Whovians and Trekkies have long fantasized about the day their beloved franchises would intersect. That time has finally arrived with the inclusion of a TARDIS cameo in the “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 3 episode “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail.” In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene, the iconic blue police box appears floating in the background behind the Enterprise, amid a vast expanse of space debris inside the belly of a massive scavenger ship. While most vessels within the scavenger ship seem to have been reduced to scraps, “Doctor Who” enthusiasts recognize the TARDIS as indestructible. Even the formidable hordes of Genghis Khan couldn’t penetrate its door.

The TARDIS Easter egg is a delightful treat for fans of both series, but it’s essentially just the icing on the cake in a “Strange New Worlds” episode imbued with “Doctor Who” elements. From the enigmatic, monstrous adversaries associated with the scavenger ship, renowned galaxy-wide due to a legendary tale, to the episode’s unexpected twist ending, there’s much for “Doctor Who” aficionados to appreciate in “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail.” Even Pelia’s (Carol Kane) thrift store-chic bedroom, a sprawling cabinet of wonders brimming with intriguing artifacts from various centuries, exudes a distinctly Whovian atmosphere. The only thing absent from this episode is the Doctor himself.

While the TARDIS’s appearance in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” doesn’t imply a forthcoming encounter between the Doctor and Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley) or even suggest that Gallifrey — the Time Lords’ homeworld — can be plotted on a Starfleet map, it’s not an unprecedented crossover. The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) was humorously called “Spock” by Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) in “The Empty Child,” and “Star Trek” often emerges as a well-known TV show within “Doctor Who.” Instances include an American woman mistaking a Silent for someone in a “Star Trek” mask in “The Impossible Astronaut,” and Howie’s fear room in “The God Complex,” where the girls tease him by asking, “What’s ‘loser’ in K-K-Klingon?”

These references are playful but have intertwined the series over the decades, suggesting a potential shared reality where Starfleet and the Doctor might coexist. The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) even jokes about knowing the true Starship Enterprise in “Space Babies” while conversing with his companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). Additionally, the Argolis Cluster, visited by the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) in “The Leisure Hive,” appears in both “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Thus, it’s conceivable that both real and fictional versions of these cherished shows exist within each other’s multiverse.