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A Complete Guide to Scotty From Star Trek

The Enterprise's redoubtable Chief Engineer is one of Star Trek's most beloved characters. Here's everything you need to know about Montgomery Scott.

Few Star Trek characters are more beloved than Montgomery Scott. With his immense engineering skills and propensity for jury-rigged solutions, he spent much of The Original Series at the heart of the action, and even took command of the Enterprise when Kirk and Spock were busy on some planet's surface. And while it was never used in precisely those terms, the phrase "beam me up Scotty" became one of Star Trek's first tag lines: referring to his uncanny operation of the ship's transporters.

Along the line, he experienced multiple reboots and updates, and like his fellow OG characters, he's always a welcome presence regardless of the project. He served as inspiration for subsequent Star Trek engineers -- notably Miles O'Brien from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine -- and yet his in-universe origins remain surprisingly murky. His arrival on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds may change that, in addition to generating renewed interest in the character and his rich Star Trek history.

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Scotty's Origins

The character's origins lie with actor James Doohan, who played him for over 30 years and who remains more closely associated with Scotty than any other. According to David Gerrod's 1973 reference guide The World of Star Trek , Doohan played a huge role in the character's creation. He delivered a variety of accents while auditioning for the show's second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." When asked which accent he himself would use, the actor suggested Scottish because Scots were "renowned for having great engineering skills." That established the core of the character more or less on the spot.

Doohan always played Scotty as utterly devoted to the ship, to the point of considering it his property. That was often played for laughs: notably in Season 2, Episode 14, "The Trouble with Tribbles," when he started a bar fight with a group of Klingons after they disparaged the Enterprise's honor. He could solve any problem with the warp drive -- or any other part of the ship's systems -- which gave the show a natural ticking clock whenever it needed one. Scotty would invariably fix the malfunction with seconds to spare, allowing the Enterprise to escape by the skin of its teeth.

Scotty in The Original Star Trek

Scotty appeared in 65 of The Original Series' 79 episodes, as well as the first seven Star Trek movies and all but one entry in Star Trek: The Animated Series . That established his modus operandi: diligent, plain-spoken, and given to simple but accurate assessment of the problem du jour. It also cemented his unwavering loyalty to Captain Kirk, and his steadfast ability to hold the line in the face of trouble. That arose most often during his stints in the captain's chair, which helped define the character alongside his last-minute repairs and timely use of the transporter.

The Star Trek movies largely relegated him to support duties, though they found quiet ways to develop his character. A cut subplot from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan introduced his nephew among the Enterprise's new cadets, who's killed in Khan's first sneak attack. The brief sequences further connected Scotty to the ship's redshirts, as well as shedding light on his family and background. He played a more lightweight role in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock when he sabotaged the Excelsior in anticipation of the crew's theft of the Enterprise. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home similarly let him flash his comedic chops, notably while dealing with a 1980s-era personal computer.

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Scotty in Later Star Trek

Doohan made a memorable cameo as Scotty in The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 4, "Relics," which also revealed details about his final years. After becoming a captain in The Search for Spock he remained the Enterprise's Chief Engineer until the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered County . One year later, he embarked on the U.S.S. Jenolan en route to retirement in the Federation colony of Norpin. The ship crashed on a colossal alien structure called a Dyson Sphere, and he survived in the transporter's pattern buffer until the Enterprise-D revived him a century later. Picard gave him one of the ship's shuttlecraft, and he departed for points unknown. That presumably marks the end of the character's life, at least as far as canon is concerned.

A holographic version of the character also appeared in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1, Episode 6, "Kobayashi." He was one of multiple classic figures recreated by Dal aboard to holodeck to assist him with his Kobayashi Maru test . The production used dialogue previously recorded by Doohan to bring him back for the episode. (Doohan himself passed away in 2005 at the age of 85.)

Scotty in The Kelvinverse

2009's Star Trek movie entailed a massive reboot, resulting in a new alternate timeline dubbed "The Kelvinverse" by fans. Scotty was memorably played by comic actor Simon Pegg, who revised the role in the next two Kelvinverse films. The changes in continuity resulted in a slightly different version of the character: relegated to a remote outpost before joining the Enterprise crew mid-emergency. In practical terms, it allowed Pegg to pursue his own take on Scotty without altering Doohan's. (Pegg has always expressed the highest respect for his predecessor.)

Besides playing up the character's funnier side, Pegg infused him with slightly wilder qualities: making him more willing to take risks than Doohan's version. The actor also developed a non-canon backstory for his Scotty, which shifted his birthplace to Glasgow among other things. (Dialogue in The Original Series Season 2, Episode 7, "A Wolf in the Fold" implied that he was from Aberdeen.) The Kelvinverse also gave Scotty a sidekick: the diminutive alien Keenser, played by Deep Roy. It gave him someone to play off of, further enhancing his status as the series' comic relief.

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Scotty in Strange New Worlds

Pegg's background for the character is unofficial, and relegated to the Kelvinverse timeline regardless. The history of Doohan's "prime" version is very much a mystery prior to his position onboard the Enterprise. Strange New Worlds looks to change that by introducing a younger version of Scotty played by Martin Quinn in Season 2, Episode 10, "Hegemony." (Quinn has the distinction of being the first Scottish actor to play the part.) Christopher Pike's Enterprise crew finds him among the survivors of a Gorn attack. Before that, he served aboard a solar research vessel called the Stardiver. The Gorn wiped the vessel out, leaving Scotty the only survivor. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, to be resolved in the Season 3 premiere (unreleased as of this writing).

Quinn's version of the character is very likely to join the Strange New Worlds crew full-time. The series' first engineer, Hemmer, was killed at the end of Season 1. His replacement, Commander Pelia, isn't expected to remain onboard, and with Scotty destined for the position regardless, the move makes a lot of narrative sense. Strange New Worlds has an opportunity to fill in his early years much the same way it has for Uhura, Jim Kirk, and Mr. Spock . Regardless of its plans for him, it ensures that he will remain firmly a part of Star Trek 's future as well as its past.

