Montgomery Scott
Encyclopedia
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish
engineer in the Star Trek
media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan
in the original Star Trek series
, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series
, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation
episode "Relics
", and in numerous books, comics, and video games. Simon Pegg
assumed the character for the 2009 film Star Trek.
" (1966) on the recommendation of that episode's director, James Goldstone, who had worked with him before. The character almost didn't make it to the show after series creator Gene Roddenberry
sent Doohan a letter informing him, "We don't think we need an engineer in the series"; only the intervention of Doohan's agent meant that the character could remain. He tried a variety of accents for the part, and decided to use a Scottish accent on the basis that he thought Scottish people make the best engineers. Doohan himself chose Scotty's first name of Montgomery in honor of his maternal grandfather, James Montgomery.
Paul McGillion
auditioned for the Scotty role for the 2009 Star Trek movie, and received James Doohan's son's endorsement. However, Simon Pegg's casting was announced on October 12, 2007.
, Scotland
in 2222. Doohan claimed to have based Scotty's accent on an Aberdeen accent
he once heard. During the events of Star Trek, Scotty holds the rank of lieutenant commander and serves as the Enterprises second officer and "miracle worker" chief engineer. Scotty's technical knowledge and skill allow him to devise unconventional and effective last-minute solutions to dire problems. Scotty's identity is strongly connected to the Enterprise itself, and the character often takes a paternal attitude toward the ship. He is frequently the liaison between Captain James T. Kirk
's (William Shatner
) ambitious tactical plans and what is technically feasible in the realm of the starship's capabilities. Although he sometimes commands the ship when both Captain Kirk and first officer Spock
(Leonard Nimoy
) are off the ship (as third senior officer), Scotty asserts in the TNG episode "Relics" that he "never wanted to be anything else but an engineer".
Scotty oversaw the Enterprises refit prior to the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
(1979), and is part of the crew when the Enterprise confronts Khan Noonien Singh
(Ricardo Montalbán
) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
(1982). Although not stated when this occurred in the original release of the film, Peter Preston, who dies with Scotty at his bedside, was Scotty's nephew. Scotty was promoted to captain of engineering of the USS Excelsior in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
(1984), Scotty sabotages his new ship and helps Kirk steal the Enterprise to rescue Spock. Scotty joins Kirk's crew aboard the USS Enterprise-A
at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
(1986). In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
, he helps Kirk, Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy
(DeForest Kelley
) escape the brig
and retake the hijacked Enterprise. Scotty kills Colonel West (René Auberjonois) before the latter can assassin
ate the Federation
president (Kurtwood Smith
) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
(1991). Scotty joins Kirk and Pavel Chekov
(Walter Koenig
) for the USS Enterprise-B
's maiden voyage
in Star Trek Generations (1994), saving the ship through technical wizardry.
Scotty was aboard a transport shuttle en route to a retirement colony when it crashed into a Dyson sphere
; stranded, he set the transporter
to cycle indefinitely and "stored" himself in the buffer for decades before being recovered by the USS Enterprise-D
crew in "Relics". A "relic" no longer able to serve effectively as an engineer and struggling to acclimate to 24th-century life, Scotty nevertheless manages to help save the Enterprise-D through technical know-how and chicanery.
's prized beagle
from one planet to the next — and having no idea where it ended up. With assistance from Spock Prime and James Kirk, he joins the Enterprise crew and becomes the ship's chief engineer.
Linlithgow
's claim to being Scotty's birthplace. However, Scotty says in "Wolf in the Fold" (1967) that he is "an old Aberdeen
pub crawler", and Aberdeen
city leaders proposed plans to erect a monument to the actor and character.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
engineer in the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan
James Doohan
James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
in the original Star Trek series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Animated Series is an animated science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe following the events of Star Trek: The Original Series of the 1960s...
, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode "Relics
Relics (TNG episode)
"Relics" is the 130th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the fourth episode of the sixth season.-Overview:...
", and in numerous books, comics, and video games. Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
assumed the character for the 2009 film Star Trek.
Development and portrayals
Doohan was cast as the Enterprise engineer for the second Star Trek pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone BeforeWhere No Man Has Gone Before (TOS episode)
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the second pilot episode of the television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It was produced in 1965 after the first pilot, "The Cage", had been rejected by NBC. The episode was eventually broadcast third in sequence on September 22, 1966, and was re-aired on...
" (1966) on the recommendation of that episode's director, James Goldstone, who had worked with him before. The character almost didn't make it to the show after series creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
sent Doohan a letter informing him, "We don't think we need an engineer in the series"; only the intervention of Doohan's agent meant that the character could remain. He tried a variety of accents for the part, and decided to use a Scottish accent on the basis that he thought Scottish people make the best engineers. Doohan himself chose Scotty's first name of Montgomery in honor of his maternal grandfather, James Montgomery.
