Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation², Volume 1

Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation² #1-4

by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, Tony Lee

The two greatest science-fiction properties of all time cross over for the first time in history! When the Federation's most terrifying enemy strikes an unholy alliance with one of the Doctor's most hated antagonists, the result is devastation on a cosmic scale! Spanning the ends of space and time itself, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise find themselves joining forces with the time-travelling Doctor and his companions, with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance!

The first collection of the Assimilation 2 comics, including #1-4

Genres: Graphic Novels, Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Star Trek, Comics, Fiction, Time Travel

104 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2012

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a surprise. I was perusing the bookstore when I came across this. Now, while I know of Dr. Who and the basics of his story, I can't say I know much about his lore. However, I am a Star trek fan. So when I saw a crossover, who am I to say no?

Dr. Who travels into a strange place. He thinks he's in San Francisco but, in reality, is on the holodeck of the Enterprise. He meets Ryker, Data, and Geordi and is introduced to the crewmembers of the Enterprise-D.
It seems that the Borg has formed an alliance with the Cybermen from Dr. Who's timeline. In order to prevent this, the Doctor teams up with the STNG crew. Meanwhile, it seems like there is far more to the story.
In a p[revious time, Capt. Kirk also had an encounter with a different version of Dr. Who and the Cybermen. Is there a connection? The story becomes even more convoluted when the Cybermen turn on the Borg. That's where this first volume ends. I have also purchased the 2nd volume.

The story is very good. The artwork is rather nice. It is a painted style that works well for this story. If you are a Star trek or Dr. Who fan then you will like this crossover.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, we've all thought about it at one time or another. Doctor Who meets Star Trek! Well,to be honest, my expectations were not very high, but to my surprise it's actually better than what I had expected. In fact, despite the muddy artwork, the story is actually quite intriguing and well planned. There is even a flashback with some surprises included. It's better than I thought it would be. I really liked it and have Volume 2 on order.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read. It mashed up two of my favorite things, and I can appreciate the direction that it took.

Doctor Who is definitely the part that I was originally drawn to. I'm a huge Whovian and I can safely say that the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory were drawn beautifully. Also, their personalities were seriously on board. The Doctor always brings such a spark to scenarios that are otherwise missing, and this is no different. He interacts with characters with knowledge AND wonder at the same time, which is very characteristic of Eleven. Rory stays hesitant but ultimately follows Amy. And Amy, silly Pond that she is, bosses around the Doctor AND calls Rory her husband at every turn, which sends my heart a flutter. They were perfect.

As for the Star Trek characters, I really liked the fact that we started with TNG and then visited the original cast. I also really liked that the artwork was different for each time period. It added to the fact that not only are we in a different time period, but we're with characters that are nothing like the ones that come later. Also, the Fourth Doctor! Super cool.

The Cybermen were as ominous as ever. And siding with the Bergs made them even crazier. The story line was legit, and we're left with a cliffhanger that isn't quite maddening, but it definitely leaves you wanting more.

And that's where I'm at.

[Miles Reid-lobatto · Rating 1 out of 5]

A terrible, bland and wasted opportunity.

This comic personified everything bad about the Next Generation (endless debating, lack of adventure, the rather slow, safe atmosphere of the show itself) and . The Next Generation is the worst of the shows to crossover with Doctor Who, the comic even shows us this with the all-too brief flashback to the 4th Doctor and the Original Enterprise crew meeting and fighting 1970s-era Cybermen. Any comic where I can say 'Kirk fights a Cyberman with Kirk doing all the Kirk fighting moves like two-handed punches and flying kicks' should be brilliant. But unfortunately, what we get is a slow and predictable story, lacking in drama, adventure and wit. More time is spent with the Doctor and the Enterprise crew sitting down all very nice and calmly talking about why they should believe the Doctor is what he claims to be instead of dealing with the plot itself.

