Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Denna Repaci
"Beam me up, Scotty" is a catchphrase and misquotation that made its way into popular culture from the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It comes from the command Captain Kirk gives his chief engineer, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, when he needs to be "transported" back to the Starship Enterprise.
Though it has become irrevocably associated with the series and films, the exact phrase was never actually spoken in any Star Trek television episode or film. Despite this, the quote has become a phrase of its own over time. It can be used to describe one's desire to be elsewhere, technology such as teleportation, slang for certain drugs, or as a phrase to show appreciation and association with the television show.
The misquotation's influence led to James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty, to be misrepresented in his own obituary, where he is referenced as the character who "responded to the command, 'Beam me up, Scotty.'"[1] Doohan himself chose to use the phrase as the title of his 1996 autobiography.[2][3]
Despite the phrase entering into popular culture, it is a misquotation and has never been said in any of the television series or films, contrary to popular belief.[4] There have, however, been several "near misses" of phrasing.
In the Original Series episodes "The Gamesters of Triskelion" and "The Savage Curtain", Kirk said, "Scotty, beam us up"; while in the episode "This Side of Paradise", Kirk simply said, "Beam me up". In the episode "The Cloud Minders", Kirk says, "Mr. Scott, beam us up".
The popularity of the misquotation has led to many new phrases, both associated with Star Trek or otherwise. The exact timing of when the phrase became popular is unclear. However, early signs of the quote's usage to describe something separate from Star Trek can be found roughly ten years after Star Trek's airing in 1966, in a publication of the Royal Aeronautical Journal. It describes a certain routine as "a sort of 'beam me up, Scotty routine'".[5] Over time, the phrase has been extended to, "Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here!", popularized on bumper stickers and t-shirts, despite neither quote ever being said on the show.[6][7]
The quote "Beam me up, Scotty!" has been extended beyond its original meaning to describe an expression of "the desire to be elsewhere",[8] or the desire to be out of an unwanted situation. Along with this, it has been associated with things that are futuristic, such as the possibility of teleportation.[9][10]
The phrase has also been used as slang for certain drugs. An Oxford Reference page defined "Beam me up, Scotty" as "a mixture of phencyclidine and cocaine" and to "talk to Scotty", "high off Scotty", "see Scotty", etc.[11][8]
The phrase has been referenced by Baxter County Sheriff's drug slang definitions.[12] It is also referenced in the book "Vice Slang" by Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, for crack cocaine, and to describe "Beamers" or "Beemers" as those taking said drugs.[13]
The quote was used in the movie Armageddon (1998) by Rockhound, the character played by Steve Buscemi. When asked by Harry S. Stamper (played by Bruce Willis) if Rockhound would join them to divert the asteroid, he replies "You know me. Beam me up, Scotty."
In his book Based on a True Story, Norm Macdonald explains that the doorman of the building he was living in addressed him as "Beam me up, Scotty" after Norm said the line in a Star Trek sketch on the show Saturday Night Live.
Lines that people associate with something or someone by way of Pop-Cultural Osmosis, despite having never been uttered by them, or only rarely. Usually a misquotation or a slight paraphrase of something that actually was said or done, or a combination of several common or famous lines. The misquote provides context necessary to recognize or appreciate the reference, as in "Luke, I Am Your Father", or fills in parts of the sentence that are orphaned from the interesting bit, as in "Hell [hath no] fury like a woman scorned." Sometimes the trailer shortened the quote to save time, and its version became better known. This is all well and good, but we here at TV Tropes think people should at least know what the line they're paraphrasing is meant to be.
Sometimes it's not even more than a word or two off, so pointing it out may come across as nitpicking. Other times, the record really has to be set straight because the line got really corrupted over time like a bad game of telephone.
Subtrope of Common Knowledge. See also Dead Unicorn Trope, Cowboy BeBop at His Computer, Mondegreen Gag, Viewer Name Confusion, God Never Said That, and Wrongfully Attributed. If the misassociated line is eventually co-opted into the source as a sort of Shout-Out to the confusion, it becomes an Ascended Meme. If the line is correct but lack of context changes the meaning, or if the line is chopped up to change its meaning, it is a Quote Mine. If the quote and the misquote both occur in the same medium, there is an Unreliable Narrator or possibly a Flip-Flop of God. If the quote becomes the only thing associated with a person it's a case of Never Live It Down (if an Audience Reaction) or Once Done, Never Forgotten (if In-Universe). This can be extended to Iconic Items the character never actually had, such as Holmes' deerstalker. For tropes actually about beaming characters up, see Teleportation Tropes.