Paul McGillion
Paul McGillion
Paul McGillion is a Vancouver-based actor who has worked in television, film and theatre since 1990. He is best known for his role on the television series Stargate Atlantis as Dr. Carson Beckett.-Early life:...
auditioned for the Scotty role for the 2009 Star Trek movie, and received James Doohan's son's endorsement. However, Simon Pegg's casting was announced on October 12, 2007.
Depiction
Montgomery Scott was born in LinlithgowLinlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 2222. Doohan claimed to have based Scotty's accent on an Aberdeen accent
Doric dialect (Scotland)
Doric, the popular name for Mid Northern Scots or Northeast Scots, refers to the dialects of Scots spoken in the northeast of Scotland.-Nomenclature:...
he once heard. During the events of Star Trek, Scotty holds the rank of lieutenant commander and serves as the Enterprises second officer and "miracle worker" chief engineer. Scotty's technical knowledge and skill allow him to devise unconventional and effective last-minute solutions to dire problems. Scotty's identity is strongly connected to the Enterprise itself, and the character often takes a paternal attitude toward the ship. He is frequently the liaison between Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
's (William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
) ambitious tactical plans and what is technically feasible in the realm of the starship's capabilities. Although he sometimes commands the ship when both Captain Kirk and first officer Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
(Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
) are off the ship (as third senior officer), Scotty asserts in the TNG episode "Relics" that he "never wanted to be anything else but an engineer".
Scotty oversaw the Enterprises refit prior to the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
(1979), and is part of the crew when the Enterprise confronts Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan, is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe. According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" , Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman tyrant who once controlled more...
(Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T...
(1982). Although not stated when this occurred in the original release of the film, Peter Preston, who dies with Scotty at his bedside, was Scotty's nephew. Scotty was promoted to captain of engineering of the USS Excelsior in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:...
(1984), Scotty sabotages his new ship and helps Kirk steal the Enterprise to rescue Spock. Scotty joins Kirk's crew aboard the USS Enterprise-A
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A is a starship in the fourth, fifth, and sixth Star Trek films.-Origin and design:The Enterprise-A used the same shooting model as the preceding NCC-1701...
at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
(1986). In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series...
, he helps Kirk, Spock and Dr. Leonard McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
(DeForest Kelley
DeForest Kelley
Jackson DeForest Kelley was an American actor known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek.-Early life:...
) escape the brig
Military prison
A military prison is a prison operated by the military. Military prisons are used variously to house prisoners of war, enemy combatants, those whose freedom is deemed a national security risk by the military or national authorities, and members of the military found guilty of a serious crime...
and retake the hijacked Enterprise. Scotty kills Colonel West (René Auberjonois) before the latter can assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
ate the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
president (Kurtwood Smith
Kurtwood Smith
Kurtwood Larson Smith is an American television and film actor. He is best known for playing Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop and stern parental characters , and for his appearances in the genre of science fiction...
) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and...
(1991). Scotty joins Kirk and Pavel Chekov
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov is a Russian Starfleet officer in the Star Trek fictional universe. Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the original Star Trek series and first seven Star Trek films; Anton Yelchin portrayed the character in the 2009 film Star Trek.-Origin:Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry...
(Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor, writer, teacher and director, known for his roles as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Alfred Bester in Babylon 5. He wrote the script for the 2008 science fiction legal thriller InAlienable.-Early life:...
) for the USS Enterprise-B
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)
The USS Enterprise is a fictional starship in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. It is an Excelsior-class upgrade Starfleet vessel that appears under the command of Captain John Harriman in the film Star Trek Generations...
's maiden voyage
Maiden voyage
The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....
in Star Trek Generations (1994), saving the ship through technical wizardry.
Scotty was aboard a transport shuttle en route to a retirement colony when it crashed into a Dyson sphere
Dyson sphere
A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure originally described by Freeman Dyson. Such a "sphere" would be a system of orbiting solar power satellites meant to completely encompass a star and capture most or all of its energy output...
; stranded, he set the transporter
Transporter (Star Trek)
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern , then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter...
to cycle indefinitely and "stored" himself in the buffer for decades before being recovered by the USS Enterprise-D
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
crew in "Relics". A "relic" no longer able to serve effectively as an engineer and struggling to acclimate to 24th-century life, Scotty nevertheless manages to help save the Enterprise-D through technical know-how and chicanery.
Alternate timeline
Simon Pegg's portrayal in the 2009 Star Trek film has Scotty stuck working at an isolated outpost as punishment for beaming Admiral Jonathan ArcherJonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he is played by Scott Bakula...
's prized beagle
Beagle
The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game...
from one planet to the next — and having no idea where it ended up. With assistance from Spock Prime and James Kirk, he joins the Enterprise crew and becomes the ship's chief engineer.
Reception and critical reaction
Slate.com called Pegg's performance of Scotty in the 2009 Star Trek film "juicily comic".Birthplace dispute
Following Doohan's death, several Scottish towns campaigned to be named Scotty's "official birthplace". Scripts and production materials supportLinlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
's claim to being Scotty's birthplace. However, Scotty says in "Wolf in the Fold" (1967) that he is "an old Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
pub crawler", and Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
city leaders proposed plans to erect a monument to the actor and character.