“Anytime she’s off the bridge, you get to see her interplay with other characters.”
Sure, most Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fans love all the relationships between the USS Enterprise’s crew members, particularly the bond between Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck). However, one of the most unexpected and rewarding friendships to form in season 4 came out of a “long-standing beef that engineers and pilots have.”
And actress Melissa Navia, who portrays Lt. Erica Ortegas on Strange New Worlds, delved deeper into the season 4 rivalry that eventually transformed into a close friendship between her character and actor Martin Quinn’s version of Scotty during an interview (per TrekMovie.com). Navia said: “Engineers and pilots, man. I think Martin Quinn has just done a fantastic job with Scotty and getting to see Ortegas and Scotty go head-to-head...”
“Anytime Erika gets to interact with anybody that she’s not usually with on the bridge, right?” Navia asked during the sit-down. "Because her home is the bridge. I would be happy if every scene was on the bridge. Legitimately, the bridge days are very long, but I feel that’s where Erica gets to shine. But anytime she’s off the bridge, you get to see her interplay with other characters.”
Navia — her character flies the ship, by the way, and Ortegas doesn’t hesitate to say so — added during the interview:
“And the writers told me that they heard about this this kind of long-standing beef that engineers and pilots have, and they were like, ‘This is perfect.’ So, getting to play throughout the season alongside and with Martin as Scotty was an absolute joy, and he is a blast in in every way.”
Honestly, I think the rivalry between Scotty and Erica didn’t last long enough. Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted that they became such close friends, but I thought it happened too fast. I mean, it was hilarious how the two characters were going at each other in the first couple of Strange New Worlds season 4 episodes, and I wanted that to continue for more than three episodes.
Watching Scotty deliberately put limits, via safeguards, on what Erica could and couldn't do at the helm, in terms of flying the Enterprise, not only showed off the engineer's knowledge of the ship but also indicated just how much of a control freak the beloved miracle worker can be when it comes to taking care of "his" vessel.
Then, out of nowhere during Strange New Worlds’ season 4 homage to The Hangover, “Human Best Friend,” which was only the third episode, the two characters were teamed up together. They shared one crazy night helping each other out, and by the end of their hilarious amnesia adventure, the pair had suddenly gone from rivals to compadres.
What did you think about Erica and Scotty’s season 4 rivalry-turned-friendship? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And all four seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are now available to stream on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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