INTRODUCTION

This meta aims to propose the possibility that John in meant to be associated to the North Star, an object that like him is:

A conductor of light;

A fixed point.





57 IN SHERLOCK

57 is a known number in the Sherlock fandom, since it appeared in A Scandal In Belgravia:

JOHN: 57?

SHERLOCK: Sorry, what?

JOHN: 57 of those texts, the ones I’ve heard.



It was also mentioned by Moffat on Twitter:







57 IN DOCTOR WHO

The first time 57 was mentioned in Doctor who was in the episode The Shakespeare Code (not written by Moffat).

MARTHA: Whoa, Nelly! I know for a fact you’ve got a wife in the country.

SHAKESPEARE: But Martha, this is Town.

THE DOCTOR: Come on. We can all have a good flirt later.

SHAKESPEARE: Is that a promise, Doctor?

THE DOCTOR: Oh, 57 academics just punched the air. Now move!

It was mentioned again in The Eleventh Hour (written by Moffat).

DOCTOR: Article 57 of the Shadow Proclamation.

Then in Last Christmas (written by Moffat).



THE DOCTOR: Clara. Give me any two digit

CLARA : 57.

THE DOCTOR: All right, all of you, turn to page 57 and look at the very first word.

Then in Heaven Sent (written by Moffat). .

THE DOCTOR: 57 minutes.

And in the The Day Of The Doctor: Cinema Intro (episode written by Moffat):

THE DOCTOR (11): I just watched the 100th anniversary special, all 57 doctors.





57 IN LONDON SPY

(Spoilers for a major London Spy plot point)

The number 57 appears on a clock and on the USB device, both times before being substituted by the number 1.

See the full meta: From 57 to 1.







THE SONNET 57 SOLUTION

Partly due to its appearance during Doctor Who’s episode The Shakespeare Code in a line implying bisexuality, the number it is currently speculated to be a reference to sonnet 57, in which Shakespeare addresses to another men in a pining fashion, which would reflect John’s bisexuality and state of mind when he said that line (though all sonnets from 1 to 126 are actually addressed to a man).

This is not necessarily mutually exclusive with other 57 theories, as the number might mean a thing, but the writers can still choose to position it inside scenes in such a way that it might stand for something else as well.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - 57 AND STARS IN DOCTOR WHO

(Spoilers for a minor Doctor Who plot point)

I wanted to propose another possible solution.

In Doctor Who’s episode The Shakespeare Code, the one were 57 is first mentioned, there is speculation about the meaning of the number 14 as a plot point. It is later revealed that 14 was the number of stars of a planetary configuration.



THE DOCTOR: Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it’s not a globe; it’s a tetradecagon, 14 sides, containing the man himself.



THE DOCTOR: The columns there, right? 14 sides. I’ve always wondered but I never asked… tell me, Will, why 14 sides?

SHAKESPEARE: It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that’s all. Said it carried the sound well.

THE DOCTOR: Why does that ring a bell? 14…

MARTHA: There are 14 lines in a sonnet.

THE DOCTOR: So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design. 14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets… Oh, my head. Tetradecagon… think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!

PETER: Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The 14 walls, always 14.



THE DOCTOR: Ah, 14! That’s it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration!



14 being the number of stars is probably a pun on sonnet 14, whose main object are stars in the sky and stars in the eyes.





57 is mentioned in The Eleventh Hour, which is Moffat’s first episode as showrunner.

One other interesting quote from this episode is:

DOCTOR: It’s all one creature. One creature disguised as two.



This will become relevant later.







The following episode in which 57 is mentioned is Last Christmas, which is set in the North Pole. This will become relevant later.





The other episode in which 57 is mentioned the position of the stars is a plot point:



THE DOCTOR: When the sun sets, I’ll be able to establish an exact position by the stars.



THE DOCTOR: But what I really want to know is… who’s been playing about with the stars? They’re all in the wrong places, for this time zone, anyway. I know I didn’t time travel to get here. I can feel time travel. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I’ve travelled 7,000 years into the future. But I do know better. So, who moved the stars?

