Who Likes 'Relics'?

[Chief Medical Officer]

I just completed a rematch of the episode 'Relics', which featured a return of Captain Montgomery Scott to the Star Trek universe. I have read that, for some, this is one of the best (or favorite) episodes. I wholeheartedly disagree!

Don't get me wrong....I loved seeing Scotty again and found the reason behind his continued existence to be fascinating. Only Scotty would have come up with a way to avoid death using the transporter, right?

But the episode, for me, left a lot to be desired. I understand the theme was one of old things, of things past, and the like. And while an exploration of that theme was accomplished, using Scotty to accomplish it was unacceptable - plain and simple.

How could the Enterprise-D crew not know the significance of their passenger's actions in Starfleet history? Scotty was a part of so many different significant things, not the least of which was the saving of Earth in Star Trek IV and the preservation of the new Klingon - Federation alliance in Star Trek VI. Is it plausible to believe that Picard and crew wouldn't have know of Scotty's accomplishments and actions? Of how important he was to Starfleet history?

I suspect that if they had known just how significant Scotty was, they wouldn't have treated him the way they did. He came aboard, and Laforge was pissed off at him from almost the get-go. Picard met with him, but after a few minutes, he left to attend to normal duties. Although he made up for that later as he drank with Scotty on the original Enterprise's bridge, the only reason they had this exchange was because of the 'old person' theme. And even when Picard was speaking to him, he still didn't even acknowledge Scotty's great accomplishments.

So, all in all, I was pretty unhappy with the episode..what do others think?

 

[tomalak301]

I like seeing Scotty, so yes I like this episode a lot.

 

[Iamnotspock]

What gave you the impression that the crew weren't aware of Scotty's significance? The first thing Picard does is ask excitedly if he can discuss with Scotty his remarkable insight into the events of his time.

"Of course, this is your Enterprise."

They know exactly who he is. LaForge was not at all pissed off with him from the get-go; as he says, he tries to be patient and polite, but he and Picard both have a job to do. Scotty's recovery comes with what is perhaps one of the greatest discoveries of the 24th Century; that of the Dyson Sphere. Of course Picard leaves to attend to other duties. You have to remember that the crew is not comprised of Star Trek TOS fans.

 

[BillJ]

I like Montgomery Scott, and this episode has rubbed me the wrong way since it debuted.

 

[Shikarnov]

I just completed a rematch of the episode 'Relics', which featured a return of Captain Montgomery Scott to the Star Trek universe. I have read that, for some, this is one of the best (or favorite) episodes. I wholeheartedly disagree!

Don't get me wrong....I loved seeing Scotty again and found the reason behind his continued existence to be fascinating. Only Scotty would have come up with a way to avoid death using the transporter, right?

But the episode, for me, left a lot to be desired. I understand the theme was one of old things, of things past, and the like. And while an exploration of that theme was accomplished, using Scotty to accomplish it was unacceptable - plain and simple.

How could the Enterprise-D crew not know the significance of their passenger's actions in Starfleet history? Scotty was a part of so many different significant things, not the least of which was the saving of Earth in Star Trek IV and the preservation of the new Klingon - Federation alliance in Star Trek VI. Is it plausible to believe that Picard and crew wouldn't have know of Scotty's accomplishments and actions? Of how important he was to Starfleet history?

I suspect that if they had known just how significant Scotty was, they wouldn't have treated him the way they did. He came aboard, and Laforge was pissed off at him from almost the get-go. Picard met with him, but after a few minutes, he left to attend to normal duties. Although he made up for that later as he drank with Scotty on the original Enterprise's bridge, the only reason they had this exchange was because of the 'old person' theme. And even when Picard was speaking to him, he still didn't even acknowledge Scotty's great accomplishments.

So, all in all, I was pretty unhappy with the episode..what do others think?

I have to admit that Relics isn't exactly a favorite of mine, but I don't agree with your thesis that Scotty was some kind of key player that would be remembered - and revered - for all time. I like Scotty as much as the next guy, and he was a key component of James Kirk's crew, but that's where it ends for him. It's the leaders that history remembers -- for good or ill.

Think about our own history. In spite of probably playing instrumental roles in strategy and execution, how many people -- aside from historians -- can name any of George Washington's officers during the Revolution? They were cogs in the machine, and cogs are never remembered. So too is it with Scotty.

If anything, I think Scotty was the one failing to behave appropriately. He served long enough to know that interfering with normal operations isn't just rude, but potentially dangerous. I wonder what he would have said if Charles Tucker appeared on the 1701 and started messing with equipment and interfering with his duties during a mission...

