I’m a huge Trekkie, and I have been for quite a long time. It seems I’m not alone in this fandom either. Several anime creators and mangaka have shared their love for the iconic sci-fi franchise over the years with references to it in their works. So, as this week marks Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, I thought I’d take a look at some of my favorite Star Trek references in anime.
7. Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie
About now, some of you are probably thinking “There was a Sonic the Hedgehog anime movie!?” Yes, yes there was. Included in the movie was this shot of Sonic’s island, with a wrecked ship that bares a striking resemblance to the Starship Enterprise.
6. Gunsmith Cats
The police action comedy Gunsmith Cats from the mid-1990s gave us this car with a very interestingly numbered license plate.
5. Daphne in the Brilliant Blue
This brief shot of the engine in the main character’s car from Daphne in the Brilliant Blue gives us not only a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Captain Picard, but also provides a reference to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well.
4. Dragon Ball Z
A clear Trek reference in the form of the Galileo shuttle, from the movie Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, with the registry “NCC-1701-A” can be found in “The Darkest Day” of the Dragon Ball Z series.
3. Macross
A monitor on SDF-1’s bridge featured this readout mentioning “Klingons,” “Enterprise,” and “Ph Torps” (aka photon torpedoes).
2. Tenchi Muyo
Remember that time Spock briefly appeared in episode four of Tenchi Muyo? You do now.
1. Dirty Pair
This anime about a pair of dysfunctional “problem solvers” is peppered with Trek references, from actor names to Enterprise models. This is largely due to the fact that the author of the novel the anime is based on, Haruka Takachiho, is a huge Trekkie.
Live long and prosper.
~Alex-senpai~
