There are enough inside jokes to fill a space cruiser in this sci-fi-centric episode of Castle. We’ll make mention of a few of them, but feel free to detail your favorite moments from this particular space case in the comments section below. There’s an armada of sci-fi-friendly guest stars being directed by Commander Riker himself—Jonathan Frakes. Look for his cameo as Castle’s “#1 fan.” Told ya there were a lot of inside jokes. You can take our Sci-Fi Fun Quiz focusing on the spacey connections of the Castle cast and the guest stars. But for now, please join us as we boldly go where no mystery writer and his muse have gone before—to a deadly sci-fi convention.

Beckett pulls Castle away from his book signing for Storm Season to investigate a murder at SuperNovaCon. The killing of Annabelle Collins occurred on the bridge of a spaceship used for a fan experience adventure for the show Nebula-9. Castle was never a fan. He likes good sci-fi products like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and that old Joss Whedon show. We’re guessing he’s talking about Firefly, though it could also be Buffy. Anyway, we get the sense that Beckett was a huge fan of Nebula-9 judging by how she blushes upon seeing its former star, Gabriel Winters (guest star Ed Quinn) in person. He captains the ship during the fan experience just like he used to do on the show.

“May fortune guide her journey.” These are Gabriel’s words for the deceased Annabelle, who was the driving force behind the resurgence of Nebula-9. It was also his catchphrase on the show. Gabriel steers Castle and Beckett towards Annabelle’s friends, Audrey and Davis. They say the victim received death threats over the original webisodes she was making. Nebula-9 has a rabid fan base as Castle learns from an old college friend of Beckett’s. The guy produces an old photo of her dressed as the show’s sexy Lieutenant Chloe character. Beckett confiscates the photo under the guise of official police business.