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In the Star Trek TOS episode "Savage Curtain", Scotty is shown wearing a tartan and a sporran as part of his dress uniform, as seen below:

Scotty in tartan

Is this an actual clan tartan, and if so, to which clan does it belong?

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2 Answers 2

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This Wired article says that the tartan is one of the many Clan Scott designs.

It looks like pieces of the actual tartan were sold and autographed as memorabilia, with a piece recently being auctioned off in 2010, on this online auction site. The page includes a close up of the tartan that allows a better look at the pattern:

Close up of Scotty's Tartan

From this online registry of Scottish clans, this indeed appears to match the "Clan Scott Black & White Ancient" pattern:

Clan Scott pattern

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Yes. It's one of the ancient Scott Clan Tartans

enter image description here

According to Memory Alpha (referencing The World of Star Trek) the producers were keen to ensure that they had the right one and asked a Scottish connection to procure the correct tartan for Mr Scott.

The idea for a kilt to be included as part of Scott's dress uniform was thought up by actor James Doohan. He later recalled, "They [the producers] immediately grabbed onto the idea. They sent to Scotland for the Scott tartan." (The World of Star Trek, 3rd ed., p. 94)


It may interest you to learn that actor James Doohan regularly wore that particular tartan at events.

enter image description here

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    I’m mildly shocked they got it right.
    – Adamant
    Jan 25, 2018 at 17:36
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    @Adamant - I suspect they literally phoned the first tartan suppliers in the Edinburgh phone book.
    – Valorum
    Jan 25, 2018 at 18:03
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    Kind of defeats the object of a "uniform", doesn't it. I don't recall any other such allowances other than for extreme cases like the only Klingon in Starfleet, and the only Ferengi in Starfleet. Could it be that Scotty was the only Scot in Starfleet? Hum. Jan 25, 2018 at 21:32
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    @JohnP: Well you probably don't find it insulting because you're Irish/Scot descent rather than, y'know, actually an Irishman or a Scot (i.e. you lot are the ones doing it!). But YMMV is right so :) Jan 26, 2018 at 15:17
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    Out of universe, it seems like Roddenberry often went out of way to highlight the cultural diversity of the Enterprise crew. Like Chechov's frequent "Russians invented ...". You'd think that in a post-racial, united world society there wouldn't be so much emphasis on traditional cultural stereotypes, but he was writing for a 20th century audience.
    – Barmar
    Jan 26, 2018 at 16:47

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