Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

As Star Trek fans around the globe know, Scotty has beamed up. Actor James Doohan, who played Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the chief engineer on the Starship Enterprise, died yesterday of Alzheimer's Disease and pneumonia. He was 85.

Although he became associated with the Scottish brogue he used on the show, he was actually Canadian and had an American accent.

He settled on the brogue after trying out a variety of accents because "all the world's best engineers have been Scottish."

Over the years, his character so inspired his fans that he once received an honorary degree in engineering, having influenced so many young people to go into that field.

Born in Vancouver, Canada, on March 3, 1920, he was brought up in Ontario. He left his alcoholic father at age 19 to go to war. A captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery, he led his men into battle on June Beach on D-Day, helping to secure a field and establish command posts. But later that night he was struck by machine gun fire, taking four bullets in the leg, three in the middle finger of his right hand, and another in the chest. He was saved when the bullet to his chest struck a sterling silver cigarette case in his pocket, but he lost the finger.

After the war, he began his career in radio and then won a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. He worked consistently in radio and television, on stage and in films, in America and Canada.

But after his standout performance on Star Trek, he was forever typecast, a fate he eventually embraced. He began a new career as a public speaker, traveling to college campuses and also appearing at Star Trek conventions.

Alzheimer's Disease took its toll in recent years, but he denied it publicly, saying, "If I had Alzheimer's, I think I'd remember."

His final public appearance was last year, when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During the ceremony, cast mate Walter Koenig, who played Chekhov, commended him for "the effect that he has had on people all over the world."

Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, said, "He's been a wonderful friend, a beautiful person."

And George Takei, who played Sulu, said, "We thank you for your luminous talent. We thank you for the gift that you've given us of that unforgettable character."

His cast-mates had equally glowing things to say about him after hearing of his death. In a live interview on the CNN Headline News program Showbiz Tonight, Takei said, " He was very diligent about his work, very conscientious, always came prepared. He was a charming man."

He added that the character of Scotty was "99 percent Jimmy Doohan and 1 percent accent."

Koenig said the part, for Doohan, "was a match made in heaven." He continued, "It was an opportunity to really give of himself to that role. It was a very honest portrayal, because it came from him. It came from his heart and from his emotions and from his mind."

On hearing of his passing, William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, released a statement: "A long and storied career is over. I knew Jim when he started out in Canada, and I knew him in his last years in America, so we go way back. My condolences go out to his family."

Although fans, like myself, are saddened by his passing, we can turn our eyes to the skies and imagine that somewhere, up there, the man we knew as Scotty is where he belongs, amongst the stars.

— Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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