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Another Star Trek fan favorite has made their way to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
The Paramount+ show’s Season 2 finale, released on Thursday, saw the Gorn attack a colony modeled after the American Midwest. (The Enterprise crew last faced the lizard-like creatures in Season 1’s penultimate episode, during which Hemmer died after being infected with their venom. Read our full recap here.)
Midway through the finale, Pike encountered a resourceful lieutenant, who was revealed to be Montgomery Scott, aka Scotty, played by Martin Quinn. The Enterprise’s future chief engineer landed on the colony planet after fleeing the Gorn and found a way for himself and survivors from the USS Cayuga to hide in plain sight until help arrived.
Given that Scotty’s voice (played by Matt Wolf) was previously heard in the Season 1 finale, the beloved character’s physical appearance in Season 2’s final episode wasn’t so much a surprise as it is a warm welcome.
“We’ve been talking about him for a while as a general idea,” co-showrunner and executive producer Henry Alonso Myers tells TVLine. “As we were going into the finale, it suddenly became a weird, rare opportunity to introduce him for a lot of different reasons. What we’d like to do with the characters [from the original Star Trek series]… We don’t meet our understanding of who they are in that series, we meet who they are before. They don’t know who they will be, and they aren’t that person yet. They have some stuff to go through.”
Quinn is the first actor of Scottish origin to take on the character in a live-action setting. Previously, Canadian actor James Doohan played Scotty in the original Star Trek series and movies, while English actor Simon Pegg portrayed the character in the 2009 Star Trek film reboot starring Chris Pine, as well as sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.
“We also had a great opportunity to cast someone who’s from Scotland,” Myers notes, “who can do that Scotty, but also who can go through all of the things that we want to see him go through before he becomes the person that we know.”
In case you’re wondering, the Strange New Worlds EP confirms that “we will see him more” of Scotty in the show, which snagged an early Season 3 renewal this past March.
Scotty’s arrival comes after James T. Kirk (Vampire Diaries alum Paul Wesley) appeared in the Season 1 finale and several Season 2 episodes. Co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman acknowledges that as Strange New Worlds gets closer to timeline of the original Star Trek series, “it starts to become inevitable that we start to pull in more folks that are sort of TOS-based.”
However, they also attempt these special cameos “because there’s a reason to do it, rather than just to kind of go, ‘Hey, let’s dust off Scotty because he’s cool.’ Although there’s always a little bit of that.”
How are you feeling about Scotty’s appearance in Strange New Worlds’ Season 2 finale? Grade the episode below, and then share your thoughts in the comments.
Wow as soon as Scotty spoke, I knew exactly who it was and cheered without even seeing him! I can’t believe the season is over already. I’m not ready!! I have come to love this show and cast so much. I love their surprise cameos and can’t wait to see more. SNW has become my #2 Star Trek show behind TNG. I’ll watch it again and again and again.
Really wish we weren’t in the land of 10 episode seasons…. they go by way too fast.
I would rather have ten good to great episodes than lots of filler. I find the 23 episode seasons can get boring. Tighten up the story so each episode has meaning to the overall arc of the series.
I find that the number of episodes and the quality of the season is unrelated. We have streaming putting out seasons of 6 episodes that drag, like the Marvel shows, and you can see season 1 of Desperate Housewives, Lost or The OC, or 2 two of Grey’s Anatomy or The Vampire Diaries, or season 5 of Buffy that rocked 22 to 27(!) episodes at break-neck pace.
15 would probably be about right
He said the first word and I said “Scotty!!!”. Great casting.
I go back and forth about the episode count. I think I’d be happier if there were 15 episodes in each season. I also hope we’re still a few seasons out from Kirk taking over the Enterprise. I want this crew to have as much time as possible to grow. Whatever happens with the Gorn will definitely reverberate through next season. I just hope our crew makes it out of this together.
First word he spoke I knew it was Scotty! Love this new addition and happy to know we will see him next season (could we get more episodes next year?) This show is just so good. Loving Spock and Chapel! May they continue!!! I also love that Chapel is a badass! Brains, Beauty and guts!!!
