encountered by in was influenced by the the TARDIS [ . . . ] . Specifically , the interior of the TARDIS is larger than its exterior ( or " dimensionally transcendental " ) , and the time travel pod was also bigger on the inside than on the outside . The exterior of the TARDIS is in the shape of a British police box and Mike Sussman , co - writer of " Future Tense " , noted : " " My idea of the ship morphing into a police call box was immediately nixed by the producers ! " " ( " Star Trek Monthly " issue 108 ) As long - running science fiction franchises , both share many similarities which are not specific references . There is a similarity between the Borg and the , the popular race of emotionless cyborg Humans who debuted in the 1966 serial " " , and likewise between the Klingon s and the warrior race the . The Overlooker also bear a physical resemblance to the Sontarans . Both also feature major characters known only as " the Doctor " and a time vortex as a method of time travel . The 2013 " Doctor Who " episodes " " and " " introduced audiences to a previously unknown incarnation of the series ' hero , who he had made himself forget . This plot development had parallels with the reveal of Joran Dax , a suppressed past " incarnation " of in . Other media . In the " Star Trek " novel " My Enemy , My Ally " by Diane Duane , characters watch a " Doctor Who " episode featuring the which has been adapted as a holographic program . The " Star Trek " novel " " by Barbara Hambly contains several references to " Doctor Who " : the Fourth Doctor is described on page 13 , ( from " " , " " , and " " ) are mentioned on page 57 , the is described on page 154 , and Kirk recalls legends of a planet of stagnant time - travelers ( meaning the Doctor ' s people , the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey ) in the galaxy on page 200 . The " Star Trek " novel " How Much for Just the Planet ? " by John M . Ford contains a character who is not named but bears a striking similarity to in the way he talks and acts . He even orders a character called Sergeant Benson around ( possibly a reference to ) . The short story " Ambassador at Large " , found in the " Strange New Worlds " anthology , features the Mondasians , a reference to " Doctor Who " s . The " " novel " Blind Man ' s Bluff " features Seven of Nine introducing Soleta to The Doctor ( " Voyager " s EMH ) . Soleta replies that she once met an odd man in a long brown coat and blue suit who called himself " the Doctor , " a reference to the tenth incarnation of the Doctor . Later , " Voyager " s Doctor uses the Tenth Doctor ' s catchphrase " " I ' m sorry . I ' m so sorry . " " In addition , a line of dialogue from later in the book includes " " Don ' t look away . . . don ' t blink . . . if you blink . . . " " , referencing some of the Doctor ' s in the " Doctor Who " episode " " . The " " novel " Watching the Clock " features the DTI vault that contains all the confiscated time machines . One time machine is described as a big blue box . In Issue 5 of the comic book miniseries " Star Trek - Legion of Super - Heroes " , the TARDIS appears among a collection of time machines possessed by the antagonist , Vandar the Stone . " Star Trek Online " heavily references " Doctor Who " in the Temporal Cold War story arc chi begins with the Season 11 premiere mission " Sunrise " . In the mission mission , Kal Dano is introduced in a small timeship with an interior that is much larger on the inside and greatly resembles the interior of the TARDIS . " Star Trek " references in " Doctor Who " . Television series . 1963 – 89 run . The only direct reference to " Star Trek " in the original 1963 – 1989 series of " Doctor Who " was a panel in the TARDIS console room used in Season Fourteen that had a stained glass representation of the " Star Trek " insignia . However , it occasionally did feature concepts similar to those found in " Star Trek " . Some of these similarities were due to coincidence , or due to both series drawing from a common pool of science fiction tropes and concepts . The 1966 serial " " took place on a rocky planet named Vulcan . Based on the dates when this story was written and aired , this almost certainly happened by coincidence ; Vulcan also was the name of a proposed planet that orbited between Mercury and the Sun to explain inconsistencies in Mercury ' s orbit . The 1979 – 80 story " " and the 1986 story " " both feature pistol - style energy weapons called " phaser s " . From the late 1960s onward , " Doctor Who " has featured technology similar to the transporter in the form of . Transmat technology first appeared in " " and later in several other stories . Transmat differs from transporter technology in that it does not require a trained operator to use . ( The 1969 story " " had featured travel - mat technology , but this had more differences . ) The 1972 story " " and its 1974 sequel " " , both set in the future , featured a Galactic Federation not unlike the UFP ; the BBC ' s guide to " The Curse of Peladon " notes its roots in " Star Trek " , particularly . 