Real recognize real... which may be ironic to say when referring to two show creators complimenting each others' fictional works. Nevertheless, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies took some time off from his work on the upcoming Season 14 of the legendary sci-fi show to compliment Terry Matalas on Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Of course, Matalas also had some great things to say in return, and I can't express enough how much I enjoy these fandoms colliding.
Russell T. Davies may be busy plotting the future of Doctor Who and prepping for the premiere of the 60th-anniversary specials, but that hasn't robbed him of some well-deserved television time. It seems like he's used a Paramount+ subscription to watch Star Trek: Picard Season 3, and he gave his overall thoughts on the finale and the season overall on his Instagram account:
Star Trek fans have been so high on Picard Season 3 to the point they've been campaigning for a spinoff. That has to be super reaffirming for Terry Matalas to hear as a showrunner, but hearing positive sentiment from someone like Russell T. Davies is obviously going to hit a little differently. Matalas expressed his feelings on the kudos to the returning Doctor Who showrunner in the comments of the post:
Well this is the coolest thing ever.
I imagine I'd feel the same way if I had someone as prestigious as Russell T. Davies compliment me on my craft. Terry Matalas wasn't done with his praise, however, and continued to shout out the creative on Twitter while name-checking one of his favorite Torchwood episodes:
To receive any modicum of praise from the man who wrote Children of Earth is beyond an honor.
It's rare to see a ton of Torchwood praise these days between the fashionable looks at Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and the controversy surrounding John Barrowman that seemingly caused the franchise to distance itself from Captain Jack. Terry Matalas is singing praises of the series all the same, and more importantly, showing that he's just as much a fan of Russell T. Davies as the Doctor Who creative is of him.
So, when can we expect a collaboration between Star Trek and Doctor Who? Given they aren't housed within the same companies, we'll probably never get a live-action crossover. IDW Publishing did do a comic book adaptation that paired the two franchises, however, and that's available to purchase for anyone looking to scratch that itch.
What I would imagine is more likely is that we could see Terry Matalas get an offer to direct a future episode of Doctor Who. It's also possible that Star Trek could enlist Russell T. Davies to write an episode, but unless Matalas is involved, it wouldn't be a true collaboration between the two.
For an extra bit of weirdness, Russell T. Davies noted in Doctor Who Magazine (via Bleeding Cool) that Star Trek: Picard Season 3 actually contains a line that is the episode title of an upcoming Doctor Who episode. Davies didn't say which line, but I'm definitely that much more interested in what's coming for the franchise in the future.
Boasting an incredible cast, Doctor Who's 60th-anniversary special is set to premiere on Disney+ in November. After that, the series is pushing ahead to Season 14, and fingers crossed, a future where a TARDIS and the Enterprise could meet in live-action.
