Scotty’s Best Star Trek Episode Is The Next Generation’s “Relics”

Despite being a vital member of the USS Enterprise crew, Lt. Montgomery “Scotty” Scott’s (James Doohan) greatest episode wasn’t in Star Trek: The Original Series. Throughout TOS and the subsequent films, Scotty served as the Chief Engineer on the Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

With his reputation as a “miracle-worker,” Scotty undoubtedly had some great moments on TOS, but he was still only a supporting character. Scotty often popped in for only a scene or two before the action shifted back to the main trio of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley).

While a couple of TOS episodes centered on Scotty, like season 2’s “Wolf in the Fold,” they weren’t exactly the best the series had to offer. It wasn’t until Scotty returned in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 4, “Relics,” that he got an episode worthy of his status as one of Starfleet’s greatest engineers.

Scotty’s Greatest Star Trek Episode Was In TNG, Not TOS

In Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Relics,” the USS Enterprise-D of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) answers a distress call from the USS Jenolan, a Federation transport ship that had gone missing 75 years before. While investigating the ship, Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) discovers Scotty’s transporter pattern still stored within the pattern buffer.

La Forge restores Scotty’s pattern, and the former Chief Engineer eagerly explores the newest iteration of the Starship Enterprise. Scotty quickly realizes that most of his engineering knowledge is no longer relevant for 24th-century technology. Dejected, Scotty recreates his old Enterprise bridge on the holodeck, where he reminisces about his career with Captain Picard.

In the end, Scotty’s knowledge of the Jenolan’s outdated systems proves vital in saving the Enterprise-D, and he eventually departs on a shuttlecraft to explore the galaxy. With a poignant performance from guest star James Doohan, “Relics” explores the difficulties of growing old and potentially outliving one’s usefulness.

Why Scotty Never Got The Star Trek: TOS Episode He Deserved

As Star Trek: The Original Series progressed, the show focused more and more on the major trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. As the captain of the Starship Enterprise, Kirk often stole the spotlight, but Spock’s popularity among fans earned him some starring episodes as well. McCoy may not have been the focus of many episodes, but he had more screen time than any character besides Kirk and Spock.

Because of Star Trek’s focus on Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, Scotty and the other recurring characters didn’t get as much character development. Still, Scotty saved the Enterprise on numerous occasions and had some incredibly memorable scenes throughout TOS. Star Trek: The Next Generation was more character-focused than Star Trek: The Original Series, and finally gave Scotty the iconic Star Trek episode he deserved.

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  Star Trek: The Original Series

  
  

  8/10

  Release Date

  1966 – 1969-00-00

  Showrunner

  Gene Roddenberry

  Directors

  Marc Daniels, Joseph Pevney, Ralph Senensky, Vincent McEveety, Herb Wallerstein, Jud Taylor, Marvin J. Chomsky, David Alexander, Gerd Oswald, Herschel Daugherty, James Goldstone, Robert Butler, Anton Leader, Gene Nelson, Harvey Hart, Herbert Kenwith, James Komack, John Erman, John Newland, Joseph Sargent, Lawrence Dobkin, Leo Penn, Michael O’Herlihy, Murray Golden

  Writers

  D.C. Fontana, Jerome Bixby, Arthur Heinemann, David Gerrold, Jerry Sohl, Oliver Crawford, Robert Bloch, David P. Harmon, Don Ingalls, Paul Schneider, Shimon Wincelberg, Steven W. Carabatsos, Theodore Sturgeon, Jean Lisette Aroeste, Art Wallace, Adrian Spies, Barry Trivers, Don Mankiewicz, Edward J. Lakso, Fredric Brown, George Clayton Johnson, George F. Slavin, Gilbert Ralston, Harlan Ellison

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  
  

  9/10

  Release Date

  1987 – 1994-00-00

  Network

  Syndication

  Showrunner

  Gene Roddenberry

  Directors

  Cliff Bole, Les Landau, Winrich Kolbe, Rob Bowman, Robert Scheerer, Jonathan Frakes, Robert Wiemer, Gabrielle Beaumont, Alexander Singer, David Carson, Paul Lynch, Corey Allen, Patrick Stewart, Chip Chalmers, Joseph L. Scanlan, James L. Conway, Robert Lederman, Tom Benko, Timothy Bond, Robert Legato, Adam Nimoy, Robert Becker, David Livingston, LeVar Burton

  Writers

  René Echevarria, Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Tracy Tormé, Hannah Louise Shearer, Stuart Charno, Ira Steven Behr, Sara B. Cooper, Peter Allan Fields, Herbert Wright, Frank Abatemarco, Burton Armus, Hilary Bader, Morgan Gendel, David Kemper, Michael I. Wagner, Philip LaZebnik, Robert McCullough, Susan Sackett, Nick Sagan, Fred Bronson, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Sam Rolfe