It’s Green

Terrific tropical-style storm today. After noon, the sky darkened quickly, and at about 1 o’clock there was an intense downpour. It was over quickly, and by late afternoon, the sky had partly cleared. But it wasn’t quite tropical. The rain actually cooled things down a little in the afternoon, instead of the air quickly heating up again.

I heard a short tribute to James Doohan on the radio this afternoon, which included handful of sound clips of the actor doing the only role he’ll be remembered for. Not included in the clips was a favorite line of mine: the time Scotty’s duties included drinking an alien in human form under the table. At one point a blotto Scotty shows the alien a new bottle, and the alien asks him, “What is it?”

Scotty thinks about this for a drunken moment, pondering the bottle. “It’s green,” he says.

The original Star Trek was an optimistic show indeed. The characters were allowed to drink actual intoxicants, and to excess.