Strange New Worlds Can Show Scotty’s Biggest Unseen Star Trek Moment

Scotty solved the transwarp beaming conundrum, but this amazing discovery happened off-screen. An appearance in Strange New Worlds could fix that.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now the best show to depict a historic Star Trek discovery made by USS Enterprise engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan). In J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek movie, it’s revealed by the Prime Universe’s Spock (Leonard Nimoy) that Scotty had been able to crack the problem of transwarp beaming. Theoretically, transwarp beaming would allow for objects or persons to be transported across star systems or to a starship traveling at warp speed. At some point in Scotty’s life, he was able to make this theoretical possibility a reality, but the exact timing of his discovery is difficult to date.

After being missing for decades, Montgomery Scott was reconstituted in the 24th century in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Relics”. It’s entirely possible, therefore, that Scotty proved the transwarp theory correct sometime after he left Picard’s TNG Enterprise. Given Doohan’s brief guest appearance, an older Montgomery Scott would be harder to justify in a show that took place in the post-TNG timeline. Therefore, it’s a more appealing prospect to introduce a younger Scotty in Strange New Worlds, who can make a big impression on Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) by cracking transwarp beaming.

RELATED: Did Scotty’s Greatest Miracle (In Abrams’ Star Trek) Happen After TOS?

Strange New Worlds Can Show Scotty’s Big Discovery

The death of Lieutenant Hemmer (Bruce Horak) at the hands of the Gorn in Strange New Worlds season 1 left a vacancy for a Chief of Engineering. The season 1 finale teased the eventual arrival of Scotty, when a familiar Scottish voice was heard aboard the Enterprise in the alternate timeline. However, the engineer in Strange New Worlds season 2 won’t be Scotty, but will instead be Pelia (Carol Kane). Given the success of Strange New Worlds, it’s highly unlikely that it will end with season 2, so there’s still hope for Scotty to eventually be introduced.

Perhaps, as in Star Trek (2009), Lieutenants James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) and Spock (Ethan Peck) could bump into Scotty at some isolated Starfleet outpost, where they have to work together. Transwarp beaming could be the solution to their shared problem, and Scotty’s solving of the theoretical conundrum could leave a lasting impression on Kirk and Spock. When they take over the Enterprise from Pike and Number One (Rebecca Romijn), they might find themselves in need of a reliable engineering genius like Montgomery Scott.

SNW Season 2 Can Improve Scotty (Like Season 1 Did Uhura)

The genius of Strange New Worlds is that it expands on beloved Star Trek characters while staying true to their origins. The handling of Spock’s friendship with Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) has been a great example of how SNW can expand on what viewers know already, while gently bending canon for the benefit of the story. Similarly, Cadet Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) has been given an extensive backstory and put in the dramatic spotlight in a way that Nichelle Nichols’ original character sadly never was.

With all of this in mind, Strange New Worlds can give Scotty similar treatment, expanding upon his hard-drinking Scottish caricature and beloved catchphrase. TNG‘s “Relics” depicted Scotty as an engineering genius who was displaced in time but eventually earned the respect of the 24th-century Enterprise’s Chief Engineer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). By bringing Scotty into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 or beyond, the writers can depict Scotty as a genius in his own time. It would be the perfect way for the prequel show to give Star Trek viewers a new appreciation of a beloved legacy character.

MORE: Strange New Worlds Broke Canon Better Than Discovery & Picard