Elementary, My Dear Vulcan: Wild Star Trek Theory Connects Spock & Sherlock
From time to time (even before the internet was the global medium it is today) people have come up with the theory that Mr Spock and Sherlock Holmes are somehow related.
This belief is largely based on Mr Spock's assertion in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country that one of his ancestors said "if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".
This quote fits perfectly well with the Vulcan propensity to live by logic and reason rather than emotion. But it's also a direct quote from the 1890 Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four.
Of course, we know that Spock was born to a Vulcan father and a human mother. So, it seems plausible that he would have human ancestors. Indeed, in The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter, Holmes states that his grandmother was the sister of the French artist Vernet.
Many have jumped to the conclusion that it is the famous landscape artist Claude-Joseph Vernet, but it could equally be Claude-Joseph's son, Claude. Alternatively, it could refer to Claude's son Horace.
One thing we do know, though, is that almost nothing is known about the lineage of Sherlock Holmes beyond this and a brief mention of his parents' names. Neither is there any suggestion that Mr Spock had any French ancestry or that he was related in any way to the Vernets.
There is also the issue that these are two fictional characters created at two different times by two different writers.
So, is it really elementary to conclude that the two are in some way related. Of course not. It is (as both characters are) simply a work of fiction that feeds into the theory of the Wolds Newton family. This is a fictional genealogy of characters that suggests familial links between them all – like Sherlock Holmes and Mr Spock sharing the same ancestors.
It also claims to link these characters to real historical figures such as the trio of Vernets, one of whom is said to be related to Holmes. So, it's easy to see why the existence of this family would give rise to links between several of the characters within it.
But of course, it's completely made up and bears no resemblance to what was going through the minds of the various creative geniuses who dreamt up these individuals and the worlds they inhabit. But it does make for some interesting (if fanciful) fan theories about the lineage of some of the best-known characters from fiction.