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Scotty’s accent was legendarily bad, but Scottish Star Trek fans loved him anyway

Is Strange New Worlds about to break a streak?

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[ Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 10, “Hegemony.”]

Great Scott! In this week’s season finale of Strange New Worlds , Star Trek ’s most beloved miracle worker finally arrives aboard the USS Enterprise. During a rescue mission on the border of the Gorn Hegemony, Captain Pike and his crew encounter the lone survivor of another Starfleet vessel, the talented and loquacious Lt. Junior Grade Montgomery Scott, who joins the effort to save a group of human colonists from an ongoing massacre.

Scotty’s debut on the show (the earliest TV appearance in the character’s personal chronology) was an unadvertised surprise, but not a total shock, as Strange New Worlds used its previous season finale to unveil Paul Wesley as the new James Kirk . What makes young Scotty a particularly sweet treat, however, is that for the first time, he’s being performed by an actual Scot: Martin Quinn has finally endowed the engineer with a convincing Scottish accent.

But before we criticize him a bit, let’s pay proper respect to the late James Doohan, who originated the role on Star Trek: The Original Series back in 1966. Doohan essentially created Montgomery Scott himself, having been brought in to audition for a then-unnamed role as the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise by James Goldstone, director of the show’s second pilot episode.

According to Marc Cushman’s exhaustive multi-book reference guide These Are The Voyages , Doohan tried a variety of different accents for the character, and when series creator Gene Roddenberry asked which accent sounded best for an engineer, Doohan selected Scottish, citing Scotland’s history of naval innovation. Doohan was also permitted to name the character, and in the years that followed, “Scotty” became American television’s most famous man from Braveheart Country.

The trouble is, if you ask any true Scottish person, they’ll tell you that Doohan’s accent is laughable. Though Doohan learned it firsthand during World War II while serving alongside a soldier from Aberdeen, it’s widely mocked for its inaccuracy, and can frequently be found on lists of the worst Scottish accents in TV and film history . The Scotsman ’s David McLean called it “the Dick Van Dyke of Scottish accents,” in reference to the American comedian’s infamously awful attempt at a Cockney accent in Mary Poppins . On the other side of the pond, however, few Americans knew any better: Doohan says he was turned down for multiple roles in the 1970s because casting directors weren’t looking for a Scot.

Despite Doohan’s goofy accent, many Scots still took a liking to the jolly engineer. As foreign as the idea may seem in Trek’s native United States, positive representation for Scots has never been a given in the broader landscape of British television. In 2020, a survey of BBC viewers found that no single demographic — across nationality, race, class, gender, and sexual orientation — was more dissatisfied with their depiction on the network than Scots.

When Star Trek first arrived in the UK in 1969, Montgomery Scott was a relatively textured and dignified “Aberdeen pub-crawler.” He’s a consummate professional, often seen in command of the Enterprise, and adored by all. He enjoys a drink, but he’s not a drunk. He’s a flirt, but not a cad. Scottish audiences were so enamored that, upon James Doohan’s death in 2005, four different towns declared themselves the “future birthplace” of Montgomery Scott, each citing a different piece of non-canonical provenance. When Doohan’s son Chris visited one of the claimants, Linlithgow, the town provost told him that Scotty’s phony accent was, in fact, “one of the things they loved about him.”

However, when English actor Simon Pegg was cast as the new Scotty in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 feature film reboot, Scottish Trekkies were far less forgiving. Pegg based his take on Scotty’s lilt on his own father-in-law, who hails from Glasgow, but that didn’t prevent fans from voicing their strong negative reactions when the film’s first trailers were released.

While Pegg’s accent is certainly closer to the mark than Doohan’s was, the audience’s standards for a major motion picture in the 21st century were significantly higher. The performance fell victim to a common criticism of Hollywood Scottish accents, that being a lack of playable local identity, though this could be a consequence of Abrams asking Pegg to dial the accent back so an international audience could understand him.

More than a decade later, Strange New Worlds has gone where no Star Trek has gone before — the actual Scotland — to recruit 29-year-old Martin Quinn. Born in Paisley and trained at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Quinn has no previous North American productions on his résumé , though American viewers might recognize him from a bit part on the Netflix hit Derry Girls . Quinn makes a charming Star Trek debut, and even a clueless American listener (such as myself) can immediately detect the difference between the typical “Hollywood” Scots accent and the real deal.

Will his performance pass muster for Scottish viewers, and finally put to rest what part of the country Montgomery Scott calls home? Has even this accent been sanded down to better relate to American audiences, but to an extent only detectable by native speakers? Or, could it be that Strange New Worlds has really worked out the last bug in the man who can fix anything?

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Scotty was a nickname both for Montgomery Scott and his counterpart in the alternate reality .

