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star trek - Why did Scotty think Capt Kirk was alive?



In season 6 episode 4 of of Star Trek: TNG; Captain Scott is recovered from a transport buffer after 75 years on the Jenolen.


He asks if Jim Kirk was still alive and if he'd come to rescue him.


But in Star Trek Generations, Scotty witnesses (indirectly) Kirk's 'death' when he gets sucked into the Nexus Ribbon.


Why would Scotty think Kirk was alive if he knew Kirk was dead from the maiden voyage of the Enterprise B?


(Real world answer: Generations was written 4 years after that episode, lol)



Answer



First, let's establish the timeline



  • Year that Kirk vanished: 2293

  • Year that Scotty was recovered: ~2369



That's about 76 years. Which leaves less than one year between when Kirk vanishes and when Scotty has his accident involving a Dyson sphere.


So let me paint the picture I have of the situation. Scotty, an aging Captain who is already being pushed out by the younger generation witnesses the seeming death of one of his oldest friends. Unable to deal with the tragedy he embarks on a deep space mission on a rundown ship with a crew of nobodies - in search of who-knows-what.


On the way, he begins to make peace with the death of Kirk, meeting new people, having new adventures. Until he happens on something truly new. The Dyson sphere.


But a crash. All his new friends die. He is alone. Even more useless and out of date than he's ever been.


Perfect backdrop to the events of Relics. I think we can understand why he couldn't, in that moment, come to grips with his closest friend's death.


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