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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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There's a mirror here and a better obit from CNN here.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
He's dead, Jim! -- Bones
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Beem him on up to the big NCC-1701 in the sky. You will be missed Mr. Doohan.
Nuff said
Rest In Peace Scotty. You will always be remembered.
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
Travel well, James.
we see things not as as they are, but as we are.
-- anais nin
Fond memories from TOS right through the series of film. He will be sadly missed. R.
"Beam me up, Scotty!"
"He's dead, Jim."
Ok, now that that's out of the way, I'm sure the rest of the slashdot article comments will be thoughtful, insightful commentary on Doohan's passing.
Such as:
He lost a finger during the D-Day invasion as a captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery.
He was also a linguist, and devised the Vulcan and Klingon lanuages for the original Star Trek motion picture.
He had his youngest daughter in 2000, when he was 80 (!), with his wife Wende, whom he'd been married to since 1975. Way to go, James.
More
"Is the word given, sir?"
"Aye, laddie-- warp speed."
RIP, Scotty.
"Just before they went into warp, I beamed the whole kit and kaboodle into their engine room, where they'll be no tribble at all."
It could be worse, it could be Monday.
Scotty had to be one of the most beloved Star Trek characters of all time and Mr. Doohan really made the character. I only hope that someone somewhere will play Amazing Grace on the pipes for him as he did for Spock at the end of Star Trek II.
He can annoy Bones some more. RIP Mr. Doohan.
Just realise the reality of the situation..... There is no reality.
may the force be with you!
wait...
... Of all the characters in Star Trek.... He.. was the most... human.
(Thanks for teaching me how to keep my reputation as a miracle worker. I'll be enjoyin' a wee dram in your honor tonight, James.)
Just as Agnes Moorehead didn't want to be remembered only as "the witch", I think it's kind of insulting to James Doohan just to encapsulate remberences of him solely as his most well-known character. Can anyone out there comment on his other roles? (e.g. Star Commander of Jason?) his military service? or his long, long life?
We all know he had a fun, fake Scottish accent and was unparalleled in delivering technobabble in just the right doses for a good episode of Trek, but I'd love to hear the stories of this man that aren't penned by Rodenberry or copyrighted by Viacom.
Anyone have any?
The Space Shuttle is obviously waiting for his ashes... That would be fitting. (Depending on the families wishes of course)
"We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over." - Aneurin Bevan
But the real value that James Doohan brought to his role, and that I value from his life was his enthusiasm. The positiveness he brought to his role came from the heart. He embodied and lived the "Can Do" attitude. Hopefully it was every bit as infectious as the rest of Star Trek and we will all remember that we too 'can do!'
"Can there be a Klein bottle that is an efficient and effective beer pitcher?"
..one guy makes this comment at 12:39 and gets a "Score: 5, Funny", and another guy posts the same comment at 12:40 (with only 1 comment posted between them, if you look at the cid) and gets a "Score: 0, Redundant".
--- What
I loved the scene in the documentary Trekkies where Doohan talks befriending a suicidal fan.
. shtml
I found this link which gave more info about that part of the documentary.
http://www.treknation.com/interviews/roger_nygard
Q: Trekkies like to hear anecdotes. Tell us of some funny incident during the production of the movie.
A: Right in the middle of the most emotional moment of our interview with James Doohan the camera ran out of film, interrupting Mr. Doohan in the middle of his story about a suicide note he had received from a fan. He couldn't wait until the camera was reloaded because he was already late to be on stage. The convention security people said there would not be time for a second interview so it seemed like we would never find out what happened to the suicidal woman. We were determined to find out so we waited four hours until after Mr. Doohan spoke on stage and then signed several hundred autographs and then Denise asked him if he could kindly come back to finish his story. Despite being exhausted from the day's convention events, he graciously agreed, and he told us the rest of the story, which became the most touching moment in the film. I can't believe we almost didn't get that story.
It's fitting that he passed away on the anniversary of the Apollo landings.
I'm observing a minute of scottish accent
Pretty Pictures!
"She's running at 120% Captain..."
"Ach! If I give 'er any more she'll blow, Captain!"
Thanks for giving us hardcore overclockers and tweakers a such a great quote to remember you by.
We should all reply:
"She'll be fine Scotty..." *wink*
RIP mate.
A great actor who will be missed by all. So sad that such an extrodinary human suffered the indignity of dying through Alzheimers.
I recommend all Slashdotters honour his memory by donating to the Alzheimer's Association so we can find a cure for this disease.
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>>
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and motion pictures who responded to the apocryphal command "Beam me up, Scotty," died early Wednesday.
The Undiscovered Country
from whose bourn no traveller returns
-- William Shakespeare
For more information, see this article.
GreyPoopon
--
Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
"I know this ship like the back of me hand...."
[bangs head on I-beam and falls down]
"All great things are simple & expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." --Churchill
...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
Beam Me Up Scotty of 'Star Trek' Dead at 85
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
LOS ANGELES James Doohan (search), the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star (search) Trek" TV series and motion pictures who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died early Wednesday. He was 85.
Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, he said.