In the alternate reality, James T. Kirk regularly used the nickname and even used it to introduce Scott to Khan Noonien Singh in 2259 . ( Star Trek Into Darkness ) In 2263 of the alternate reality, after Scott had met Jaylah on Altamid , she called him "Montgomery Scotty." ( Star Trek Beyond )

Chief engineer Pelia called Scott "Scotty". ( SNW : " Hegemony ")

The nickname Scotty was used by various shipmates of Scott during his service aboard the USS Enterprise and the USS Enterprise -A from the 2260s to the 2290s , including James T. Kirk , Leonard McCoy , Nyota Uhura , Hikaru Sulu , Carolyn Palamas , Christine Chapel , Mira Romaine , Will Decker , and Pavel Chekov . It was even used in the official captain's log . ( TOS : " By Any Other Name "; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Scott also occasionally used the nickname himself. ( TOS : " A Taste of Armageddon ", " The Devil in the Dark ", " Metamorphosis ", " Mirror, Mirror ", " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ", " Day of the Dove ", " That Which Survives "; Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ; TNG : " Relics ")

It was similarly used by his junior engineers in Scott's absence. ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

He was later called " Mister Scotty" by the Pandronian Honorary Commander Ari bn Bem in 2269 . ( TAS : " Bem ")

In 2369 , when Captain Jean-Luc Picard called Montgomery Scott "Captain Scott," Scott told Picard instead to call him Scotty. Scott later made the same remark to Geordi La Forge , reminding him that they were in Engineering at the time and formality was not needed. Only La Forge and William T. Riker ultimately called Scott by this nickname. ( TNG : " Relics ")

In 2380 on the USS Cerritos , Commander Jack Ransom was telling Captain Carol Freeman about people that lived during the TOS era , and one of them he mentioned was Scotty. ( LD : " No Small Parts ")

External link [ ]

• Scotty at Wikipedia

James Doohan (1920-2005)

Additional crew.

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• 2 wins & 1 nomination

• Lieutenant Commander Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott
• Voice of Sargon
• 1966–1969 • 66 eps

• Judge Peterson

• Clive Chives

• Barney Fredericks

• Sheriff Carlson

• Damon Warwick
• 20 episodes

• Kardassian (voice)

• Capt. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (voice)

• Uncle Monty

• Mr. Scott (voice)

• Klingon and Vulcan languages (uncredited)

• performer: "Yr Hufen Melyn"

Personal details

• 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
• March 3 , 1920
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• July 20 , 2005
• Redmond, Washington, USA (pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease)
• Spouses Wende Doohan October 12, 1974 - July 20, 2005 (his death, 3 children)
• Children Sarah Doohan
• Other works (autobiography) "Beam Me Up, Scotty" (with Peter David)
• 1 Print Biography
• 7 Interviews
• 10 Articles
• 1 Pictorial
• 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia One of the proudest moments in his career was when he communicated with a fan whom he deduced was struggling with suicidal feelings. Doohan invited her to a convention and invited her to more conventions. Eventually, the woman disappeared and he could not find her. He then received a letter eight years later from the woman who said she had just received her degree in Engineering and thanking him for his help.
• Quotes I like Captain Kirk, but I can't say that I'm very fond of Bill Shatner ( William Shatner ).
• Trademarks Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott on Star Trek (1966) and seven of the Star Trek films
• When did James Doohan die?
• How did James Doohan die?
• How old was James Doohan when he died?

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Scotty Actor Addresses How He's Making The Character More Authentic For Season 3

The first Scottish-born Scotty is doing it right.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be the first time a Scottish actor will play the role of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, and new-ish recruit Martin Quinn wants to make sure he's doing it right. The actor recently revealed that during the filming for Season 3, he'd made suggestions about how to make his character more authentic and perhaps a bit less stereotypical than past iterations of the chief engineer. Naething wrong wi' that!

Quinn recently spoke to The BBC about following in the footsteps of Trek vets such as James Doohan and Simon Pegg in portraying Scotty, and his experience thus far on the show. Quinn first appeared during Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 ending and he'll have a larger presence in Season 3 of the upcoming Trek series . In the interview, the actor revealed some of the smaller ways he's trying to make the role feel more authentic during production, and the efforts being made by the writing staff. In his words:

They let me put in the word 'baw-heid' instead of 'turnip-heid. Maybe they think all Scottish people are farmers? But they were very gracious about it. And [the writers] are wanting to be authentic to Scotland as well, and that's really nice - not everyone's like that.

Martin Quinn and the writers have made some tweaks to make Scotty at least sound more Scottish, which is something fans from the country will likely appreciate, since even the best performative accent only goes as far as how valid the vocabulary is. I'd imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of the character in Season 3 and beyond, as showrunner Henry Alonso Myers previously said the goal was to put the original Star Trek characters on the ship before they become their actualized selves.

With the news that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was renewed for Season 4, Scotty will definitely have more time to become the miracle worker chief engineer that fans know too well. For a little while he'll have the support of his former instructor and current Enterprise chief engineer Pelia, played by the legendary actress Carol Kane . Martin Quinn seems to be enjoying the job so far, but did mention there are some hiccups in being one of the only Scottish actors on the crew:

I'm constantly having to enunciate because I don't think they know what I'm saying. It’s trying to find the balance, because it’s not just Scottish people watching this TV show, but I want to be as authentic as possible to how I speak.

I can't fault him for that, and seeing as Outlander is a hit show primarily set in Scotland, I think audiences outside of the country are able to adapt to his voice regardless. I'm eager to see him and the cast back in new episodes, and I'm still crossing my fingers we can get at least one episode released before 2025 .

Martin Quinn's quotes about keeping Scotty authentic are interesting, and it leads me to wonder what other ways TOS characters may change as they are introduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . (Will Spock be "more Vulcan" or something?) That said, this change stems more from Quinn' attempting to correct the misguided attempts to create a character previously portrayed as Scottish, so it remains to be seen if other characters will change at all when they're brought in.

As fans wait for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, they can stream the previous two seasons with a Paramount+ subscription . Of course, they can also catch the final season of Discovery , which is streaming new episodes on Thursdays.

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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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With Another Classic Character Recast, Star Trek Is Just One Step Away From a TOS Reboot

Beam us up... you-know-who!

The only person you ever want beaming you up in the Star Trek canon is back, and he’s got a brand-new origin story. In the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 finale, “Hegemony,” the series has dropped the surprising appearance of Lt. Montgomery Scott, better known as the legendary Starfleet engineer, “Scotty.”

