Kilts in Star Trek

[Nick]

Over the course of the holiday season I got all three seasons of the original Star Trek on DVD. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in front of the TV. Kilts in Star Trek have been mentioned before, but here's a full rundown, as far as I've seen, with an oddity I noticed.

In "Is There in Truth No Beauty", Scotty wears his kilt at the dinner for Lawrence Marvick and Dr. Jones. It's a red tartan (if it is a tartan), and he's also wearing red kilt hose.

In "By Any Other Name", Scotty doesn't actually wear his kilt, but it's seen hanging on the wall of his quarters in the scene where he gets the Kelvin intruder drunk as a klingon lord. His bagpipes are also seen, in the alcove that's the vanity in all the other quarters sets seen.

In "The Savage Curtain", Scotty again dons the kilt, to recieve "President Lincoln," but this time it's not red, it's white and black. Perhaps a dress tartan?

These are the only kilt occurences I've found in the Original Series. I don't know about the other series.

Just as an aside, James Doohan has said he based Scotty's accent off of a radio operator from Aberdeen he met during WWII.

[Big Paul]

Those are some great peices of trivia! I'm a little bit of a Trek fan my self! Scotty was alway my favorite!

[Jewddha]

I've noticed the first two sightings myself, and I must say that a fan resides in me as well.

[macwilkin]

Just as an aside, James Doohan has said he based Scotty's accent off of a radio operator from Aberdeen he met during WWII.

Scotty served in the Canadian Army (Artillery, if I remember correctly) on Juno Beach at the Normandy landings, 6 June 1944.

He died last year.

Todd

[Nick]

Doohan is still alive. He's 84 and suffering from Alzheimers. He made his last convention appearance last year. The only member of the original cast that's died as far as I know, and not including Jeffery Hunter, is DeForest Kelly.

[macwilkin]

My apologies; you are correct -- now I remember reading the story about Doohan's illness on the CBC...

Cheers,

Todd

[Graham]

Well if the future according to Star Trek is to be believed, (and I don't) then at least it's comforting to see that kilts will still be around.

[Graham]

Here's the official word on Scotty:

James Doohan
Portrays Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
Episode: TOS 002 - Where No Man Has Gone Before

James Doohan is best known to Star Trek fans as Scotty ("Montgomery Scott"), the chief engineer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, in the original Star Trek series.

Doohan was born on March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, and spent his early years in there and in Sarnia, Ontario. Surviving the anguish of living with an alcoholic father, he left home at age 19 to join the Canadian Forces, fighting with the Allies in World War II. After outscoring his fellow soldiers on an officer's exam, he became Captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery. While leading his men into battle on D-Day, Doohan was wounded in the leg and hand, and eventually lost a finger. For the remainder of the war, he became a pilot observer, and received the dubious distinction of being called the "craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Forces."

After returning home to Canada, Doohan performed a few scenes for the local radio station, and was awarded a two-year scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Beginning in 1946, he trained at the Playhouse with Sanford Meisner, alongside such future stars as Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Jackie Gleason.

In the ensuing eight years, Doohan shuttled between New York and Canada where he worked on 4000 radio programs, 400 live and taped variety and dramatic television shows, several films and plays. Though he became known as Canada's busiest actor, he eventually found himself following other fellow actors in the pilgrimage to Hollywood. There, his versatility and talent as a dialectician helped him earn parts in more than 100 motion pictures and television series, including The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Fantasy Island, "Loaded Weapon 1" and "Double Trouble." He has also appeared in the first seven Star Trek motion pictures.

In the years since the final episode of Star Trek, Doohan has pursued a speaking career which has taken him to more than 250 colleges throughout the U.S. and Canada. In addition, he makes appearances at numerous Star Trek conventions.

Doohan lives in Washington, with his wife Wende and his sons, Eric and Thomas. In April 2000, James and Wende gave birth to another child, Sara

[Tim Walker]

Where Star Trek got it wrong was having only one character in a kilt. Actually, science fiction in general got it wrong.