The Final Frontier

**Writer:** Kate Sargeant

**Director:** Jonathan Frakes

#### DUSTJACKETS BLURB

While investigating a death at SuperNovaCon, Beckett's love of a long-gone sci-fi show called *Nebula-9* does not deter her from hunting down a killer who may be part of the former cast.

### Guest cast

* Armin Shimerman - BENJAMIN DONNELLY
* Ed Quinn - GABRIEL WINTERS
* Christina Moore - STEPHANIE FRYE
* Erin Way - AUDREY O'NEILL
* Chris McKenna - SIMON WESTPORT

### Music

* "Tesla Girls" - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (Placement)
* "So Sexy" - RADIO FREE AMERICA
* "Ideal Woman" - WILLIAM SHATNER (tag)

### Literary and other references

* It wouldn't be a sci-fi episode on *Castle* without references to "that Joss Whedon show" called *Firefly*: "Shiny" was a term used on the show to mean cool, and the sworn enemies of the Nebula-9 crew are called 'creavers', which seem to take a lot of defining characteristics from the *Firefly* monsters called 'reavers'.
* *Star Wars* is an American sci-fi movie staple, from which the characters of Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett are drawn. Also, lightsabers.
* A lot of references to the widespread *Star Trek* universe: Borg and Klingons are alien races and a bat'leth is a ceremonial curved sword mainly carried by Klingons. To top it off, Jonathan Frakes, who directed the episode, is perhaps best known for playing Commander William Riker in *Star Trek: The Next Generation*. Armin Shimerman played Quark, the bartender, on *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine*.
* Another sci-fi staple: the American TV series (and later movie) *Battlestar Galactica*. Cylons are cyborgs that are at war with humanity and carry Cylon pistols, and "skin-jobs" are humanoid models of Cylons. Number Six is one model of the seven remaining known humanoid Cylon models.
* Doc Ock is a mad scientist and one of Spider-Man's greatest foes. The Hulk is the monster alter ego of Dr. Bruce Banner, and his nemesis is the Leader, a scientist who is big headed and bald as the result of gamma radiation exposure.The Thing is a founding member of The Fantastic Four. All were created by and exist in the Marvel Comic world.
* *Blade Runner* is an American sci-fi film starring Harrison Ford about special forces tasked with finding and eliminating replicants.
* Another sci-fi film, *Gattaca*, stars Ethan Hawk and Jude Law and deals with a future society that employs a version of eugenics to create a superior race.
* *2001: A Space Odyssey* is a sci-fi epic film by Stanley Kubrick that examines evolution, technology, alien races, and artificial intelligence within more realistic scientific constraints. It's based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke.
* *Lord of the Rings* was first a book series by J.R.R Tolkien before being made into a series of fantasy films by Peter Jackson. Hobbits and elves are both races of characters that figure prominently into the story.
* Doctor Manhattan is a character from the Watchmen comic series and has blue skin as the result of being disintegrated in an Intrinsic Field Subtractor.
* A "Silkwood shower" is a long, hot shower taken to disinfect or decontaminate. It's named for Karen Silkwood, a chemical technician who raised concerns of contamination in the plant where she worked.

### Memorable moments

* Castle's face when he fires the supposedly fake laser gun.
* Alexis and her friends dressed as very scantily-clad warrior women, and Castle freaking out over seeing her at the con.
* Armin Shimerman's character wears a t-shirt that states "HAN SHOT FIRST".

### Quotable quotes

* CASTLE: Perlmutter, good to see you.
PERLMUTTER: Ah, if only the feeling were mutual.
* BECKETT: You're not losing your hair, Castle.
CASTLE: Okay, so if I wake up bald tomorrow, you'll still be attracted to me? (Beckett pauses) Oh, my God. You wouldn't.
BECKETT: I didn't say that.
CASTLE: No, but you were thinking it. I can see it in your--
ESPOSITO: With that pumpkin head? Dude.
* CASTLE: Let's go back to the e-mails of the crazed *Nebula-9* fans. And when I say crazed fans, I'm, I'm not referring to you. You are a mega fan.
BECKETT: Nice one coming from the guy with a life-size Boba Fett in his bathroom.
CASTLE: Point taken.
* CASTLE: Zap, said the lady!

### Just the facts

* Castle has a life-size Boba Fett in his washroom.
* It's not just fanfic canon: Kate Beckett did go by K-Becks (at least during her first year at Stanford).
* Beckett was a 'mega fan' (along with classmate Henry Barnett) of the sci-fi show *Nebula-9* and dressed up as Lieutenant Chloe.
* The voice of the "Oracle" on the *Nebula-9* Fan Experience set is that of Stana Katic.