When TNG came along the wonder was whether or not any original characters would appear on the new series. The same was wondered when DS9 and Voyager came along. It was more than clear that the series all shared the same universe, so why not? And thankfully crossover’s did happen between the series and the fans loved them.
The above picture of Bashir and Data come from the TNG episode Birthright, and I forgot about it. So it’s not on the main list, count it as an honorary mention I guess. The episode sucked anyway. And I am not including when an actor from one show appeared on another as a different character. That’s another list. And no, Worf on Deep Space Nine doesn’t count since he became a regular. And if you’re wondering about Troi’s appearance on Voyager, that was only Ok. The first time was cute but the problem was they kept bringing her back and it got boring. And what about "Trials and Tribble-ations"? As epic as that TOS/DS9 crossover was I decided it just didn't count since the actors never physically appeared together.
Here are my ten favorites.
10.Doctor on Deep Space Nine
This was a unique way to do a crossover. Have the character..and yet not have the character. The Doctor of course was the Emergency Medical Hologram on Voyager. In one episode of DS9 his creator appeared to enlist Bashir into the EMH program.
#9.Classic Klingons on DS9
How can you have Klingons from TOS on DS9? I mean those Klingons were very different, right? Well they did it anyway and Kor, Kang, and Koloth appeared in “Blood Oath”. Yes the same actors and you know, this was a pretty good episode! Except they killed Koloth off which pissed me off.
#8.Sulu and Rand on Voyager
I talked about this episode at length to suffice to say, as weak as the episode was the appearance of Sulu and Rand was still pretty cool. Especially Rand since it had been ages since she last appeared in a Trek series.Tuvok on Deep Space Nine
#7.Tuvok on Deep Space Nine
How could Voyager do a crossover with DS9 considering the premise? Well the creators found on creative way to do it. Using the mirror universe we see that mirror-Tuvok is part of the resistance fighting the great alliance.
#6.Quark on Voyager
When Voyager began we first see it at Deep Space Nine. So it only made sense to have a seen in DS9. Specifically, Quark’s bar where we first meet the very green Harry Kim. The scene is brief and only here to introduce Kim and Paris, but it’s the only good part of that very boring episode. By the way Quark also appeared in an episode of TNG in a cute cameo during that show's final season.
5.Spock on Next Generation
This was a hard episode to rank, because it wasn’t the best episode. Yeah Spock was in it but the story wasn’t that strong and Nimoy’s appearance wasn’t as bittersweet as fans hoped. On the other hand…Spock is in it!! This crossing of generations was epic at the time, it made Next Generation finally feel like it was officially part of the Trek family by having Leonard Nimoy give it’s blessing appeared in this episode (of course the fact Star Trek VI was coming out didn’t hurt).
4.Riker on Voyager & DS9
It was a risk enough to have Q appear on Voyager, since he can send them home with a snap of his fingers, but they decided to make it even more silly by having Q bring three humans from Earth. Including Commander Riker. The cameo is a fun scene and it’s really awesome to see Riker on Voyager, even for a minute. And As I already talked about Riker also appeared on a DS9 episode and while the episode was weak his appearance was awesome. You will notice that Enterprise does not appear on this list. They only did one crossover, and while it involved Riker and Triu the episode is better off…not talked about.
3.Scotty on The Next Generation
Since it was the days before the internet and spoilers every time you look, I had no idea James Doohan was appearing on TNG. And I’m happy to say the episode was really good. It did what the Spock episode couldn’t do, give fans a feeling of nostalgia for the old show. I could do a whole review of this episode, but it’s a fun one with all kinds of references to the old series, and Doohan enjoys every second. And the episode managed to be about something too, as Scotty has to deal with the fact that he is old and finding it hard to find a place where he can be useful.
#2.Picard on Deep Space Nine
Quark appearing on the pilot of Voyager was a standard that was set here, on the pilot of Deep Space Nine. Having Picard on the episode really made the piece a lot stronger than it would have been. Remember, early DS9 wasn’t great and the pilot was only OK. So Picard gave viewers a reason to tune in, and it didn’t disappoint. We also get a revisiting of Picard as Locutus, how awesome was that? A lot of people say Sisko is better than Picard. I disagree, but if it’s true the sight of the two together is just fantastic especially that final scene where they shake hands and Picard wishes Sisko good luck,
#1.McCoy on The Next Generation
TNG was a tad controversial when it was announced, how could you do a Star Trek without Kirk and Spock? Funny how that seems like a silly thing to worry about today. But we did and then the news came that a member of that original cast was going to appear on the new series. So we watched, and were very delighted to see Admiral McCoy appear with Data. To be fair the scene is pretty pointless. It’s really just Roddenberry winking to the audience and assuring them this would be Star Trek. That doesn’t take away from the sweet moment which is not only the best scene in that first episode, but maybe one of the most sentimental moments in Star Trek ever.
And of course the ultimate crossover which happened in the movies and is so great that it doesn’t even need it’s own slot….
Kirk and Picard
Generations has many, many problems. But it did deliver what it promised..Kirk and Picard meeting at last! Yeah there were silly things in it like the cooking scene or the fact Kirk pointlessly had to die, but the sights of these two legends together still gives me the chills.
and FYI-Kirk wins
Did I miss one? I know LaForge appeared on Voyager but that was just a cute cameo. Spock in the new movies doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned. Any others? Comment and let me know. I guess the one thing I would have loved to see was a full fledged crossover between one or more of the TV series. You know, all the casts interacting and the same plot running through the episodes. Kind of what they they do on Flash and Arrow these days. I guess that will never happen, save for books and other expanded media.
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