"I want to come back to the ship," as everyone circled in this puzzle seems to have said to 22-Across

BEAMMEUP

["Hint: *\"Famous sci-fi request to return to a spaceship, often directed at the chief engineer.\"*\n\nThis hint keeps the *Star Trek* context and the idea of teleportation while making it slightly more straightforward by mentioning the \"request\" and \"chief engineer\" (Scotty). It avoids repeating the original clue's phrasing but still guides the solver toward the answer."]

This clue is a playful reference to the famous *Star Trek* catchphrase **"Beam me up, Scotty!"**—a line often associated with characters requesting teleportation back to the starship *Enterprise*. Here’s how the clue breaks down: - **"I want to come back to the ship"** hints at the idea of being transported (or "beamed up") to a spaceship. - **"As everyone circled in this puzzle seems to have said"** suggests that the answer is a common phrase used by multiple characters (or "everyone") in a *Star Trek*-like context. - **"To 22-Across"** implies that the phrase is directed at a character (likely Scotty, the chief engineer responsible for the transporter). - The answer **"BEAMMEUP"** is a condensed version of the iconic line, with "BEAM ME UP" written as a single word (a common crossword convention for phrases). The wordplay relies on cultural knowledge of *Star Trek* and the transporter technology, making the connection clear to solvers familiar with the franchise.