Scotty (Star Trek)

Development and portrayals

James Doohan landed the role of the Enterprise's engineer in the second Star Trek pilot after director James Goldstone, who had previously worked with him, put his name forward. The character nearly got cut from the series entirely when creator Gene Roddenberry wrote to Doohan saying the show didn't need an engineer; Doohan's agent stepped in to save the part. Doohan experimented with several accents before choosing a Scottish one, reasoning that Scots make the finest engineers.

He gave the character the first name Montgomery, which was his own middle name, as a tribute to his maternal grandfather James Montgomery. Roddenberry later noted in a third-season memo that Doohan could handle any challenge and that the dour Scot character works best when fiercely protective of the engines. Scotty was born in Linlithgow, Scotland, spent time in Aberdeen, and wears Clan Scott's tartan in his dress uniform; Doohan modeled the accent on an Aberdeen dialect he once heard.

As a lieutenant commander, Scotty serves as the Enterprise's second officer and chief engineer, taking command and recording the ship's log when both Captain Kirk and First Officer Spock are away. His technical expertise lets him pull off unorthodox, last-minute fixes, and he often bridges the gap between Kirk's bold plans and what the ship can actually do. Scotty feels deeply connected to the Enterprise, treating it with a fatherly care. He drinks heavily but is only shown intoxicated twice, in "By Any Other Name" and "Relics." In the TNG episode "Relics," he states he never wanted any other career but engineering.

Birthplace dispute

After Doohan's death, several Scottish towns vied to claim Scotty's birthplace. Aberdeen's bid is backed by scripts, production materials, and Doohan's family, plus Scotty's line in "Wolf in the Fold" about being an "old Aberdeen pub crawler" in his youth. Linlithgow, however, asserts he was born there, with a plaque in its local museum marking his future birth.

In popular culture

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, though the exact phrase is not spoken that way in the original series but is used frequently in the animated series. In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Kirk says 'Scotty, beam me up.' Doohan briefly reprised the role for a gag cameo in the action comedy Loaded Weapon 1 and as Scotty in Knight Rider 2000. Parodies of Scotty or his accent appear in media such as World of Warcraft, Spaceballs, TaleSpin, Goof Troop, The Simpsons, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Beavis and Butt-Head, and All That. Scotty also appeared in a Far Side comic set in Hell. The song 'Boat Drinks' by Jimmy Buffett asks to be beamed somewhere by Mister Scott, and rap artists D4L have a song 'Scotty' that uses the character, as does Relient K in 'Beaming'.

Reception

In 2009, IGN rated Scotty the 16th best character of the Star Trek franchise. In 2016, Screen Rant rated him the 18th best overall, highlighting his ability to get the Enterprise out of trouble with phrases that added tension and humor. Also in 2016, Wired magazine ranked him the 19th most important Starfleet character. In 2018, The Wrap placed him 12th out of 39 in a ranking of main cast characters prior to Star Trek: Discovery, and CBR ranked him the ninth best Starfleet character. In July 2019, Screen Rant ranked Scotty the fifth smartest character of all Star Trek.