Comic Strips
- Calvin and Hobbes never had Calvin say, "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die." There's also a bootleg T-shirt of Calvin scowling and saying: "Every day, I'm forced to add another name to the list of people who piss me off." Obviously, this quote has never appeared in the strip. And of course, he was never depicted urinating on anything.
Companies
- Rooster Teeth: Although "What if your legs didn't know they were legs?" is often attributed to Gavin Free, it actually originated from his Rooster Teeth co-worker Barbara Dunkelman doing an impression of him, mocking his tendency to ask nonsensical questions. "Does rocks float on lava?" is an authentic Gavin-ism, however.
Professional Wrestling
- "The Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers is credited with popularizing the catchphrase "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!" back in the 1940s. Problem was, what he actually said was: "To a nicer guy, it couldn't happen." The Yiddish sentence structure isn't a show business gag: Rogers really was Jewish.
- One of the most famous lines in wrestling is Michael Buffer's "Lllllet's get ready to rumblllllllle!" While he has said that, and many times, he doesn't always say it that way. Occasionally, for example, it will be the far less famous "We are...ready to rumblllllllle!"note Which is the exact wording Buffer used in the 2000 David Arquette movie Ready to Rumble. Most quotesters and parodists also don't cite the entire line, which has a lot more impact:Buffer: Madison Square Garden...New York City...U.S.A....Are...you...ready?...Then for the thousands in attendance...for the millions watching at home...lllllet's", etc. [In recent years, he has begun substituting "for the millions watching around the world".]
- Damien Sandow has only used the phrase "Thank you for your irrelevant opinion" once in his career, but it seems the phrase has taken a life of its own among his fans.
- Shawn Michaels didn't lose his smile, but was rather "looking for the smile that [I] lost."
- Vince McMahon's reveal as the Higher Power of the Corporate Ministry is often quoted simply as "IT'S ME, AUSTIN! IT WAS ME ALL ALONG!" The more accurate quote is "IT'S ME, AUSTIN! IT'S ME, AUSTIN! IT WAS ME ALL ALONG, AUSTIN!"
- Invoked word for word by Leva Bates during her match with Miss Natural at SHIMMER Volume 56, since Bates was Cosplaying as Spock, and the match was filled with Star Trek references.
- Vince Russo didn't exactly say "If you want Lucha Librenote essentially Mexican style of professional wrestling, go to Japan!" during his infamous NWA:TNA interview with Mike Tenay. The full quote would be: "You want Lucha Libres (sic!), whatever you called them, go to...go to Japan, go to Mexico, you get all the Lucha Libres you want". However, putting the whole interview in perspective, one could argue the whole thing was Russo's brand "worked shoot", familiar to everyone who ever watched WCW, where he was supposed to play the bad guy for wrestling nerds. Is there a better way to make a nerd's blood boil than implying "lucha libres" originated from Japan? Also, as the leader of wrestling faction standing against wrestling tradition, it seems logical for an evil guy to insult Lucha Libre as part of the tradition. Naturally Russo succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, and the quote, usually incomplete with exclamation mark after Japan and without context, is guaranteed to pop up every time the word "Russo" is ushered near "smart" wrestling audience as proof of his total incompetence. Granted, it wasn't Russo's only controversy in wrestling world...
- One of the most famous moments of the Monday Night Wars had Tony Schiavone, who was announcing for WCW, give away the ending of a title match for the competitor WWE note known as the WWF at the time during a live Nitro; it involved mentioning that Mick Foley won the WWF World Heavyweight title in a derogatory manner. Many think that Schiavone said "that'll put butts in seats!" or even "that'll put asses in seats!". What he actually said was "that's gonna put some butts in the seats!"
Tabletop Games
- In-Universe, in Ars Magica, the alleged catchphrase of the Founder Guernicus was "Join us or die!". He only said that once, and only when facing someone who was already an enemy of the Order and who was trying his patience.
- In Star Trek: The Game, one of the trivia questions is to name an episode in which Kirk said the exact phrase "Beam me up, Scotty." It is a trick question and if the player names an episode, the player's ship loses an engine.
- The classic Dungeons & Dragons complainy forum post is "My hate of d02 know no limit". Not "my hat of d02 know no limit".
- The cry/chant of the Khorne worshipping Chaos Marines in Warhammer 40,000 is not "Kill! Maim! Burn!" Only Kharn (who, by the by, is crazy even by their standards, and will readily murder his allies) says it. The rest prefer "Blood for the Blood God!" Further muddied by the Chaos Marine squad in Dawn of War having "Maim! Kill! Burn!" as one of their quotes.
- The Yu-Gi-Oh! card game enforces this with a card called "Question". The opponent is asked to name the monster at the bottom of your Graveyard: if they do not state the exact name written on the card, you can Special Summon it from the Graveyard.