1996 TV movie . In the classic television series , the mechanism that enables the TARDIS to take the form of a police box is usually called a " chameleon circuit " . However , in the 1996 BBC / Universal co - produced , the Doctor refers to the mechanism as a " cloaking device " . Being that it was a quicker , vaguer way for the Doctor to explain to Dr . Grace Holloway ( his companion at the time ) why his TARDIS looks like a police box instead , sparing her of raising more technical questions like why it ' s called a Chameleon Circuit . 2005 – current run . There have been at least three direct references to " Star Trek " in the 21st century " Doctor Who " revival . In the episode " " , expressed dismay at the ' s low - tech approach to problem - solving ( for example , asking questions instead of scanning for alien tech ) and says , " " Give me some Spock ! " " Later in the same episode , Rose introduced the Doctor to as " Mr . Spock " , and Harkness briefly referred to the Doctor by this name before being corrected . In " " , the Doctor taught a child the Vulcan salute . He also named warp drive as one of the few things you need to travel the universe . In the 2011 episode " " , when a woman from 1969 first sees one of , she asks , " " Is that a mask ? Is that a " Star Trek " thing ? " " and shortly afterwards , having instantly forgotten it as soon as she looked away from it , repeats , " " Is that a " Star Trek " mask ? " " There have also been several indirect references and homages . In " " , the Doctor calls the 51st century starliner " " a ship , apparently a reference to the from , which is a ship of that class . In the same episode , River Song states that " " they ' ll beam me up any second . " " A starliner of the same class , again called a " Galaxy " - class ship in dialogue , appears in the 2010 " Doctor Who " Christmas special " " . The bridge of the ship has a similar layout and design to the bridge of the from the 2009 film . The bridge scenes featured a high amount of lens flare equally reminiscent of the bridge scenes in the film . ( However , it should be noted that a battle cruiser was first referred to as a " Galaxy " - class ship as early as the 1973 " Doctor Who " serial " " . ) In " " , a badly damaged Cyberman attempts to replace its decayed Human brain with that of Amy Pond , the Doctor ' s current companion . While doing so , it utters the phrase " You will be assimilated ! " , a nod to the Borg and their similarity to the Cybermen . In " " , the Doctor , while standing in an alien spaceship and talking to an Emergency Hologram , says , " " Please state the nature of the emergency , " " which is almost the exact catchphrase of The Doctor , the EMH aboard USS " Voyager " , albeit this may have been a reference to and not " Star Trek " , as the Doctor mentions International Rescue in the same line . In " " , one of the girls in ' s hotel room asks Howie what " loser " is in Klingon , suggesting Howie was a " Star Trek " fan . In " " , realizes that he and the Eleventh Doctor have just been teleported by the Cybermen . He refers to it as a " beam me up " and says that it is " just like " Star Trek . " " In the script of " " , the stage directions described the ' s command chair as " a cross between a Captain Kirk ' s chair and a throne . " The same script also referred to a device – which wears as a broach but also uses , at one point , as a communicator – by saying Clara " touches it like a " Star Trek " pin . " In " " , the interior of Colony Sarff ' s ship has control panels almost identical to those of Cardassian design , as seen throughout " " . " " features several references in the episode ' s design features : a door is seen with the serial number 1701B , an alien craft has the same basic shape as various Starfleet shuttles , and a mural is seen with three figures each wearing a red , blue , and gold uniform ; the producers of " Doctor Who " have confirmed these to be intentional tributes . " " starts with the doctor narrating " Space : the final frontier " . He then goes on to explain that it ' s final because " it wants to kill us " . Only one episode later , in " " , Nardole explains the situation experienced in the story by comparing it to the holodeck on " Star Trek " . Interestingly , since Nardole appears to be from the far future , this might mean that at least according to " Doctor Who " , " Star Trek " will continue to endure for millennia . Miscellaneous . The Doctor also shares some similarities to Vulcan s . The Third Doctor often