The Same Thing Scotty Joke Now Spans 3 Star Trek Shows Over 165 Years

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, Episode 3 - "Human Best Friend"The same Scotty joke now spans James Doohan and Martin Quinn's versions in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: The Original Series, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, spanning roughly 165 years. Directed by Yana Gorskaya and written by Kathryn Lyn, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 3, "Human Best Friend," pairs up Scotty and Lieutenant Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) for The Hangover-inspired shore leave hijinks.

Before Scotty and Ortegas put their mutual animosity aside and become 'human best friends,' the two lieutenants awaken with serious hangovers and must piece together the bizarre disappearance of the USS Enterprise's shuttlecraft. Their intoxicated crewmates are little help, as everyone suffers from the effects of the resort planet Cesnar's intoxicating atmosphere.

Besides The Hangover, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 3's madcap farce contains odes to Tom Cruise's Cocktail, Klingon power ballads sung by Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), and even anbo-jyutsu first seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Meanwhile, Scotty hears a quip that he will repeat in Star Trek: The Original Series, and then will be told to him in TNG.

Scotty's “It's Green” Joke Spans Strange New Worlds, TOS & Star Trek: The Next Generation

One of the funniest physical gags in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 3 is that Dr. Joseph M'Benga was a very happy and very inept bartender. Joseph fancies himself an acrobatic drinks-slinger, but amusingly drops bottles and glasses. When M'Benga does pour Scotty an unidentified drink, he helpfully describes it: "It's green."

Strange New Worlds retcons "It's green" as the first time alcohol is described to Scotty by its color. About five years later in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2's "By Any Other Name," Scotty (James Doohan) tries to drink a Kelvan named Tomar (Robert Fortier) under the table. When Tomar asks what Scotty's alcohol is, the engineer sniffs it and replies, "It's green."

Scotty will hear that phrase again when he's aboard the USS Enterprise-D in the 24th century. After Captain Scott is rescued from over 75 years in a pattern buffer in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6's "Relics," the legendary engineer seeks an adult beverage at 10 Forward, learning, to his chagrin, of the existence of synthehol.

Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) comes to Scotty's rescue, searching Guinan's (Whoopi Goldberg) secret stash of genuine liquor and pouring Scotty a new drink. Neither knew that the verdant liquid was Aldebaran whiskey, and Data was at a loss to describe it other than stating, "It is green." Did Scotty experience déjà vu when he heard that?

"Relics" happens in 2369, roughly 165 years after "Human Best Friend." A lot happened to Scotty in his long, extended life, so hearing "It is green" from Data may not have rung a bell. Scotty was very hungover when Dr. M'Benga said it, but perhaps it stuck in the back of the engineer's mind, and he repeated it to Tomar in TOS long before Data said it to Scotty in TNG.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Reveals Scotty’s Backstory

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's "Human Best Friend" revealed more about Scotty's life before serving on the USS Enterprise. Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation previously dropped factoids about Mr. Scott, including how he spent part of his youth in Aberdeen, Scotland, and that he served on 11 ships, including the Enterprise.

As Scotty confessed to Ortegas, he grew up with seven brothers, four of whom were adopted by his parents, whose hearts were as infinite as space. Montgomery also doesn't like to be called "Monty," and he originally enrolled in Starfleet Academy to become a pilot. After crashing seven shuttles ("so many shuttles"), however, he switched to Engineering, which Scotty had a knack for.

However, his Starfleet Academy instructor and current superior officer, Commander Pelia (Carol Kane), didn't consider Scotty as anything special as an engineer when he was her student. Still, Scotty's Starfleet Academy screw-up is the reverse of Ortegas'. Erica joined the Academy to be an engineer, but couldn't make heads or tails of intermix chambers before realizing she was a talented pilot.

When Scotty and Ortegas save the USS Enterprise from a bomb in "Human Best Friend," Mr. Scott finds his thumb has been severed. This is also an amusing reference to James Doohan, who lost his right middle finger during World War II. Unlike Doohan, 23rd-century medicine was able to surgically repair Scotty's thumb.

Amusingly, a drunk Scotty also wears a Mugato costume in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "Human Best Friend." Over 900 years later, Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) would also dress as a Mugato in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Production-wise, it's probably the same costume, and Scotty makes a meta joke that he can still smell the previous wearer.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4's new episodes premiere Thursdays on Paramount+