Now, with a third actor is taking over the mantle of Scotty in this appearance, we technically have a new origin story of the classic character first originated by the late James Doohan in Star Trek: The Original Series . Here’s what to know about the new Scotty, how he fits into the larger Trek timeline, and what to expect from him in Season 3.

Who plays Scotty on Strange New Worlds ?

Martin Quinn as Scotty in the Strange New Worlds Season 2 finale.

Although not teased or hinted at in any promotional materials prior to this season dropping, Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 10, reveals that actor Martin Quinn is playing Scotty in the 2260 timeframe of Strange New Worlds . Quinn is a Scottish actor (appropriate for playing Scotty) who has appeared in the series Derry Girls, the film Our Ladies , and in 2014, appeared in a stage production of Let the Right One In.

Quinn is the third actor to play Scotty in terms of the official Star Trek canon, following James Doohan from The Original Series and all the classic films, and Simon Pegg, who played Scotty in all three reboot movies from 2009 to 2016. (If we count unofficial fan productions, Chris Doohan, son of James Doohan also played Scotty in the fan series Star Trek Continues .)

Scotty’s Star Trek timeline explained

James Doohan as Scotty in Star Trek: The Original Series .

Uniquely, Martin Quinn’s Scotty gives us a version of the character at his earliest point glimpsed so far in the Prime Timeline. Prior to “Hegemony,” Scotty’s first canonical appearance in the primary timeline was in the 1965 second pilot episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which happens in 2265. The current SNW season is happening in 2260, so we’re actually just five years before the big “five-year-mission” of the classic show. And though Scotty was alluded to in Discovery Season 1, and we heard Scotty’s voice in an alternate timeline in the Strange New Worlds episode “The Quality of Mercy,” Scotty beaming onto a new Star Trek show, in the flesh, is a huge deal.

SNW is also giving us a new origin story of how Scotty got to the Enterprise . And, interestingly, just like Simon Pegg’s Scotty in the Kelvinverse timeline, the crew encounters him basically by accident, after he’s been stranded on a planet. In “Hegemony,” we learn Scotty was a member of the crew of the Stardiver before it was attacked by the Gorn. In this episode, we actually see Scotty’s shuttle crashing on Parnassus B at the very beginning of the episode, way before we see Scotty. When Captain Batel and the crew of the Cayuga wonder if the crashing shuttle is “one of ours,” the answer is: that’s Scotty!

Will Scotty appear in Strange New Worlds Season 3?

As most Trek fans are probably aware, Scotty is destined to become the Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise sometime before 2265. So far, SNW has featured two Enterprise chief engineers — Hemmer (Bruce Horak) in Season 1, and Pelia (Carol Kane) in Season 2. Since “The Broken Circle,” Pelia seems to be serving as a temporary chief engineer for the Enterprise, and now, in “Hegemony” we learn that Scotty was one of her best students.

In fact, Pelia now, retroactively, is the first person chronologically to use the nickname “Scotty” to describe Mr. Scott. So, will Scotty be a part of Season 3? When Inverse spoke to showrunners Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers, they made it clear that was a big yes.

“You will see more of Scotty in Season 3,” Myers said. “That’s all I can say for now.”

TOS reboot coming to SNW?

The cast of Star Trek: The Original Series .

With the introduction of Scotty, Strange New Worlds now has five of the eight regular, or semi-regular characters from The Original Series . Not counting Dr. M’Benga (who only appeared in two TOS ) episodes, SNW has James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding), Spock (Ethan Peck), Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), and now, Montgomery Scott (Martin Quinn.) Because Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy doesn’t appear in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and Chekov didn’t start appearing until TOS Season 2, right now Strange New Worlds really only needs Sulu to give us a fully recast version of the earliest days of TOS .

Could some future season of SNW actually just feature the classic crew under the command of Kirk? Because there are various plot-based exits set up for Pike, M’Benga, Pelia, and Number One, it’s possible that at some point, we could get a Kirk-led Enterprise on Strange New Worlds in the year 2264, 2265, or maybe even earlier. At the start of Season 2, Akiva Goldsman said : “The closer we get, we have to start to resemble The Original Series. ”

The point where TOS and SNW start to overlap is still five years away in terms of the Star Trek canon, but now that Scotty had beamed himself up, that crossover between the current era and the classic era feels closer than ever.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 streams on Paramount+.

This article was originally published on Aug. 11, 2023

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Published Aug 29, 2016

Forever Scotty

Where in the world was Jimmy Doohan? You name it! That's where you could find the beloved James Doohan, who portrayed Montgomery Scott, heroic engineer of Star Trek (now celebrating 50 years of adventure).

Maybe you met him, too. Jimmy did a ton of SF conventions in the USA (as well as Canada, Australia, England and Germany) throughout the late 1970s, ’80s, ’90s. He graced video stores and other promotional appearances, autograph shows, parades. There were hundreds of chances to meet Jimmy. He was, in part, doing it all for the money. An older man with a much younger new family, he knew he might not be able (or around) to pay for college and his kids’ other expenses unless the bucks were made today and put aside for tomorrow.

But it was more than money. Jimmy Doohan (who died in 2005) truly loved people and seemed to like nothing more than to stand around, drink in hand, surrounded by fans and talk with anyone about life, World War II (where he served heroically), and, of course, being "Scotty." A hale fellow well met! He also discussed his career in an entertaining autobiography, Beam Me Up, Scotty (co-authored with Peter David), and numerous Starlog interviews.

We learned so much about Jimmy in those chats. "You're part of my forum," he quipped to Starlog 's Kathryn M. Drennan in 1989 (issue #146) before detailing life-changing backstories. "I was wounded on D-Day," he noted, as part of the First Wave assault on Juno Beach in 1944. After recovering, he became an Air Observation Pilot, reputedly "the craziest pilot in the Royal Canadian Artillery (not Air Force)," as sometimes erroneously reported. "There wasn't anything that I didn't try [as a flyer]. If it was in the air, there was no way that I didn't absolutely adore it. And I can remember vividly everything that happened."

