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Star Trek's Scotty Dies at 85
darkworm writes "James Doohan, better known to Trekkies everywhere as Scotty, has died at the age of 85. James was suffering from both Parkinsons and Alzheimer's and died earlier today at his home"
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Nuff said
funny, but it was way funnier when DeForest Kelly died
Something has to be said about the famous accent. I don't know that many Scots, but I'm told that nobody from Scotland actually talks that way. It's a sort of Hollywood convention.
Speaking of Scots, has anybody else noticed that Kirk and McCoy are both Scottish names? So two of the three main characters were Scottish, plus the most prominent supporting character. Makes you wonder...
It's fitting that he passed away on the anniversary of the Apollo landings.
I had breakfast with Jimmy Doohan once. This was years before I was a famous geek, so I doubt he remembered it long. But I remember him -- a very warm, human, unassuming person. He had the quiet self-confidence of a man who's seen it all, done most of it, lived an upright life, and has nothing left to prove to anybody. The contrast with the brittle personalities and huge fragile egos of some other Trek stars I've met was very noticeable.
I'll miss you, Jimmy.
>>esr>>
...with Canadians imitating Scotsmen in sci-fi. Dr. Beckett on SG Atlantis is also doing the same. Just seemed like a strange coincidence. It has some charm though, would be boring if everyone spoke plain American-English.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
During World War II, he participated in the invasion of Juno Beach on D-Day as a captain with the Royal Canadian Artillery. At 11:30 that night, he was machine-gunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger (he managed to hide the missing finger on screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. The chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case. - Wikipedia
Does anyone know if he later on became politically active against warfare? What was his stance on such things as the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, and earlier than that, Vietnam?
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
...and I saw the (contraction-less, of course) repeat coming a mile away when Scotty met Data in Ten Forward on TNG.
What would be ironic is if the actors who played the "red shirts" on the old series actually outlived all the principle actors. I wonder if any of the "expendable ensigns" have passed on?
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
"TK-421, why aren't you at your post?"
Damn right. Not only did he expertly play the character that hooked many a kid on the idea of science and engineering, but was also a decorated war veteran and a genuine class act. He was always warm and receptive to his fans and a beloved fixture of the convention circuit.
He will be truely missed.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Damn right. Not only did he expertly play the character that hooked many a kid on the idea of science and engineering, but was also a decorated war veteran and a genuine class act. He was always warm and receptive to his fans and a beloved fixture of the convention circuit.
This is an important point. Doohan really gave so much back to the community. In the fascinating (and sometimes hilarious) documentary Trekkies, Doohan relates the story of a suicidal Trek fan who confided in him. Doohan took it upon himself to nurse this poor soul back to health. He told the fan that he wanted to see them at the next convention. To his amazement, the fan was there and Doohan graciously met with them, allowing them to come backstage and the whole deal. Doohan tried it again and again the fan showed up at the next convention. They kept this up for a long time (I forget -- it might have been years) when suddenly the fan stopped coming. Doohan feared the worst had happened.
Years later Doohan was stunned when the fan showed up at a convention out of nowhere! The fan told Doohan that they had turned their life around, enrolled in school, and become ... an electrical engineer.
If you haven't seen this film you should definitely rent it. Watching Doohan come close to tears as he tells this story is worth the rental fee right there.
GMD
watch this
James Doohan was troubled by his typecasting in the years following ST:TOS cancellation, until his dentist told him: 'you're going to be scotty the rest of your life whether you like it or not'. After that Doohan says he just went with it and became a much happier person, and admitted that life had treated him very well.
Another tidbit...as like most good soldiers (David Niven comes to mind) he underplayed his WWII experience very much, when talking about it in public usually talked about how scared he was etc. He was at the Juno Beach landings on D-Day and took 6 bullets (including the loss of one of his fingers).
I never met him, but people I know who did claim he was probably the most charming, down-to-earth media personality they ever met. Old-school gentleman, with a great sense of humour and humilty. This can be contrasted slightly with Canada's OTHER contribution to Star Trek, William (Farking) Shanter...
John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
This wasn't just for the cameras. I was at a convention in Atlanta, Georgia back in my hard-core Trekkie days (I've mellowed out a bit...). Being a broke teenager, I could only afford a one-day pass, and they didn't schedule any autograph sessions for that day. During his Q&A session, I asked him if my buddy and I could have autographs since we wouldn't be able to see him during the other two days.
He said of course we could, he didn't realize that they were selling one-day passes and thought everyone there would be there for two more days. Right there in the Q&A, he said that anyone who wouldn't have another chance to see him on one of the other two days could meet him in the hallway after the Q&A and get autographs.
After the Q&A, he stayed late and a handful of people met him out in the hall while he signed autographs. I was very impressed that the whole room didn't go right then (kudos to the Trekkies!), but more than that, I was impressed that Jimmy Doohan went clearly above and beyond what he was obligated to do just for the sake of being a nice guy. Out in the hallway, he was extremely personable and it was obvious that he wasn't just going through the motions of getting a bunch of Trekkies (myself included) out of his hair, an impression I got from some of the other actors.
Nowadays, I'm not so much a Star Trek fan, but one of my most prized possessions is still my autographed copy of Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. Not because of the autograph, because I have lots of 'em from various people, but because of the memory of what a nice guy Jimmy Doohan was and how special it was that he took some time out of his schedule and his life just to be a nice guy to me, an anonymous guy he didn't know and would very likely never see again.
And yes, of all of the Star Trek actors I've read about beyond their non-Trek lives, Jimmy Doohan is BY FAR the most interesting, courageous and noble one. Christ, the man was shot by Nazis six times with a machine gun in World War II while storming a beach! In my book, that makes him a bigger hero than even the fictional Captain Kirk.
To me, Kirk always seemed like it would be a good Klingon name, along the lines of Kor, Koloth, Kang, etc.
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
I met James about 20 years ago. Our high school managed to scrape up enough money to have him come out to our small town. Even though he was in his 60's, he talked for several hours including a long Q&A session. He talked about storming the beaches during D-Day, he talked about his family, he talked about the Star Trek cast and also did several of his accents.
I was a lifelong Star Trek fan and I realized that James Doohan was about lot more than playing Scottie. He was a very gracious host and his real life was as interesting as anything he played on TV.
Star Trek is the reason I am working in the technology field. Scottie made engineering cool and in the tradition of Scottie, I am a hands on engineer.
Even though I only met him once, I feel like I have lost a close colleague. Goodbye, James. You will be missed but not forgotten.
In a world that is Free and Open, who needs Windows and Gates?
Jeez, give the man a break. Is it not a fact that he IS a famous geek?
Really... "famous" is relative anyway. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of those in Slashdot-type circles (and a proportion of those working in IT) know who ESR is, or have at least heard of him. From that point of view, he could be considered famous, infamous, or at least well-known.
On the other hand, I'd be willing to be that his name wouldn't even elicit a flicker of recognition from 9/10 of the general public.
Nor would RMS's... Linus Torvalds might score somewhat higher, but in the general scheme of things he's still not really "famous".
Bill Gates, and possibly Steve Jobs. That's your lot.
Fact is, that outside Hollywood and the music business, there isn't that much universal fame. Sure, some TV stars will become well known if the show is a global hit (e.g. Mr Doohan himself), but the majority won't be known outside their home country- not even famous US television presenters, such as those on daytime TV, and game show hosts.
I don't know the circumstances of Eric's meeting with James Doohan so I can't comment on that, nor do I know what Doohan's interests were and how Eric's (relative) fame might have affected things. As Bones might have said, "Dammit Jim, I'm an actor, not an u83r-1337 h4x0r..."
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