Relics

DVD, TNG S6 (Relics)

Crossover episodes in which a character from one series appeared in another were always special occasions and memorable episodes, but when it was a character from 'TOS' doing the crossing it was doubly special. Following in the footsteps of Dr. McCoy, Sarek and Spock, Scotty was the next character to make it into the 24th Century in one piece, and one of four from his series which we know lived some time in that era, since Kirk also survived through the Nexus into Picard's time. It's a great thought that Scotty could, and probably would have tracked down Ambassador Spock and Dr. McCoy to catch up with them. I imagine McCoy would have been overjoyed to see Scotty, but would have been cantankerously jealous he had aged so little whereas McCoy got to that time legitimately by living.

McCoy's cameo in the pilot of 'TNG' was just that, a brief scene to send the new ship and crew on its way, and it wasn't until co-promotion of the series and 'Star Trek VI' made Leonard Nimoy's involvement in an adventure a reality, but that was purely business and the episodes reflect that. Here, for the first time, 'TNG' actually made a love letter back to 'TOS,' a real tribute with no strings attached. While the episode may not compare quite as favourably with the 'DS9' and 'Voyager' tribute episodes, and maybe even Spock's last appearance in the eleventh film, it is a beautifully-realised opportunity to see James Doohan one last time. It wasn't the last time he played the character in real-world time, but it was the last in the character's timeline. It would have been interesting to hear confirmation of Sulu, Chekov and Uhura all living into this century as it seems that old 'TOS' characters never die, except in 'Star Trek: Generations,' though sadly Doohan himself died several years ago, now.

One thing that Scotty shouldn't have expected was Captain Kirk to come to his rescue since we know he witnessed the apparent death of his captain in the opening of the first 'TNG' film, but that can easily be explained away - there was sure to be some confusion in his brain after it had been stored in a transporter buffer for seventy-five years. The most touching moment is probably his recreation of the original Enterprise's bridge, complete with Captain's chair and blinky lights, even a planet on the viewscreen. They actually only built a small portion of the bridge, the engineering station and some of the chairs, but it's very well disguised and Scotty's feelings of uselessness are strongly conveyed, only perking up after a kindly visit from Picard. Over the years this rebuilding of the original bridge became an ongoing project, more being added for 'DS9' episode 'Trials and Tribble-ations,' then the entire bridge for the 'Enterprise' Mirror Universe two-parter, so the legacy of the ambition of this episode really sent out waves right to the end of the 'TNG' spinoff era.

How many references can be spotted? One of the most prominent is Data's description of an alcoholic beverage as simply 'it is green,' a homage to 'By Any Other Name' when Scotty said the same line to an alien as he drank him under the table. It would have been a thrill to see Guinan meet Scotty and perhaps he would have realised they might have met before since they were both on the Enterprise-B (which I think was name-checked for the first time here) when Kirk died, though that hadn't yet been written. It might have been nice to have that kind of fun little scene since she lived throughout his time. That points to one of the downsides of the episode - it doesn't integrate Scotty enough with all the characters. It also doesn't really have much of a story, the first half being a much-loved character being maudlin, then the intriguing concept of the Dyson Sphere which deserved much more depth than it got. I always forget how exactly the episode ends and who was in the Sphere, but that's unsurprising because we never find out and it's really just a device to put the ship in jeopardy, though it does let us see the Enterprise doing an impression of the Millennium Falcon to get out. Could the Sphere have been built by the Borg? They're the only technologically advanced species with enough resources to construct such an experiment that we know of, and I'm sure they would need that kind of power for their nefarious plans to assimilate all.

Scotty mentions the Dohlman from 'Elaan of Troyius' when impressed with the size of his quarters, the time when the Enterprise was spiralling towards a planet in 'The Naked Time' and there are fun little moments such as his complimenting Crusher on how much better doctor's look on this ship. Even Geordi gets in on the act, recalling the episode with the space-borne organism of 'The Child.' It was wise to pair Scotty up with the engineer of the series and makes his obsolescence even harder to bear when he realises he has little to contribute to such advanced technology. He's a man out of time, and at first that seems an end to everything he ever got excited about. That sad realisation is replaced at the end by that old explorer's desire to get out and explore the galaxy when a shuttle is loaned to him by Picard. It was a sensitive touch to have all the main cast there to see him off, though it did make me wish there could have been more scenes with him and some of the others, such as Troi or Worf. He is of course rather wary of a Klingon serving in Starfleet as to him it wouldn't have been too long since peace with the Klingons was begun, but he wouldn't have forgotten all those escapades in which he was up against them.

That last scene was unnecessary to tell the story - it could easily have been Picard and Geordi there to see him off, but it was like 'TNG' was saluting its forbear through Scotty and was a truly special moment. At least Scotty would have been at home in the shuttle as it looked like the same model that was built for 'Star Trek V'! There are many details we would never have known about Scotty if not for hearing them here - he served on eleven ships, was an engineer for fifty-two years, even that the Enterprise was the first ship on which he served in the capacity of Chief Engineer. I am absolutely always in favour of bringing back old cast members, but I think the secondary plot of the Enterprise getting into trouble which Scotty helps to rectify, could have been better spent as time to show Scotty learning to adjust to the 24th Century, which is one reason I don't feel this was quite the wholehearted classic it might have been, though it is certainly better than 'Unification.'

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