Strange New Worlds Is Perfecting Star Trek’s Scotty Origin Story

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As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I’ve always known our community is… nuanced. We’re passionate, absolutely, but it’s not like everyone loves everything Trek. Someone who grew up with the classic Original Series might not be as into The Next Generation, and a Deep Space Nine devotee might not click with Voyager – and the feeling often goes both ways! So, it doesn’t really shock me that a lot of us ‘Trekkers’ (or ‘Trekkies’ if we enjoy dressing up!) aren’t totally thrilled with the newer shows. Even I, as someone who’s loved Trek for ages, sometimes struggle with a particular character.

Set about six years before the original Star Trek series, Strange New Worlds explores the early days of the USS Enterprise. What made the original series so special was how the crew felt like fully developed characters, even those who weren’t always central to the plot. While Captain Kirk, Spock, and Doctor McCoy were the main stars, characters like Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and Scotty were incredibly memorable thanks to the actors’ strong performances. This feeling continued in the Star Trek movies, even when those supporting characters didn’t have a lot of screen time. Small moments – like Scotty grieving for his nephew or hints of a connection with Uhura – resonated deeply with viewers. However, these Bridge Officers largely fulfilled familiar roles; Scotty, for example, was the brilliant engineer completely devoted to the Enterprise. The younger version of Scotty we see in Strange New Worlds hasn’t fully become that iconic figure yet, which makes his character arc particularly compelling.

While Trying to Manage the New Holodeck, Scotty Is Overwhelmed as an Engineer

As a lifelong Trek fan, I was really excited to see Martin Quinn take on the role of Scotty in Strange New Worlds – he’s the first Scottish actor to play the character originally brought to life by James Doohan! What’s so cool is that, just like with Spock and Uhura in this series, they’re showing us the beginnings of the Scotty we know and love. He’s clearly a brilliant engineer, the kind who can fix anything with a bit of ingenuity. But we saw in the Season 3 premiere that he’s also got some serious self-doubt and isn’t always comfortable following the rules. It’s fascinating to watch him evolve – it’s not like they’re rewriting the character, but we’re getting to see different facets of his personality each episode.

We get a glimpse of the future Chief Engineer, Scotty, in the episode “A Space Adventure Hour,” when a new Holodeck test goes wrong. He misjudges how much power the Holodeck drains from the ship’s engines and computers, and struggles to fix the problem, leading to a moment where he seeks help from Uhura – a hint of their later connection in Star Trek V. Later, when a dangerous radiation burst from a neutron star threatens the ship, Scotty manages to reroute enough power to allow Lieutenant Ortegas to steer the Enterprise to safety. He even finds a way to enter the Holodeck program itself to send a message to La’an, who is stuck inside the simulation.

What I really appreciate about Strange New Worlds is how it manages to have it both ways with Scotty. Whenever Captain Pike needs a technical miracle – whether it’s restoring power or dazzling the Gorn – Scotty delivers. But this version, played by Martin Quinn, is different from Doohan’s original. He seems as surprised as anyone when he actually succeeds! And that’s brilliant, because it adds a whole new layer to those classic TOS moments where Scotty confidently takes control of the ship’s systems. You realize why he’s so assured later on! It’s not just hitting emotional notes here and there; Strange New Worlds actually gives Scotty a proper character arc, and it’s incredibly satisfying to watch.

Strange New Worlds Finally Makes Montgomery Scott a Well-Rounded Character Instead of a Utility Player

Dedicated fans of the original Star Trek might be surprised to learn that Scotty almost didn’t make the cut. After the show’s second pilot, creator Gene Roddenberry considered removing James Doohan, the actor who played Scotty, because he wasn’t sure the show even needed an engineer. Doohan and his agent successfully argued to keep him on, and the rest is well-known. Interestingly, out of the 78 original episodes, Scotty only appears in 66, and often just for a brief scene. Beyond a few appearances showcasing his Scottish roots – either with a kilt or a drink – his role mostly consisted of reporting to the captain that the engines were running at maximum capacity and fixing seemingly impossible mechanical issues.

Scotty had a larger part in The Animated Series and stayed aboard the Enterprise even when it was being upgraded after Kirk became an admiral. In Star Trek III and IV, he was crucial in both secretly taking the Enterprise—by disabling the USS Excelsior—and constructing a special tank to hold two humpback whales on the Klingon ship, the “HMS Bounty.” He even altered history by trading the formula for transparent aluminum to a man who had just quit smoking in exchange for materials needed for the tank. He continued serving on the USS Enterprise-A, where he evaded Sybok and helped prevent a scheme that threatened peace between the Federation and the Klingons.

Surprisingly, some of Scotty’s most memorable moments happened in the Next Generation episode, “Relics.” In a classic move, Scotty put himself into a kind of suspended animation right before a shuttle accident. When the crew of the Enterprise-D brought him back to life, he found himself struggling to adjust to the 24th century. To make things even harder, he had to quickly learn about 80 years’ worth of new technology as an engineer. This episode gave the character a depth of emotion he hadn’t been able to show before.

None of the Characters In Strange New Worlds Are Who the Fans Know (Yet)

Both Strange New Worlds and his classic TOS stories give a strong portrayal of Scotty. The show effectively depicts his early insecurity and loneliness on the original Enterprise – much like he experienced when he first arrived. Seeing Scotty and La Forge succeed together feels earned, because the story acknowledges he’s overcome similar challenges before. By showing us Scotty at the start of his time on the Enterprise, the character becomes more complete. Over the remaining episodes of Strange New Worlds, we’ll see how he navigated those initial experiences and grew into the engineer we know.

Before this storyline finishes, viewers can rewatch The Original Series and the movies to consider whether Scotty’s bold attitude is sincere, or if he simply learned to hide his anxieties. Strange New Worlds is exploring Scotty’s backstory in a way that’s similar to how it’s deepened our understanding of characters like Uhura, Spock, and even less prominent Original Series figures like Chapel and M’Benga. Some Star Trek fans, who are strict about established canon, dislike Strange New Worlds because it portrays these characters differently than they were in TOS. However, it would be disappointing if the show didn’t show how past experiences shape the people they eventually become in TOS.

Among the younger characters in Strange New Worlds, Scotty, played by Martin Quinn, stands out as particularly important. The original Scotty, portrayed by James Doohan, became incredibly popular – almost a cultural phenomenon before the internet – thanks to lines like telling the captain he couldn’t fulfill a request due to power issues, or simply being asked to beam someone up (though he never actually said that line in the original series!). Doohan made every scene memorable, and introducing a younger version of Scotty in Strange New Worlds builds on that legacy. Seeing his initial struggles and eventual rise to become the capable engineer fans adore makes the character more complex and relatable. No matter how fans feel about the show overall, that’s something to appreciate.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds debuts new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+.

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2025-11-09 06:45