237. RelicsFORMULA: TOS + pink-colored glasses + The Loss
WHY WE LIKE IT: Scotty's back! The original bridge!
WHY WE DON'T: A less than perfect homage to the original series.
REVIEW: Scotty's return is much more gratuitous than Spock's last season, but that said, his survival through a self-produced miracle of engineering makes complete sense. What we should be getting, then, is a hommage to the original series and this character's role in it specifically. Unfortunately, that hommage is seriously flawed by having Geordi and other crew members find Scotty to be a tedious old relic. And in a sense, so do we.
He's clearly living in the past (even by his timeline) and must find his way in this new world. That's a fine human drama to explore. However, the episode keeps hammering on the idea that this time (TNG) is better, stronger, faster, and that for old Trekkies, it's time to let go, and leave the Trekkers to do their part. They're certainly not helping me like Geordi any better with this.
The episode does get better as Scotty gets more and more discouraged. The throw away references to specific episodes and "I was doing X before Y was even born" gives way to the much better "it is green" joke from By Any Other Name and talk of synthetic commanders. The best conversation is between Scotty and Picard (who IS respectful of the past, and has always been) on the bridge of the original Enterprise. A nice character moment for both of them on a set resonant with meaning. In the end, Scotty is a miracle worker to the end, allowing the Enterprise to beam him back from the Jenolen through its shields (thought I hadn't noticed, didja?).
One final word on the Dyson Sphere: This was a fantastic concept and it was great fun to see the Enterprise in daylight rather than outer space, but what a waste! It could and should have been the central focus of an exploration episode instead of tacked on and abandoned here. Ah well.
LESSON: .003% degradation in your transporter pattern means you're gonna forget Jim Kirk died before your eyes.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: Spock's return was en event. Scotty's had some fun bits, but felt nowhere near as relevant.
Comments
You nailed exactly why I didn't like this episode more than I should have.
If you want to see Scotty treated like the legend he is, check out the Starfleet Corps of Engineers books.
As always, I enjoy your blog.