Mind, my first real interaction with Scott was via X-men: Evolution, and I still kind of think of him as the "Real" Scott, so I might be a bit off here but...
Scott is pretty much the centre of the X-men. It's odd, but I don't think the dynamic quite *works* without Cyclops. He's earnest and serious, often competent, but yes, he has a bit of a stick up his ass. He's usually somehow trying to manage what is just about the most disparate and contradictory grouping of misfits ever assembled.
I think of Scott as a flawed (mostly in that he's kind of stuck-up and not very healthy emotionally) but when the chips are down earnest guy. Who usually tries to do the right thing only to have it blow up in his face.
Interestingly enough, while I like Cyclops I've never liked Jean in any of her incarnations.