Rick: There's no such thing as an "Uncle Steve". That is an alien parasite!
Jerry: But I've...known him my whole life.
Rick: No, you haven't, Jerry! These telepathic little bastards, they embed themselves in memories, and-and then they use them to multiply and spread out and take over planets! It's-It's disgusting!
Morty: Steve wasn't real?
Rick: He's a real piece of shit! This is a big one. Somebody probably tracked it in last week on the bottom of their shoe or on a piece of alien fruit.
Summer: Someone?
Rick: Get off the high road, Summer! We all got pinkeye because you won't stop texting on the toilet!
Morty: But Uncle Steve taught me how to ride a bike.
Rick: No, "Steve" put that memory in your brain so he could live in your house, eat your food and multiply! We could be infested with these things, so we gotta keep an eye out for any zany, wacky characters that pop up.
Mr. Poopybutthole: [Having appeared out of nowhere] Ooh-ee! Whatever you want, Rick, we're here to help.
Rick: Thanks, Mr. Poopybutthole. I always could count on you.
The older you get, the more you forget
To remember what you should recall
You fill in the blanks in your memory with things
That may not have happened at all
You never remember my birthday (Huh?)
But you know when deer season comes (Oh!)
You oughta be shot, 'cause I know you forgot
It's our anniversary, you bum!
To remember what you should recall
You fill in the blanks in your memory with things
That may not have happened at all
You never remember my birthday (Huh?)
But you know when deer season comes (Oh!)
You oughta be shot, 'cause I know you forgot
It's our anniversary, you bum!
—Da Yoopers, "Da Anniversary Song"
You think you have memories. A farm. A family. An airplane. A crash. And then this place. Was there really a family? Did that airplane crash, or, was it hijacked? Forced down, forced down by something less than a man, something bred to sleepwalk through life unless activated by a simple phrase, spoken by their kindly master.
—Andrew Ryan, Bioshock
"Implants. Those aren't your memories, they're somebody else's."
—Rick Deckard, Blade Runner
Geordi: But I remember everything! Like, there was this one night at dinner, we had this Andorian waiter, he couldn't get our orders right. It did happen. I remember being on Risa!
Troi: I know you do. Just take that memory and put it aside for a moment, and tell me everything you remember about the shuttlecraft trip after you left the Enterprise.
Geordi: (sighs) Well, I was just trying to get in the mood. I played some music, I talked to the computer. You know what it's like on a long trip.
Troi: And when you saw the Romulan ship, did you try calling for help?
Geordi: No, the first thing I did was— (pause) Wait a minute, that's... But that's...
Troi: It'll take time, Geordi. A long time. But we will reconstruct your memory. Together.
Geordi: I'm just not sure about anything...
Troi: Believe it or not, that's a good sign. A beginning. Now, let's go back to the shuttlecraft. There was a Romulan ship and the first thing you did was?...