THE DOCTOR: And the stars… They weren’t in the wrong place…



Following this there ten other occasions in which the Doctor consults the position of the stars in the same episode concerning the same plot point.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - THE NAVIGATIONAL STARS

(Spoilers for a minor Doctor Who plot point)

So, if the number 14, which was under speculation in The Shakespeare Code was referred to stars, could 57 be referred to stars?

Maybe yes, because the number 57 is relevant to stars as 57 + 1 it’s the number of the navigational stars, fact which also fits with the Doctor being using stars to understand his position in time and space in Heaven Sent.

57 were the stars listed in the Nautical Almanac, while the other star is the North Star/Pole Star/Polaris.

From the Wikipedia page for Celestial Navigation

Celestial navigation uses “sights,” or angular measurements taken between a celestial body (the sun, the moon, a planet or a star) and the visible horizon. The sun is most commonly used, but navigators can also use the moon, a planet or one of 57 navigational stars whose coordinates are tabulated in the Nautical Almanac and Air Almanacs.



From the Wikipedia page for Nautical Almanac:

A nautical almanac is a publication describing the positions of a selection of celestial bodies for the purpose of enabling navigators to use celestial navigation to determine the position of their ship while at sea. The Almanac specifies for each whole hour of the year the position on the Earth’s surface (in declination and Greenwich hour angle) at which the sun, moon, planets and first point of Aries is directly overhead. The positions of 57 selected stars are specified relative to the first point of Aries.



From the Wikipedia page for List of selected stars for navigation :



Fifty-eight selected navigational stars are given a special status in the field of celestial navigation.

The star Polaris, often called the “North Star”, is treated specially due to its proximity to the north celestial pole. When navigating in the Northern Hemisphere, special techniques can be used with Polaris to determine latitude or gyrocompass error. The other 57 selected stars have daily positions given in nautical almanacs, aiding the navigator in efficiently performing observations on them.

Here is the 57 + 1 stars listed (table adapted from Wikipedia):









And guess where is “Last Christmas”, another episode in which 57 appears, set? As I said above, it is set in the NORTH POLE.

What are Polaris’ common names?



NORTH Star;



POLE Star.





The other mention of 57 is in The Eleventh Hour, an episode in which 1, the other number which gives 57+1 navigational stars, is relevant:

1st episode with Moffat as showrunner;



A couple of 1s derivable from the title (The 11th hour);

The quote “It’s all 1 creature. 1 creature disguised as 2.”.



The last two points particularly fit with my 11 is a pair of 1s theory, in which John and Sherlock are represented by two 1s disguised as an 11, and with the fact that Polaris, the star the 1 is referred to, is a multiple star with two easily visible bodies. This point will be expanded on later.





Which means that so far we have a 57 in Doctor Who in:

One episode in which the questioned number (14) is revealed to be the number of stars.

One episode in which 1, the number in the 57+1 operation referred to Polaris, is relevant and there are hints at 1 creature being formed by 2, being Polaris a multiple star.



One episode set in a location whose name contains the two names Polaris, the main navigational star, is known with.



One episode in which the doctor tries to determine his position in space and time using stars.



And three of these episodes have been written by Moffat.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - 57, 1 AND 58

This interpretation is further supported by some appearances of the number 1 and 58, in relation to the number 57:



The fake random code Irene Adler digits in the second Constellation Quest camera phone, 1058, might have some meaning in relation to 57. See that both 57 and 1058 are numbers related to Irene and that the 0 in 1058 is pronounced in English more like a word and 0 can be a neutral number anyway.

JOHN: Fifty-seven?

SHERLOCK: Sorry, what?

JOHN: Fifty-seven of those texts – the ones I’ve heard.

