Who said that?

According to this pithy report by Karl Smallwood, Captain Kirk never uttered these precise words in the original Star Trek series. Captain Kirk comes close, however, on several occasions.  For example, he says “Scotty, beam us up, fast” in the original episode of Star Trek and “Beam us up” in another episode.

Yet, as Mr Smallwood notes, this phrase “is universally and intrinsically linked with the original Star Trek series.”  So, who coined this famous phrase, if not Captain Kirk?  Nobody really knows.

For additional examples of “wrongfully attributed statements,” check out this essay by Corey Robin.

Hat tip: digg