Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman has revealed a crossover with Doctor Who was very close to happening after last year’s epic Easter egg.

The sixth episode of season 3, titled The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail – which aired last August – treated fans to the appearance of the TARDIS in the background behind the USS Enterprise, while Commander Pelia (Carol Kane) also suggested she had met a Doctor.

Asked about the Easter egg during a recent interview with Awards Radar, Goldsman discussed how he was actively working with former Who showrunner Russell T Davies on a crossover for years.

“We were trying with Russell to do a crossover. We were for years," he said. "Again, these are the near misses, but we got not unclose, and we had some really cool conversations about it. And so, certainly in our view, I mean, Pelia traveled in the TARDIS. Why not?"

Although The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail marked the first time Doctor Who and Star Trek have crossed over in live-action, the sci-fi series have made multiple nods towards one another over the years, with one notable example being Doctor Who episode Space Babies, in which the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) declares to companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) that they should visit the Enterprise sometime.

Davies previously expressed his desire to make a crossover happen, saying at a panel in 2024: "We would love to announce a crossover between Star Trek and Doctor Who [but we aren’t doing that today]."

He added: "If anyone can make that happen... it’s fans that can make that happen! Two great big broadcasters, two great big empires – and their lawyers! – would have to come together, but we can do that, can’t we?

"Quite seriously, I’d love it. That [montage] video, that shows you what it would feel like, what it would look like... the joy of it. It must happen!"