In embodiments of laser illumination scanning, an imaging unit includes a linear array of spatial light modulators that direct light in a direction perpendicular to an imaging scan direction. The lasers each emit the light through a diffractive optic that uniformly illuminates the spatial light modulators, and a scanning mirror then scans the spatial light modulators to generate a two-dimensional image for display. The lasers can include red, green, and blue lasers for RGB illumination of the spatial light modulators, which can be implemented as reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS), transmissive LCOS, or as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) mirrors.