Paul McGillion Paul McGillion is an actor who appears as the Starfleet Academy barracks leader in . He is best known as part of another science fiction franchise , having acquired fandom for his role as Dr . in the Sci - Fi Channel series " : " . Personal . Born in Paisley , Scotland , the sixth of seven children , McGillion and his family moved to Canada when he was two years old . He received a Bachelor of Education Degree in Master Scene Study from Canada ' s Memorial University of Newfoundland , as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Voice from Brock University in Ontario . McGillion himself was an instructor in scene study at the Vancouver Film School in 1998 and 1999 . Career . McGillion has been performing in Canadian theater since 1990 . Some of his stage credits include leading roles in " Piano " , " Savage in Limbo " , " The Foreigner " , " El Salvador " , and " Reservations for Two " , the latter of which he produced and directed . He made his television debut in a 1994 episode of ABC ' s " The Commish " with Bruce McGill . He later made guest appearances on several science fiction shows , including " Sliders " ( starring John Rhys - Davies ) , " " ( including an episode directed by Cliff Bole ) , " First Wave " ( with Rob LaBelle ) , " Seven Days " ( with Vaughn Armstrong , Norman Lloyd , Brian Markinson , and Holmes Osborne ) , " Smallville " ( with John Glover ) , and UPN ' s " The Twilight Zone " ( in an episode with Bill Mumy and directed by Allan Kroeker ) . He even appeared an early episode of " " , nearly seven years before joining the cast of " Stargate : Atlantis " . McGillion ' s first film was 1995 ' s " Crying Freeman " , in which he played a detective . Some of his later film credits include " Saving Grace " ( 1998 ) , " Something More " ( 1999 ) , " My 5 Wives " ( 2000 ) , " Replicant " ( 2001 ) , and " A Guy Thing " ( 2003 ) . He also starred in and produced the award - winning 2003 independent drama " See Grace Fly " , which earned him two nominations from the Leo Awards . His early TV movie credits include " She Woke Up Pregnant " ( 1996 ; directed by James Contner ) , " NightScream " ( 1997 , with Teri Garr and Ned Vaughn ) , and " Love and Treason " ( 2001 , with Timothy Carhart ) . In 2003 , he was seen in " National Lampoon ' s Thanksgiving Family Reunion " , along with Hallie Todd . In 2004 , he was among the several " Star Trek " alumni to appear in the TV movie " NTSB : The Crash of Flight 323 " . His co - stars on this production included Roger Cross , Brett Cullen , Richard Riehle , and Freda Foh Shen . McGillion worked with his " Star Trek " co - star Anton Yelchin in the 2004 TV movie " Jack " . Also starring in this movie were TNG actors Erich Anderson and Brent Spiner . Another TV movie McGillion appeared in that same year was " The Life " , which starred fellow " Star Trek " ( 2009 ) cast member Bruce Greenwood . McGillion made his debut as Dr . Carson Beckett in the pilot episode of " Stargate : Atlantis " in July 2004 . Originally intended to be a recurring role , Beckett became a regular until he was written out of the show in the third season ' s 17th episode , " " , which aired in January 2007 . However , outcry from fans of McGillion and Carson persuaded the show ' s producers to bring the character back , although not as a regular . He returned in a two - episode arc during the show ' s fourth season , which premiered in September 2007 . He then appeared in five episodes of the show ' s fifth and final season , which premiered in the fall of 2009 . His last appearance was in the series finale , " " , which aired in January 2009 . During his years on " Atlantis " , McGillion worked on several other projects . He had a role in the crime drama " The Deal " , starring Christian Slater . McGillion then acted with many of his " Atlantis " co - stars ( as well as " Stargate SG - 1 " regular Christopher Judge ) in the 2007 comedy film " A Dog ' s Breakfast " . In 2008 , McGillion portrayed the male lead in the Lifetime TV movie " Mom , Dad and Her " . In 2008 , McGillion filmed a guest appearance on the FOX Network series " 24 " for the penultimate episode of the its seventh season , set to air in May 2009 . Bob Gunton , Jeffrey Nordling , and Annie Wersching were regulars on the series during that season , and several other " Star Trek " veterans filmed one - time or recurring appearances , including John Billingsley , Glenn Morshower , Kurtwood Smith , Tony Todd , and Connor Trinneer . " Star Trek " . McGillion actually auditioned for the role of Montgomery Scott for the new . His audition was held in Los Angeles , having already been suggested as a possible contender for the role of Scotty in fan discussions . His fans lobbied for him to be cast as Scotty , and also showing support for his casting was Christopher Doohan , the son of James Doohan , the actor who originated the role of Scotty on . " " I think Paul McGillion is a GREAT choice for the role of Scotty , " " Doohan says . " " He has a great accent and I think that he actually looks like my father . " " Of his potential casting , McGillion says " " it would be a great honour to follow in James Doohan ' s footsteps . " " Ultimately , however , the role went to English actor , comedian and writer Simon Pegg of " Spaced " and " Shaun of the Dead " fame . Nonetheless , McGillion still managed to make an impression and was cast in a small role as a Starfleet Barracks officer for a scene opposite Chris Pine as James T . Kirk . McGillion filmed his scenes in November of 2007 , the first month of shooting .