Trekkies need no reminding, but there is a controversial line of dialogue in Nicholas Meyer's 1991 film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" that sometimes gets mentioned in nitpicky conversations about the franchise. While investigating a crime, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) notes that "An ancestor of mine maintained that if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains — however improbable -– must be the truth." The quote, as many know, is traditionally attributed to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional
detective Sherlock Holmes, and Spock's use of it left some Trekkies tantalized at the thought of a literary crossover. Is Spock declaring that he is related to Sherlock Holmes? Is Sherlock Holmes a real person in the "Star Trek" universe?
As /Film has explained before, however, that couldn't be true. On "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Sherlock Holmes is repeatedly spoken of as a fictional construct, and the crew of the Enterprise-D regularly re-enact Holmes mysteries on the holodeck. Indeed, a holographic representation of Holmes' nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Daniel Davis), becomes a self-aware villain on "Next Generation," and there is a lot of dialogue devoted to the fact that he was previously fictional, created by a deceased English writer. So, no, Spock was not implying that he is related to Sherlock Holmes, however fun a notion that might be.
Trekkies, however, further theorized that Spock was referring to Arthur Conan Doyle himself as an ancestor. Spock is, after all, half-human, and it's distantly conceivable that his human mother, Amanda Grayson, was descended from Doyle's nephews (Doyle had no grandchildren of his own). It's unlikely, but it's possible that one of Doyle's present-day descendants could be become the great-grandparent of Spock's mother. This was, however, just a fan theory.
That is, until the latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," in which Spock (Ethan Peck) said, clear as day, that Arthur Conan Doyle was his ancestor.
Read more: 5 Star Trek Characters Who Disappeared Without Any Reason
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, It Seems, Is Definitely Spock's Ancestor
The latest episode of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," titled "A Space Adventure Hour," involves La'an (Christina Chong) testing a brand-new technology called a holodeck. Holodecks had been seen on "Star Trek" before, but wouldn't become common on starships until the days of "Next Generation" (which is, to remind readers, set a century after "Strange New Worlds"). La'an dresses as Emilia Moon, her favorite literary detective, aiming to solve a holographic murder mystery extrapolated from the Emilia Moon novels. Spock is present as well, although he remains in uniform, only present to evaluate the holodeck's capabilities.
As the Emilia Moon program fires up, both La'an and Spock are astonished at how lifelike everything is. The building has an odor. They can pick up objects that feel real in their hands. La'an mentions that she is stoked to be play-acting as Emilia Moon. Spock playfully responds, "As my ancestor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, would write: 'The game is afoot.'"
And there it is. What began as a tantalizing throw-away line in "Star Trek VI" now manifests as "Star Trek" canon. Spock is indeed descended from Doyle.
It's worth pausing to note that Nicholas Meyer, who co-wrote "Star Trek VI," is one of the world's biggest Sherlock Holmes fans. He adapted "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" to film in 1976, and belongs to the Baker Street Irregulars, a Sherlock Holmes literary society. When he wrote Spock's line about being related to Holmes, he actually meant Holmes. He has winkingly admitted as much in interviews. Meyer didn't care much about Trek continuity, and simply liked the idea that Spock and Holmes were of the same bloodline.
"Next Generation" ruined all that by depicting characters reading Doyle novels, so the makers of "Strange New Worlds" confirmed the secondary Spock theory as a consolation prize: Spock is a distant relative of Arthur Conan Doyle. One might wonder if the controllers of Doyle's estate feel any pressure to name their daughters Amanda Grayson.
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