In the late 1940s and '50s, he became "Canada's busiest actor," racking up 4,000 radio show appearances and 400+ TV gigs. "If an actor has any pride in himself, he always wants to do more," Jimmy told Robert Greenberger (#62, 1983).

So, he moved to Hollywood. And accents were key to his success. "I've been doing dialects ever since I can remember -- since I was allowed to go to movies, from age six or seven," Jimmy explained to Jim George & J. Cat McDowell (#94, 1985). "I can remember my mother telling me that I used to change accents when I would walk from one room to another."

That's a versatility he frequently demonstrated at conventions. He had a standard routine on stage at Trek cons where before taking audience questions he would detail in differing accents how Scotty might sound if he was another nationality (his upper-class British take was hilarious). He would also explain all the things that would occur if Scotty was in command ("Number one, I would get the girl!"  Spock would stay out of his Engine Room so there would be no more star-upstaging-the-expert-engineer, last-minute, save-the-ship antics. "That really bugged me!" And "I would limit Ensign Kirk to only one woman every four months!"). And, so often, Jimmy would field the same F.A.Q.s (Frequently Asked Questions) from the audience.

Favorite TOS episode? " The Doomsday Machine ."

America's space program? "That's the future of the country. We have to have a good space program to advance our technology. We have to keep dreaming about what to do in space."

More Trek films with the classic cast? "We showed our age in each of those movies, and the audiences didn't stop coming."

Fans? "I love them! I have so much fun with them."

I once asked him, as we sat side-by-side at an autograph table, if he ever tired of answering the same bloody things over and over and over again. "You know, Dave," he said, "it’s the first time they have asked me the question." So, that latest inquirer also deserved his best answer. What a great attitude! And one I’ve taken to heart to this day.

"Actors never retire!" Jimmy announced to Randy & Jean-Marc Lofficier (#112-113, 1986). "I'm quite content to be an actor, that's all I want. I just want to be the best actor I can possibly be. That's what I promised God I was going to do, and He certainly hasn't put any barriers in my way, other than typecasting me in Star Trek ."

Furthermore, "I read for many roles," he admitted in 1985. "Some of the 'experts' say they can't get rid of the picture of me as a Scotsman. So, as far as Hollywood is concerned, I will probably forever and ever play a Scotsman, and I don't want to do that, cause I was trained for other things."

Years later, Jimmy clarified matters for Lynne Stephens (#176, 1992). "To get me to work, people just have to ask me. Because my experiences are so varied. I'm of the opinion that there isn't anything I don't know how to do... I did so much."

And again, "I know I'm Scotty and that's it. It's just one of those things."

Jimmy Doohan was ubiquitous. I met him at the very first Starlog Festival, a convention held in Chicago in spring 1984. Ultimately, I did more than 200 cons as a guest — and Jimmy was at about 25 of them. Atlanta. Atlantic City. Baltimore. Buffalo. Cleveland. Denver. Philadelphia. Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Silver Spring. Etc. At least two of three Star Trek cruises on which I sailed (he helped lead the singing of "Happy Birthday" to me in an Everglades area restaurant when the date coincided with a park outing). And more.

Where in the world was Jimmy Doohan? Everywhere!

I attended a press event at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida — and a surprise guest trotted on stage to tout the first of a short-lived series of Disney-sponsored, theme park-based SF conventions. Jimmy Doohan!

My then-girlfriend and I were in NYC, at the off-Broadway version of Return to Forbidden Planet (a musical mixing Shakespeare, rock & roll songs and science fiction), and the gigantic video screen came on with pretaped footage of this production’s surprise local narrator. Jimmy Doohan!

I did another con in Chicago, more than a decade after my first there, and a fellow guest posed with most attendees (for individual photo ops) while appropriately dressed in surprising traditional Scottish garb, a kilt. Jimmy Doohan!

But my best memory of Jimmy Doohan comes from a con in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I had been there as a kid and visited the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, a fabulous showcase of art and artifacts from the real West as well as Western movies and television. It includes the Hall of Great Westerners, the Hall of Great Western Performers (i.e. actors) and the Rodeo Hall of Fame. I suggested to con organizer Jonathan Harris that we fly to Oklahoma a day early to allow for a museum visit. So, he arranged it.

Jon, his parents and his wife Susan were in one small rental car. Jimmy had his own rental and extra space, so I ended up riding shotgun with him. Let me tell you: If you don’t know someone very well, after spending most of a day alone together in a car, you will. You have no choice but to talk to each other. He chatted about his exploits in WWII and how a "Dear Jim" letter made him want "to show her" and prompted him to become an actor. It was pretty serious stuff. And I thought, for a time, I was talking to the real Jimmy Doohan.

We got the V.I.P. tour of (what was then known as) the Cowboy Hall of Fame, complete with a personal guide — and it was great fun to have Jimmy along to ooohh and ahhh over the legends of the West. But, nonetheless, my finest time was spent alone with him in a rental car, zooming in, about and around Oklahoma City.

That and having him give me an autographed, official Jimmy Doohan caricature refrigerator magnet. It holds court forever, still Scotty, on my Frigidaire.

David McDonnell, "the maitre’d of the science fiction universe," has dished up coverage of pop culture for more than three decades. Beginning his professional career in 1975 with the weekly "Media Report" news column in The Comic Buyers’ Guide , he joined Jim Steranko’s Mediascene Prevue in 1980. After 31 months as Starlog ’s Managing Editor (beginning in October 1982), he became that pioneering SF magazine’s longtime Editor (1985-2009). He also served as Editor of its sister publications Comics Scene, Fangoria and Fantasy Worlds . At the same time, he edited numerous licensed movie one-shots ( Star Trek and James Bond films, Aliens, Willow, etc.) and three ongoing official magazine series devoted to Trek TV sagas ( The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , Voyager ). He apparently still holds this galaxy’s record for editing more magazine pieces about Star Trek in total than any other individual, human or alien.

