Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe

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Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe is a science fiction radio drama series by the ZBS Foundation, written by Thomas Lopez. The first series, Ruby: Adventures of A Galactic Gumshoe, was created in 1982, and was broadcast on about 500 public radio stations. [1] In each story, the title character Ruby is hired to solve a metaphysical problem. New series have been released every few years, reaching Ruby 15 in 2025. Ruby is played by actress Laura Esterman.

Contents

Description

Ruby is a comic science fiction treatment of the hardboiled detective genre; the original series took place on the planet of Summa Nulla ("the high point of nothing") although later series took Ruby to other planets and solar systems.

Laura Esterman starred as Ruby in the first series and Karen Young starred in the second series as "Ruby Too", another version of the protagonist, while Esterman, as Ruby, had a cameo part in this series. Esterman returned to the lead role from Ruby 3 onwards, credited as Blanche Blackwell.

The series was originally syndicated to air on the radio in episodes of approximately three to four minutes long, but later released as half-hour episodes to radio stations. To date, thirteen Ruby adventures have been released, the most recent in 2019.

Ruby has been broadcast in 23 countries, including Canada (on CBC), England (on BBC), Australia (on ABC) and the US (originally on PBS, more recently on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio). Ruby entered Science Fiction's Audio Hall of Fame for Best Science Fiction of 1982. [2]

Series

Ruby: The Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe (1982)

This story was the very first cyberpunk radio drama. [3] In it, Ruby is hired by Rodant Kapoor to find out who is manipulating the media on Summa Nulla.

Ruby 2: The Further Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe (1985)

Ruby Two is hired to find out who's "windowing" the Bulldada.

Ruby 3: The Underworld / The Invisible World (1990–1991)

Part One: The Underworld:

Ruby is hired by the Aurorian Man Ray to trace a dark force entering Summa Nulla through the walls of Magnifico – City of Malls. Meanwhile, "techno-anthropologist" Inanna undertakes a quest to the dark and hellish Underworld to discover the meaning behind the mysterious "Seven Gates".

Part Two: The Invisible World:

Ruby, Inanna and Kapoor find themselves stranded in the Invisible World, where each of them is forced to confront the dark force in their own way.

Ruby 4: The Moon Coins of Sonto Lore (1994–1995)

Part One: The Moon Coins of Sonto Lore

Ruby is hired by Marimba Mambo to find the four Moon Coins of Sonto Lore - the mythical fourth moon of Summa Nulla. The investigation accidentally uncovers a planned invasion by extra-dimensional Reptoids.

Part Two: The Turban of El Morya

And/Or attempts to build an invisible "light machine" on the orders of Nikola Tesla (who may have a hidden agenda of his own), while Teru is held prisoner on the Reptoid planet.

Part Three: Dark Night of the Reptoids

Ruby returns to the Reptoid planet in an attempt to rescue Teru.

Part Four: Mad Moon for Rubina

Summa Nulla is pulled into the fifth dimension... with cataclysmic consequences!

Ruby 5: The Land of Zoots (1998)

Ruby is hired by President Koonstar Bootstah to find out who created the Land of Zoots, a fantasy land that has stated to be made real by the inhabitants of the Awakening Archipelago.

Ruby 6: The Illusionati (2001)

Ruby is hired by Oop Boop, an Illuboo from the planet Illuboo Roi, to uncover members of the Illuboo secret society, the Illusionati.

Ruby 6.5: Far Flung Farouk (2004)

Ruby, Teru, Kapoor, and And/Or are hired to investigate the royal tomb of Far Flung Farouk.

Ruby 7: Dream Weaver, Dream Deceiver (2006)

The Morpheusians are experiencing fear for the first time in their lives, and Ruby is hired to find out who, how and why.

Ruby 7.5: The Tookah's Tales (2008)

Ruby entices the Tookah to tell his strange tales of what it is like to live on other planets.

Ruby 8: The Good King Kapoor (2009)

Ruby is hired by Mother Kapoor to bring home her son Rodant, who is hiding out in another universe.

Ruby 9: Masque of the Red Moon (2012)

Two preview chapters of Ruby 9 were posted on the ZBS website in July 2012. The two chapters, "The City of Lost Illusions" and "The Hoochie Coochie Club" feature the series' main cast (Laura Esterman as Ruby, Bill Raymond as T.J. Teru and Tom Stewart as And/Or and Rodant Kapoor). The story involves the four characters going undercover on a steampunk-inspired planet.

Ruby 9.5: Who Knows How This Ends? (2015)

Deep in the jungles of the Great Zeezeeboos, on the planet of Summa Nulla, is the spiral city of Oroboros, once known as The City of the Future. But the future has passed, and Oroboros has been abandoned, or so everyone believed.

Ruby 10: The Black Star of Summa Nulla (2018) 60 minutes

Ruby is back, and this time she’s out looking to twist Kapoor’s little neck. Yes, the Rodent has gotten her into yet another mess. How this came about – Kapoor started his own detective agency. He doesn’t call himself a P.I. (Private Investigator), he calls himself a P.S. (Private Snoop). But then he accepts a case that’s way over his head. It’s about a gemstone called The Black Star of Summa Nulla, a stone some people believe can predict the future.