Doctor Who is an adventure show, it's about mysteries and monsters and wonders and alien planets and adventure. The Original Trek was very much in the same vain while The Next Generation is much more trying to be deep and intelligent drama and forgetting that Roddenberry himself pitched Star Trek as a Western in Space. Picard and Company don't fit in with the mad, insane world of the Doctor and the Doctor, Amy and Rory don't fit in the safe and sterile world of the 24th Century Federation. The Borg and the Cybermen are thrown together in an alliance because... their methodology and ideology is kinda similar? IDW probably don't have the rights to use the Daleks and the Daleks in the Trek Universe probably would have presented much more of a threat than the Cybermen/Borg alliance did here. Or even have given us a new enemy with which to tax our heroes with...

The first crossover of these two great series should have been an event, an adventure across space and time and beyond the final frontier, instead, what we get is a slow and almost unreadable mess.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only seen 4 doctor Who episodes, but this was a very fun cross over between them and Star Trek. The Enterprise Crew always manages to look so put together compared to other sci-fi shows.

[Ashly Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis

This is a crossover between Doctor Who, specifically Eleven with Amy and Rory, and Star Trek: The Next Generation's crew members. Something has caused the TARDIS to land inside the USS-Enterprise, something that shouldn’t be possible, even for the time-traveling Doctor. Things get even crazier when Eleven realizes that the Cybermen have paired up with known Star Trek villain The Borg to eminate the ultimate creation. And, of course, their wishes are to make everyone in the galaxy just like them. Will Eleven and Picard be able to come together to stop this new danger? Or will their strategies and wishes clash causing even more trouble?

Collects Issues #1-4

Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2, Volume 1 by Scott Tipton and David Tipton

★★★★½
Genre: Sci-Fi/Television-Based/Comic Book
Release Date: October 2012
Source: ComiXology – Borrowed
On My Shelf: I Wish

I don’t know how else to sum this up besides this was incredibly fun to read.

If you don’t already know, I’m a huge fan of both of these shows, so accidentally coming across this collection made me squeal just a bit. Eleven isn’t my favorite Doctor, but I still like him plenty, and Picard may be my favorite to second-favorite Star Trek captain. So, seeing this mashup made my heart happy.

I loved the plot. It was engaging, fun, and super enjoyable to read. I thought that it made sense how these two disparate things ended up together. Although I did find it all a bit confusing and hard to follow at first, hence the docking of the half-star, I thought that this was a solid plot that had merit to keep it believable. The Cyberman-Borg plot was also incredibly believable and well-written. I thought the pairing up of these two, ultimately kind of similar enemies, made a ton of sense. I can honestly say I enjoyed watching everything pan out.

I did think that there was a bit too much action and not enough explaining in some parts, but it didn’t excessively take away from the progression of the story. There were a few things that happened and weren’t explained until after or didn’t make sense until the end of a scene culmination, but not enough that it distracted too much from my enjoyment of the story.

The writing was just really well-done and the scenarios and scenes well-created. There were a few spelling errors that shouldn’t have been overlooked and a few places where sentences were framed strangely that could have easily been fixed, but, once again, it wasn’t enough to detract from my reading experience.

I thought all the characters matched their on-screen counterparts exceptionally well. Eleven was Eleven and Amy and Rory were Amy and Rory and Jean-Luc Picard was Jean-Luc Picard and so on and so forth. Everything about the character development and depth was damn-near perfect, in my opinion. I enjoyed reading the dialogue and the inner thoughts and the action. It all worked great.

The art also worked to enhance the story experience. The art was literally beyond beautiful. I loved the blurred yet defined lines and the colors and the details and just everything about it. I even had screen shot an issue-cover and used it as my phone background for a while. I seriously can’t put into words how much I loved this artwork. And the way it complemented the story was, just, ughhhhhh. Just trust me on this one, it’s gorgeous, and I recommend you read this even if only to admire the panels.

Overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone who sounds intrigued, especially to Doctor Who and Star Trek: TNG fans. You will enjoy this. I also think you could read this even if you’re not a fan of the shows or are only a fan of one or the other. There’s enough explanation that you wouldn’t be lost or lose enjoyment…at least, I don’t think so. Heck, it might even make you want to watch the shows.

