Review: Assimilation² - Doctor Who / Star Trek crossover
I have seen a T-shirt online that I simply have to have. It is a picture of a Dalek with the words "OMG it's R2D2, I loved him in Star Trek!"
The joke here is that "fans" are supposed to be loyal to one franchise and sneer at others, so a stab at offending as many of them as possible simultaneously is naughty in the extreme. But in reality, of course, many fans are not faithful to one story only, they are free to love many at once. For them, the idea of crossovers is simply double the fun.
Assimilation² is the meeting of probably the two grandest, most well-loved science fiction legends ever. The paths of two absolute giants of TV sci-fi - one British, one American - cross in this two-part epic adventure from writers Scott and David Tipton, with art by J.K. Woodward.
The Federation world Delta IV (you know the Deltans, the bald lady in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979?) comes under sudden attack by the Borg. Or does it? No call for surrender to assimilation, just outright destruction. Not the Collective's usual modus operandi... and some of the invaders are .... silver....?
Meanwhile, the Eleventh Doctor takes Amy and Rory on a relaxing trip to 1940's San Francisco. Or does he? The nearest bar has a rather odd-looking patron. An android in a pin-stripe suit? All is not as it would appear...
The TARDIS has gone astray; not an unusual occurrence in itself, but this time it's a much more radical departure than before... it has materialised in the holodeck of the Starship Enterprise.
The Doctor and his companions are not the only interlopers to this space-time continuum... The Borg appear to have joined forces with a new ally, one the Doctor knows only too well... the Cybermen.
It had to happen. The Cybermen are, after all, the original Borg. Decades before the Next Generation pitted Jean-Luc Picard and his crew against the half-machine invaders from the Delta Quadrant, driven by the need to assimilate all species into their hive-mind Collective, the rogue Time Lord was fighting the same battle in another universe with a race of soulless cybernetic soldiers with the same agenda.
The Cyberman/Borg threat is a chilling concept: monsters that look part human, part robot, who seek not to kill but to inflict a fate worse than death; the transformation of their victims into more of themselves. The terror of the loss of one's humanity is an ancient one, this modern version being an update of the classic vampire legend. (Is it a coincidence that Borg assimilation tubules pierce the neck in two places?)
The writers have their work cut out for them here but they rise to it. The Doctor is as eccentric and mischievous here as his TV persona played by Matt Smith ever was, with dialogue that is so very true to form ("Crossing your own timelines is more than a bad idea, it's the mother of all bad ideas. It's the bad idea that bad ideas have when they're not thinking straight.") And Picard and his crew are likewise brought vividly to life, so this is obviously written by those who know and love both shows. Readers who are likewise familiar with both will be delighted.
Likewise the art is spot-on, the likenesses of all the characters instantly recognisable. Woodward's style is remarkable; every panel is a literal painting (possibly painted digitally, but it looks very organic.)
There is also an extra treat for older readers as the Doctor recalls an earlier encounter with the crew of a ship called the Enterprise, though this one had a Vulcan First Officer, who found the offer of Jelly Babies from a stranger in a floppy hat and illogically long scarf to be quite fascinating....
What will be the outcome of this terrifying crossover? Will the Borg/Cyberman alliance hold, or will one conquer the other? Is the galaxy at stake, or entire universes? Can the combined forces of the TARDIS and the Enterprise save all existence from the worst of all possible futures?
Join them now to see how the action plays out. Hopefully there will be more such crossovers in the future for fans of both sagas to enjoy...
Zak Webber
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