Copyright 2016 David McDonnell

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• April 23, 2024 | THEORY: Did ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finally Resolve The “Calypso” Mystery?
• April 23, 2024 | The Fight Against The Space Parasites Isn’t Going Well For B’Elanna In Preview Of ‘Star Trek: Defiant’ #14
• April 22, 2024 | Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 505 With New Images, Trailer And Clip From “Mirrors”
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• April 21, 2024 | Interview: Sonequa Martin-Green On Facing Her Past On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ And Her Hopes For The Future

Podcast: All Access Faces The Strange On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

| April 19, 2024 | By: All Access Star Trek Pod Team 10 comments so far

[ Discovery 504 review starts at  26:00]

Anthony and Laurie start with the good news that  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  has been renewed for another season and the bad news that  Lower Decks  will end after its fifth. The Trek on TV talk continues with Alex Kurtzman’s description of the challenges of making Trek for streaming networks and the benefit of shorter seasons, plus Martin Quinn’s comments about being the first actually Scottish actor to play Scotty. Then they start talking movies: the announcement that the origin movie has been officially added to Paramount’s production slate and a cryptic conversation on  The View about Whoopi’s potential involvement in a Trek film. Next up, the return of the original Enterprise model to the Roddenberry family and the latest on  Star Trek: Discovery —and then it’s time for a full review of  Discovery  episode 504, “Face the Strange,” which Tony and Laurie consider the highlight of the season so far. They wrap up with the invoking of Star Trek at a White House State Dinner and the Trek-adjacent series  The Librarians .

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Renewed For Season 4; ‘Lower Decks’ To End With Season 5

Review: ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 4 On Blu-ray Brings It All Together

Alex Kurtzman On Streaming TV Challenges And How Shorter Star Trek Seasons Helps Avoid “Filler” Episodes

Actor Talks “Authentic” Scotty On ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’; Season 3 Production Passes Milestone

Paramount Pictures Officially Confirms Star Trek Origin Movie For Its Upcoming Film Slate

Quentin Tarantino Drops ‘The Movie Critic’ As His Final Film [Deadline]

Watch: Did This Moment On ‘The View’ Just Accidentally Hint Whoopi Goldberg Is In The Next Star Trek Movie?

Lost Original USS Enterprise Model From ‘Star Trek’ Returned To Gene Roddenberry’s Son

Interview: Wilson Cruz On How “Jinaal” Sets Up The Rest Of The Season For Culber On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Anthony: Japan’s Prime Minister Invokes Star Trek In White House State Dinner Toast

Laurie:  The Librarians

Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments, and should you be so inclined,  please review us on Apple .

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About those red uniforms traveling into the past…

To the extent they did exist in Century 23, they meant something completely different than “command.”

Great podcast as usual Laurie and Tony.

One week on, and I’m still crushed by Lower Decks’ cancellation. And it was a cancellation, no matter how Paramount words it – the decision was made by executives, against the wishes of Mike McMahan, the cast and crew, who have all said and continue to say they have more stories to tell.

I’ve been a Trek fan for a long time, but for many years watching Trek felt more like a duty than something I enjoyed. Discover and Picard S1 weren’t clicking with me…then came Lower Decks.

I didn’t know what to make of it at first…now, I can say it’s the show that reignited my fandom, made me love Star Trek again.

To be clear, I do not begrudge anyone who loves Discovery or Picard…if they’re your favorite Trek shows, that’s great! It’s a big tent…or it should be. (I will add I really liked “Face the Strange”).

I only hope that Season 5 will serve as a satisfying conclusion. The way Mike has been talking since last October, I got the sense that he felt Season 5 would be it, much as he didn’t want it to be. Hopefully he and the writers room crafted the season with that in mind.

Yeah, every time I think about LDS ending I get sad again. Such a shame. Paramount must be really hard up for cash if they are ok with dropping down to only 1 Trek show on the air until Academy gets up and running.

The mention on today’s podcast of a possible streaming movie perked me up a little: seems like it would be perfect for the idea of the occasional streaming Trek movie. Of course, I would still prefer that the show get picked up by Netflix – “the home of animated Star Trek” ? – but anything is better than nothing.

If nothing else, maybe once the Paramount ship is righted after the sale/reorg, they could bring the show back. It’s not as if the actors are going to age too much in the meantime to do some more voice work in a few years. :)

Making my way through the podcast. RE: The model, I’m guessing it’s probably closer to sixty years old, as it was used to film The Cage. It was likely lost about 47 years ago. Picking a nit, I’m sorry…. :-)

Thanks again for a fun podcast! I had a thought about the exchange on “The View.” IF this wasn’t just some joke gone awry, it seems to me that a likely scenario is that Guinan might appear in the ST: S31 movie. Georgiou has probably gone back to an era when Guinan is still alive, raising the interesting prospect of her getting some psychological help from her as part of a redemptive arc. Seeing Whoopie Goldberg and Michelle Yeoh interacting would be something to look forward to!!!

I’d love to see the two of them together, too!

Great episode, as always, guys! We truly look forward to following our first viewing with your thoughts and reactions.

I just want to pop in to say that Reno calls Stamets “Dr. Truffles” because truffles are fungi. They are the apparently tasty (I certainly can’t afford truffles to find out!) and hard to come by fungi that grow underground and get hunted by trained pigs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle

Yes! I figured that out yesterday, randomly. I knew truffles were fungi, but the first thing my brain goes to when I hear the word is chocolate. D’oh.

