In the 2017 live-action film Transformers: The Last Knight, several characters appear as NASA-affiliated scientists, though the most prominent and narratively significant among them is an unnamed engineer employed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, often referred to as the JPL Engineer. This character serves as a pragmatic, scientifically grounded presence within the story's human cast. He is characterized by a deep skepticism toward mysticism and a steadfast belief in the supremacy of physics and mathematics over what he considers superstition or irrational plans. His background is that of a career scientist working at JPL, where he is first seen in his laboratory listening to music before his monitoring equipment detects a planet-sized mass approaching the solar system. His immediate, dispassionate calculation that the object, moving at one-tenth the speed of light on a direct course for Earth, would kill all life on the planet in three days highlights his clinical and matter-of-fact approach to catastrophic scenarios.

His personality is defined by a dry, unimpressed demeanor, intellectual arrogance, and a tendency toward blunt honesty. He does not defer to authority or tradition when they conflict with empirical reasoning, as demonstrated when he openly dismisses the Autobot plan to have Viviane Wembly remove the Staff of Merlin from the ignition chamber as the dumbest idea anyone could have had, declaring instead that he would save the planet through physics and mathematics. This confidence borders on hubris, yet it is rooted in genuine expertise and a desire to find a rational solution. His motivations are clear: he wants to prevent the destruction of Earth using the tools he trusts most, science and logic, rather than relying on ancient artifacts or mythical bloodlines. He views the crisis as an engineering problem to be solved rather than a magical conflict to be resolved.

In the story, the JPL Engineer plays a supporting role among the human military and scientific community. He is present during briefings and strategy sessions, providing technical analysis and proposed solutions. After the returned Optimus Prime reveals that the Decepticons intend to revive Cybertron using an ignition chamber, the engineer rallies the room to begin analyzing the device's purpose. When Quintessa begins the ritual to revive Cybertron, he explains to world leaders that the planet is leeching geothermal energy from Earth's core, warning that the resulting drop in core temperature would dissolve the planet's magnetic field, effectively turning Earth into a giant microwave with the human population as unprotected popcorn. This explanation demonstrates his ability to communicate complex scientific concepts in stark, vivid terms.

His key contribution is his Hail Mary plan, in which he proposes using tactical nuclear weapons to detach a chunk of Cybertron and swing it into the ignition chamber, thereby stopping the energy drain through a kinetic impact. The human military executes this plan, but it ultimately fails, as the ignition chamber continues functioning despite the impact, with Earth's destruction projected to occur within fifty-five minutes. The failure of his plan sends the engineer into a mild catatonic state, and he barely reacts when the Autobots ultimately manage to save Earth through other means. This reaction reveals a vulnerability beneath his confident exterior; his worldview depends on the reliability of scientific solutions, and their failure leaves him emotionally and intellectually adrift. His development is minimal but pointed, moving from assured competence to defeated resignation when his methods prove insufficient against the scale of the crisis.

Beyond the JPL Engineer, other credited NASA Scientist roles appear in the film as background characters. Stephanie Pezolano and Arthur Gil Larsen are both credited as NASA Scientists, and Aiyaz Ahmed is also listed in the same role. However, these characters have no defined personalities, dialogue, or narrative significance within the available information. They function primarily as set dressing within scientific or military command settings, representing the broader human response to the extraterrestrial threat. The JPL Engineer remains the only NASA-affiliated character with a discernible personality, a notable arc within the third act, and a clear set of beliefs and motivations that contribute to the film's thematic tension between science and myth. His most notable ability is his capacity for rapid scientific analysis and creative problem-solving under extreme pressure, though his reliance on empirical methods ultimately proves insufficient, underscoring the film's narrative that ancient forces and human courage must combine to prevail.