Nearly five decades and 1,500 episodes in the making, the ultimate sci-fi crossover of Doctor Who and Star Trek is finally happening, as IDW recently announced that they will be premiering Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 this May.

Centered around the unholy alliance of the Borg and the Cybermen, Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 will force the Doctor to team up with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise to prevent the destruction of all humanity.

The eight-issue series will be written by Star Trek: Infestation writers Scott and David Tipton, with New York Times Best-Selling graphic novelist and longtime Doctor Who comic scribe Tony Lee serving as consultant. J.K. Woodward (Fallen Angel) will provide fully-painted artwork for the series.

Here's what Soumya Sriraman of BBC Worldwide had to say about sci-fi's long-awaited partnership:

 We are excited about this new adventure for the Doctor and the fact that he will be travelling with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his iconic crew. This is a perfect partnership for not only Doctor Who’s incredible fans, but also for the brand. We have just celebrated our most successful year yet. Doctor Who’s latest season delivered record ratings for BBC AMERICA and it was most downloaded full TV seasons of 2011 in the U.S. on the iTunes Store.

Even though IDW has been publishing comics for both Star Trek and Doctor Who for many years, this is the first time that these two sci-fi goliaths will be sharing the same space. No doubt a triumph in licensing negations on behalf of IDW, fans of both series should be intrigued to see what comes out of this.

Using the likenesses of everyone involved in Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation, this sci-fi coupling is certainly something that could only happen in the comic book medium. And while the Cybermen aren't exactly the fan-favorite villains that they once were (thanks to Doctor Who rejuvenator Russell T. Davies), the partnership between the Cybermen and the Borgs will certainly create a wonderful platform for sci-fi's most beloved heroes to shine.

Now the only question is: Will the Borgs or the Cybermen be the first to beytray the other?

You can take a look at the cover of the first issue below: (click for larger version)

Star Trek TNG/Doctor Who: Assimilation2

-

Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilationpremieres May 2012 in a comic book shop near you.

Doctor Who season 7 will premiere Fall 2012

Star Trek 2 will be released May 17, 2013

Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyocasio

Source: IDW Publishing