Star Trek: The Original Series, Scotty gained a reputation as a "miracle worker" for his ability to fix almost any engineering-related problem. As Chief Engineer on the USS Enterprise of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Scotty maintained the ship's engines, as well as the transporter. Scotty was more familiar with the Enterprise's engines than anyone else, and he was responsible for saving the ship and its crew on numerous occasions.

As the second officer on the Enterprise, Scotty took command when both Captain Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) were on an away mission or otherwise incapacitated. Despite being more than capable of taking on a command role, Scotty never sought out a command position, preferring to remain an engineer. He took great pride in his work and took personal offense when others insulted the Enterprise. Scotty became known for completing his work faster than most, and it was not entirely by accident that he earned the title of "miracle worker," as he revealed in a conversation with iral Kirk in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.

Scotty’s Confession To Kirk In Star Trek III Explained

Scotty Confessed That He Padded The Estimates About How Long It Would Take Him To Fix Things

After the opening credits of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the USS Enterprise prepares to return home to Earth. iral Kirk asks Scotty how long it will take to repair the ship after the damage it suffered in the battle against Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Scotty answers: "Eight weeks, sir. But you don't have eight weeks, so I'll do it for ya in two." Kirk then asks Scotty if he "always multiplied [his] repair estimates by a factor of four," to which Scotty replies: "Certainly, sir. How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?"

James Doohan as Chief Engineer Montgomery
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Is Star Trek’s Scotty Really A Miracle Worker? How USS Enterprise’s Engineer Got His Famous Nickname

Montgomery “Scotty” Scott is known as Star Trek’s resident “miracle worker.” Here’s how the famous Scottish engineer got such an impressive title.

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Kirk assures Scotty that his reputation remains intact, but it does raise the question of whether Scotty really is a "miracle worker." Still, the Enterprise would have been lost many times over if not for Scotty's quick thinking. Scotty proved himself yet again in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, helping Kirk steal the Enterprise by automating the ship so that a skeleton crew could pilot it. Scotty also sabotaged the experimental USS Excelsior to prevent it from following the Enterprise to the Genesis Planet. While Scott's status as a "miracle worker" may be up for debate, no one can doubt that he's an excellent engineer.

What Happened When Scotty Told Star Trek: TNG’s Geordi Why He’s A Miracle Worker

Geordi Was Not Particularly Impressed By Scotty's Secret

Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Relics" revealed that after his retirement from Starfleet, Scotty was traveling on the USS Jenolan when the ship crashed on a Dyson sphere, with Scotty and one other crewmate the only survivors. Knowing that they would not survive long enough to be rescued, Scotty rigged the transporter system to hold on to their signatures indefinitely. Seventy-five years later, the USS Enterprise-D picked up the Jenolan's distress signal and rescued Scotty from the transporter buffer. Scotty soon finds himself out of his depth on the new Enterprise, as most of his engineering knowledge is now outdated.

Doohan himself chose the name "Montgomery Scott" as a nod to his own Scottish heritage, as his mother was of Scottish descent.

When Scotty tries to help Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) in Engineering, he is surprised when La Forge gives Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) an accurate estimate of how long a task will take. Scotty tells Geordi that he's "got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker." Unfortunately, Geordi does not have time to learn these secrets and asks Scotty to leave him to his work. In the end, Scotty's knowledge of 23rd-century technology helps save the Enterprise-D, proving that he's still one of Star Trek's best engineers, "miracle worker" or not.

Key Background

  • Scotty's iconic line, "I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain!" reflects his ability to push the ship beyond its limits during emergencies.
  • Resourceful and loyal to Captain Kirk, Scotty often finds innovative solutions to repair and enhance the ship.

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
PG
Sci-Fi
Action
Adventure
7.0/10
Release Date
June 1, 1984
Runtime
105 Minutes
Director
Leonard Nimoy

Cast

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WHERE TO WATCH

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Writers
Gene Roddenberry, Harve Bennett