JJ Abrams recently had the opportunity to do a little time-traveling, as the director of Star Trek Into Darkness popped up on the set of Downton Abbey.

The name JJ Abrams usually calls to mind a swirl of futuristic imagery, violent aliens, and sweaty, bearded islanders. But it turns out that Abrams’ interests are more diverse than his sci-fi-stocked résumé indicates.

While in London promoting his most recent film, the highly anticipated Star Trek Into Darkness, the director recently took a cue from more than one of his previous brainchilds and hopped backwards in time – in a manner of speaking. Abrams showed up on the set of the hit British drama Downton Abbey, where… well, where this happened:

In a hilarious twist of fandoms, it turns out that Abrams is a Downton Abbey fan “almost to an embarrassing degree,” as he told Empire Magazine earlier this year. “I find myself pathetically addicted to that series,” he admitted. “I just want to visit the set maybe. It would be my dream in life.”

And it certainly seems like dreams come true, at least when you’re the director responsible for reviving the Star Trek franchise, and have been signed on to do the same for the listing universe of Star Wars. Still, Abrams’ presence looks like more of a nightmare for Mrs. Hughes – a man from the future in her kitchen, and she’s forgotten to remove her shower cap! A strong cup of tea might be called for.