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Is there anything in the Star Wars universe that either directly copies, references or pays tribute to the Star Trek universe or vice-versa?

I'm looking for obvious examples not a comparison of the two different universes e.g. Ewoks showing up in Star Trek or something similar.

Has George Lucas ever stated explicitly that he based something on another thing he saw in Star Trek?

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    Are we counting the R2-D2 cameo in the most recent Star Trek film?
    – phantom42
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 1:12
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    @phantom42: The most recent "Star Trek film" is not Star Trek. </subjective-slur>
    – bitmask
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 1:23
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    This was easily found in the Wookipedia, and by the asker of the question at that! (And soon after it was posted.) Surely something so easily found counts as general reference.
    – Tango
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 1:44
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    @TangoOversway We generally don't consider sites like Wookiepedia general reference, because not everyone knows them, and they are not always clear and reliable. Please read What sites should be considered general references? What are standard internet reference sites for SF?
    – user56
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 8:26
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    @TangoOversway That answer is incomplete, it's only showing SW in ST. What about the other half?
    – user56
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 19:06

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I just came across this on the Star Wars wikia:

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

  • On his way to space station Deep Space 9 in 2369, the Bajoran criminal Ibudan chartered a space flight out of Alderaan Spaceport.
  • The Breen race wear costumes that resemble the Ubese armor worn by Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. And in fact, in the series finale, "What You Leave Behind", Commander Kira emulates Leia by using the Breen armor as a disguise. Breen costume compared to the Ubese Armor

Star Trek: Enterprise

  • The Xindi superweapon is a large, spherical station/ship with a beam weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. Its appearance and function strongly resemble the Death Star.
  • The episode Kir'Shara features a holographic device that contains ancient Vulcan teachings called the Kir'Shara that is shaped like a Sith Holocron.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

  • The name Vader can be seen on a gravestone in the episode "Sub Rosa" (see here).
  • In "Encounter at Farpoint", the drug dispenser worn by Q is labeled "Army R2D CPO" a reference to R2D2 and C-3PO (see here).
  • In "Up the Long Ladder", a computer display shows a list of old colony ships and their purposes. One of these ships shows its purpose as "Diplomatic Mission to Alderaan".

Star Trek: Voyager

  • The names of some Star Wars species are also used for species on the show, such as Quarren and Bothans — Quarren is used for a character as well.
  • One episode features a character named Kashyk, the name of the Wookiee home world.
  • Several episodes feature a spherical Borg vessel. Having been created by ILM for Star Trek: First Contact at the same time that they were working on the Special Edition re-releases, its resemblance to the Death Star is probably somewhat intentional — a schematic of the ship in one episode is a near-perfect replica of the Death Star plans seen in the briefing before the Battle of Yavin.
  • One episode mentions a species called the Nar Shaddan, an obvious reference to Nar Shaddaa, a moon in Star Wars.

Also, here’s a screen grab of R2D2 from the recent Star Trek movie:

Wait, is that an R2?

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    Regarding the Xindi superweapon, while it may be, in fact, a tribute or knockoff of the Death Star, I've often thought that the larger a spacecraft gets, the more necessary it is that it be spherical. The Death Star is shaped like a moon not because it's a particularly intimidating design, rather because it's necessary due to its mass. The same might be true for the Xindi weapon. Perhaps it was spherical for engineering reasons. Just a thought.
    – Chad Levy
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 6:45
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Yes. The Millennium Falcon is shown in the battle against the Borg in the beginning of the Star Trek: First Contact motion picture:

Falcon below the Nacelle

The Falcon can be seen right under the blue glowing bit (which I think resembles a nacelle).

The story behind this easter egg (and other crossovers) is documented on Ex Astris Scientia:

In "Star Trek: First Contact" one of the Federation vessels fighting against the Borg cube is actually a Millenium[sic.] Falcon, as was confirmed by ILM VFX artist John Knoll.

