10 TV Show Moments You're Misremembering
1. Kirk Never Said "Beam Me Up, Scotty" - Star Trek: The Original Series
There is no single quote more closely associated with Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) than "Beam me up, Scotty!" It's so ingrained in general culture that even people who've never seen a single frame of a Star Trek episode are aware of it.
The irony, though, is that across The Original Series' 79 episodes, Kirk never once actually says those four words in that order.
He's gotten close a few times - he's said, "Scotty, beam us up," "Mr. Scott, beam us up," and simply, "Beam me up" - but never uttered the full, widely disseminated quotation precisely as stated.
His closest call, though? In the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, he says, "Scotty, beam me up."
The misquote nevertheless took on a life of its own and remains a popular catchphrase over 50 years later, enough that it was even included in Scotty actor James Doohan's own obituary.
When a misremembered quote has become such a pop-culture mainstay in its own right, there's admittedly not much point trying to correct everybody - the battle is already lost.