I disagree with Alex Kurtzman on two fronts. The first is that Star Trek needs to be cinematic. It does not. If the writing, stories, and character development are high quality and thought provoking, Star Trek could be shot on a static tripod. Fans that are acquired because of the ‘cinematic’ look will not stick around long term. Second, to say that Discovery doesn’t have filler episodes because every episode serves the overall story is simply BS. In my mind, the entire show is filler in the context of the Star Trek franchise.

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Star Trek Beyond Had A Deeper Backstory For Krall's Army That Fans Never Got To See

"Star Trek Beyond" might be the best "Mass Effect" movie we ever get. The shiny Yorktown station, with city sprawls built along the surface of spinning, gravity-manipulating rings, is a dead ringer for the Citadel. The film's villain — Krall (Idris Elba) — leads an army of robots, "The Swarm," much like Saren Arterius employing the cyclopean robot Geth in the first "Mass Effect."

Krall's army destroys the Enterprise in the first act of "Beyond," leaving the crew stranded on planet Altamid. Though Krall made his home on this world, he isn't a native. No, he's really Balthazar Edison, once the (human) captain of the Starfleet ship the U.S.S. Franklin. After the Franklin crashed on Altamid in the 22nd century, rescue from the Federation never came and Edison became disillusioned.

He and his surviving crew found abandoned technology, including his Swarm army (originally invented as "sophisticated mining equipment," not disposable soldiers) and the life-draining devices they've sustained himself with. (Krall's alien appearance was siphoned from his victims with said tech.) When the Swarm destroys the Enterprise, they do so by ramming it repeatedly, not blasting it out of the sky with phasers. Such a physical approach makes sense if the ships were designed to mine a planet's surface.

According to "Star Trek Beyond" co-writer Doug Jung, the team originally had some "loftier ambitions" for the backstory of Krall's army.

The Swarm in Star Trek Beyond

In a 2016 interview with TrekCore , Jung elaborated on these plans while offering insight into how the Swarm functions: "Justin's idea was that [the Swarm soldiers] were sort of like drones in a way and that they don't actually have a lot conscious thought of their own. That sort of answers how Krall would be able to come in and take all this stuff." That's also why, in the film's climax, the Enterprise bridge crew disrupts the Swarm with a signal playing the Beastie Boy's "Sabotage." The Swarm has command signals, not thoughts, and is a hive mind more easily felled than the Borg.

Speaking to CinemaBlend , Jung confirmed the idea of the Swarm was "Star Trek Beyond" director Justin Lin's: "[Lin] liked that idea of like asymmetrical warfare and he kind of made sense. He's like, 'Why would you have that big ship going around? Why not just get a bunch of little ones?'"

As for how Edison took control of the Swarm and perverted them, turning them from harmless miners into vicious attack dogs, Jung explained: "[Edison] was taking his skills as an ex-soldier and applying them in a way that he probably never thought he would have to do."

This backstory is briefly alluded to in "Star Trek Beyond," where Kirk (Chris Pine) and Scotty (Simon Pegg, who also co-wrote the movie) find Edison's final captain's log aboard the Franklin, where he mentions that the "indigenous race" of Altamid "left behind sophisticated mining equipment and a drone workforce." In his TrekCore interview, Jung also refers to Altamid as an abandoned "mining colony." This helps explain why the Swarm's creators abandoned it; it was never their home.

A Star Trek to remember

This exposition is enough to put the pieces together about where the Swarm came from and how Edison/Krall became their leader, at least for attentive viewers. ( Some fans seem to have missed it , and came out of the movie questioning where Krall got an army from, or not realizing that the Swarm were the mining drones Edison mentioned in his log, not armored aliens). Any of Jung's "loftier ambitions" for the Swarm may have ended up in the 30 minutes that Lin had to cut from "Star Trek: Beyond" ( per Collider ), just like a scene expanding on Sulu's (John Cho) role.

A resounding praise for "Star Trek Beyond" is that it feels like an episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series," just two hours long and with modern effects. The backstory of Altamid is part of that. Critic Darren Mooney, reviewing episode "The Gamester of Triskelion," noted:

"The episode presents a planet that is a graveyard, occupied by ruins of an ancient civilization that collapsed in on itself long before mankind reached the stars. It recalls the eerie sense that space is a graveyard, an element of early stories like 'The Cage' or 'Charlie X' or 'The Man Trap' or 'What Are Little Girls Made Of?' or even 'The Squire of Gothos.'"

An abandoned planet home to a legion of androids, seized upon by a human driven insane on the edges of space? That's classic "Star Trek."

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MIRRORS — Captain Burnham and Book journey into extradimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors’ power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the U.S.S. Discovery, and Culber opens up to Tilly.   Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco. Directed by Jen McGowan.

And in case you missed it, here’s a sneak preview for “Mirrors” from last week’s episode of The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton .

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 continues on Paramount+ April 25 with “Mirrors,” followed the next day on SkyShowtime in other regions.

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Star Trek's Scotty played by a Scot for first time

For the first time in almost 60 years Star Trek character Scotty is being played by a Scottish actor.

Previously the role has been filled by Canadian actor James Doohan and Englishman Simon Pegg.

Now Scottish actor Martin Quinn is portraying a younger version of the character in the prequel series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

"We are rebranding him," Martin told BBC Scotland news. "He's from Paisley now."

Montgomery "Scotty" Scott has been a character in the science fiction franchise since it first began in 1966.

Doohan played Scotty in the original series and seven Star Trek films before Pegg took on the role for director JJ Abrams' reboots from 2009.

Martin's young Scotty appeared as a surprise cameo at the end of the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and he will play a recurring role in season three.

The 30-year-old, from the Gallowhill area of Paisley, says he hopes even more Scottish people will watch Star Trek now that they have cast a real Scot.

"It's the power of representation isn't it?" he said.

"I was always into Star Wars because Ewan McGregor was there. It's because there was a Scottish guy in Star Wars.

