Strange New Worlds Shows Kirk’s Influence On Scotty’s Drinking
Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, Episode 8, “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds proves that Lt. Commander James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) was a bit of a bad influence for Lt. Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn). By the time of Star Trek: The Original Series, Scotty (James Doohan) will have taken over as Chief Engineer on the Starship Enterprise, eventually earning a reputation as an engineering “miracle worker.”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 8, “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans,” offers insight into the earliest days of Kirk and Scotty’s friendship. In “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans,” Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and three of his crewmembers transform into full-blooded Vulcans for an away mission, but things get complicated when they cannot immediately reverse the transformation.
Before long, Lt. Kirk arrives on the Enterprise to spend his downtime with the ship’s crew, and he and Scotty find themselves trying to prevent Vulcan La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) from starting an intergalactic war. Kirk and Scotty’s interactions throughout “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans” are some of the best parts of the episode, and Kirk clearly makes an impression on Scotty, for both good and ill.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Made Kirk A Bad Influence On Scotty
When Lt. Kirk first arrives on the Enterprise in “Four-and-a-Half Vulcans,” he encourages Scotty to call him “Jim,” considering their shared near-death experience in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 6, “The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail.” Kirk encourages Scotty to be less formal and more laid-back, taking him to the Port Galley to have drinks with La’an.
Back in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 2, “Wedding Bell Blues,” Scotty remarked that he’s “not really much of a drinker” when offered a drink. This contrasts sharply with the Scotty of Star Trek: The Original Series, who had a particular fondness for scotch, but it turns out Kirk is the one who introduced Scotty to his drink of choice.
By the end of the episode, Kirk and Scotty are back in the Port Galley, reflecting on their experience over glasses of scotch. As Kirk holds the cold glass to his bruised head, Scotty suggests going to sickbay, but Kirk replies that he “prefers the scotch.” Scotty responds that he “could get used to it,” and by the time of TOS, it will become his favorite drink.
Everyone On The Starship Enterprise Drinks, Not Just Scotty
Of course, Scotty is not the only Enterprise crew member who enjoys a drink during his downtime. Captain Pike regularly holds dinner parties in his quarters, where he and his crew members share drinks, and the Port Galley always appears to be busy. None of the ship’s crew members seems to have any problems with alcohol, and sickbay could likely provide quick fixes for drunkenness or hangovers if necessary.
By the 24th century of Star Trek: The Next Generation, synthesized alcohol known as synthehol will have replaced real alcohol on most starships. While synthehol is meant to taste the same as regular alcohol, it lacks the intoxicating and addictive effects.
When Scotty visits the Enterprise-D in TNG’s “Relics,” he immediately recognizes something off with the synthesized scotch, prompting Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) to introduce him to one of the “non-syntheholic products” Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) keeps behind the counter. Scotty’s love for real scotch is well-documented, and, thanks to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it can now be traced back to none other than James T. Kirk.
Dan Liu, Amanda Row, Maja Vrvilo, Akiva Goldsman, Dermott Downs, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Jonathan Frakes, Jordan Canning, Leslie Hope, Valerie Weiss, Sydney Freeland, Christopher J. Byrne, Rachel Leiterman
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