10 Times Star Trek Crossed Over into the Real World (2025)

From the beginning, one of the most integral elements of Star Trek has been the interplay between real-world social issues and science-fiction storytelling. Not only does this affect the themes of the stories that Star Trek tells, but it also creates a special relationship by integrating its characters directly with "real world" events.

Whether taking place in the modern day, recent past, or near future, many entries in this franchise have taken place in a world that is not yet the utopia that Gene Roddenberry envisioned. By crossing over into the real world, Star Trek gets to tell more grounded and human stories or find comedy in creating fish-out-of-water scenarios for beloved characters.

10 Captain Archer Hunts Down Lizard People in Early 2000's Detroit

Star Trek: Enterprise

Jeffrey Dean Morgan guest stars in this time-travel-centered episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, where Captain Jonathan Archer and Sub-commander T'Pol are tasked with stopping a trio of reptilian aliens called Xindi from destroying humanity with a bioweapon. While searching for their adversaries, the two are forced to enlist the aid of a modern-day blood bank worker, who helps Archer disguise himself as a dead body and infiltrate the Xindi hideout.

"Carpenter Street," named after the location of the abandoned factory where the Xindi are hiding out, uses its modern-day American setting to playfully poke at conspiracy theories surrounding lizard-like aliens living among humans. When the police pick up the blood bank worker at the end of the episode, his ramblings about lizard people and laser guns lead the authorities to believe he is using drugs.

Star Trek: Enterprise

TV-PG

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Drama

A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 26, 2001

Creator(s)

Rick Berman , Brannon Braga , Gene Roddenberry

Cast

Scott Bakula , John Billingsley , Jolene Blalock , Dominic Keating , Anthony Montgomery , Linda Park , Connor Trinneer , Solomon Burke Jr.

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

4

Creator

Rick Berman and Brannon Braga

Franchise(s)

Star Trek

9 Benjamin Sisko Gets Trapped in an Eerie San Francisco Circa 2024

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Although technically not present day at the time the episode was made, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine presented a shockingly dystopian image of life in 2024 with "Past Tense." The episode is set in a near future San Francisco where an entire section of the city has been blocked off to hold people who cannot afford to take care of themselves.

Captain Benjamin Sisko and Dr. Julian Bashir find themselves in the middle of the Bell Riots, an inflection point in American history where the country was forced to reckon with the way they treated people who were struggling. The episode is remarkable for its portrayal of how homelessness and financial instability are ignored by members of the upper classes, who would rather cast people aside than deal with these issues head-on.

See Also

Star Trek: First Contact | Rotten TomatoesWant to Watch Star Trek? Start with 'First Contact'Katee Sackoff Wants To Appear In The Star Trek Franchise, And Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes Has A Great Idea About Who She Could PlayStar Trek: Who Is Reginald Barclay?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Science Fiction

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

January 3, 1993

Cast

Avery Brooks , Rene Auberjonois , Alexander Siddig , Terry Farrell , Cirroc Lofton , Colm Meaney

Seasons

7

Number of Episodes

176

8 Star Trek: Picard Spends More Time in Modern Day Than Any Other Show

Star Trek: Picard

Much of season two of Star Trek: Picard takes place in modern-day Los Angeles. Captain Picard and his crew have been sent to stop a universe-altering event from changing the peaceful Federation into the xenophobic Confederation of Earth. Star Trek: Picard Season 2, Episode 3, "Assimilation" is the episode that sees the characters actually travel back in time with the help of the Borg Queen, the classic Star Trek villain introduced in Star Trek: First Contact.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this episode follows pilot Chris Rios, who is arrested while being treated at a clinic for undocumented immigrants.Star Trek has a long history of tackling discrimination and racism, but it was still affecting to see one of the show's characters experience 21st-century bigotry and dehumanization up close.

Star Trek: Picard

TV-MA

Sci-Fi

Drama

Action

Adventure

Retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard is drawn back into action when a mysterious young woman seeks his help, triggering a journey that leads him to confront the ghosts of his past. As he assembles a new crew to uncover the truth behind a dangerous conspiracy, Picard navigates a galaxy that has changed significantly since his days aboard the Enterprise.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

January 23, 2020

Cast

Patrick Stewart , Alison Pill , Michelle Hurd , Santiago Cabrera

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

3

Franchise(s)

Star Trek

7 Quark, Rom and Nog Crash Land Into Area 51

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is well known for developing the Ferengi into more emotionally well-rounded characters. But sometimes the series still reveled in the goofy fun it could have by placing its big-eared aliens in wacky scenarios, including sending them back in time to Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.

Quark, Rom and Nog are sidetracked from their trip to Earth when they are flung back to the Forties, where they're held captive by U.S. military personnel who fear the Ferengi are invaders from Mars. Seeing three of Deep Space Nine's funniest characters caught up in the Roswell UFO incident is an incredibly memorable taste of how much joy the franchise can bring when it doesn't take itself too seriously.

6 Kirk and Spock Are in a Spy Thriller in This Backdoor Pilot-Turned-Star Trek Episode

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek has humble roots, being just another option on the few channels 1960s television had to offer. So it is no surprise that CBS tried using the success of the show to sell a pilot they had collecting dust in a drawer. "Assignment: Earth" was meant to be a new television show centered around Gary Seven, a human from the future who uses his advanced technology to help out Cold War America.

