One to Beam Up
My favorite Star Trek: The Original Series actor, James Doohan (Chief Engineer “Scotty”), has passed away at the age of 85.
What an amazing life full of highs (Star Trek, family) and lows (growing up with an alcoholic, abusive father; being severely injured in Normandy; developing Alzheimers in his later years).
A description of Doohan’s ordeal in Normany:
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 screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. Fortunately the chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.
And yet, after all that, Doohan lived a long and full life, including fathering his last child at the age of 80 with his 3rd wife, whom he married in 1974! Whew…
Thank you, Scotty, your work here is done. One to beam up!
P.S. Doohan’s ashes will be beamed into space, just as Star Trek visionary Gene Roddenberry’s were.
