In the fourth episode of the sixth season of The Next Generation, W H A T. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Ah, this was a sweet episode, one that started off as a BRUTALLY UNCOMFORTABLE examination of how Scotty was literally and metaphorically out of place in the future. I didn’t expect the episode to take this direction because… well, it’s special! It’s got one of the Original Series actors making a huge cameo! IT’S TIME FOR A CELEBRATION!
Except then it’s awkward and sad and I DID NOT WANT TO FEEL ANY OF THESE THINGS.
The plot of “Relics” is largely immaterial to the character study that unfolds in this episode. I found myself bored with it most of the time because we’re given the promise of THE COOLEST SHIT IMAGINABLE, but then we just get two brief glimpses of it. And that’s it. Y’all, the Dyson sphere is such a rad idea, and I thought there was so much potential for an episode set inside one, but as I said, that isn’t really the point of this episode. That’s fine, but I just feel like this episode suffers because of this choice. The Dyson sphere only exists to give Scotty a situation in which to feel useful, and I don’t imagine we’ll ever get another episode with one in it.
So let’s just talk about Scotty’s story here. James Doohan is great here, especially since he does a fantastic job feeling like a relic. The challenge here is that Scotty’s character has to feel like a fish out of water in every way imaginable. His appearance 75 years in the future is immediately a conflict once Worf wanders into the room, but the show doesn’t make this an obvious antagonism. Instead, Scotty’s biggest problem ends up being Geordi. Even while intended the best, he is clearly out of his element. He’s got seven decades of technology to catch up on, but he doesn’t consider this before darting around Engineering while nearly breaking practically everything.
It was clear that Scotty was trying to help, and it was clear that he was doing anything but that. Yet even when he abandons Engineering, he finds out he’s still behind the times. Synthohol is now served on Starships, private quarters are like MANSIONS, and everything is created by replicator. That’s why it’s so perpetually heartbreaking to watch a drunk Scotty stumble into a holodeck just to get a glimpse of his old bridge. Y’all, that scene is THE BEST THING HERE. The show is not treading in nostalgia for the sake of it; if anything, this is all proof that nostalgia doesn’t provide any lasting meaning or fulfillment. Scotty could have stayed on that bridge in the holodeck until they made it to a Starbase, and he could have retired, and that could have been his life.
Which we’d all understand. Scotty’s true home was back on the Enterprise, the original one, and without that ship and those people, his life is simply different. What I ultimately enjoyed about this story, though, was the insistence that his life wasn’t over just because the Enterprise was long ago decommissioned. There’s a life for Scotty that is rewarding and rich. It takes a disaster for him to realize that, sure. At the very least, that justifies the Dyson sphere plot.
And what does usefulness mean? “Relics” argues that it’s not about time or place, and while Scotty might need a whole lot education about what’s happened while he was trapped in a transporter beam, that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. There’s something to be said about his instinct in high-stress situations and the ingenuity that follows it. It’s natural to him, and it’s a part of him he’ll always have, regardless of what time he lives in. That’s why the ending feels so cool to me. Scotty’s story isn’t over, and if the show was looking for a way to tell us that this character was not useless, this was it. There are so many more adventures for him to have, and NOW THERE IS A WAY FOR HIM TO DO IT. I bet he isn’t going to retire for years, y’all, and I support him. I SUPPORT YOU, SCOTTY.
The video for “Relics” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– I am now on Patreon!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME.
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– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be Kings, season 1 of Sense8, season 1 of Agent Carter, seasons 1 & 2 of The 100, Death Note, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
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