Post by Dimitris on Mar 4, 2004 3:24:28 GMT -5
03.03.2004
Happy Birthday, James Doohan!
One of the enduring charms of Star Trek, not too mention an endless cultural reference point, is the character of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott and the performance of James Doohan. If you go a week without hearing a reference to the term "Beam me up Scotty" or "I can't change the laws of physics," then you've probably had your TV or radio turned off.
Playing the Chief Engineer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise on the Original Series, Doohan took what could have been a deadly dull role (how many television shows feature engineers?) and injected it with humor and life. With Leonard Nimoy ("Spock") handling the bulk of the science-speak, Doohan was tasked with handling and delivering with confidence huge chunks of dialogue laced with fantastic terms, elaborate equipment and jargon which would later be coined "technobabble," something every Star Trek actor since has had to contend with.
From his first appearance on the third Star Trek episode aired ("Where No Man Has Gone Before"), Doohan fit right in with the crew and became inseparable with the series. He figured prominently as the lynchpin of several episodes, such as "Wolf in the Fold" and "The Lights of Zetar." When Star Trek: The Animated Adventures debuted in 1973, Doohan pulled double and triple duty, providing voices for most of the guest characters on the show.
Scotty was an integral part of the Star Trek franchise as it made its way to the big screen in the late 70s, and in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," tragedy befell everyone's favorite Chief Engineer when his nephew, a fresh-faced newcomer to the ship, was killed when Khan attacked. The scenes identifying him as Scotty's nephew ended up on the cutting room floor during the film's initial release, but were later reinstated for television and the Director's Edition DVD. He appeared in every film through "Star Trek Generations," the last film to feature any Original Series characters.
Doohan and Scotty returned to Star Trek in 1992 for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics," providing a thought-provoking and touching farewell to the beloved character — for now.
Doohan himself began his television career in, coincidentally, a science-fiction show in 1951 called Tales of Tomorrow, and subsequently appeared on a number of classic shows, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Outer Limits, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He received some advance experience for Star Trek on the short-lived 1953 series Space Command, playing a member of another crew exploring deep space.
Like his castmate William Shatner, Doohan is Canadian by birth. He fought in World War II as a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery, losing a finger on D-Day. He received an honorary Degree in Engineering by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, after a poll showed that many of the students enrolled were originally inspired into the field of Engineering by his role on Star Trek.
STARTREK.COM would like to wish James a very Happy Birthday and many thanks for all of the wonderful moments.
www.startrek.com
Happy Birthday, James Doohan!
One of the enduring charms of Star Trek, not too mention an endless cultural reference point, is the character of Montgomery "Scotty" Scott and the performance of James Doohan. If you go a week without hearing a reference to the term "Beam me up Scotty" or "I can't change the laws of physics," then you've probably had your TV or radio turned off.
Playing the Chief Engineer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise on the Original Series, Doohan took what could have been a deadly dull role (how many television shows feature engineers?) and injected it with humor and life. With Leonard Nimoy ("Spock") handling the bulk of the science-speak, Doohan was tasked with handling and delivering with confidence huge chunks of dialogue laced with fantastic terms, elaborate equipment and jargon which would later be coined "technobabble," something every Star Trek actor since has had to contend with.
From his first appearance on the third Star Trek episode aired ("Where No Man Has Gone Before"), Doohan fit right in with the crew and became inseparable with the series. He figured prominently as the lynchpin of several episodes, such as "Wolf in the Fold" and "The Lights of Zetar." When Star Trek: The Animated Adventures debuted in 1973, Doohan pulled double and triple duty, providing voices for most of the guest characters on the show.
Scotty was an integral part of the Star Trek franchise as it made its way to the big screen in the late 70s, and in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," tragedy befell everyone's favorite Chief Engineer when his nephew, a fresh-faced newcomer to the ship, was killed when Khan attacked. The scenes identifying him as Scotty's nephew ended up on the cutting room floor during the film's initial release, but were later reinstated for television and the Director's Edition DVD. He appeared in every film through "Star Trek Generations," the last film to feature any Original Series characters.
Doohan and Scotty returned to Star Trek in 1992 for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics," providing a thought-provoking and touching farewell to the beloved character — for now.
Doohan himself began his television career in, coincidentally, a science-fiction show in 1951 called Tales of Tomorrow, and subsequently appeared on a number of classic shows, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Outer Limits, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. He received some advance experience for Star Trek on the short-lived 1953 series Space Command, playing a member of another crew exploring deep space.
Like his castmate William Shatner, Doohan is Canadian by birth. He fought in World War II as a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery, losing a finger on D-Day. He received an honorary Degree in Engineering by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, after a poll showed that many of the students enrolled were originally inspired into the field of Engineering by his role on Star Trek.
STARTREK.COM would like to wish James a very Happy Birthday and many thanks for all of the wonderful moments.
www.startrek.com