James Doohan, best known as engineer Montgomery Scott of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the classic Star Trek, passed away today after a long illness. In addition to his Trek work, Doohan had an extensive acting career, particularly in radio, where his talent for accents and dialects was developed (it was Doohan who convinced the Trek powers that be to make Scotty a Scot). He was also part of the D-Day invasion and a pilot in the Candian Air Force. His influence, or rather Scotty's, was felt beyond your typical sci-fi fans:
Star Trek's impact became apparent when he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, after half the students there said that Scotty had inspired them to take up the subject.My personal favorite Scotty moment? When he leads a barroom brawls against a group of Klingons, not because they bad mouth Kirk, but because they call the Enterprise a garbage scowl. :)
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