Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a television legend. The character was one of the main fixtures of Star Trek: The Original Series, a member of an iconic cast that would define a franchise for years to come. Standing alongside Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu, Scotty completed the iconic crew of the original television series' three seasons before all six would return in multiple cinematic adventures. Indeed, Scotty appeared in all six films starring The Original Series cast, as well as in the first movie featuring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Generations.
And while Scotty got his own sendoff alongside the rest of his crew in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the character returned in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in a manner similar to Marvel's Captain America.
Star Trek: The Next Generation takes place nearly 80 years after the events of The Original Series. At this time, the U.S.S. Enterprise is on its fifth iteration, technology has greatly advanced and a new crew and a new captain are tasked with boldly going where no one has gone before. Because of this time difference, there have been only very few crossovers between The Next Generation and The Original Series crews.
DeForest Kelley's Doctor McCoy briefly appeared in the series premiere of The Next Generation, albeit as a 137-year old man. Leonard Nimoy's Spock also appeared in the Season 5 two-part episode "Unification." But being a Vulcan, Spock ages differently, which is why he appeared no older than he was in his last cinematic appearances. What's more, William Shatner's Captain Kirk also crossed paths with Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Generations, after being trapped in the Nexus, another dimension where time essentially has no meaning. However, Kirk's return would be brief -- while helping Picard defeat Dr. Soran, the famed Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise would make the ultimate sacrifice.
And then, there was Scotty. James Doohan reprised his role as the brilliant Starfleet engineer in Star Trek: The Next Generation's Season 6 episode, "Relics." In the episode, Picard and his crew found a Dyson Sphere, a massive containment unit built around a star, constructed as a near-infinite source of renewable energy. While the sphere had been abandoned long ago, the crew of the Enterprise-D found an old Starfleet ship crashed on the Dyson Sphere structure.
Inside the ship, LaForge, Riker and Worf found no survivors -- that is until Geordi checked the ship's transporter controls. There, he discovered that they had been altered and that their pattern buffers had been locked. Once unlocked, that pattern was re-materialized, bringing Scotty back. Essentially, Scotty arranged to stay alive, in stasis, inside the transporter's pattern buffer while he awaited rescue. But what he didn't know was that it would take 75 years for his rescuers to come.
While he was saved, Scotty returned to a time he no longer recognized. All of the advancements in technology had zoomed past him and, to make matters worse, all of his friends were gone. He was, as the title of the episode implied, a relic -- a remnant of a bygone era. Seeing Scotty try to cope with this new life was emotional and difficult, but he did get through it. While he struggled to find his worth in this new era, Scotty eventually showed he still had loads to offer, and he went off into the metaphorical sunset, continuing to operate as a Starfleet officer.
Scotty's return in The Next Generation is similar to Steve Rogers' return to modern times in the Marvel Universe. After all, the super-soldier was active in the days of World War II, and, after being frozen for roughly seventy years, he awoke in an era he no longer recognized. The Marvel Cinematic Universe showed Steve's struggle to acclimate to a whole new era, and he still found purpose as a modern super-soldier and leader of the Avengers. Sure, Scotty may not have gone on to lead a team of superheroes, but he and Captain America went through a similar ordeal. After being "asleep" for over 70 years, they both returned in a confounding future, proving they still had something to offer despite their immeasurable losses.
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