Simon Pegg to play Scotty

Brit thespo Simon Pegg, who's previously entertained the crowds in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, will play a young Scotty in the next celluloid Star Trek outing, Reuters reports. Pegg joins Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu and Zachary Quinto as Spock in the film which reportedly, and logically …

[Lloyd]

Much as I love Mr Pegg's work

That's bloody awful casting. The Canadian from Stargate Atlantis who played the Scottish bloke (no idea what his name was - Beckett?) would've been a much better choice (and James Doolans son backed that choice too).

[Devil's Refugee]

Here's a novel idea

How about casting a bloody Scotsman to play the role !

[luke]

Sure as eggs is eggs

Simon Pegg's character, 'Tim' in the wonderful sit com 'Spaced' said:

'Sure as day follows night. Sure as eggs is eggs. Sure as every odd numbered Star Trek movie is shit'

[Mike Peachey]

It doesn't matter

The content will be poor Hollywood tripe anyway as they no longer seem interested in what Gene Rodenberry wanted, only pulling in new punters.

Plus, what's it going to take before they continue on with the 24th Century?

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh hu

Yeh, let's have an Englishman play him, such a pity there are absolutely no Scottish actors available.

I also am a bit of a fan of Pegg btw.

[Thomas Swann]

Paul McGillion...

...would have been my choice personally.

Paris Hilton has no supporting role then?

[Karl Lattimer]

I'm such a geek

if you're chronicling the early days of the enterprise crew, you should really start with the FIRST captain of the enterprise from TOS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Pike_(Star_Trek)

With all these continuity flaws popping up all the time, what is an anally retentive geek to do! (WRT: Terminator, the sarah connor chronicles)

Picture says it all.

Coat - Door - Gone

[Alastair Dodd]

Agreed

He's a great actor and seriously funny bloke but NO.

[Jeremy North]

at least he's British...

Hooray for casting a Brit though. Despite being from the West Country I still think he'll manage a better accent than the sadly departed James DOOHAN.

I'm not saying that Simon Pegg can't do anything wrong, but he's managed to get three top-notch comedies out to the world in fairly short order, each of which have broken new ground and given us some film moments that are absolutely classic -

Mr Pegg on horseback, armed to the teeth riding into Wells for a Wild West Country High Noon.

Messers Pegg and Frost hurling LPs at a zombie in a suburban garden..

[Tawakalna]

nuclear wessels, keptin?

I hope that they keep the phoney ST accents sufficiently phoney. We must have not only "nuclear wessels, keptin?" but also a hearty" och ma poor engines cap'n they cannae take it" and of course a good old "dammit Jim I'm an actor not a doctor.." and I want to see Uhura's legs in very short skirts, Nurse Chappell panting over Spock, and Yeoman Rand looking "available" (quite possibly a suitable part for the delectable Miss Paris Hilton?)

If it's going to be set in the Pike/Kirk transition era then they also need to include "Number 1"

[Anonymous Coward]

Personally I'm surprised Holywood got that close

If truth be told, I doubt the producers even know where Scotland is, how about Dylan Moran, least he's Celtic.

And lets have some more creative suggestions.

Perhaps they'll use :

http://www.firstfoot.com/scottish_dictionary/glossword/index.php?a=list&d=1&t=dict&w1=A

The Scottish Vernacular Dictionary their dialog resource. I know I do, helps me understand my Faither-in-law.

[Paul Kinsler]

I'm mystified by all this "why not a real scotsman" nonsense

... because I'm thinking "why not a real engineer"?

[Stu]

@Luke

LOL

Hear hear,

Spaced was awesome, and yes it seems he was self prophesising his observation about odd numbered Star Trek films. I'm sure his scottish accent will be worse than Doohans'.

Lets hope the movie doesnt go down the cheap path like this did -

http://www.startreknewvoyages.com/

Having provided the url, I now urge you NOT to download the episodes! They're shit, and not being able to use the original cast, instead using totally UN-charismatic actors (take a look at the cast/crew pages & cringe) just makes it even more shit. And when they bought in Walter Koenig in a cameo he made an even worse job of the acting he ever did in the 60s!