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

You have to remember that the crew is not comprised of Star Trek TOS fans.

This is the best thing to keep in mind when watching the newer guard interact with the old guard. Just because we idolize the characters and know all of their important missions and have watched them numerous times in reruns, on VHS, on laserdisc, on dvd and bluray, we can't forget that in-universe, someone like Scotty may be appreciated, but isn't necessarily on the pedestal us fans would place him on.

What if it was the chief engineer of the Yorktown instead of the Enterprise? Our expectations would be vastly different.

 

[Seven of Five]

I love Relics. Not a favourite episode, but it looked up to Scotty as a legend, whilst at the same time looking at what happens when legends get old. I thought it was nicely handled, and I think his appearance was better than Spock or Kirk's.

 

[Vandervecken]

I have to admit that Relics isn't exactly a favorite of mine, but I don't agree with your thesis that Scotty was some kind of key player that would be remembered - and revered - for all time. I like Scotty as much as the next guy, and he was a key component of James Kirk's crew, but that's where it ends for him. It's the leaders that history remembers -- for good or ill.

Think about our own history. In spite of probably playing instrumental roles in strategy and execution, how many people -- aside from historians -- can name any of George Washington's officers during the Revolution? They were cogs in the machine, and cogs are never remembered. So too is it with Scotty.

If anything, I think Scotty was the one failing to behave appropriately. He served long enough to know that interfering with normal operations isn't just rude, but potentially dangerous. I wonder what he would have said if Charles Tucker appeared on the 1701 and started messing with equipment and interfering with his duties during a mission...

Gotta disagree. Scotty's accomplishments are momentous and we would expect the name Scott to be as remembered and revered as the names Tesla, Nobel, Sikorsky, Diesel, etc. His STIV work puts him up there with Cochrane. Spock does the math, but if we are talking engineering Scotty is the doer. And since we are talking about actually saving the fewking earth, maybe more important than attracting Vulcan notice?

 

[MarsWeeps]

They should've at least got TOS bridge in the holodeck right but the small piece they did build had the railings and stairs in the wrong place. Carpet color was probably off too.

 

[Nebusj]

Gotta disagree. Scotty's accomplishments are momentous and we would expect the name Scott to be as remembered and revered as the names Tesla, Nobel, Sikorsky, Diesel, etc.

Yeah! Like that time Kirk ordered warp nine, and Scott said they couldn't do it, and Kirk said try harder, and Scott did it? That's the kind of thing no other engineer on any other starship before or since could ever possibly have done! Really, the amazing thing is to think LaForge didn't attend Montgomery Scott Elementary School and that the basic unit of warp drive isn't known as scotties.

 

[MacLeod]

Well Picard certainly seemed to know who Scotty was. And Scotty would certainly seemed to have an influence on Starfleet engineering for decades after his apparent death, given that some of the regulations he said he wrote seemed still to be in place.

So sure his name might not be as well known to the everyday persons as says Kirk, but how about Engineers would they know his name as they are in the same field?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I think the episode is okay but a little forced.

Star Trek has always referred to the time Scotty pulled a new cold restart formula out of his butt as an engineering breakthrough, so they probably teach that in Starfleet engineering classes.

 

[STEPhon IT]

This episode was another attempt to make their character, Geordi, look better than the previous character. Scotty comes off like a con-artist, a pathetic person who needed to exaggerate an technical issue, to satisfy his ego when he solved it. That is not the Scotty I know from TOS or the movies, he would never play games with the Captain in a situation which could jeopardize lives.
My God, what kind of ethics is that for a professional engineer in the military???
When Scotty told Kirk the situation with the Enterprise's engines or technical issues, he was telling the truth. Just like LaForge does for his Enterprise.

 

[Nebusj]

Well Picard certainly seemed to know who Scotty was. And Scotty would certainly seemed to have an influence on Starfleet engineering for decades after his apparent death, given that some of the regulations he said he wrote seemed still to be in place.

I think you are overestimating the fame and renown which comes from writing long-lived technical specifications.

 

[Relayer1]

I think the episode is okay but a little forced.

I thought it was great, and worth forcing a little.

 

[shapeshifter]

I adore Relics. It's got emotions, discovery and action. It was a very fun episode.

 

[Iamnotspock]

That is not the Scotty I know from TOS or the movies, he would never play games with the Captain in a situation which could jeopardize lives.
When Scotty told Kirk the situation with the Enterprise's engines or technical issues, he was telling the truth. Just like LaForge does for his Enterprise.