performed the equivalent of a Vulcan nerve pinch and , on several occasions , both the Tenth Doctor and his rival , the Master , each performed a telepathic link very similar to a mind meld . Also , as a Time Lord , he is similar to El - Aurian s such as Guinan in that he is time - and space - sensitive . Furthermore , Gallifreyan attitudes towards non - interference in primitive cultures ( illustrated from " " onward ) mirror not only the Prime Directive but are also criticized in similar fashion to Vulcan attitudes shown throughout . The Doctor ' s signature is noticeably similar to the servo device used by Gary Seven in . Remarkably , the first airing of " Assignment : Earth " ( March 29 , 1968 ) occurred almost simultaneous to when the sonic screwdriver made its first appearance in the serial " " ( March 16 – April 20 , 1968 ) . Given the timing it seems doubtful that one could have been inspired by the other but is more likely a noteworthy coincidence . A space station of the same design as the first seen in appeared on the front cover of the 1986 " Doctor Who " novel " " . The artwork for the novel was modified from a piece that appeared on the back cover of the LaserDisc release of . Russell T Davies , " Doctor Who " s head writer for the first four series of the revival , has said that the billing for the TNG episode was part of the inspiration for the " Doctor Who " episode " " . " " I ' ve seen lots of " Star Trek : The Next Generation " , I think it ' s a lovely show – but there ' s one episode , the billing for which is so fascinating I ' ve actively avoided ever seeing it , " " Davies explained . " " I love the idea so much , I ' d rather think about it . Forever . The episode is called ' Darmok ' , and the synopsis simply says that Captain Picard is trapped on a planet with an alien who can only talk in metaphors . Wow . That sounds brilliant . How does that work ? What happens ? How does it end ? I ' ve got no idea – not seen it ! But it keeps resonating with me . I ' ve just looked up its TX date , and it ' s almost 20 years old . I ' ve been thinking about that story and its potential for almost 20 years ! Would it have sustained itself for that long in my head if I ' d seen it on BBC2 , long ago in 1991 ? I think the mystery keeps the concept alive . Here I am , still wondering , right now ! And I can see the idea bleeding into my own work . In 2008 , I wrote a " Doctor Who " episode called ' Midnight ' . Is it like ' Darmok ' ? I don ' t know . But stripped down to its essentials , it ' s a story about a hero , an alien , and words . That ' s practically the same billing . Maybe the two shows are profoundly different , but I know for a fact that all those years of wondering about ' Darmok ' led me to that script . " " ( " SFX " , issue # 200 , p . 140 ) " Torchwood " spin - off . In the episode " " , PC argues that Torchwood ought to get a teleporter " like in " Star Trek " " . " The Sarah Jane Adventures " spin - off . " Star Trek " has been referenced three times in the television spin - off series " " starring ( ) , a popular companion who appeared in both the classic and modern incarnations of " Doctor Who " . In " " , when asks for his cell phone while aboard a spaceship , another character scoffs that it will be useless in space unless he knows Captain Kirk ' s phone number . In " " , Clyde describes Luke as being " all science and logic and Spocky stuff like that " . And in " " , describes her own conversation with Clyde about aliens as " talking all " Star Trek " " . Furthermore , of " The Explored Galaxy " which was seen in " Star Trek " numerous times could be seen in the eponymous main character ' s attic in the . " K9 " spin - off . " Star Trek " has been referenced twice in the television spin - off series " " . In " " , a news broadcast mentioned an experimental spacecraft called NX - 2000 which underwent first flight tests . In " " , when a pursued , Darius said " " Resistance is futile " " , the catchphrase of the Borg . Other media . " Star Trek " has been referred to several times in original " Doctor Who " novels ; for example , in the novel " " by , the Doctor ' s companion says that the first time she saw " Star Trek " , she thought it was a documentary . The novel " " by has an extended pastiche of " Star Trek " with analogues of Captain Kirk , the " Enterprise " and the Federation . The audio play " " by and also pastiches " Star Trek " , taking place on a space station called " Dark Space 8 " and featuring supporting characters and events spoofing various elements of " Trek " - style science fiction . In the audiobook " " by , the Doctor ' s companion gives herself and the Doctor aliases based on " Star Trek " characters . Specifically , she dubs the Doctor " Dr . McCoy " and takes the alias of " Capt . Kirk " for