What a cliffhanger that was.
Amazing show, it deserves many of many seasons thank you😍
This really is a predictable show. I get it, they can’t kill off nurse Chapel since she is in the original Star Trek series (much older). Still, far too predictable.
Apparently the Goren evolve as well. In the original series, the one Goren character that fights Kirk looks like he was straight out of H.R. Pufnstuff.
There was next to no budget for special effects for the original series back in the 60’s, and all those cool special effects created by cgi didn’t even exist, so your comparison is pretty ridiculous. Oh, and the creatures are Gorn not Goren.
You really don’t have a sense of humor, do you? You probably don’t know what sarcasm is either.
As for the spelling error, yeah I screwed up. If that is all you have to complain about in life is another person’s spelling error, consider yourself lucky. You are coming off as incredibly petty.
Try going through life with visual migraines, it isn’t fun. It also affects my ability to proof read.
But hey, go ahead you being you, getting all butt hurt and defensive because I was being a smart ass about a series that is nearly sixty years old.
Migraine affects so many parts of life, including making it difficult to read. Migraines truly suck. I support you. Also I agree, it was very predictable, luckily I don’t watch it for groundbreaking story lines!
And their name is the Gorn!!!
Another stellar season for SNW! This what makes SNW,Star Trek, compelling characters and stories. SNW is spot on adding backstory to the canon while introducing key legacy characters such as Kirk & Scotty and of course M’Benga, Chapel, Uhura & Pike. I am waiting for how they introduce Dr. McCoy. I give the producers high marks for weaving the adventures of Pike’s Enterprise crew into the overall story that leads up to Kirk’s tenure as captain. I am still hoping that ST Legacy will be greenlit but given the labor unrest in Hollywood who knows what will happen. I am fairly certain that Prodigy will picked up not only for the 2 completed seasons but also a third season! Also, I hope that SNW continues onward and then continues with Kirk & his crew. In the meantime, I am immensely enjoying SNW & Lower Decks. I have been watching Star Trek, (TV & movies), since the summer of 1968. SNW is one of the best Trek series. Lower Decks is also very good. I like the approach to Star Trek that the producers of Lower Decks have taken.
The finale was the best episode of the season. In my opinion (and it’s just my opinion) season 2 wasn’t quite as good as season 1 – but the first season was spectacular, so it would have been hard to top. I also think having two “novelty” episodes in a 10 episode season was a bit much – wish they had kept one for next season.
I’m torn since I loved having Carol Kane’s Pelia as chief engineer but now I also want Scotty.
He’ll work his way into the Chief Engineer position with Pelia’s tutoring.
Having skipped the last episide, have no intention of ever watching it. This one was good and one of the best two part Star Trek shows I have seen. However the last really good two parter came back with a shockingly poor second part. Hope the second part does not follow suit.
Like many Scotie I thought was introduced in a really good way.
I really like Captain Batel and do hope she does surive, however within 1 min of this episode, said to my self this be her last one. Hope I am wrong.
Last time we saw the Gorn, a cast member was lost and not expecting this second part not to do the same. So wondering who that cast member will be, out of the ones we know are not parts of Kirk’s crew. Not counting Captain Batel as she is not a regular casr member, so yes kind of wondering who will be killed of, or just decide to leave the crew. Still think we will lose a regular cast member in second part.
You skipped a fun episode.
It was an excellent episode. Fun and creative, just like TOS was sometimes. As for who might leave…perhaps no one. Still lots of time to get the TOS crew together.
Chapel being the sole survivor was silly. April not caring that they destroyed the Caygua was ridiculous. They should have sent a fleet the moment they lost contact. I am glad they showed Spock vs the adult Gorn. If war is coming we need to learn more about their physiology and anthropology. I like the more serious tone, I just hope they don’t resolve the Gorn issue during 3×01.
So are we then supposed to ignore James Doohan’s performances as Scotty? Is this the only Scotty that matters? Any developments they do in this show they have to undo by Series End so that The Original Series’ can do theirs. It’s the only way that this show will ever be properly in Canon and in Continuity with the rest of the Main Star Trek timeline.
