Gene Roddenberry wanted to get rid of Scotty

It’s difficult to believe that anyone would have a problem with the Enterprise’s Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott from Star Trek: The Original Series, but the man who created the series did. Roddenberry did want a chief engineer but not one that would have any type of prominent role in the series. He wanted to keep the character in the background which would have made us miss out on some of the actor’s most wonderful scenes like from The Trouble with Tribbles and some of his other standout moments.

To be fair, though, James Doohan, who portrayed Scotty, didn’t have as prominent of a role in the series as many fans think he should have. The character was famous for lightening the mood but also had no problem standing up for his own beliefs, and so much more more could have been done with Scotty.

But Gene Roddenberry started trying to get rid of him almost immediately once the series started. Fortunately, Doohan had a wonderful agent who went to bat for him. He even came down to the studio and talked to Roddenberry, convincing him to keep Doohan in the cast. Eventually, though, Doohan’s portrayal of the character worked its magic, and Roddenberry decided to keep him.

It’s certainly no wonder Doohan managed to impress Star Trek’s creator. He had so many shining moments on the series and in this movies. One of his best episodes, where he got to showcase a different side of the character, was A Taste of Armageddon where Scotty had command of the Enterprise while Spock and Kirk were trapped on Eminar 7. Who doesn’t remember his “aye, the haggis is in the fire for sure” comment? This episode really allowed Scotty to shine, and fans can’t imagine what Star Trek would have been like without the engineer.