SHERLOCK: you’ve just entered the numbers one oh five eight

The two numbers together give us:

57 1 oh 58

57 (numbered navigational stars) + 1 (North Star) = 58 navigational stars

Possibly (if the solution is correct) as one of the two keys to the UMQRA riddle in Series 2, while 57 seems to be another riddle in the same series.

See:

See: UMQRA = TORCH



UMQRA = TORCH - Just ONE



SHERLOCK: I don’t have friends, I’ve just got ONE.

(Spoilers for a major London Spy plot point)

In London Spy as the key to the main riddle of the show, but also possibly tied to the number 57.

See: From 57 to 1





There is also the possibility that there are two intended consecutive pairs of numbers that give 57 and 58 respectively if their internal elements are summed together.

At first we get 25 + 32 = 57.



Immediately after we get a 24 + 34 = 58





In The Sign of Three (which Moffat co-wrote) you may also give a look at the Sodokube and see that the number 57 seems to form at least twice, possibly also in relation to the numbers 58 and 1.





In The Abominable Bride we also have the following lines:



HOLMES: Yes, you’re right. I’m changing my bet to 3 years, 4 months and 11 days.

HOLMES: 2 years, 11 months and 4 days.

If you consider the 11 as part of the theory 11 is a pair of 1s, what remains is a 34 and a 24. 34 + 24 = 58.

This conversation also happens in a room where there is a telescope.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - 25 + 32 = 57

As you can see above and in Operation 57, 5^2 + 2^5 = 25 + 32 = 57 is a recurring sum that makes a 57.

In The Last Vow, written by Moffat as well, there also another occasion in which 25 and 32 are paired up.

The first frame who shows us the numbers from the elevator has the moment when the 25 comes in and the number start going up.



They stop until they reach the 32nd floor.

So we have another 25 + 32 = 57.

The following is probably a coincidence, since 14 is a number related to white supremacists and the five dots represent a person inside a prison cell, but the prison tattoos we are shown soon after this 57 gave me the idea of 14 STARS, like in the episode The Shakespeare Code.







THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - THE MEANING OF THE SOLUTION

The meaning of this solution would tie with the “conductor of light” metaphor.

John to Sherlock is a guide:

A navigational star (57);

The fixed navigational star (1).



John being the North Star also ties with ACD canon Holmes saying:

HOLMES: Good old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age.

As both John and the North Star are fixed points.

It would also push in the same direction of the UMQRA = TORCH proposed solution.

Both a torch and a navigational star are guiding lights.



Navigational stars might also be related to Sherlock’s childhood dream of being a pirate.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - THE CONSTELLATION QUEST CAMERA PHONE

The name of Irene Adler’s camera phone’s model is Constellation Quest, which is evocative of stars.

Other hidden messages in Series 2 might have their solution related to the names of mobile phone’s models. See here.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - THE OBLIQUITY OF THE ECLIPTIC

The obliquity of the ecliptic is spoken of in The Abominable Bride.

LESTRADE: What is?

HOLMES: The obliquity of the ecliptic. I have to understand it.

LESTRADE: What is it?

HOLMES: I don’t know, I’m still trying to understand it.

WATSON: The what of the what?

HOLMES: The obliquity of the ecliptic.

WATSON : “Come at once,” you said. I assumed it was important.

HOLMES: It is. It’s the inclination of the earth’s equator to the path of the sun on the celestial plane.

MYCROFT: Murderous jealousy. He’d written a paper for the Royal Astronomical Society on the obliquity of the ecliptic, and then read another that seemed to surpass it.



This is a ACD canon reference to The Greek Interpreter.

It was after tea on a summer evening, and the conversation, which had roamed in a desultory, spasmodic fashion from golf clubs to the causes of the change in the obliquity of the ecliptic, came round at last to the question of atavism and hereditary aptitudes.





But it’s fun to note that the obliquity of the ecliptic generates which direction Earth’s axis points to, which means that it sets which star is the Pole Star.





From Wikipedia:



In astronomy, axial tilt, also known as obliquity, is the angle between an object’s rotational axis and its orbital axis, or, equivalently, the angle between its equatorial plane and orbital plane. It differs from orbital inclination.

