Wednesday, July 20, 2005

'Captain, I'm giving it all I can'

NEUTRAL ZONE, Kligon Space - Scotty from the original TV series Star Trek has passed away at 85, a sure sign of mortality for those of us who remember the young James Doohan from this blog photo.

And so much of that program has infused modern culture - in positive ways, not always in evidence in other science fiction programs that have become popular since then.

The first inter-racial smooch was on Star Trek. Captain Kirk kissed Lt. Uhuru. True, he was forced by a alien who thought he was a Greek God (the alien, not Kirk, though William Shatner did have a pretty high opinion of himself). Maybe the alien was a Greek God, but he did a good thing by breaking that taboo.

Star Trek's message was always that there are different people, different beings, , different customs, but we need to respect them and their differences as much as possible.

George W. should have watched more Star Trek and fewer stag films in college.

Scotty was one of my favorites on the show and his constant travails with the warp engines were mirrored in my own struggles with the diesel engine aboard Sabbatical. I would frequently adopt a brogue when talking about the engine, while sitting in the engine room. (I also spoke in tongues, on occasion, when thing weren't going well.)

Scotty's gone as is series creator and the real genius of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, who died back in 1991.

But we don't have to think hard about where Scotty beamed up to on this last voyage.

For the best story on his passing, see:
  • Scotty Beams Up
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