"Even though he was doing an English accent, I was like 'that's so cool, he's from here and he's in Hollywood'."

While neither Doohan or Pegg had a natural Scottish accent, both actors and their character were beloved by fans.

Martin says: "I think James Doohan based the character off some Aberdonian he had heard, and even Linlithgow has claimed him, but I'm not sure what that's from."

In 2022, when Martin was auditioning for the series, producers gave the show a code name so he would not know it was Star Trek.

"I suppose that helped because you weren’t putting pressure on yourself to emulate James Doohan," he says.

Since taking the role, he says he has been working with writers to suggest authentic Scottish changes to his character.

"They let me put in the word 'baw-heid' instead of 'turnip-heid," he says.

"Maybe they think all Scottish people are farmers? But they were very gracious about it.

"And [the writers] are wanting to be authentic to Scotland as well, and that's really nice - not everyone's like that."

Martin says his accent has caused occasional confusion with the North American cast and crew on set.

"I'm constantly having to enunciate because I don't think they know what I'm saying," he says.

"It’s trying to find the balance, because it’s not just Scottish people watching this TV show, but I want to be as authentic as possible to how I speak."

Martin began his acting career when he was six years old at PACE Youth Theatre in Paisley.

The theatre school's alumni also include actorJames McAvoy and singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini.

When he was 18, Martin was cast in the lead role in the National Theatre of Scotland production of Let The Right One In.

It took him to the Dundee Rep and eventually to London's West End where he was spotted by the actors Richard Wilson and Alan Rickman.

They funded the last portion of his scholarship that let him attend Guildhall drama school in London.

However, it was Martin's first paid role in BBC comedy Limmy's Show that he says he owes "everything to".

"It meant I got praised for doing acting as opposed to a slagging" by his classmates, he says.

He also says there can be a working-class boy stigma that if you prefer acting to football there is something wrong with you.

"We’re potentially missing out on the next generation of really good Scottish actors and that is a bit of a worry," he says.

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I’m glad john colicos changed his mind about returning as star trek: ds9's klingon.

Star Trek: DS9 pulled off an impressive classic Klingon reunion in "Blood Oath", but TOS actor John Colicos almost turned it down due to the script.

• John Colicos almost didn't return as Kor in DS9, but thankfully changed his mind, leading to a classic Klingon reunion.
• The handling of Kor's character in "Blood Oath" caused Colicos to object, fearing a comic portrayal of the iconic Klingon.
• Colicos insisted on Kor surviving in DS9, ensuring the historic classic Klingon reunion felt complete and true to the original series.

Star Trek: The Original Series actor John Colicos nearly didn't return to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but he thankfully changed his mind, leading to future appearances by the legendary Klingon, Kor. John Colicos holds the distinction of being the actor who originated the Klingons in Star Trek , appearing as the main antagonist in TOS season 1, episode 27, "Errand of Mercy". Kor made such an impression on the TOS cast and crew that Gene Roddenberry wanted to make him a recurring character. Unfortunately, scheduling commitments meant that Colicos was unable to reprise the role of Kor for "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Day of the Dove" .

With John Colicos unavailable for future Star Trek: The Original Series episodes, the characters of Koloth (William Campbell) and Kang (Michael Ansara) were created for "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Day of the Dove", respectively. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 19, "Blood Oath" brought back all three TOS Klingons, teaming them with Lt. Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) . "Blood Oath" is a highly regarded episode of DS9 season 2, but it could have been very different if John Colicos had decided not to return as Klingon Dahar Master, Kor .

I Didn’t Know Where Roddenberry Got The Name Klingon In Star Trek Until Now

John colicos didn’t want to become a “buffoon” in star trek: ds9, "... you're making a travesty of what has become a cult figure".

When John Colicos received the script for "Blood Oath", he completely disagreed with the handling of the character of Kor . In the original script, Peter Allan Fields wrote Kor as a Klingon version of William Shakespeare's Falstaff character. A boastful knight and something of a drunk, Falstaff is largely a comic character in the three Shakespeare plays in which he appears. John Colicos objected to a similarly comic and bufoonish take on Kor , telling Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Official Poster Magazine issue 8 that he told DS9 producer Michael Piller:

"I don't really want to play this character, because it's totally contradictory to the original Kor. I have a huge following from the original one, and if he becomes just a buffoon, then I'd honestly rather not do it."

Michael Piller assuaged John Colicos' fears somewhat by telling him that Kor would become a hero by the end of "Blood Oath". The deal was finally sealed when it was decided that, out of the three TOS Klingons in DS9 , Kor would survive his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine appearance, living to tell the tales of Kang and Koloth's heroic deaths . Indeed, John Colicos was adamant that Kor should not die in "Blood Oath", telling Star Trek Monthly issue 55 that:

"I said I didn't want to be killed off, otherwise I'd have preferred just to be remembered as the initial Commander Kor that people saw in the original series..."

Star Trek: DS9’s Classic Klingon Reunion Wouldn’t Work Without John Colicos

Due to the prosthetic changes between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , it's not immediately apparent that it's the same Kor, Kang, and Koloth in "Blood Oath". However, it becomes clear very quickly that this is a historic classic Klingon reunion on DS9 , which is a big deal. A TOS Klingon reunion without John Colicos, the actor who originated the Klingons on Star Trek , would have felt incomplete .

Michael Ansara later reprised the role of a younger Kang in Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 2, "Flashback".

If John Colicos had turned down the chance to return as Kor from Star Trek: The Original Series , then Peter Allan Fields would have to have created a new Klingon to join Kang and Koloth's quest. The story would still have made for a classic Klingon episode , but any Kor replacement would have felt like an impostor. It's lucky then that John Colicos was persuaded to reprise the role of Kor in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , where he clocked up two more appearances after "Blood Oath".

All episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew - Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) - with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.