| Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | IDW Publishing |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | May 2012 – December 2012 |
| No. of issues | 8 |
| Main characters | Eleventh Doctor Jean-Luc Picard William Riker |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Scott and David Tipton Tony Lee |
| Artist | J. K. Woodward |
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 is an eight-issue limited series comic book written by Scott and David Tipton, assisted by Tony Lee (on issues 1 to 4), with art by J. K. Woodward.
A crossover of the science fiction TV series Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation , it sees the Eleventh Doctor and his companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, encounter the crew of the USS Enterprise-D join forces with them to stop an alliance between the Borg and the Cybermen. [1] [2] It was Doctor Who's first major official crossover since the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time . [1]
The series was published by IDW Publishing with the first issue released on 30 May 2012. [3] The issues were later collected in two graphic novels published on 9 October 2012 and 26 February 2013.
On stardate 45635.2 (falling between the stardates of The Next Generation episodes "The Outcast" and "Cause and Effect"), the Federation planet Delta IV comes under attack from a combined force of Borg and the Cybermen who were first seen in "Rise of the Cybermen". This prompted a planetary evacuation.
Meanwhile, the TARDIS, with the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams inside, somehow crosses between universes and lands on the holodeck of the Enterprise-D. Though confused at having new memories from this universe, the Doctor meets with the ship's captain, Jean-Luc Picard, and they soon discover the Borg/Cybermen alliance. However, the Cybermen quickly turn on the Borg, prompting the Borg to ask Picard for assistance, to which he reluctantly agrees. Among the new memories the Doctor recalls is how his fourth incarnation encountered an earlier generation of Cybermen alongside James T. Kirk and his Enterprise .
The Enterprise crew begins work on adding gold to its weapons, since it is effective against Cybermen, while the TARDIS goes back in time to retrieve a vital piece of Borg technology that had been lost to the Cybermen. A strike force led by the Doctor and Picard then infiltrates the Cybermen's main vessel and, with the help of the Enterprise's gold-enhanced weapons, defeats the Cybermen. The Doctor and his companions return to their own universe aboard the TARDIS; meanwhile the Borg, intrigued by the Doctor, decide to investigate time travel.
Joey Esposito of IGN described the series as "a crossover that genre fans have been awaiting for decades". [4] Reviewing the first issue, he predicted that the "near-photorealistic" artwork would prove controversial among readers. He rated the issue 7 out of 10. [5]
Paul Mount of Starburst was negative in his assessment, [6] [7] [8] stating in his review of issue 7: "If IDW are tempted to cross-pollinate these two sci-fi giants again, they might want to take a bit more time to come up with a story which makes the writing, drawing and reading of it worth the effort, because this just has the stink of a lazy vanity project about it, and fans of both franchises were undoubtedly expecting and deserving quite a bit more." [9]