Basically, if you’re intrigued, check this out. I still need to get my hands on Volume 2!

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

ST:NG & Doctor Who Meetup to fight the Borg & Cybermen?! It's fun to see these fan favorites interact! I can't wait to read volume 2!

[Suzie Bichovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Doctor Who or StarTrekTNG fan (or *gasp* both) this is for you.

Let me start by confessing- I am a ST:TNG Trekkie. I rooted for The Counselor and Worf. Riker's head tilts with so much swagger, I don't think there is room for loving thoughts of another.

I am a Doctor Who fan of the current series. My first adult viewing of Doctor Who was Matt Smith's first appearance. The original Doctor Who scared the stuffing out of me when I would catch it past my bedtime.

It pleased me to no end that my characters sounded like themselves on each page. I equally cheered for the Doctor and Picard to be the one to solve the problem of the day. I was always confused by the Cybermen storylines due to the timing of my fandom. This plot helped me out and, coincidentally, I was also watching DW Nightmare in Silver. Great timing.

The Borg have always stuck with me and I felt that they and the Cybermen stole the graphic novel in the background.

Without spoilering it for anyone, I liked how the artwork shifted to highlight some old friends.

I would have liked to have seen more dialogue between Picard and (Come on, What's His Name!) regarding the burden of responsibility and/or loss.

If you are only a DW or ST:TNG fan, I think you can appreciate this adventure. Don't worry, your heroes or favorite Big Bad won't be upstaged by the interlopers.

Now, if they would only make crossover event movies...

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 words--Star Trek The Next Generation and Doctor Who! What more can any sci-fi fan ask for? I love the fact that the writers managed to mash up two great sci-fi shows into a credible storyline where The Next Generation crew have to team up the Doctor and the Ponds to defeat the combined forces of the Borg and the Cybermen. Keeping in mind that this issue is only the first volume, it does a pretty good job of introducing all the main characters, setting up the plot and then throwing in a surprise twist that makes you wonder whether or not something else will happen. I particularly enjoyed the scene between the Doctor and Guinan who surprises everyone when she says they have met previously. I am SO curious to know how that happened! I hope that book 2 will be a little more character-focused and not so heavy on the plot just to build the story up and to develop more suspense and anticipation for what I presume will be a number of subsequent volumes.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, after all of these years I remain a sucker for crossovers. And, most of them don't make a lick of sense when it comes to getting participants form competing franchises together.

But, if there is a perfect character for crossovers it is the Doctor. His TARDIS is a time, space and dimensional traveling sort of girl. In my mind he has always been able to go anywhere. which is what he does here going from ancient Egypt to the 24th Century in another universe, and then the 23rd century before returning to Picard's Enterprise.

The menace also makes sense for me. While similar, there differences between the Cybermen and the Borg.

The first two issues really are set-up, and we get a tease when the Fourth Doctor meets Kirk (by tease I mean it is a brief part of the story , but the humor potential seemed so large).

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe this could be 3.5 stars.

Dilithium is not a mineral it is a crystal. Though according to the wiki page it might also be a mineral. lol

Anyway, this is a cross over between two fictional universes and not much good could come of that. The story is OK, but nothing spectacular. The story is overly convoluted more so than a typical Trek or Doctor Who episode. The art looks weird. They seem to be trying to hard to have every Star Trek character have a moment with the Doctor and that is getting annoying.

Well off to see if Part two is an improvement or not.

[Scotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew the mash-up would be this fun. Really enjoyed.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation Vol. 1

A breach of the time/space continuum leads the Doctor to the 'U.S.S. Enterprise', where he must join forces with Captain Picard to prevent a deadly alliance between the Cybermen and the Borg from taking over the galaxy.