herself , and is in fact referred to by that name on several occasions until the ruse is discovered . In the audiobook " The Cannibalists " by Jonathan Morris , a character briefly mentions that she has been watching too much " Star Trek " . The comic story " " depicted the character wearing Starfleet insignia earrings . The illustration for the " " short story , " " clearly shows a Starfleet uniform from the later TNG seasons – complete with combadge – hanging in the newly - ' s TARDIS wardrobe . Also , just as there is a Phillip Green in the Star Trek universe , there is a Phillip Green in Doctor Who as well . Crossover concept . In 2009 , Russell T Davies told an interviewer for " The Times " of London : The insular nature of both franchises , combined with the various international distribution rights owned by multiple companies , indicates that it is unlikely that an on - screen crossover will ever be produced . Nonetheless , IDW Publishing published a crossover comic , " " , in 2012 . Bif Bang Pow ! also produced a bobble ship set to commemorate this comic book series . Tony Lee pitched a / " Doctor Who " crossover for IDW , " Domination " . Actors who have appeared in both franchises . Numerous actors have had credited roles for episodes and / or films set in both the " Star Trek " and " Doctor Who " franchises . Prior to 2011 , only a relative few actors had appeared in both . However , this number expanded considerably as a result of the " Torchwood " season titled " Miracle Day " , which was partially filmed in the US . Several other actors , including Alexander Siddig , Benedict Cumberbatch , Alec Newman , Chase Masterson , Ed Bishop , and Alice Krige as well as some of those listed above such as David Warner and Daphne Ashbrook , have also performed in audio dramas based on " Doctor Who " and produced by Big Finish Productions . ( Warner , in fact , portrayed an out - of - continuity alternative version of the Doctor in two audio dramas , " " and " " ) . Though licensed by the BBC , the audios exist in a gray area of canon as , unlike Paramount Pictures and " Star Trek " , the BBC has never decreed what constitutes canon in " Doctor Who " . Simon Pegg has participated in Big Finish audio dramas , and has also served as narrator for , a behind - the - scenes documentary series the BBC aired in conjunction with the main program . Chase Masterson has the distinction of being the first " Trek " actor to actually lead an expanded " Doctor Who " universe spin - off when she was cast as Vienna Salvatori for a Seventh Doctor Big Finish audio drama in 2012 , which led to the commissioning of a spin - off audio series , " Vienna " , focusing on the character . Furthermore , Patrick Stewart was reportedly one of those considered to be the – the incarnation featured in the 1996 TV movie – before the part went to , but Stewart has denied that he was approached in interviews . Stewart has also starred in productions of " Hamlet " alongside ( Princess Astra and Romana ) and also ( the . ) Ironically , Ward has spoken in interviews about Stewart ribbing her for starring in a hit sci - fi series . The Twelfth Doctor , Peter Capaldi , was one of several actors who auditioned for the role of Benjamin Sisko before the role was given to Avery Brooks . Production personnel who have worked on both franchises . Ron Thornton of Foundation Imaging began his special effects career building physical models ( uncredited ) for " Doctor Who " ; he later worked as visual effects producer for several episodes of and and the of , as well as providing additional 3D matte elements for . Composer John Debney , who composed music for episodes of and , also composed the score for the co - produced by Universal Pictures and the BBC for Fox Television . Tony Dow , who directed the episode , was the visual effects producer for the aforementioned " Doctor Who " TV movie . Eric Alba , who worked as a visual effects associate on , , and under the name Frederick G . Alba , was the visual effects supervisor for the " Doctor Who " TV movie . David Wise , who co - wrote the " " episode , wrote " " , an episode of the Big Finish Productions audio drama series " " released in March 2011 . Kelly A . Manners , who worked as Unit Production Manager on the episode , is the Producer of " Torchwood : Miracle Day " . Other " Star Trek " production alumni who worked on " Miracle Day " include make - up artist Todd McIntosh and hairstylist Susan Boyd . Numerous contributors to " Star Trek " novels have also written licensed " Doctor Who " fiction , including John Peel , Diane Duane , and Keith R . A . DeCandido . During a period in the 1990s when plans for a " Doctor Who " feature film were being bounced around by different parties , Leonard Nimoy was mooted as a potential director for such a movie .