Moliere, Chief of the Mole People, dug up the stone on one of his digs. Moliere believes the Black Star is not from this planet, in fact it’s so dangerous, it was meant to be buried away forever. And when Kapoor gets his little paws on the priceless gemstone, everyone is out looking for him!

But he’s hiding. And where is Rodant hiding? He’s somewhere in “The Big Boohoos,” a sector of Summa Nulla where the rains never cease.

Ruby 11: Little Fritzi and the Wonder Game (2023) 74 minutes

Ruby is hired to find a little girl who has disappeared into Siddhi Infini, an ancient oasis city in the Great Summa Nulla desert. The girl is a Fritzoid, she can stop her growth and appear to be a child, though she may be decades older.

When Ruby gathers her group together – And/Or, Rodant Kapoor, and T.J. Teru – she discovers T.J. has retired, he has sold his excavation business to Seymour Sneel, a fellow archaeologist who was tossed out of Siddhi Infini for wanting to activate the Wonder Game.

The Wonder Game is an ancient Nullian game that no one knows to how to play … and those who try, may find the game is playing them.

Ruby 12: Can We Ever Turn Into Light? (2024) 70 minutes

Ruby is in Siddhi Infini, a desert oasis city. She has been hired by a criminal group called “The Element.” They want to know the source of this little city’s power.

Bootsy decides to build “the source.” She builds a Nullian Game Machine, it’s a sort of fake “Wonder Game.” She puts together parts of ancient games that Seymour and Teru had dug up. She builds a very dangerous game.

The four-tentacled Tookah has been told by a soothsayer, “The Soother,” there is a city beneath Siddhi Infini. The Tookah hires Seymour, an archaeologist, to go down below.

Meanwhile, performing on the surface is And/Or’s “Semi-Circle” Digital Circus. Rodant Kapoor is the Ringmaster. He has been teaching Big Charlie, a huge animaloid mammoth, how to walk a tightrope without squashing anyone.

And down below, Seymour does discover an ancient City-Beneath-a-City, and he is spooked.

Ruby 14: Spooks of the Ancient Nullians (2024)60 minutes

Ruby is hired to investigate a mysterious forbidden location called "The Center". It is sacred to some and forbidden to others. Some say, those who go in may never come out.

Meanwhile, the Digital Circus is back with three-rings. Nightmare Ellie is hired to play The Evil Clown. She scares the hell out of the local Infinis because she knows – when Evil is good, it’s really BAD.

Bootsy the android becomes an Aerialist. She dances at the top of the Big Top. But she wants to be a detective, she wants to be like a Ruby – kick-ass tough.

The Little Fritzi appears in Kapoor’s dreams. She lives on a far-off planet, she is like a small child with strange, otherworldly abilities. She knows what you are thinking.

Tim Clark’s music is non-stop. Fulton writes in black & white – Tim turns his words into techno-color.

Ruby 15: Creatures of the Light (2025) 66 Minutes

In the oasis city of Siddhi Infini, is a secret city called, “The Center.” Streets that go in, never do, they just circle around. They say The Center is sacred, few outsides have ever entered, but Roadie Kapoor has found a way to sneak in.

Nightmare Ellie is asked to do a circus act with a cat named “Whiskers.” It’s a dangerous act, because Whiskers is a very large Saber-Tooth, Killer Cat.

In “The Café of Fond Farewell,” Ruby pays tribute to her dear friend, Professor T.J. Teru. Ruby recalls the day T.J. found his old android love, Angel Lips, standing under a street light on the boulevard of forgotten dreams.

Pilots

The pilot for the Ruby series. Ruby Tuesday is hired by Colonel Abulah Abdullah to find out who has stolen Cleo, a small planet from Saudi Asteroidia in the Middle Eastern star cluster. Her only lead is the Advanced Fulcrum Magnetic Works of Fong on the planet of Dong-A-Long, who while previously unknown have recently appeared with highly sophisticated technology to move large asteroids around for easy mining.
Ruby Star is hired by Kapoor to locate "Mr. X", an earthling.

Spinoff

Ol' Cactus Kapoor (2006)

In 2006, ZBS released a collection of nine stories about Rodant Kapoor, Ol’ Cactus Kapoor and Other Prickly Tales. The collection included "Ol' Cactus Kapoor", "The Colossal Kapoor", "The Seven Sacred Sapphires of Kapoor", "Judge Rodant and The Rest of The Rats", "Extract of Little Fooie", "The Purple Purse", "The 12 Famous Land Sharks School", "Trader Kapoor and The Woolie Boolies", and "How Real Is Real Anyway?"

Major characters

References

  1. Kalish, Jon (August 1, 2016). "Radio dramatist finds support from fans for his adventurous works". Current. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  2. Mark Time Award
  3. Colin Marshall (February 12, 2015). "Download the first and coolest cyberpunk radio drama". Boing Boing. Retrieved December 25, 2015. So begins Ruby: The Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe, the very first cyberpunk radio drama – and still, to this day, by far the coolest. This bit of hard-boiled yet slightly goofy dialogue, tonally representative of the entire series, occurs between Ruby, the detective protagonist heavily armed with "subtle feminine charms and other, less subtle, persuasions" (and, oh, the power to slow down time at will) and what now sounds like an awfully Siri-esque digital assistant.