The Canadian-born Doohan was enjoying a busy career as a character actor when he auditioned for a role as an engineer in a new space adventure on NBC in 1966. A master of dialects from his early years in radio, he tried seven different accents.
"The producers asked me which one I preferred," Doohan recalled 30 years later. "I believed the Scot voice was the most commanding. So I told them, 'If this character is going to be an engineer, you'd better make him a Scotsman."'
The series, which starred William Shatner (search) as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy (search) as the enigmatic Mr. Spock, attracted an enthusiastic following of science fiction fans, especially among teenagers and children, but not enough ratings power. NBC canceled it after three seasons.
When the series ended in 1969, Doohan found himself typecast as Montgomery Scott, the canny engineer with a burr in his voice. In 1973, he complained to his dentist, who advised him: "Jimmy, you're going to be Scotty long after you're dead. If I were you, I'd go with the flow."
"I took his advice," said Doohan, "and since then everything's been just lovely."
"Star Trek" continued in syndicated TV both in the United States and abroad, and its following grew larger and more dedicated. In his later years, Doohan attended 40 "Trekkie" gatherings around the country and lectured at colleges.
The huge success of George Lucas's "Star Wars (search)" in 1977 prompted Paramount Pictures, which had produced "Star Trek" for TV, to plan a movie based on the series. The studio brought back the TV cast and hired a topflight director, Robert Wise. "Star Trek -- The Motion Picture" was successful enough to spawn five sequels.
The powerfully built Doohan, a veteran of D-Day in Normandy, spoke frankly in 1998 about his employer, Paramount, and his TV commander:
"I started out in the series at basic minimum -- plus 10 percent for my agent. That was added a little bit in the second year. When we finally got to our third year, Paramount told us we'd get second-year pay! That's how much they loved us."
He accused Shatner of hogging the camera, adding: "I like Captain Kirk, but I sure don't like Bill. He's so insecure that all he can think about is himself."
James Montgomery Doohan was born March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, British Columbia, youngest of four children of William Doohan, a pharmacist, veterinarian and dentist, and his wife Sarah. As he wrote in his autobiography, "Beam Me Up, Scotty," his father was a drunk who made life miserable for his wife and children.
At 19, James escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, becoming a lieutenant in artillery. He was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. "The sea was rough," he recalled. "We were more afraid of drowning than the Germans."
The Canadians crossed a minefield laid for tanks; the soldiers weren't heavy enough to detonate the bombs. 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 the screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. Fortunately the chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
After the war Doohan on a whim enrolled in a drama class in Toronto. He showed promise and won a two-year scholarship to New York's famed Neighborhood Playhouse, where fellow students included Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Richard Boone.
There is a post on his website - http://www.wilwheaton.net/
...no two people are not on fire.
I met him once, ages ago, at a ST convention that he was attending as guest of honor. Mr. Doohan was simply the nicest celebrity I have ever met in any venue. He was always my favorite charater in the Star Trek Universe, and will always be dear in my heart.
Hope they play Amazing Grace for him on the pipes... it would be fitting.
"Our funds have never taken part in toxic or death spiral convertible financings of any sort" -BayStar's managing partne
...and I saw the (contraction-less, of course) repeat coming a mile away when Scotty met Data in Ten Forward on TNG.
/me is going to pour some 21 year old Glenlivet on the ground tonight.
:o)
Me too.
But I'm gonna drink it first.
There's nothing Scottish about it.
Guess again. It's "Kirk" in Scots Gaelic.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
(Mr. Scott): "Engineering"
(Turbolift Computer voice): "Thank you"
(Mr. Scott): " Up your shaft! "
"TK-421, why aren't you at your post?"
He arrived as the con chair (who was a big 'Scotty' fan) was speaking to the closing ceremonies. They snuck him in unseen and he walked up to her and gave her a big bear hug from behind.
Swinging around to slap him, a growl of disapproval changed to a squeal of glee almost mid-swing.
They later made her a button that read "Feel Me Up Scotty!".
Sometimes boldness is in fashion. Sometimes only the brave will be bold.
RTEFA. (E = Entire)
The last two paragraphs:
In a 1998 interview, Doohan was asked if he ever got tired of hearing the line "Beam me up, Scotty" -- a line that, reportedly, was never actually spoken on the TV show.
"I'm not tired of it at all," he replied. "Good gracious, it's been said to me for just about 31 years. It's been said to me at 70 miles an hour across four lanes on the freeway. I hear it from just about everybody. It's been fun."
I've never known my father; he's never seen me, although he's probably still alive, and he knows I exist. For all practical intents and purposes, he died before I was born.
When my mother told my father that she was pregnant, he gave her some money and told her to get an abortion. She gave the money back, and told him to go to hell. They never spoke after that.
Like me, Sarah Doohan will grow up without a father - but at least she had the opportunity to know him for a few years first. As you say, I'm sure she's glad to be here, even if her father isn't.
