Beam me up, Scotty

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"Beam me up, Scotty!" is a catch phrase that made its way into pop culture from the science fiction television series Star Trek. It comes from the command Captain Kirk gives his transporter chief, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, when he needs to transport back to the ship.

Though it has become irrevocably associated with the series, the exact phrase was never actually spoken in any Star Trek television episode or film. Captain Kirk comes closest to saying the phrase in the Original Series episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion", by saying, "Scotty, beam us up"; in the animated episodes "The Lorelei Signal" and "The Infinite Vulcan", when he said, "Beam us up, Scotty"; in Star Trek IV, saying, "Scotty, beam me up"; and in Star Trek Generations, by saying, "Beam them out of there, Scotty". The phrase was used on a bumper sticker with the tag line "Beam me up Scotty. There's no intelligent life down here."

"Beam me up, Scotty" is similar to the phrase, "Just the facts, ma'am", attributed to Jack Webb's character of Joe Friday on Dragnet, as well as "It's elementary, my dear Watson", attributed to Sherlock Holmes, "Luke, I am your father", attributed to Darth Vader, and "Play it again, Sam", attributed to Humphrey Bogart. All five lines are the best known quotes from these works for many viewers, but not one is an actual, direct quotation.[1][2][3]

The complete phrase was eventually said by William Shatner in the audio adaptation of his novel Star Trek: The Ashes of Eden.

James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty, later chose this phrase as the title of his autobiography.

U.S. congressman James Traficant adapted the catch phrase "Beam me up" in his trademark one-minute rants on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.

Contents

[edit] In popular culture

Films
  • The phrase has also been used in several films unrelated to Star Trek, including Armageddon.
  • In Material Girls, Brent Spiner, known for his portrayal of the Star Trek: The Next Generation android Data, uses the line upon entering Fabiella's elaborate reception area.
Television
  • The line is referenced in episodes of a number of television series, including: Boys from the Black Stuff, Friends, Family Guy, Robot Chicken, South Park, Heroes and Stargate SG-1.
  • In Gilmore Girls, Rory tells her mother that she is "one 'beam me up, Scotty' reference away from one", referring to a murder.
  • The phrase is used by Sergeant Baker in the series Captain Power in the form: "Beam me up, Scotty. There's no intelligent life here", after Lieutenant Ellis has made another Star Trek reference: "Let's all go boldly where no man had gone before".
  • The line "Beam me up Scotty" was also used in the season four episode of the tv show Bones entitled "Science in the Physicists"
  • In the Pokémon: The Abridged Series episode "The Hat of Sanity", Misty asks if she can further exploit the situation of Ash climbing a tree to retrieve his hat. Ash responds by ordering Scotty to beam down his clothes.
  • The phrase has been voted fourth in a Top Ten list of TV catchphrases by The Baby Website.
Music
  • The phrase is referenced in songs by:
           R Kelly ("Rock Star")            Jan Terri ("Journey to Mars")
Jimmy Buffett ("Boat Drinks") MC Lars ("Space Game")
Relient K ("Beaming") Fabo ("Scotty")
Fabo ("I'm So High feat. Bobby Valentino") 311 ("Prisoner")
Lupe Fiasco ("Blackout") Tay Dizm and T-Pain ("Beam Me Up")
Kid Rock ("What I Learned Out On The Road") Vanessa Hudgens ("Party on the Moon")
Nicki Minaj ("Beam Me Up Scotty (mixtape)") Billy Bragg ("Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards")
Plan B ("Beam me up, Scotty (this planet sucks)") The Pharcyde ("Hey You")
Computer games
  • Astral Software's 1986 puzzle maze game, XOR, features teleportation portals inscribed with the letters "BMUS" - a reference to the phrase "Beam me up, Scotty".
  • In Destroy All Humans 2, a levitated hippie will occasionally say "Beam me up, Scotty!"
Comics
  • The line has been used several times in the Dilbert comic strip.

[edit] See also

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ The Holmes phrase originated in a radio play. See List of famous misquotations and "Elementary, My Dear Watson" at Snopes.com
  2. ^ Webb did say: "All we want are the facts ma'am". See Just the facts, ma'am, List of famous misquotations and "Just the Facts" at Snopes.com
  3. ^ Greatest Film Misquotes - Part 2, Tim Dirks at filmsite.org

[edit] Further reading

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