Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

James Doohan Not In A Coma and Likely To Survive

Posted by chrisd on from the slightly-sketchy-sources dept.

ThreeHamsWillKillHim writes "Apparently, it's rumored that actor James Doohan, from Star Trek fame, is in a coma." The article notes that he's not likely to come out of it. James Doohan is 82 and is known best for his role as Engineer Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott on Star Trek. CD: Update, he's home undergoing rehab for his bout of pneunomia.

11 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. Better way? by qslack · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Isn't there some better way to learn about cool people like this guy before they're likely to die? I thought of this when the author of ping died, too.

    Maybe Slashdot could do a montly/(bi)weekly thing on "Lifetime Geek Achievement Awards."

    I'm sure that 99.99% of these people use the Web, so it would be really cool to thank these people for all they've done for technology.

    Any thoughts?

    --
    qslack.com
  2. Greatest Engineer Ever by Torgo's+Pizza · · Score: 5, Interesting
    James playing Scotty inspired me to be the computer engineer I am today. He showed that true heros are the guys behind the scenes keeping the ship afloat. Not only that, his character showed that engineers could be smart and *cool* at the same time.

    I truly hope he gets better because losing him would be a loss to all geeks.

    1. Re:Greatest Engineer Ever by dimator · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's interesting. Captain Kirk inspired me to be a captain, but I have yet to score with any alien females.

      --
      python -c "x='python -c %sx=%s; print x%%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))%s'; print x%(chr(34),repr(x),chr(34))"
  3. Makes you think ... by binaryDigit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you're an old phart like me, it's kinofa bummer when actors that you knew and loved growing up start to die. We can remember the "young" versions of these actors and to even think of them being 82 is mind blowing.

    Heck, next thing you know companies like DEC and Pan-Am won't exist anymo... Damn, I'm really feeling old now.

    P.S. If this is true, and he doesn't pull through, condolences to his family.

  4. heheh: from the update by Telastyn · · Score: 5, Funny
    made news just two years ago with the birth of his daughter, Sarah, when he was 80 years old. His wife, Wende, was 43 at the time.


    Apparently she can take more of it Cap'n!
  5. Ignorance. by JanusFury · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Doohan maintained a healthy showbiz career despite the fact he was missing the middle finger of his right hand, a piece of trivia few fans are even aware of. Doohan lost the finger during D-Day of World War II when he was part of the Royal Canadian Artillery.

    He later received an honorary engineering degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering after it was learned through a poll that more than half the students said they pursued engineering as a career thanks to watching Scotty in the original "Star Trek."


    If that's not a damned role model, I don't know what is. He fought in damned World War 2, and he also inspired a lot of people. If that's not worth recognizing, what is? Actors serve as much a role in society as others, they just have to remember it. They're role models to children and teenagers, and they also help to express ideas and to bring awareness to a generally ignorant public.
    --
    using namespace slashdot;
    troll::post();
  6. The best career advice I ever got by Linux_ho · · Score: 5, Funny

    LaForge: "Yeah, well I told the captain I'd have this analysis done in an hour."

    Scott: "How long would it really take?"

    LaForge: "An hour!"

    Scott: "Oh, you didn't tell him how long it would *really* take, did you?"

    LaForge: "Well of course I did."

    Scott: "Oh, laddie, you've got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker!"

    --
    include $sig;
    1;
  7. This "Rumor" is completely FALSE by CleverNickName · · Score: 5, Informative

    I just got off the phone with Someone Who Knows(tm).

    He phoned Jimmy's wife, and asked her how he was, and she laughed out loud. He was in the hospital because of pneumonia, but he is home now.

    She put Jimmy on the phone (he told my friend to say hi to me =]) and he said that he's glad to be home from the hospital because he missed his daughter and "the food is much better."

    Please let everyone know that rumors of his death are greatly exaggerated.

  8. Priorities on /. by John+Harrison · · Score: 5, Offtopic
    I find it hard to believe that this is news for nerds, stuff that MATTERS, when the recent Cringely article about the death of his son and Cringely's call for help sent to geeks everywhere was rejected.

    Here is the first column.

    Here is the follow-up that he promised not ot do.

    Editors, get your priorities straight. We expect more from you. Stories about someone going to the hospital don't count.

    Is this REALLY off-topic? Read the links prior to modding.

    --
    Lasers Controlled Games!
  9. Stupid Trivium by ewhac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That Mac was supposed to be an Amiga.

    I was not directly involved with the debacle, but was closely connected with Commodore personnel who were in a position to know. Paramount originally wanted to use an Amiga in that scene in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. To that end, they contacted Commodore to obtain an Amiga 1000 for use.

    The dweezil at the other end informed them that Commodore had no procedures in place for distribution of promotional machines (marketing? What's that?). However, they would be willing to sell them a machine at cut-rate developer pricing. Surprisingly, Paramount agreed, cut a check, and sent it off.

    Fast forward a couple weeks: No machine. Another call to Commodore. It turns out that the amount of the check failed to include some trivial fee (shipping, tax, whatever), and the machine wasn't going to be shipped. Paramount was invited to send another check for the corrected amount.

    Paramount understandably got fed up and made it's next call to Cupertino, CA. Apple not only gave Paramount a machine, they assigned them a programmer to do whatever they needed to make the machine dance for the camera.

    Just another page in the ponderous tome of Commodore's incompetent management.

    Schwab

    --
    Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
  10. Why he's my hero by Macrobat · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The documentary Trekkies has an interview with him where he talks about a fan letter/suicide note he got form a depressed fan. He found out where she lived, called her up, and asked her to meet him at the next convention he was going to attend. She did.

    He kept doing this for a while, meeting her at conventions and asking her to be at the next one...that's a pretty common suicide-prevention tactic, to get a promise from someone that you'll see them sometime in the future. That way they can't kill themselves.

    He lost touch with her for a few years, and thought the worst, until he got a letter from her stating that she'd gone to grad school (Engineering, I think), and that his intervention saved her life. When he was telling the story, he was fighting back tears.

    So yeah, he had a chance to do the Right Thing, and he did it. Celebrity may be a fickle thing, but he used his influence well.

    That's why I admire him.

    --
    "Hardly used" will not fetch you a better price for your brain.