SCOTT: I'm almost done, sir. You'll be fully automated by the time we dock.
[Enterprise bridge]
KIRK: Your timing is excellent, Mister Scott. You've fixed the barn door after the horse has come home. How much refit time till we can take her out of here?
[Enterprise engineering]
SCOTT: Eight weeks, sir. But you don't have eight weeks so I'll do it for ya in two.
[Enterprise bridge]
KIRK: Mister Scott. Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?
[Enterprise engineering]
SCOTT: Certainly, sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?
KIRK (on intercom): Your reputation is secure, Scotty.

No, Scotty would never play games with the Captain in a situation which could jeopardize lives, any more than Geordi would, but in a non-serious situation, with something like a routine repair estimate? Well, it's right there, in one of the movies.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They should've at least got TOS bridge in the holodeck right but the small piece they did build had the railings and stairs in the wrong place. Carpet color was probably off too.

That bridge was built by a FAN who willingly handed it over to the TNG people for use on the show. One might be inclined to cut him a bit of slack on that point. (I'd say he did a very good job of getting it right.)

 

[MarsWeeps]

That bridge was built by a FAN who willingly handed it over to the TNG people for use on the show. One might be inclined to cut him a bit of slack on that point. (I'd say he did a very good job of getting it right.)

Do you have any links to that story? Everything I've read doesn't say anything about a fan building it.

From IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708764/trivia
The scene of the original Enterprise was made by looping footage of the empty bridge seen in Star Trek: This Side of Paradise (1967), and bluescreening it behind James Doohan. Because of this, only small parts of the set had to be built.

From Memory Alpha:
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/File:TOS_bridge_in_Relics.jpg
"The section of the USS Enterprise bridge built for TNG: "Relics" in 1992"

I vaguely remember something about a fan donating the captain's chair, but not building a partial bridge set. By the way, below is a shot that was actually built. TNG set crew could have done that in a day or two and gotten it right.

EDITED TO ADD: Ok, I know wikipedia is hardly a great source for truth, but I did find this, which shows a fan donated the Captain's chair and console but the rest of the bridge was built by the TNG set crew (incorrectly as I stated.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relics_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)
"The initial shot when Scotty's holodeck re-creation of his Enterprise is shown, was taken from the original series episode "This Side of Paradise", composited into this episode via blue screen. The part of the bridge where Scotty and Picard have their conversation was built new; the command chair and helm console were provided by a fan, Steve Horch, who originally built them for use at Star Trek conventions."

 

[Avro Arrow]

I vaguely remember something about a fan donating the captain's chair, but not building a partial bridge set.

Yes, the wedge-segment of the bridge was built by the studio, and the captain's chair and the helm console were rented:

The replicas of the captain's chair and helm, and navigational console were built by Steve Horch for convention purposes and slated to appear in the 1993 Star Trek Earth Tour traveling exhibition. [5] Discovered by Michael Okuda shortly before the start of the tour, they were rented for the recreation of the original bridge, and from a budgetary standpoint were instrumental in pulling off the recreation (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd. ed., p. 219), Okuda having flat-out stated, "If not for Steve Horch, we would not have that scene.". (Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, p. 274) Returned to Horch after use, the now bona-fide screen-used set pieces, together with the by the studio built wedge-shaped bridge panel, continued their existence as tour displays.

(Source)

Overall, I liked this episode, but there were a couple things I didn't care for.

SCOTT: I'm almost done, sir. You'll be fully automated by the time we dock.
KIRK: Your timing is excellent, Mister Scott. You've fixed the barn door after the horse has come home. How much refit time till we can take her out of here?
SCOTT: Eight weeks, sir. But you don't have eight weeks so I'll do it for ya in two.
KIRK: Mister Scott. Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?
SCOTT: Certainly, sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?
KIRK (on intercom): Your reputation is secure, Scotty.

This is the first one. I've always taken this as a joke, some playful banter between friends who have served for a long time together. As in, not actually true. "Relics" takes it completely seriously, and has Scotty act all incredulous that LaForge would actually give Picard an accurate estimate. This seems really out of character to me.

The second is the Dyson Sphere. They find this structure, which they know about in theory, but have never actually encountered. And they brush it off like they can't wait to get away from there. I know it wasn't really the point of the episode, but it would have been nice to see some exploration of the Sphere. Considering the size of a Dyson Sphere, they could have realistically spent the entire rest of the season there!