A stolen jewel, a Christmas goose, and the galaxy’s most logical half-Vulcan walk into a mystery… and somehow the trail leads straight to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

This holiday special unpacks one of Star Trek’s strangest canonical quirks: Spock casually claiming Sherlock Holmes as an “ancestor.” Was he talking about the fictional detective? The real-life author? Or neither?

From The Blue Carbuncle to The Great Keinplatz Experiment, we follow the breadcrumbs Doyle left through Victorian literature, Trek canon repairs, Vulcan body-swaps, and a family tree with more dead ends than a London cul-de-sac.

Pour some cocoa and join us as we unwrap how Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Mr. Spock end up exchanging gifts across two centuries and one imaginary cosmos.

Special thanks to:
Open Pike Night – Watch their full interview with writers Dana Horgan & Kathryn Lyn here: Strange New Words: A Space Adventure Hour

Jason Usry – Listen to his delightful audio drama “Santa Maybe, a Criminal” on your favorite podcast player.

Credits:
This episode of “The Prime Detective” was produced and hosted by Grayson Thagard.

Music for “The Prime Detective” is composed by Ben Wise: https://benwise.bandcamp.com/

Website and publishing support thanks to David Moody, Producer: “Let’s Talk About Treks” The Podcast.

“The Prime Detective” logo was created by Julie Hendrickson.

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/theprimedetective

In 1968, Star Trek tried to save its sinking ratings by casting celebrity lawyer Melvin Belli as a glowing space ghost. A year later, the Zodiac Killer demanded to speak with that same lawyer live on television. This episode traces the bizarre overlap between sci-fi and true crime — from stunt casting, to the Jack Ruby trial, to the hoax call on The Jim Dunbar Show — and how David Fincher turned it all into one of the best true-crime films.

Credits:
This episode of “The Prime Detective” was produced and hosted by Grayson Thagard.

Music for “The Prime Detective” is composed by Ben Wise: https://benwise.bandcamp.com/

Website and publishing support thanks to David Moody, Producer: “Let’s Talk About Treks” The Podcast.

Artwork for “The Prime Detective” is by Julie Hendrickson.

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/theprimedetective

He once played a child caught between identities on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Years later, Brian Bonsall learned someone had stolen his real one—copying his tattoos, adopting his persona, and using it to prey on women nationwide. This is the story of the impersonation that became a crime spree, and the investigation that finally brought the imposter down.

Credits:
This episode of “The Prime Detective” was produced and hosted by Grayson Thagard.

Music for “The Prime Detective” is composed by Ben Wise: https://benwise.bandcamp.com/

Website and publishing support thanks to David Moody, Producer: “Let’s Talk About Treks” The Podcast.

Artwork for “The Prime Detective” is by Julie Hendrickson.

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/theprimedetective

In 2001, Jeri Ryan — then rising to fame as Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager — became the center of one of America’s first cyberstalking convictions. What began as hundreds of explicit and bizarre messages turned into a historic case that tested California’s brand-new cyberstalking laws. This episode of The Prime Detective traces how Ryan endured her own “Year of Hell,” and how fiction once again bled into the real world.

Credits:
This episode of “The Prime Detective” was produced and hosted by Grayson Thagard.

Music for “The Prime Detective” is composed by Ben Wise: https://benwise.bandcamp.com/

Website and publishing support thanks to David Moody, Producer: “Let’s Talk About Treks” The Podcast.

Artwork for “The Prime Detective” is by Julie Hendrickson.

Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/theprimedetective