Sci-fi fans erupted into a frenzy when a recent Uber Eats commercial featuring Mark Hamill and Sir Patrick Stewart created the closest thing yet to a Star Wars/Star Trek crossover. The sight of these two genre icons standing in the same frame only heightened a discussion fans of the two franchises have been having for years: just what would happen during such an epic event?
While the two franchises differ in many respects, they have locations, characters, and climactic moments that — much like the Force — bind them together. One of the biggest elements they share is large galaxy-shattering battles, so were a crossover to happen, fans could look forward to exciting clashes between the Galactic Empire and the Klingon Empire, Worf versus Darth Maul, and many more.
Cardassians Vs Wookiees
Once described by Edward Jellico as "timber wolves" and "predators" who are often "bold in large numbers but cautious by themselves," Cardassians are regarded as one of the deadliest races of aliens in the Alpha Quadrant, and like the Galactic Empire, are xenophobic and ethnocentric.
Foes to the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, Cardassians would no doubt have proceeded to imitate the Empire's initiative and tried to enslave the Wookiees of Kashyyyk, occupying the planet as they did Bajor. They would have seen the mighty warriors as backward, simple, and uncultured, seeking to use them only for labor and resources for their war effort.
The Klingon Empire Vs The Galactic Empire
The Klingon Empire and the Galactic Empire share a similar objective across their franchises — conquest — but that is where their similarities end. The Empire is an incredibly xenophobic military autocracy which would attempt to eradicate any opposition without hesitation if it posed a threat to the Emperor's power and authority.
Klingons would have more in common with Mandalorians, who would each rather die with honor than be indentured by the Empire. The Klingon's use of cloaking technology, maneuverable warships, and jingoism would give them an advantage over the Empire, though its use of superweapons might prove difficult for the Klingon Imperial fleet to surmount.
USS Discovery At The Battle of Yavin
Under the command of Captain Lorca, the USS Discovery was given leniency to do whatever was necessary to win the war against the Klingons, and that sort of battle-hardened tenacity was exactly what could have made the difference during the Battle of Yavin.
While small-range fighters like those in Rogue Squadron were necessary to ultimately destroy the Empire's superweapon, maneuverable ships with more firepower and versatility could have helped save the lives of brave pilots like Biggs Darklighter, who didn't survive because the Millennium Falcon returned too late to draw fire away from Luke and his X-Wing.
The Imperial Fleet Vs The Borg Collective
As the once dominant force in the Star Wars galaxy, the Imperial Fleet would find itself at a disadvantage should any of the Borg Collective be able to beam aboard its Star Destroyers and assimilate its crews. In Star Trek: Voyager, Captain Janeway and her crew learned that hundreds of Borg Cubes could be sent on a mission of assimilation, threatening the Emperor's ironclad grip on the galaxy.
Transporter technology would be difficult for the Imperial Fleet to get around, but the presence of a superweapon like the Death Star would make that a moot point if it ever came across a Borg Cube floating in space.
The Federation Vs The First Order
The United Federation of Planets is a (mostly) peaceful collective of planetary systems with the goal of living in prosperity and harmony with one another under the banner of diplomatic democracy. The First Order, like the Galactic Empire before it, is an autocratic dictatorship founded on military might, not peaceful space exploration.
The First Order would no doubt attempt to crush the Federation as it crushed the New Republic, using the superweapon Starkiller Base to destroy hundreds of Federation capital ships without them having a clue. Given the Federation would never be capable of ordering the extermination of its oppositions' manufacturing systems and civilians in order to win, the First Order would dominate by either attrition or extermination.
Q Vs The Emperor
Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious was one of the most powerful Force users in the galaxy, having acquired thousands of years of dark side knowledge over his lifetime. If Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker remains any indication, he also gained the knowledge learned in the lifetimes of every Sith Lord who ever studied the Force.
The Emperor would undoubtedly want to know the secrets of the Continuum's power and their immortality, but Q, a being who only assumes human form to interact with them, would never impart such secrets to a mortal. Their exchanges would be ponderous for the Emperor and entertaining for Q, who would no doubt enjoy watching his opponent give into his anger.
Worf Vs Darth Maul
One of the most accomplished combatants in Starfleet, and a decorated warrior among the Klingon Empire, Worf has proven time and again that there are few who can match him in battle, save perhaps Darth Maul, an adversary who would prove a worthy opponent.
With the Force on his side, Maul would have the stamina to duel Worf for some time, and his double-bladed lightsaber would easily slice through Worf's Klingon weapons. Worf would have to resort to more resourceful methods of defending himself, possibly involving a personal transporter.
Captain Kirk And Co In The Arena On Geonosis
Considering Star Trek's recent foray into "cloning" with Star Trek: Picard, there's nothing to say that Captain Kirk and co. couldn't slip through a temporal anomaly or interdimensional rift and find themselves in the midst of the Clone Wars, particularly the Battle of Geonosis.
Kirk, Spock, and the rest have plenty of experience battling adversaries in gladiatorial sport, ensuring that they would have been the perfect crew to provide a rescue of Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan Kenobi when they were forced to fight for their lives by Count Dooku.
The Enterprise And Starfleet At The Battle Of Exegol
Lando saves the day when he brings in seemingly every ship in the galaxy to support the Resistance fight against Emperor Palpatine's Final Order, comprised of a secret fleet of Star Destroyers each as powerful as the dreaded Starkiller Base. What if the Enterprise and Starfleet had answered the call instead?
Imagine Captain Riker and the USS Zheng appearing as he did to take on the Romulan Empire in the season finale of Picard? Imagine Picard in his heyday, with the USS Enterprise and the might of Starfleet behind him, ready to outmaneuver the Star Destroyers with other Sovereign-class ships?
The Millennium Falcon In The Dominion War
During the Dominion War, when daring commanding officers like Benjamin Sisko were willing to do whatever it took to prevent the Dominion from ravaging Federation Space, the Millennium Falcon could have been just the ally ship to turn the tide.
Freighters and cargo ships were always going in and out of Deep Space Nine, and while some of them carried spies for the Obsidian Order, others could just as easily held Resistance fighters willing to lend their expertise to the Federation.