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    I'd love to learn why this does not answer the question, according to the downvoter.
    – bitmask
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 12:31
  • I didn't downvote, but it took me a while to find it in the picture (because of motion blur).
    – benzado
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 20:47
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    +1 if you add a hand-drawn circle, it's hard to tell what it's supposed to be.
    – Tacroy
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 21:21
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    C'mon this could be anything. This looks like the photographic proof of the rediscovery of the allegdly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker ;) But hey, there's a hand-drawn circle, so +1 it is.
    – Ghanima
    Commented Jan 3, 2015 at 21:07
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    @SylvainL The shape is exactly the Falcon's. And why wouldn't it be flying in reverse (or sideways, or whatever)? It's an easter egg, not the actual Falcon from Star Wars with Han Solo flying it.
    – Andres F.
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 4:43
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Check out the Droids:

enter image description here

And then check the original Star Trek uniforms before any SW.

enter image description here

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    Can you expand on these links please? It is preferred that you "bring the content here": meta.scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/601/…
    – Möoz
    Commented Nov 23, 2014 at 22:19
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    Except, in the Star Wars version not only-the redshirts die.
    – bitmask
    Commented Jan 3, 2015 at 20:52
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    So, droids having some red or yellow on them is a reference to Star Trek uniforms being gold or red (or blue)? Seems like a pretty big stretch.
    – Mr. Bultitude
    Commented Dec 20, 2015 at 18:03
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In addition to all the other references, R2-D2 was also seen in Star Trek: Into Darkness:

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In "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones", Obi-wan Kenobi's line "Attack those Federation starships! Quickly!" certainly sounds like a Star Trek reference. The word "starship" is not often used in Star Wars (though Malcolm's comment tells us it was used in Episode I), and the phrase "Federation starships" strikes me as unlikely to be a conincidence.

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  • In the Epsiode I Anakin mentions starships, and so does C-3PO.
    – Malcolm
    Commented Mar 20, 2012 at 11:16
  • Well, though one could easily make the leap... the 'Federation' in SW referred to the Trade Federation.
    – Josh
    Commented Mar 21, 2012 at 19:07
  • @Josh: Yes, I know what it refers to, and if Star Trek didn't exist the line would still make perfect sense. I still think (without proof) that it was a deliberate Star Trek reference. Mention the phrase "Federation starship" to random people and most of them will think of Star Trek.
    – Keith Thompson
    Commented Mar 21, 2012 at 19:50
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    I wasn't trying to argue against your point (I'm not your markdown), just provide in-universe cause for the phrase since the answer didn't address that. However, for me, it doesn't strike me particularly unusual, or I never thought of it that way in the movies. I figured he didn't want to say, "Attack those Trade Federation cruisers and battleships." Though I suppose he could have just left it at 'ships' instead of 'starships.'
    – Josh
    Commented Mar 21, 2012 at 22:26
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Though I can't answer the question of whether "George Lucas ever stated explicitly that he based something on another thing he saw in Star Trek," I can answer your previous question statistically:

The null hypothesis that "the instances of cross-reference between Star Wars and Star Trek are coincidence or delusion" is rejected at significance level a = 0.01. One must conclude that the references were deliberate.

Why? I believe it is because the same people worked on both series of films. The missing link here is a little company George Lucas founded in 1975 called Industrial Light and Magic.

Go a head and search for the term "Star Trek" on IL&M's Wikipedia page.

You will realize that the Lucas-owned firm produced the visual effects for many of the Star Trek films, as well as Lucas' own. In fact, IL&M represented the cutting edge in visual effects at the time and has, to this day, gone on to produce the visual effects for many high-grossing films. Though they are now owned by Disney by virtue of Disney's acquisition of LucasFilms, IL&M produced the visual effects for the most recent ST movies, as well.

What may be interesting would be to see if references to ST/SW appear in other IL&M produced films.

Apologies if y'all already knew this, have assumed the connection, and I'm just waxing poetic. I just learned this a few weeks ago and mind = blown.

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enter image description here

Star Wars copies the Gorn in Empire strikes back

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In Deep Space Nine season 1 episode 2 Odo is looking at the entry log from the murder victim's computer. One of the entrys says "Depature from Alderaan spaceport"

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    Is that the same episode mentioned in the top answer on this page?
    – Molag Bal
    Commented Apr 25, 2017 at 19:28
  • This answer (along with several others) was posted more than 5 years ago.
    – Blackwood
    Commented Apr 25, 2017 at 19:35
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In the opening theme sequence of the series Star Trek: Deep Space 9, starting in season 4, there is a ship docked at DS9 that is triangular shaped very similarly to a Star Destroyer, it even has a raised bridge like a Star Destroyer, but with engine nacelles like other Star Trek ships. It is a Bajoran Freighter.enter image description here

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The Enterprise or an Enterprise-like ship is shown in Star Wars episode I

enter image description here

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    I dispute that that's "Enterprise-like". It looks more like a continuation of the superstructures further to the left.
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Commented Jan 3, 2015 at 21:16

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