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
In memoriam James Doohan. The longest surviving "Red Shirt" on the USS Enterprise, his "Scotty" set the standard for generations of geeks and engineers. Working with the latest future technologies, often experimental, under a demanding boss for whom FTL travel, teleporters, galactic communications and more firepower than all of 20th Century Earth combined weren't enough to cakewalk through missions on any given week, Scotty's role model has influenced millions of 20th Century predecessors. His ingenuity, fortitude, and sense of humor while telling the boss that his demands are insane, but doable, even under excruciating time pressure floating around a newly discovered dimension, are an inspiration to us all. Mr. Doohan, in your new journey, go as boldly as you led us in all your merely astral journeys on our televisions, and in our imaginations.
--
make install -not war
What makes you think they planned on the child? From other comments, it sounds like mom could've been old enough for him/her to be unexpected. Regardless your feelings on abortion, would you suggest that they abort rather than raise a miracle baby just because there's a chance dad might not be around much longer?
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
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
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/20/obit
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Up until now, it was Saint Peter for EVERYBODY. The growing population has necessitated some personnel changes. With more people being born all the time, there are also more people dying off. The work load is far too great for Saint Peter alone, so God has authorized some additional "Heavenly Greeters."
John Candy, for example, will be greeting Canadians. Initially, they weren't going to get their own greeter, but Candy was so persuasive that God decided to give him the job anyway.
James will of course, be in charge of greeting all the Sci-Fi fans and assorted geeks. Naturally, this will cheese off the die hard Star Wars fans. There was some concern about what to do with George Lucas when he arrived, until someone pointed out that after the prequel trilogy, George won't be approaching the pearly gates anyway.
I'm told James has already made a few changes. For example, die hard Trekkers will actually hear some transporter sound effects during the transition from a physical body to a divine existence. Die hard Trekkers who are virgins will actually hear "Beam me up Scotty" just before they get beamed up. Deforest will be doing the voice over for now. If Shatner makes it to heaven his voice will be used instead.
Saint Peter and James are reportedly getting along well, as they both have a fondness for good Scotch and Whiskey. James was quite relieved when he found out Saint Peter had set up a distillery in Heaven, and it was literally staffed by some of the best alcohol artisans on all time.
Of course the Prohibitionists were PISSEED when they found out about it, and even tried to shut it down. Of course, it's kind of hard to shut down the heavenly distillery and wine makers when God has a glass or two with dinner.
Anyway, there's no word yet on the other long term changes. For now, dead geeks will be greeted by James' warm and friendly demeanor. James is quoted as saying "When I was told I'd be Scotty long after I was dead, I didn't realize it was going to be quite so literal. I decided to go with the flow and enjoy it long ago, and now I get to welcome new souls into Heaven. I can't think of a better job than that.
"Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
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..."
"Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
In his honour, I hope that everyone finds a favourite drink that is green.
... green."
"What is this?"
Scotty looks at bottle of liquor: "It's
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
I mentioned this a few months or so ago in the "Hollywood Walk of Fame" thread, but it bears repeating:
Quite a few years back, I attended a convention with a couple of friends, all of us in college at the time. I have no other Star Trek convention experience to compare it to, but I found him to be a great speaker, funny, intelligent, and not in the least condescending as a celebrity all too often can be in public. He was also very straightforward, as a Shatner comment or two demonstrated.
After the speech and the Q&A session, he went outside to sit at a table and sign autographs. The line was HUGE. I can't remember why, but my friends and I ended up at the very end of the line. I don't go in for autographs, so maybe I held them up. Anyway, I wait with them, passing quite a bit of time, as Doohan signs autographs, makes small talk, answers questions, hears the same lines and jokes over and over again, etc. Finally, the last people in line (us) make it to the table. I would have expected any celebrity making an appearance to be happy it was over with, sign something for us and break for the door. Hell, _I_ would have. Mr. Doohan instead greets us VERY warmly, makes a big deal about how much of a pain it must have been to stand in line all that time. Maybe I'm jaded, but I honestly never really expected a tv and movie star to sincerely appreciate his fans. He then tells my friend with the camera to not be silly standing there taking pictures, has us come around the table with him and has someone else take our cameras and take pictures of us with him.
Far too rare of a man. If I remember correctly, his star on the Walk of Fame wasn't bought by himself or his agent as a matter of self-promotion, but by his friends and colleagues of many years who wanted him to get the recognition he deserved. I can't judge anyone's acting talent (ok, maybe SOME people), but acting is what you do, not what you are. And James Doohan was a great human being.
Ignorance is the root of all evil.
segment in questiony Id=4762683
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?stor
Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
Actually the C-beams weren't improvised by Hauer, the C-beams survived being cut out in the improvisation by Hauer.
t xt
http://www.rutgerhauer.org/filmography/brdir.php
They were originally added to the 1981 version of the script by David Peoples
http://brmovie.com/Downloads/Docs/BR_Script_1981.
C-beams are likely referring to Cerenkov (radiation) beams (radiation given by particles moving FTL for a given medium). Their observation (in vacuum) near the Tanhauser Gate would imply the presence of charged tachyon (faster than light) particles coming from the gate. Which makes sense because "gate" likely refers to the sci-fi concept of "jump gate" (a kind of access point for FTL travel - like the terminus a wormhole)
Back in the days of Blade Runner, there was still a little science left in the science fiction.