Scots language The Scots language or Scots dialect was a Human language originating in the Earth region of Scotland . Scots words were frequently used in speech by both Montgomery Scott of the prime universe and of the alternate reality , as well as by some of the inhabitants of the Caldos colony such as Ned Quint . ( TOS ; , ; , " et al . " ) " In 2257 of the mirror universe , momentarily adopted a Scots accent in order to fool Captain Spoeneman into believing Lorca was the chief engineer of the . " ( ) Appendices . Background information . James Doohan was fond of saying that the Scottish accent represented only one percent of the Montgomery Scott character , with the other ninety - nine percent comprised of the actor himself . ( " " , p . 289 ) Prior to portraying the role , Doohan had only once played a character with a Scottish accent , in an installment of the sitcom " Hazel " entitled " Hazel ' s Highland Fling " . According to Director James Goldstone , the idea of James Doohan doing a Scottish accent in the role of Montgomery Scott was first suggested to Doohan by Goldstone , when he called the actor shortly before Doohan auditioned for the role . " " I [ . . . ] asked if he could do a Scottish accent , because Jimmy ' s not Scottish , " " Goldstone explained . " " And he said [ imitating the dialect ] , ' Of course I can do a Scottish accent ' [ . . . ] In fact , as I recall and you ' ll have to check with Jimmy on this , I think I told him to speak [ with a Scottish accent ] when he came in , and not just read in Scottish , because I wanted them to think he " was " Scottish . " " ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 105 ) According to Doohan himself , though , he had no idea , when he went to the Desilu casting office , that he would end up playing a character with a Scottish accent . ( " " , p . 289 ) The Scots dialect was one of a variety of accents which Doohan tried while auditioning for the role . In hindsight , Gene Roddenberry specified that the director was the person who asked Doohan whether he could mimic a Scottish accent . ( " Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before " , p . 16 ) Later , after Roddenberry asked Doohan which accent he preferred , Doohan chose the Scottish one . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 27 , No . 11 / 12 , p . 28 ) Doohan himself recalled , " " I decided to give Scotty an Aberdeen accent , which was something I had learned [ . . . ] when I was sent over to England during the war . While I was there , I met this fellow from Aberdeen ; and I couldn ’ t understand one word he said ! But I did learn that accent from him and that was the one I used for Scotty . " " ( " Conversations at Warp Speed " ) Much to the actor ' s delight , the Scottish accent was also the preferred choice of the producers . ( " The Best of Trek " , pp . 90 & 93 ) As such , it was approved by both Roddenberry and Goldstone . ( " The Star Trek Compendium " , 4th ed . , p . 18 ) " " They said , ' Well , we rather like that , too , " " remembered Doohan . ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 53 ) Doohan imagined Montgomery Scott ' s accent as perhaps being reminiscent of a bygone era . He reckoned , " " 300 - 400 years from now we may have lost all accents . I get around that by saying that things got so boring that we all went to school to learn our original accents . " " ( " " , issue 62 , p . 43 ) John D . F . Black noted that Scott ' s " dialect stayed in place " during , even if James Doohan was required to do a lot of repetition owing to the " Enterprise " s engines repeatedly failing . ( " " , p . 19 ) His Scots accent duped multiple various Hollywood casting directors and authentic Scotsmen alike into thinking Doohan was genuinely Scottish , though he was actually Canadian . ( " " , p . 112 ) " " I knew I was being typecast , not only with dialects , but specifically the Scottish accent , " " he stated . On the other hand , he remarked , " " I love that dialect . " " ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 55 ) Doohan elaborated that his fondness for the Scottish accent was because speakers of it " can be quite lyrical if they are given the proper words . " ( " " , issue 62 , p . 44 ) In a character description from the " Writers ' / Directors ' Guide " for the ultimately never - produced television series " " , Scott ' s voice was described as " an accent that drips of heather and the Highlands . " ( " " , p . 111 ) Despite being the son of James Doohan , difficulties with the Scottish accent prevented Chris Doohan from auditioning for the role of , during the casting of the film . Upon the Provost of Linlithgow subsequently enquiring as to why he hadn ' t tried out for the part , Chris Doohan told the Provost about the language problems . " " I told him that my accent wasn ' t very good , which made him laugh hysterically , " " remembered Doohan . " " He replied , ' Then you would be perfect for the part . ' He then told me that my father ' s Scottish accent was terrible , but that ’ s one of the things they loved about him . " " Simon Pegg adopted a Scottish accent to portray the alternate reality version of Montgomery Scott . " " I had some leeway , " " he remarked , " " and I made Scotty ' s accent Northwestern Scottish – just above Glasgow , but pretty Glaswegian . " " In Pegg ' s case , the accent was inspired by his wife . " " Obviously because I ' m English but playing a Scot , my [ Scottish ] wife was on set with me , and I would go up to her after every take and ask if it sounded okay , " " Pegg recalled . " " Tommy Gormley , the brilliant First AD , is from Glasgow , so even though I was pulling Scotty slightly further west than Linlithgow , I wanted to do an accent I could really deliver . " " ( ) Director J . J . Abrams was pleased Gormley could " police " Pegg ' s portrayal of the Scottish accent . ( " Casting " , DVD / BD special features ) Chris Doohan felt hopeful about Simon Pegg ' s accent as Scott . Doohan stated about Pegg , " " His Scottish accent is very good , with a slight Glaswegian flare [ . . . ] There are many who think the new Scotty should have a ' flawless Scottish accent ' , but I disagree . " " Several members of production personnel who worked on 2009 ' s " Star Trek " were thrilled with Simon Pegg ' s Scottish accent in the movie . These impressed laborers included Tommy Gormley , who stated about Pegg ' s take on the accent , " " I think it ' s fantastic . I ' ve got a very critical ear for hearing a bad Scottish accent , but , eh , he ' s got a wife from Glasgow , so he ' s already an honorary Scot . " " J . J . Abrams agreed about Pegg , " " He just completely knows the accent inside out , able to do it , just , you know , genius . " " ( " Casting " , DVD / BD special features ) Ultimately , Simon Pegg was dissatisfied with his accent in the film " Star Trek " . He commented , " " When I watch [ " Star Trek " ( 2009 ) ] I was kind of ' oh no , ' because I hear it [ . . . ] My father in law after the first one was like ' that was shyte . " " For Montgomery Scott ' s subsequent appearance in , Simon Pegg tried to improve on his Scottish vocalizations . " " I really had to buck up and go into it with a new ' all right , I ' m going to do this properly . ' He [ Pegg ' s father - in - law ] asked me to put words in like ' Cludgie ' which is Scottish for toilet . So I would do these things , like I would say ' JJ , I am going to put this in because I think he would say that . ' And JJ would say ' Simon , we need the audience to understand what you are saying . ' So a lot of the Scottish - isms I try to wheedle in get wheedled out . " " Despite this , Pegg feels pleased with his accent more in " Star Trek Into Darkness " than in the 2009 " Star Trek " movie . He also nonetheless influenced the Scots spoken in both films , later recalling , " " When the scripts for " Star Trek ( 2009 ) " and " Into Darkness " came in , I ' d be the one saying , ' No , it ' s the Welsh that say ' boyo , ' you know ? " " Pegg additionally credited his Scottish family members as having clued him into such observations . ( " Star Trek Magazine Movie Special 2016 " , p . 74 )