My "FIGHT" with Captain Kirk!

[Poltargyst]

Star Trek shorthand. In TOS, they didn't need to spell it out with detailed explanations. Scotty knew what to do

It's not just about Scotty knowing what to do, it's about the audience knowing what Kirk is telling Scotty to do. If it's to detach the saucer section and allow the secondary hull to be destroyed, the dialog needs to say that. Kirk could tell Scotty to separate the saucer section, but he doesn't. He says jettison the nacelles.

 

[Poltargyst]

I'd forgotten about this:

The Star Trek Transcripts - The Savage Curtain

The Savage Curtain

KIRK: Scotty, inform Starfleet Command. Disengage nacelles, Jettison if possible. Mister Spock, assist them. Advise and analyse. Scotty? Scotty?

So apparently the nacelles can be disengaged and jettisoned as separate actions. But no mention again of any saucer section separation.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I'd forgotten about this:

The Star Trek Transcripts - The Savage Curtain

The Savage Curtain

KIRK: Scotty, inform Starfleet Command. Disengage nacelles, Jettison if possible. Mister Spock, assist them. Advise and analyse. Scotty? Scotty?

So apparently the nacelles can be disengaged and jettisoned as separate actions. But no mention again of any saucer section separation.

Now we have to think about what these 1960s writers thought of as "nacelles," not what we fans think of today, in an age Starfleet ships live by a decades-known set of established terms.

Google returns this for "define nacelles":

1. a streamlined housing or tank for something on the outside of an aircraft or motor vehicle.
• the outer casing of an aircraft engine.
• the car of an airship.

They thought "nacelles" included the secondary hull. It IS a casing held to the saucer by a pylon. "Jettison the nacelles," to those writers, just meant "Get away in the saucer" I'll betcha.

Also, in "The Apple," Scotty says "We're losing potency in our antimatter pods." By that he meant the two obvious warp engines that we call nacelles. [I had to learn, years later on this very board, that aircraft guys call engine housings pods.] So that's another data point, meaning the engines only, without the secondary hull, go by "pods."

 

[Henoch]

I'd forgotten about this:

The Star Trek Transcripts - The Savage Curtain

The Savage Curtain

KIRK: Scotty, inform Starfleet Command. Disengage nacelles, Jettison if possible. Mister Spock, assist them. Advise and analyse. Scotty? Scotty?

So apparently the nacelles can be disengaged and jettisoned as separate actions. But no mention again of any saucer section separation.

In this case, jettison the nacelles was in response to:

SCOTT: I can't explain it, sir, but the matter and antimatter are in red zone proximity.
KIRK [OC]: What caused that?
SCOTT: There's no knowing and there's no stopping it either. The shielding is breaking down. I estimate four hours before it goes completely. Four hours before the ship blows up.

This also assumes that the matter and antimatter reactions are in the nacelles, only, and not in the secondary hull. It's always vague with this show.

 

[Phaser Two]

Now we have to think about what these 1960s writers thought of as "nacelles," not what we fans think of today, in an age Starfleet ships live by a decades-known set of established terms.

Google returns this for "define nacelles":


They thought "nacelles" included the secondary hull. It IS a casing held to the saucer by a pylon. "Jettison the nacelles," to those writers, just meant "Get away in the saucer" I'll betcha.

Also, in "The Apple," Scotty says "We're losing potency in our antimatter pods." By that he meant the two obvious warp engines that we call nacelles. [I had to learn, years later on this very board, that aircraft guys call engine housings pods.] So that's another data point, meaning the engines only, without the secondary hull, go by "pods."

Great call! Additionally, in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," the writers had a USAF fighter pilot describe the Enterprise as a UFO with "two cylindrical projections on top, one below." That may also support the idea of saucer separation and your theory about the inclusive meaning of nacelles.

 

[TRON JA307020]

A couple of years ago I was at The Star Trek Original Series Set Tour for a Shatner event. When I visit my friends there, I love to help out with the guests and stay out of their way. I didn't expect to have a "fist fight" with William Shatner!Normally my friend John Carrigan Does the honor, but John was unable to attend. While waiting outside the entrance to engineering ,out of the way of the guests, I hear my name called! James Cawley came out to meet me and said...You're Fighting Captain Kirk!So there I was standing in front of Mr. Shatner as he explained to the guests how he would Kick my butt!We did it twice that day. The second time Mr. Shatner and I waited for the guests to move on to the bridge.He then said to me, you did a good job. I said thanks! He then said John Carrigan would have fallen on the floor! I said, OK, next time I'll do that! Mr. Shatner looked at me in my full Starfleet uniform and said, No, I wouldn't want you to dirty that tunic...It looks expensive!A great memory! Luck would have it that several of the guests sent me these images as I was too busy acting!To do this, in full uniform, in engineering on the Starship Enterprise, acting a fight scene with William Shatner was a very surreal event indeed!

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Wow. What a great story and moment for you. I hope you got done pictures or video so you can reminisce in the future.