Star Trek: 10 Things You Need To Know About Transporters

5. No, Beam Me Up Scotty Was Never Said Out Loud

Star Trek TOS Scotty
CBS Paramount

Though now it is well-known, the exact phrase 'Beam Me Up, Scotty' was never said on-screen in Star Trek. Many variations of the command were issued throughout the years, including near-misses like 'Scotty, Beam Me Up.'

The misquote started to appear in popular media roughly ten years after Star Trek's debut. It was both connected to the franchise itself and became slang that was used in other contexts. Perhaps unsurprisingly for the period (i.e. the 60s and 70s) it quickly became associated with taking mind-altering drugs, allowing the user to disappear into another place mentally.

James Doohan used the phrase as the title of his autobiography in 1996, and the quote was so connected to him that it is included in his obituary, despite the actor never having spoken the lines, nor responded to them. William Shatner did however include the line in an audio recording of his novel Ashes of Eden.

The rebooted Kelvin films have continued the tradition of almost using the quote, as there are several examples where Kirk, and other characters, quickly bark the order 'Scotty, beam us out!'

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"