Quite a clever little story, which was almost inevitable following the relaunch of 'Doctor Who', with some excellently rendered character models and a nice switch of design for flashback sequences. God help anyone who isn't up to speed with both franchises or the story will get very confusing.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, as a big fan of both franchises. Cybermen and Borg teaming up but also at war? Guiñan recognizing the Doctor? Hell yes.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but seems brief

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well it is certainly something different that is for certain. I think the best part for me more so than fufilling a fantasy of Picard meeting Matt Smiths Doctor was the art style. I really enjoyed it. It was realistic and accurate to both of the respective shows but had a clear artists touch to each page.

[David Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Who, along with Amy and Rory, cross to another dimension and end up on the Enterprise. Picard and his crew aren't sure what to make of their visitors. But they all join forces when the Borg and Cybermen team up.

From reading some other reviews, I want to point out that this is a graphic novel. It is a collection of several issues of a limited comic book series. Also, it is part one. There is another collection that you will need to read to get the whole story. This should be obvious, but there always a few that seem miss these things and then complain about them.

I think the crossover goes fairly well. It showcases both franchises. It is not a seamless meshing, but neither side is given the short end of the stick either.

I liked some of the small midshipmen in the book. One example is the sign for Tom's Bakery. I especially liked the cameo flashback of the original Star Trek crew and the fourth Doctor.

The artwork is critical in a comic like this. The artists have the additional challenge that the characters are mainly based on real people. (There are some minor characters that are original to the story and not based on a real person.) I was impressed with the artwork most of the time. It really caught the likenesses of the different people.But not always. At least once, Rory looked more like Dustin Hoffman than himself. Other times people looked liked themselves but only if you were looking at a blurry photo. I am guessing that the artists got several stock photos of the actors and used them if they were in the right pose. That would explain why one person looked really good in a panel and the others looked blurry..It also explains why a lot of the close likenesses were of the actor smiling even if a smile wasn't necessarily the right expression for that scene.

I think this would appeal to fans of either franchise. Of course, fans of both franchises will appreciate it the most.

[Sean Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only way you can really take this is to see it as some bizarre fanfiction comes to life professionally. There isn't really any explanation as to why the world of Star Trek can collide with that of Doctor Who, especially as I think there may have even been references to Star Trek in the show (I could be wrong, though). There is some quick handwaving away of 'different dimensions', but it still doesn't really make sense. Can the TARDIS now travel between fictional universes? If so, come get me Doctor and take me to Rivendell.

There are quite a few problems here. Although I like the 'photorealistic' artwork it becomes weird when we are treated to a flashback that is drawn in cartoonish, straight 1960s-style comic work. I know that that is probably what they're trying to achieve here - a homage to the classic era of comics - but it doesn't work when your flashback is crisper and brighter than the scenes set in the present time. Surely it should be the other way around?

And I can't exactly put my finger on it, but the typography really bugs me.

All that being said, there are some nice scenes here - particularly between Guinan and The Doctor, Rory and Crusher, and Rory, Amy and Troi. There's also the thrill of seeing the TARDIS take on The Borg.

That's worth the price of the book, at least.

[James Bowman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The basic concept is cool: the Doctor's TARDIS lands on the Enterprise-D, just as the Cybermen and the Borg join forces to attack the Federation. It's a perfect villainous team-up. There are several good moments (mostly from the Doctor Who side) and a neat flashback halfway through the collection (which could have been longer and better characterized, but oh well).

Unfortunately, there are also some moments that don't quite ring true. In particular, there's a scene where members of the Enterprise crew exchange mocking comments about the appearance of an alien species they're about to meet for the first time. (It felt very un-Star Trek.) Also, I don't normally complain about art, but the pseudo-photorealistic style didn't work for me. It didn't help that many panels were clearly traced from screenshots and promotional images from both series.

Maybe my expectations were too high, but overall, this crossover has been kind of a letdown so far. Maybe it'll improve in the second volume, but I think they could have done way better with such a long-overdue event...

[Martyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a religious man but now I will be praying nightly to the crocodile headed god Sobek that this gets turned into a movie. I usually like my sci-fi to be fairly pure but this crossover title turned me into an instant fan-boy. I'm a huge fan of both properties and I think that they held up well when mixed together, especially considering the vastly different internal psyches of DW and ST:TNG (the chaos of the former vs the order of the latter). There are some problems with it, notably the need for alternate universes to house characters that are both connected to a recognizable planet earth in the same historical timeline, but the issues are mere quibbles when compared to the awesome idea of Star Trek and Doctor Who sharing the same page! Yes, that IS the TARDIS on the holodeck! OM, and very much, G.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. I loved the way the eleventh Doctor, upon meeting Worf, recognised him as a Klingon, despite never having met one before. Somehow, upon arriving in the Star Trek universe, the Doctor begins to have memories of his previous adventures there, including a team-up between two of the greatest ever hosts of Have I Got News for You, William Shatner and Tom Baker. Had to laugh at Picard’s reaction to meeting the Doctor: calling a meeting in the board room! The realistic painted artwork works very well, giving one a sense that this crossover is really happening. Funny to think that if Star Trek: Enterprise had survived another year or two we might actually have seen Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant having tea with Scott Bakula and his canine pal.

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay to be fair I did read this in conjunction with my six year old Dr Who obsessed, Cyberman fan. So we did have a different reading experience then most (Did you stop and admire the cybermen? Did you look for clues on each and every page? Did you discuss Borg vs Cybermen? Or how boring Star Trek is? (This was his opinion not mine)).

So is this any good? Yes. Loved it. There was a lovely flashback to Kirk and his merry crew, plus the 4th Doctor. The only thing I would have loved to have witnessed is more on the Ponds - Amy and Rory, they are gorgeous characters...and should have some more time in the comic.

We're looking forward to reading the second instalment, and hope that it will continue to boldly go where no one has been before....

[Indika de Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

The graphic novel offers the cross-over event of the year. Meeting between The 11th Doctor (of Doctor Who fame) and the crew of the Enterprise (of the series Star Trek the Next Generation.

The book however proves to be slightly disappointing at times. All the major characters of both franchises have so much personality and humor in them. None of these were properly explored in volume one. It is quite possible that the writers were playing it safe here. But stating the obvious for a very long time is not the best of things to do when using already established characters.

Lets hope Volume 2 will be much more interesting.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun! I was initially skeptical, figuring it would be merely okay. But it's quite good, well-written for what is, essentially, fanfic. There's also a flashback to classic Trek with a Tom Baker Dr. Who joining them. This is the first of what I assume are two volumes. I've already put in a request for volume 2 at my local library. The Cybermen have seemingly teamed up with the Borg and the Doctor, Amy and Rory must help the crew of the Enterprise to defeat them. Fans of either or both shows should enjoy this. Let's hope the second part is as good as the first.

[Sophia Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the concept of a mash up with two of my favorite shows of all time and in comic form no less! To see mon capitaine & the doctor in the same universe is just too much perfection to rate this anything under a 5. That being said the story sets itself up quite nicely and I am excited to see where they take it in the second trade.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun! I've avoided the comic versions of my favorite sci-fi franchises for years, worried that they couldn't live up to the original. This miniseries changed my mind. Good writing, fun plot, great character treatment. Definitely did justice to both storylines and definitely felt "plausible" within the rules of each universe. This gets much love from me.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually own the whole series in loose comics but do find it too bothersome to really rate them individually.

Visually these comics are a sight for sore eyes the story does come over far less convincing. For me there was a large gap in quality between story and the visuals of this comic.

Did enjoy it too.

for fans of both shows a curiosity well worth the money.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An very well done and imagined team up from the two greatest science fiction shows of all time. A couple plot points were lazily slung together, but the amazing artwork more than makes up for it.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dumbest/greatest Star Trek crossover since the last one with the X-Men.

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a comic book I can really be interested in! It's got Doctor Who, Amy & Rory, and Cybermen, and also Star Trek, Captain Picard, and the Borg! What more can anyone ask for?