The death of Star Trek actor James Doohan has provoked a row between four
Scottish cities over plans to erect a plaque in tribute to his Montgomery Scott
character from the legendary sci-fi saga.
Following the news Doohan died last month, officials in Linlithgow
announced they plan to honour engineer Scotty who, according to Star Trek
folklore, was born in the city in 2222.
But, to the astonishment of Linlithgow council bosses, the cities of
Aberdeen, Elgin and Edinburgh have all also laid claim to being the correct
place to pay tribute to the Scotty character.
Councillor Willy Dunn says, “We have information that Scotty was born here
and then moved to Aberdeen. Fair dos to Aberdeen, you can see where their claim
comes from, but Edinburgh or Elgin? I’m not so sure.”
Aside from the debate as to where Scotty was actually born, Dunn has another
matter on his mind: “We are trying to figure out what the name of it (a plaque)
would be, because you can’t really have a memorial to somebody before they are
born, can you?”
Aberdeen councillor Pamela MacDonald confirms the city is considering a
tribute of its own, as Scotty once referred to himself as an “Aberdeen pub
crawler” in one episode, according to the official Star Trek website.
She says, “If he came from Aberdeen and there’s a quotation to say that then
we should claim him.”
Elgin official Keith Sands confirms his city is also looking into the
possibility of a Scotty honor as Doohan once said his character came from
“Elgin, near Aberdeen” in an interview.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s bid relies on a tit-bit of information from website
SciFi.com, which states Scotty’s birthplace as “Edinburgh, Earth”.
Councillor Lesley Hinds says, “If he really is from Edinburgh then we
shouldn’t let these other places claim him.”
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