“I’ve giv’n her all she’s got captain, an’ I canna give her no more.”

Gazing at the moon last night on the 36th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s courageous “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” moment I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at the passing of one of my childhood heroes. James Doohan, most famous for his role as Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer on the Starship Enterprise, passed away at the age of 85. How appropriate that his death would come on a day in which we celebrate man’s journey to space.

As a child Star Trek had as much of an emotional and inspirational impact on me as Star Wars. I was born in 1968 and didn’t have the pleasure of watching Star Trek on its original run but I do remember seeing reruns at a very young age and being captivated by the adventures of Captain Kirk and his crew. At one particular time in my life I remember my brother and I sitting in front of the television on Saturday evenings to catch Night Gallery followed by Star Trek. Although Captain Kirk was every young boys favorite I remember liking each and every member of the crew. They were a team and each of them was important and special. Star Trek was a show that meant something to me, and it still does.

“Even if we were under full scale attack I couldn’t move any faster, not and maintain a safety factor.”

Now that I’m an adult I can laugh at the silliness of some of the aspects of Star Trek and yet I still love it. The low budget effects and the over-the-top acting didn’t matter then and it doesn’t matter now. This show stands the test of time in large part because the actors made us love the characters and truly believe they were out having wild, fantastic adventures in space. And James Doohan gave Montgomery Scott the life and passion that made him such a beloved, heroic character.

Interestingly enough James Doohan was a hero in real life as well. As part of the Canadian forces in WWII he landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. At approximately 11:30 p.m. on that fateful day he was shot 6 times by a machine gunner. Four rounds hit his leg, one his chest, and one tore off the middle finger of his right hand…a fact they managed to hide on-screen. The potentially fatal chest shot was stopped by his cigarette case.

“I can’t change the laws of physics. A’ve got to have thirty minutes.”

It was announced today that per James Doohan’s wishes his ashes will be launched into space, making the final frontier his final resting place. Details indicate that as early as September his remains could be aboard a Falcon 1 rocket that would be launched from the Vandenberg Air Force base in California.

“Diplomats! The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaserbank.”

Thank you so very much, James Doohan, for giving us hope and inspiration, in one hour time slots, for decades. It truly was a pleasure.