Star Trek Includes a Star Wars Easter Egg That Unites 120 Years of Sci-Fi Lore

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Although Star Wars takes place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” a recent detail suggests it might actually be set in Earth’s distant future, alongside Star Trek. Both franchises, created by George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry respectively, are incredibly famous and offer enduring themes. While Star Wars blends science with fantasy—the Force being more magical than scientific—Star Trek often incorporates mystical elements as well.

It’s amazing to think about how long Star Trek and Star Wars have been around! This year marks Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary – it’s been six decades since the USS Enterprise first set out to explore the galaxy. And next year, Star Wars will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a new movie and a re-release of the original A New Hope. Interestingly, the show celebrating Star Trek‘s 60th anniversary just included a hidden nod to Star Wars!

Is That An X-Wing in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy?

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is a fantastic show, especially as a celebration of the franchise’s 60th anniversary. It introduces fresh ideas for the future of Star Trek while also delighting longtime fans with plenty of hidden references. The series takes place in the late 32nd century, after a devastating event called the Burn forced the Federation to rebuild. We follow a new group of cadets at the reopened Starfleet Academy on Earth. In episode 7, the cadets get a break after a difficult time, coinciding with a spectacular meteor shower that draws ships from across the galaxy to Earth.

A particularly noteworthy moment occurs at the 49:04 mark, featuring starships flying over San Francisco. Listeners will notice a unique flight sound, and sharp-eyed viewers might recognize a ship briefly appearing from right to left as an X-Wing. While it’s unconfirmed if it is an X-Wing, the visual and auditory cues strongly suggest a deliberate reference to the iconic starship. ComicBook has contacted Paramount for confirmation.

This Isn’t the First Time Star Trek Has Referenced Star Wars

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As a lifelong fan of both franchises, it always amuses me when Star Trek subtly nods to Star Wars. It’s happened before, actually! I remember being blown away by the opening battle in Star Trek: First Contact, and it turns out a bit of Star Wars snuck in there too. John Knoll, who worked on the effects for that scene (and later became a huge part of the new Star Wars films!), hid the Millennium Falcon amongst the ships fighting alongside the Enterprise. Apparently, that battle was a learning experience for him! He’s said that what he figured out while working on First Contact directly influenced how amazing the Battle of Scarif looks in Rogue One. It’s a fun little connection for a cinephile like me!

But that wasn’t the only nod to Star Wars in First Contact. The movie features the crew of the Enterprise going back in time to protect the first meeting between humans and Vulcans from being disrupted by the Borg. This meeting happens because of warp experiments conducted by Zefram Cochrane, which a Vulcan ship observes, proving humanity is ready for contact. That Vulcan ship is named the T’Plana Hath, and the second part of its name, “Hath,” is a playful reference to the ice planet “Hoth” from The Empire Strikes Back.

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films include even more hidden references to Star Wars. The droid R2-D2 actually appears in two scenes – once in the 2009 Star Trek movie and again in 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness. Interestingly, Abrams later moved to Lucasfilm to begin a new Star Wars trilogy with 2015’s The Force Awakens, and he finished it with 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. This shows that these two huge film series are more connected than many people know.

These are just the most famous examples. Star Trek: Voyager included a character named Kashyk, a nod to the Wookiee homeworld with a slight name change, and Star Trek: The Next Generation had an obvious reference to R2-D2. Perhaps the best TNG Easter egg was in the episode “Up the Long Ladder,” which mentioned a diplomatic trip to Alderaan. So, Starfleet Academy is simply keeping up a long-standing tradition of playful references.

What are your thoughts on Starfleet Academy? Share your opinions in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-19 17:10