Captain Kirk and Spock, who are in 1968 to prevent World War III, work with the mysterious Seven to stop an orbital nuclear weapon platform from being deployed and inching the world closer to destruction. It is unsurprising that Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, wanted to write an episode of the show where his characters could directly influence the geopolitics that Roddenberry was clearly troubled by.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Sci-Fi

Action

Fantasy

Adventure

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 8, 1966

Cast

William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Deforest Kelley , James Doohan , George Takei , Nichelle Nichols , Walter Koenig , Frank da Vinci , Eddie Paskey , Roger Holloway , Ron Veto

Seasons

3

Story By

gene roddenberry

Writers

Gene Roddenberry

Network

Paramount

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+

Franchise(s)

Star Trek

Directors

Gene Roddenberry

Showrunner

Gene Roddenberry

Where To Watch

Paramount+

Character(s)

James T. Kirk , Spock , Dr. McCoy , Scott , Sulu , Uhura , Pavel Chekov , Lt. Clifford Brent , Lt. Leslie , Lt. Lemli , Harrison

5 The Enterprise Crew Meets Mark Twain in This Wild West Adventure

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek episodes love to work historical figures into their adventures, and The Next Generation is no exception. "Time's Arrow" is a season-spanning two-parter that follows Data as he's sucked into a portal that transports him to late 19th Century San Francisco. The rest of the Enterprise crew follows him back in time, where they end up meeting Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen-name Mark Twain.

Not only does "Time's Arrow" mark the first canonical encounter between members of the Enterprise crew and fan-favorite character Guinan, but it also delights in telling a fish-out-of-water story with Commander Data being placed in an era with little access to technology. Data is actually forced to employ the help of another classic writer: Jack London, an innovator in science fiction literature.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

TV-PG

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Drama

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

September 26, 1987

Cast

Patrick Stewart , Brent Spiner , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Marina Sirtis , Michael Dorn , Gates McFadden , Majel Barrett

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

7

Creator

Gene Roddenberry

Production Company

Paramount Television

Number of Episodes

176

Network

CBS

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+

4 Benjamin Sisko Tackles Bigotry in 1950s Science Fiction Publishing

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Another tradition in Star Trek television is spinning narratives where the actors get to play around with different character traits, genre archetypes or settings. "Far Beyond the Stars" is one of the best examples of this, where the underrated cast of Deep Space Nine gets to flex their acting muscles as more grounded 1950s New Yorkers.

The episode follows a man who looks like Captain Benjamin Sisko but is actually Benny Russell, a science-fiction writer forced to work under a fake name for fear that readers won't want to engage in a story written by a Black man. The episode is one of Star Trek's most overt stories about racism in America, as viewers see Russell get harassed by the police and forced out of a staff photo for the magazine he works for.

3 La’an Is Forced to Encounter Her Infamous Ancestor

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has done an incredible job at faithfully recreating characters from The Original Series, adding new depth to fan favorites like Nurse Chapel, Uhura and Commander Spock. One of the more interesting additions to the classic roster of characters is La'an Noonien-Singh, a descendant of one of Star Trek's greatest villains: Khan.

"Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" sees La'an and an alternate universe Captain Kirk forced to venture to modern-day Toronto to stop a Romulan spy from killing Khan as a child. Seeing La'an reckon with her complicated heritage and grow affectionate for a James Kirk who isn't from her universe is some of the most emotionally resonant material that Star Trek has spun in years.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

TV-PG

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Release Date

May 5, 2022

Cast

Melissa Navia , Christina Chong , Anson Mount , ethan peck , Jess Bush , Rebecca Romijn

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

3

2 Kirk Falls Tragically in Love in This Classic Episode

Star Trek: The Original Series

Written by speculative fiction legend Harlan Ellison, this early Star Trek episode is cemented in the minds of fans as one of the best the franchise ever produced. Captain Kirk and Spock must travel back to Depression Era New York City to stop Doctor McCoy from altering history to the point where the Federation and Starfleet never existed.

Tragically, Kirk falls in love with a woman named Edith Keeler, whose accidental death in a traffic collision is integral to the timeline. The episode won multiple awards at the time, cited as being pivotal in the maturing of the series and tackling the difficult consequences of being a Starfleet captain who is forced to make heart-wrenching choices for the greater good.

1 Star Trek IV Is the Big Screen’s First Take on a Time-Traveling Enterprise

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

The third film in the story arc started by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home follows the U.S.S. Enterprise crew to 1980s San Francisco to bring a humpback whale back to the future with them. An alien probe that once communicated with the now-extinct whales has traveled to Earth, threatening to destroy the planet if they do not speak with their long-lost animal companions.

In his second run at the helm of a Star Trek film, Leonard Nimoy created one of the funniest entries in the franchise, while also managing to squeeze in a message about conservation and the unintended consequences of not protecting endangered species. From Kirk cursing in order to fit into 20th-century America to Scotty trying to work a computer by speaking into the mouse, The Voyage Home is a hilarious collision between 80s culture and iconic Star Trek characters.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

PG

Sci-Fi

Itfollows the crew of the USS Enterprise as they travel back to 20th-century Earth to save humpback whales, whose extinction threatens the future. Blending humor and environmental themes, the crew must navigate the past to ensure humanity's survival in the present.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Director

Leonard Nimoy

Release Date

November 27, 1986

Cast

William Shatner , Catherine Hicks , Leonard Nimoy

Runtime

118 Minutes

✕ Remove Ads