As excitement builds for the upcoming fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, co-showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers have been reflecting on opportunities that almost came together during the show’s run. Recently, fans learned the creative team had been trying to bring William Shatner into the series. Now, Goldsman has revealed another fascinating near miss that might sting even more for sci-fi fans.During an interview with AwardsRadar, Goldsman confirmed that discussions about a Doctor Who crossover were much more than wishful thinking. In fact, he spent years exploring the possibility alongside former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies.Goldsman explained: “We were trying with Russell to do a crossover. We were for years. Again, these are the near misses, but we got not unclose, and we had some really cool conversations about it. And so, certainly in our view, I mean, Pelia traveled in the TARDIS. Why not?”The modern eras of Star Trek and Doctor Who have both embraced bigger storytelling swings and deep cuts for fans, making the timing feel perfect for a crossover event.Unfortunately, the window for that idea appears to have closed, at least for now. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has already finished filming its final season, while Doctor Who currently sits in an uncertain position with no clear return date announced. While anything is possible in the future, especially in franchises built around time travel and alternate realities, the chances of seeing The Doctor step aboard the Enterprise seem slim.What makes the missed opportunity even more frustrating is that both series have already been teasing each other for years.Fans of Strange New Worlds will remember Pelia casually mentioning that she had traveled in the TARDIS. The series even slipped the iconic blue police box into the background of a Season 3 episode. Meanwhile, Doctor Who returned the favor when The Doctor suggested to companion Ruby Sunday that Starfleet was a real organization after she compared his technology to something out of Star Trek.The franchises have technically crossed paths before, just not in live-action. IDW Publishing previously brought together The Doctor and Jean-Luc Picard in a comic book crossover that proved the two universes fit together surprisingly well.Still, there’s something kind of exciting about imagining a full television event. Whether it was Captain Pike meeting The Doctor, Spock trying to make logical sense of Time Lord regeneration, or Pelia casually revealing she already knew everything about Gallifrey, there was a lot of potential for something truly special.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 premieres on Paramount+ on July 23.