Mr. Scotts natural voice

[Phaser Two]

I went to a packed convention as a kid where Jimmy and George were the star guests. Jimmy did his "different accents" routine, which I loved, but I have no memory of the "if I were captain" bit and had never seen it before. Thanks. It's interesting that Jimmy didn't seem to like Spock being in the engineering section. I always liked it when Spock assisted Scotty with engineering tasks (example - attempting to disengage the M-5, Scotty responds to Kirk's time estimate request with "If Mr. Spock helps me, maybe an hour") and I thought it was pretty clear that Scotty's knowledge was superior.

 

[alensatemybuick1]

I suspect Doohan especially disliked how Spock had to bail out his character in TMP by providing the correct intermix ratio, and that was the basis for that part of the routine.

 

[Phaser Two]

I suspect Doohan especially disliked how Spock had to bail out his character in TMP by providing the correct intermix ratio, and that was the basis for that part of the routine.

Ah, that makes much more sense; thanks. I had honestly forgotten that quite regrettable plot point of TMP and was trying to figure out how often Spock really hung out in engineering in TOS.

 

[Commishsleer]

Ah, that makes much more sense; thanks. I had honestly forgotten that quite regrettable plot point of TMP and was trying to figure out how often Spock really hung out in engineering in TOS.

I don't think there was any shame in Scotty getting Spock's help. Surely that was part of Science's role and since they lost their existing science officer, had to leave before testing the engines and Scotty had his work cut out keeping the engines from blowing up, why would Scotty be upset.
Spock didn't hang around in engineering afterwards telling Scotty what to do.

 

[Phaser Two]

I don't think there was any shame in Scotty getting Spock's help. Surely that was part of Science's role and since they lost their existing science officer, had to leave before testing the engines and Scotty had his work cut out keeping the engines from blowing up, why would Scotty be upset.
Spock didn't hang around in engineering afterwards telling Scotty what to do.

Enh, as a Scotty fan it bugs me a bit. But certainly there was nothing in TOS, as far as I'm concerned, to justify Jimmy's routine or any underlying complaint.

 

[alensatemybuick1]

Regarding Doohan's "Irish-ness", was perusing my copy of Allan Asherman's The Star Trek Interview Book last night...

(by the way, the clip of him in the Hazel ep. is in fact on Youtube)

 

[Phaser Two]

That’s great. Thanks, Alens.

 

[Ssosmcin]

With all of the "Doohan's accent sucked, the guy in Scotland says so!" BS accepted, let's remember that on American TV - particularly in the 60's - accents were were all pretty much ballparked. And, speaking as a stage actor, they still are. Unless you're aiming for a particular dialect within the culture for character purposes, you just tried to get certain inflections. The way the voice raises at the sned of a word or how you roll an R or whatever. Just like "hey Jamie Bamber does a great American accent!" He's not doing New York or Boston or Texas...he's doing a bland "sound like the guys on TV" accent. The Russian accents all over the airwaves in the 60's weren't all true to life. As someone said way up top, we have to be able to UNDERSTAND what the actors are saying. My sister in law dated a guy from Scotland and I couldn't understand a single f'n word he was sayin' more of the time. I think once I made out, "Skut, yer a ghud mate." Because I got up at 4am to watch a Soccer game at a bar with him.

Was Doohan's accent good? Yes it was, for the needs of Star Trek and most people in the US - where it was made for - was fine with it. Was it accurate? Apparently, it depends on who you ask. But, jeez, some of you are really hard on him and Koenig for their work.

 

[Artoo Atari]

This discussion reminds me of a video I saw once of Colm Meaney at a convention talking about using his own Irish accent vs the Hollywood Irish accents (like the ones found in certain unfortunate episodes of TNG and Voy). He was discussing how understandable his own accent was compared to other Irish dialects less discernable to those outside the country.

 

[Phaser Two]

Yes to both of the above posts. I've never understood criticism of either. Because both characters verged somewhat into comic relief by S3, I think a lot of people confuse "Oh, he's doing a comedic bit" with "Wow, that accent sucked." I've traveled to both countries and heard people speaking English with accents who sounded very much to exactly like Jimmy and Walter. Others did not. Dialects and language are a funny thing.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

My sister in law dated a guy from Scotland and I couldn't understand a single f'n word he was sayin' more of the time. I think once I made out, "Skut, yer a ghud mate." Because I got up at 4am to watch a Soccer game at a bar with him.

My mom remarried when I was about 6. My new stepdad had a daughter from his previous marriage who had a really strong southern accent. My sister and I couldn't understand a word she said at first. And that's in the same country.

 

[JKM]

I have visited Scotland once upon a time and I can tell you that while it may be a good deal smaller than say the US, accents there vary by where you live, just like they do in the States. I spent most of my time in Edinburgh and their accents were no where near as thick, to my unpracticed ear, as they were in say Northern Scotland. The British accent is the same way. I took a weekend trip to Wales too, and man, this older gentleman we met I could barely understand. The thing that amused me the most, being American, was one morning in Edinburgh being ask 'What time do you want to be knocked up?' I was like Excussee Me? Means something totally different over there...

Anyway, point being, Scotty's genuineness as far as his Scottish accent goes depends on the location of the Scot judging him I imagine.

 

[Steven P Bastien]

I still say the Scottie accent is a perfect replication of a Scottish accent that will exist 300 years from now. Unless you build a time machine, as I did, there is no way you can prove me wrong.

 

[Maurice]

Here's a treat: a few seconds of Jimmy Doohan in what is likely his first sci-fi role, a 1953 episode of Space Command! He's obviously the fellow to the right.

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[Artoo Atari]

Just thinking....

Is Dr. Crusher supposed to speak with a dialect specific to one born on Earth's moon? Does Spock have a "Shi'Kahr accent?" Picard certainly has no French accent.

Perhaps just best to wave it off and blame it on the Universal Translator.

 

[Listerlad]

Some genuine Scots accents in a Star Fleet uniform!

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[Pauln6]

Enh, as a Scotty fan it bugs me a bit. But certainly there was nothing in TOS, as far as I'm concerned, to justify Jimmy's routine or any underlying complaint.

Spock frequently performed engineering, communications, cryptographic, and life sciences (sometimes even medical) tasks, often on board the ship where whole departments of trained specialists to assist although they did generally keep him out of engineering.

However, he is a physicist, so intermix calculations would be his field of study even if a ship undergoing a refit of its engines would have its whole physics department working on the problem.

While Doohan's accent is not recognisable to 21St century Scotland , who knows how accents will change after Scottish independence in the 22nd century?

 

[Phaser Two]

It is recognizable to 21st century Scotland, though. As I said above, plenty of people there sound like him. Anyone roundly declaring otherwise has never been there.

 

[Pauln6]

It is recognizable to 21st century Scotland, though. As I said above, plenty of people there sound like him. Anyone roundly declaring otherwise has never been there.

I personally have never heard an accent like Scotty but my friend from Aberdeen seems to think it has a genuine Scots twang so it can't be that bad.

 

[Phaser Two]

Yep. It's a northern Scots accent. The show Shetland captures it very well.