Villordsutch reviews Star Trek #19…
“As excitement builds for the upcoming film sequel, the ongoing STAR TREK comics series shows fans the events that shaped the lives of the beloved Enterprise crew! In this issue we discover what led young Montgomery Scott to devote himself to engineering, as we witness his first steps on the journey that would take him across the galaxy! Overseen by Trek writer/producer Roberto Orci, this all-new tale sheds light on a classic character!”“
As a long time Star Trek fan I can say from the bottom of my heart (Hell’s heart at that), I have never given a living stuff about where Scotty came from. I’m half Scottish myself and I have even met James Doohan, but not once have I wondered how Mr Scott dealt with childhood life. To me Scotty is Scotty for these stereotypical reasons:-
1) He drinks a lot of whisky (See “By Any Other Name”)
2) He plays the Bagpipes (See The Wrath of Khan)
3) He’s a miracle working engineer (See all Trek)
4) He speaks with a Scottish accent* (See all Trek)
I don’t need to know anymore.
So picking up this issue, I am already biased towards it. Attempting to push these feelings out of my head to be a good reviewer I begin to read. The story falls on the lap of Mike Johnson (Superman, Supergirl) who chooses one of the above stereotypes and uses this as the core of the story: Bagpipes. Broken Bagpipes that need to be fixed to prove that Monty is a true Scott. We see one of Monty’s ancestors on the HMS Enterprise – though Claudia Balboni (True Blood) has decided to make him look initially like a Pigman – then to Scotty’s childhood and through to his Ice Station days. The final quarter of this tale is taken up slightly expanding Admiral Archer’s lack of prized Beagle joke from the first ‘new’ Star Trek film.
This in this ongoing series is a filler and should have across the front cover on Scotty’s chocolate speckled chin: “FILLER STORY!”
Mike Johnson has developed some good stories in the past and I wonder when this concept landed on his writing table did he wonder ‘why?’. This really isn’t one for Mike’s future CV. Claudia Balboni’s art is very good to be honest; other than the Ancestor Pigman all the work is great; the rain-battered HMS Enterprise, the kilt wearing grandfather surrounded by the engineering achievements the Scotts have been involved in through the ages. The artwork of this issue is the only redeeming feature.
All comics have fillers and hopefully this is the only one we shall see from the ongoing Star Trek series.
*Though a lot of Scottish people may disagree with this.
Villordsutch is married with kids and pets. He looks like a tubby Viking and enjoys science fiction. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published April 3, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
