A PORTRAIT: LIEUTENANT COMMANDER MONTGOMERY SCOTT

Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott ("Scotty" to his friends) has probably had one of the longest careers in Starfleet history. He served as Chief Engineer during Captain Kirk's first, celebrated five-year mission, and chalked up 51 years in the trade before retiring. Scotty has shown remarkable durability. He appeared in the first six Trek movies and was last seen in the Next Generation episode Relics, sporting a sizeable gut and a can't-really-be-bothered-anymore Canadian brogue. Picard rather rashly 'lent' him a shuttlecraft, so we may assume he's still charting the Alpha Quadrant, pining for engines to upgrade. Meanwhile, James Doohan recently fathered a child at the age of 80, proving that there must be some exceptions to Mr Scott's mantra, "you canny change the laws of physics".

Cast notes:
Doohan was cast by Gene Roddenberry, who had heard that the actor had a talent for accents. Roddenberry thought his stab at a Scottish accent sounded the most authentic and fitted in best with his vision of an international crew. He went on to voice many of the aliens in both the original and animated series.

Reputation:
Just behind Kirk and Spock, Scotty is arguably the character most identified with Star Trek. Despite the cod accent, for young viewers there was something oddly reassuring about his presence aboard the Enterprise. For Scottish Star Trek devotees he was both an object of ridicule and a figure to be covertly admired. It is no exaggeration to say that most Americans' stereotype of Scottish people remains wholly based on James Doohan's portrayal of this character. Gene Roddenberry has a lot to answer for.

Finest hours:
Scotty's starship-saving moments were of such regularity in the Original Series that it seems churlish to single one incident out. He performs engineering miracles that make Geordie la Forge and B'Elanna Torres look talentless by comparison. But for a sample of his technical wizardry, why not try The Enterprise Incident, in which he installs a hugely sophisticated piece of Romulan hardware in the Enterprise's engines in just under three minutes. Not bad considering it's actually an old lampshade that's been sprayed silver.

Low points:
Playing the bagpipes at Spock's 'funeral' in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Random Trivia:
Scotty has a nephew, Peter Preston, in the film Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan, who is killed in battle.

Future prospects:
Could easily guest star in Voyager, the new series or Star Trek X (if he's not too busy changing nappies).

Key Appearances:
Where No Man Has Gone Before, Wolf in the Fold, Star Trek IV: the Voyage Home