And how can you rightfuly CG up the ST-TOS enterprise, you can't base a modern multi-million dollar film effects on what was toilet roll / kitchen roll tubes (the engines and the body) and tupperware containers (bridge)!*

Hows it going to work hollywood?

Stu

*Probably not accurate! ;-)

[Brendan Weir]

Scottish Actors

Its bad luck for Scottish actors to play Scottish characters. And they're far better at playing other nationalities; who can forget Sean Connery in "The Hunt for Red October"

[Marco]

Oh please!

How about leaving what was good alone and come up with something new?

[Robert Grant]

re: I'm mystified by all this "why not a real scotsman" nonsense

Exactly! Why use actors at all? Use a bloody starship crew, there's a thought!

[Pete Burgess]

Early days?

Shouldn't Kirk not be in it then? first captain was Robert April, followed by Christopher Pike (who Spock served with) and only then was Kirk at the helm...

[Colin Jackson]

Meh.

I bet Pegg's Scottish accent is better than Ewan McGregor's 'English' jedi accent.

[Tawakalna]

@Pete Burgess

"only then was Kirk at the helm"

I think you'll find that it was Mr Sulu at the helm - the Kirk unit was in command, but didn't do the driving :)

I'll just replicate myself a coat...

[Nexox Enigma]

Shattner

They really just need him.

[daniel]

The first Enterprise Keptin

Was it not Captain Archer of the NX-01 - Of course, there is Captain Pike, before his exposure to Delta Radiation...

Any why the Original Series? Get Avery Brooks playing Ben Lafayette Sisko and kick ass! Make a change from Kirk, kirk/picard and picard...

[Jonathan Hensley]

All Silliness

Anybody remember how blah the Star Trek Enterprise series was? Pike was good, Kirk was good...but that....TONE....ofspeakingcan....REALLY...get on your nerves...afterawhile.

In regards to every odd numbered Star Trek movie being garbage, the first was good IMO.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry. I've got to ask

Who is this James Doolan ?

And why would his son have a say in the choice of actor if said son is not a producer ?

The son of James Doohan, on the other hand, would be someone I would like the opinion of - not that it would necessarily matter, though.

[Blubster]

Ye canna change the laws of physics

Pegg's a comic, no more, no less and a southerner to boot. Can he even do a Scottish accent? And who are these other nonentities `starring` in the pic?

This is one movie that should never be made.

Why not add insult to injury? Just find out where James Doohan's remains are buried and piss on them.

[Anonymous Coward]

@AC

Absolute genius, I can just picture Bernard smoking fags and getting bottles of corner shop piss from the drawer in his desk in the engine room and telling everyone to feck off!

Manny, where's my sonic screwdriver

[Alex King]

@ Blubster

Pegg's scottish accent is just dandy - better than his yank one that he used in that-film-he-did-with-david-schwimmer-before-the-latest-one anyway. Actually it's a Sean Connery accent rather than a proper Scottish one, but he's got it down to a tee over his years at the Edinburgh festival.

Better than casting Mr-my-farts-smell-of perfume-and-I sh*t-gold bars-McAvoy again anyway.

[Eric]

Re: Ye canna change the laws of physics

"Just find out where James Doohan's remains are buried and piss on them."

Good luck. He was cremated and shot into space.

[Kevin Eastman]

re: Real Scotsman

Hollywood has always had a habit of using one nationality to play another. Look at Highlander for example, You have an American born, Swiss educated (Christopher Lambert) playing a Scotsman, and a Scotsman (Sean Connery) playing a Spaniard. Personally, I always found it amusing listening to Connor MacLeod speaking in a Scottish brogue with a French accent.

Can't say as i agree with the choice of Simon Pegg to play Scotty though, Paul McGillion from Stargate Atlantis would have made a much better Scotty, and even somewhat looks the part.

[Shell]

Pegg... no!

@loyd

The chap who was in Stargate did audition for the role. The actor (I forget his name too) did a signing at my partners shop in the summer, shortly before his Stargate characer was killed off and he was spilling the beans about the new Trek film. I guess he didn't get the part then!