Over the course of an orbit, the obliquity does not change, and the orientation of the axis remains the same relative to the background stars.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - 178H

In Tha Abominable Bride the number 178H appears on the outfit of a police officer.

On the North Star Wikipedia page, one of the first things one finds is that the most visible of North Star’s companions, Polaris B, was discovered in 1780 by Herschel.

So the 178H may stand for 1780 Herschel, John may be Polaris A and Sherlock may be Polaris B.

Full meta: 178H could be 1780 Herschel





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - A STUDY IN BLUE

In The Great Game there are several astronomical references, most of which inside the Alex Woodbridge murder case, where victim was an astronomer.

Some of these references might be tied to the John = the North Star theory.



We learn that the starry sky is something that Sherlock appreciates.

(Sherlock looks at the sky)

SHERLOCK: Beautiful, isn’t it?

JOHN: I thought you didn’t care about things like that.

SHERLOCK: Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it.



Immediately before this scene the number 14 (which was the discussed number in The Shakespeare Code) appears:



Soon after the starry sky scene there is a licence plate with a 58, though it could perfectly be coincidental since that is the number which cars licensed between September 2008 and February 2009 should have, which fits with filming dates.





The date in which the fictional nebula was visible in the sky is 1858.

This number contains a 58, a reversed 58 and a 1.

SHERLOCK: The Van Buren Supernova, so-called. Exploding star, only appeared in the sky in 1858.











THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - THE NORTH STAR IN SHAKESPEARE

The North Star in mentioned a couple of times in Shakespeare works, some of which interesting to us.

In Sonnet 116, one of the most famous sonnets, it is equated to love and being a fixed point:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.



In Julius Caesar again the adjective fixed is used:

CAESAR: I am constant as the northern star,

Of whose true-fix’d and resting quality

There is no fellow in the firmament.



As I already have noted here, Watson is “the one fixed point”.

There is a slight chance that they referenced Sonnet 116 in The Abominable Bride with a 661, substituting the number 1 and 6 with each other.







There is a book written by Peter Jensen and called Secrets of the Sonnets: Shakespeare’s Code which among other things:

Makes an argument for 14 (the plot number in Doctor Who’s episode The Shakespeare Code) being the number behind which William Shakespeare was hiding his first name, based on certain sums.

(Note that William is also Sherlock’s first hidden name).

(Note that William is also Sherlock’s first hidden name). Mentions sonnet 14 and 116 (the sonnet above) in relation to celestial navigation, as they both are about fixed stars.

Shares part of the name, airing/publishing period and the “14″ and “names” themes with the Doctor Who’s episode.

Look at the cover, it’s just full of stars.









THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - The Captain of the Pole-Star

The Captain of the Pole-Star is a short tale written by Doyle.

As we know, John Watson is a captain.

Considering the above interpretation where John is Polaris A and Sherlock is Polaris B, just know that in the book the Pole-Star is a ship.





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - The Teddy Bears

When filming The Abominable Bride, Gatiss posted a picture of two teddy bears which resembled Sherlock and John. But the plushies never made it in the final episode.

Ursa Minor, the constellation where the Polaris multiple system is found and is translated in English with Little Bear.

I guess teddy bears could be considered little bears and, if this theory is right, this could be a link.



Full meta: What about the teddy bears?





THE 57 STARS + 1 SOLUTION - STARRY BACKGROUNDS

Finally, even if not near 57s, we can see Sherlock with some starry backgrounds:

On his computer:



During his last vow:











ISSUES WITH THIS THEORY

As well as the theory makes sense thematically and fits with many things happening in both Sherlock and Doctor Who, the concept of a mystery number being the number of stars in a group has its roots in a Doctor Who’s episode which wasn’t written by Moffat, nor had him as a showrunner.

OTHER META RELATED TO THESE NUMBERS

REFERENCES

Ariane DeVere’s Sherlock Transcripts