Scotty (Star Trek)
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott[1] is a fictional character in the science fiction franchise Star Trek.[2] First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, 10 Star Trek films, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous books, comics, and video games.[3][4]
Scotty
- "Hegemony"
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
- 2023
James Doohan (1966–1994)
Simon Pegg (2009–2016)
Martin Quinn (2023-present)
James Doohan (1973–1974)
Matthew Wolf (2022)
Carlos Alazraqui (2023)
Montgomery Scott
Scotty
Human
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain
Chief Engineer
Captain of Engineering
Peter Preston (nephew)
Simon Pegg has assumed the character and appeared in the Star Trek reboot (2009)[4] and its sequels, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016). In 2023, a young version of Scotty appeared in the final episode of the second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, portrayed by Martin Quinn.[5] Later in 2023, an animated version of Scotty was played by Carlos Alazraqui in a Very Short Treks episode.[6]
Birthplace dispute[edit]
Following Doohan's death, several Scottish towns campaigned to be named Scotty's "official birthplace". Scripts, production materials and Doohan's family support Aberdeen's claim to being Scotty's birthplace.[20] In "Wolf in the Fold" (1967), Scotty says that he is "an old Aberdeen pub crawler", as he grew up and spent some of his reprobate youth there. Notwithstanding that caveat, Aberdeen city leaders proposed plans to erect a monument to the actor and character.[21]
In popular culture[edit]
Scotty's operation of the Enterprise transporter system inspired the catchphrase "Beam me up, Scotty", which gained currency in popular culture beyond Star Trek fans (most notably by former U.S. Representative James Traficant),[22] even though the exact phrase is not spoken in that way in the original series, it is used frequently in the animated series. In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Kirk says, "Scotty, beam me up."
Doohan himself briefly reprised the role for a gag cameo in the action comedy Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), as well as being Scotty in the movie Knight Rider 2000 (1991), while parodies of Scotty or his accent appear in such media as World of Warcraft (2004), Spaceballs (1987),Tale Spin, Goof Troop, The Simpsons, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Beavis and Butt-Head and All That. Scotty also appeared in a Far Side comic, where he was in Hell.
In the song "Boat Drinks", singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett asks, "Could you beam me somewhere, Mister Scott? Any old place, here on Earth or in space, you pick the century and I'll pick the spot." Rap artists D4L have a song "Scotty" that uses his character and Star Trek, as do Relient K in their song "Beaming".
Reception[edit]
In 2009, IGN rated Scotty the 16th best character of the Star Trek franchise, including the spin-off shows produced up to that time.[23]
In 2016, Screen Rant rated Scotty as the 18th best character in Star Trek overall as presented in television and film up to that time, highlighting the character as someone who could get the Enterprise out of trouble, with phrases that added both tension and humor to the show.[24] In 2016, Scotty was ranked as the 19th most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trek science fiction universe by Wired magazine.[25]
In 2018, The Wrap placed Scotty as 12th out of 39 in a ranking of main cast characters of the Star Trek franchise prior to Star Trek: Discovery.[26] In 2018, CBR ranked Scotty the ninth best Starfleet character of Star Trek.[27]
In July 2019, Screen Rant ranked Scotty the 5th smartest character of all Star Trek (including later series).[28]