"Die? He's dead already..." Farewell, James Doohan...

I read this afternoon that the actor who played Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on Star Trek passed away this morning at his home. I had a chance to meet him one rainy Saturday morning long ago when my dad drove me into NYC at a video store where he was signing autographs. There weren't too many people in line, so I only had to wait a few minutes after purchasing a random Star Trek episode on VHS that had a picture of him on the cover. I ripped off the plastic and handed him the cover when I got to him. He was quite cheerful and signed it with a silver marker. I then asked him a pretty corny question that only a geek kid would ask: "Gee, Mr. Doohan, how did you get to be so good at accents?" He replied: "I practice a lot." He returned the tape and I went back out into the grey, wet city, pretty proud of myself for having met a legend.

The legend got older, fatter, and more susceptible to parody by cruel, cruel satirists (does anyone recall The Simpsons' spoof of Star Trek where Scotty is drawn so huge that his bulging stomach prevents his short arms from reaching the control panel? Or Star Trek V, the scene where he knocks himself out by walking into a bulkhead immediately after saying that he knew the ship like the back of his hand?). And I admit, his star kind of dimmed in my eyes. But then he helped to save the Enterprise-B in Star Trek: Generations and reminded us all that he was the one and only Chief Engineer of all sci-fi dom.

Looking back on the episodes, I guess I really did enjoy him best when his character was drunk, carousing, and cutting loose with a jug of space ale. We'll never see a fun loving Scotsman like that anymore. Cue the bagpipes...