Of course not! Anymore than we’re ignoring Leonard Nimoy or Nichelle Nichols!
SNW is built on TOS. They’re adding to, not taking away.
While I really enjoyed the episode, I am not a fan of cliffhangers of this type. But I thought it was very creepy and very well done. I loved the introduction of Scotty! And I didn’t realize how much of the season finale is in the trailer for this season. If you go back and watch it, at least 50% of the trailer for season two comes from the season finale.
Not necessarily true. If you remember the events of Enterprise, we know the temporal wars have shifted the primary timeline. For instance the Borg got a signal they never should have received. So in theory, everything we are seeing could be the results of the alterations of the timeline caused by time travel. Kinda like the TNG episode where Tasha is alive and the federation is at war, until they undo the change and reset things. Look at this seasons time travel episode to realize Kahn may have been altered by time travel as well. Slight variation is normal.
Phone glitched and I responded to the wrong person. Was meant for the comment above yours.
I love this comment because it gives me hope for Spock and Chapel!
I agree. If the show stuck to canon Nurse Chapel would end up as a woman in a very short miniskirt whose only emotion seemed to be to pine for Spock, and whose sole purpose in the story is to show how unemotional Spock is. Majel Roddenberry, who played Chapel in TOS (and played Number One in the original pilot), found the role demeaning, and well she might have. It’s a juvenile male fantasy.
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But there’s absolutely no reason the show should stick to canon, apart from fan service. They’re obviously on a different time line, due in part to “time wars.” There have been a lot of deviations so far, minor and major. For example, when Kirk encounters the Gorn in TOS, in “Arena,” it’s the first time anyone in Star Fleet’s heard of them. That’s plainly inconsistent with “Hegemony.”
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Nevertheless, here’s the series talking about Chapel working with some doctor who, I’ve read, comes up in one of the movies as someone Chapel marries and who treats her badly. I hope they pull back from the brink.
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I’m really rooting for Spock and Chapel, and I hope the show won’t let me down over “canon.” They make sense together and they’re both willing to put themselves on the line for each other. Their current problem, as far as I can tell, isn’t insurmountable. Yeah, Christine plans to go away for three months, but so what? It isn’t that long, and nobody could reasonably object, and Spock is a reasonable guy. It only became an issue, as far as I can see,because she made it one. First she avoided discussing it with Spock, and when he got the news she immediately told him she’d break up with him before she’d give up the fellowship.
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Without trying to read her mind too much, you could see why things might go that way. People who haven’t gone through what she has, like Spock, and most of the rest of the Enterprise, live in a different world. Possibly that has something to do with her preference for casual, uncommitted relationships. Making a transition to something more serious would not be simple, and sabotaging it would be an easy way to get off the hook. You’d expect some bangs and crashes, as you see in Shakespeare when two lovers come together — a serious relationship is a challenge to your identity. It’s scary precisely because it could work out.
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But Chapel is an adult, and she isn’t stupid. Nor is Spock, who may be feeling his way, but does so with love and respect. If some idiot adherence to one of Gene Roddenberry’s lamer ideas doesn’t get in the way, you’d expect them to come through this just fine.
Did they start filming season 3 before the strike?
No, they were going to start the day the first strike started.
I startled my cat by sitting bolt upright when he started speaking, and then scared her into hiding when he introduced himself.
More, More, More!!
I hesitated to watch the season finale, knowing that there was going to be trouble. As soon as I watched it, and the ending came with a “to be continued”, I was yelling “nooooooo!” I knew I should’ve waited for season three to come out to watch the last episode of season 2. Now I’m gonna have to wait forever. That being said it was awesome and it reminds me of when the Borg took Picard, as I suppose it was meant to be. I hated it then and I hate it now. I am not a patient person
Loved the episode, hate a cliffhanger.
I loved the finale, Scotty to the rescue! I want SNW to go on as long as possible, because I am going to be a wreck when my Anson Mount aka Christopher Pike gets done in! I love him as an Actor and have been a fan for years. 10 years into the future is far away for now, let’s keep it that way and keep inserting the characters we love on Star Trek! Rock on SNW!