The end of an era:
James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original “Star 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.'”
I feel old.
CaseyL
“I feel old.”
*sigh* Join the club.
First Dr. McCoy, now Scotty. Losing the icons I kind of grew up with really, really sucks.
OTOH, that’s gonna be one helluva ST convention by the time *I* get there :)
Halffasthero
That is heartbreaking, but I am guessing the Alzheimers had probably already done its work by the time he departed. He was likely not there anymore. He was fun to watch thought on all those Star Treks. My favorite from him was when he got into a fight with the Klingons when they insulted the ship – but not when they insulted Captain Kirk.
SoCalJustice
So your last name is Stevens and you name your kid Steven?
Parents can be cruel.
BumperStickerist
I feel old.
Buck up, John. We all feel old at some point:
In situations like these remember:
WWJTKD?
Well, James Tiberius Kirk would go out, find some green skinned hottie, and do her.
Go and do like wise.
Gary Farber
I had my own comments here, with a link to one of my accounts of meeting Doohan here.
Re the comment above that: “My favorite from him was when he got into a fight with the Klingons when they insulted the ship – but not when they insulted Captain Kirk.”
One probably owes David Gerrold more than a little thanks for that, then, as well.
Dave Ruddell
I read in one of those articles that Doohan fathered a kid at age 80. Well done Mr Scott!
Mason
Halffasthero:
I didn’t mean to say the Enterprise should be hauling garbage…. I meant to say that the Enterprise should be hauled away, AS GARBAGE.
(yes, that is from memory. i am such a nerd)