And... Pegg... no!! I think he's great, but he's totally wrong for the part. I bet we find it's just some Hollywood spin or something by next week. I don't think it's serious.

[Wookieman]

needs a doctor

you could do worse than cast david tennant...he IS a scot AND he's already in scifi :p

[Anonymous Coward]

Surely Captain, it cannot be....

There must be a bug in the "port'n'a'cell" :(

[Marco]

re: re: Real Scotsman

He, we Germans get a dubbed version where an American born, Swiss educated imitating a Scot and a Scot imitating a Spaniard are imitated by Germans, which will then sound like an American raised and Swiss educated Scot born in Russia and a Scotsman born in Spain but is really from Italy.

[n3kky]

Paul McGillion from Atlantis-Stargate should play SCOTTY!!

Paul McGillion from Atlantis-Stargate should play SCOTTY!!

He is the only talented actor that could fit the role.

[William Towle]

Presumably...

...at some point he turns to one of the landing party members and exclaims "you've got red on your shirt"!

(engages cloaking device)

[wibbilus maximus]

The missing captain

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia timeline, the first captain of the enterprise (NCC-1701) was Captain Robert April who captained the ship on it's first 5 year mission before Christopher Pike, why has there been nothing about him or his crew??

I suspect a cover up by starfleet due to presidential assassination attempts or fake Rigel 7 moon landings!!

[Iain Argent]

"I'm not Spanish, I'm Egyptian"

@Kevin Eastman

That's a quote from Ramirez (Connery's character in "Highlander"). Although Connor McLeod did call him a Spanish Peacock.

The swords were all Spanish, though. Made by Fabrica Martos in Toledo.

...oh, and of course the Russian Kurgan was played by an American. Not entirely sure where the accent was supposed to be from.

[Rykan]

Re: Pegg... no!

Did you seriously just say that Dr. Beckett gets killed?

Thanks for the spoiler warning.

As for the topic at hand, i would go and see the new film just for the Pegg (I'm not a fan of TOS, but it would be worth it for him). Not the best casting choice - David Tennant? Alan Cumming? Paul McGillion! Any of them would have been a more apt choice (for either heritage or sci fi reasons).

And the odd numbered Trek thing - am I the only one who thought the 4th one with the whale nonsense was rubbish?

cloak - getting.

[Ben]

Title

If you want a Scot to play scotty how about Gordon Brown ? Plenty of hilarious

character plot potential i reckon , better use of a "class" act than him having to have a restart interview in a few months ................ no ?

Ok.............skip to the end ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pegg, Great actor Wrong role.

This movie may be the one that finally self destructs the StarTrek franchise.

Pegg may be a fine comedian and a decent actor, But I expect he will destroy Scotty. Jimmy Doohan embraced the role like few actors these days do.

Paul McGillion probably would have been a better choice as hes closer to that the role needs.

What can I say this is shaping up to be a failure.

[Nazlfrag]

You've got it all wrong

Paris will be cast as a freakish otherworldly love interest, utilising her natural unearthly looks and bizarre alien demeanour.

[James Cleveland]

This movie

Comedy gold.

[Colin]

You've all completely missed the point...

Simon Pegg has been cast not to do a Scottish accent but to do SCOTTY'S accent. The original Scotty didn't have a decent scottish accent, so why should the new one?

[Roger]

erm...

you do understand it's all pretend? Why all the fuss about a non scot pretending to be another non scot pretending to be a scot in a pretend world?

grabs coat and leaves as shouts of denial start...

[Lloyd]

Jesus

Oops, I made a typo, get a grip people, I'm not going to commit Seppuku because I've offended some trek geek/trolls who post anonymously.

As for Alan Cumming/David Tennant/etc, wouldn't one of the requirements be to actually look like James Doohan?

[Blubster]

No Comment

"Just find out where James Doohan's remains are buried and piss on them."

Good luck. He was cremated and shot into space.

Not all of his ashes were - only part of them and they returned to earth after a swift orbit round the planet.