goodbye, you crotchety faux-scotsman

James Doohan, of "beam me up, Scotty" fame, died yesterday. In a fitting, if grandiose gesture, his family will have his ashes lofted into orbit on a future space shuttle mission. Not bad for a guy who got typecast on a short-lived sci-fi show from the 60's.

Members of the early Trek family have fallen on both sides of the fickle celebrity blade. In the 70's, Doohan career was in the toilet; Star Trek was long gone, and he was relegated to guest appearances on Fantasy Island with the likes of Charo and Roddy McDowell. The stigma of shouting "I canna gi'ya much more, Cap'n" in an affected brogue had severely limited his acting opportunities. The success of the Trek movies brought a resurgence of popularity for Scotty and the other cast members, turning the typcasting into a profitable and welcome association.

The news coverage from CNN and BBC shows just how enduring the Trek actors have become. Not many B-list actors (and that's being generous) generate such recognition upon passing. But the unapologetic hopefulness of the 60's Trek, while campy and naive, has endured across decades, propelling its early stars to iconic status along the way.

When James Doohan died, a little piece of the Trek dream died with him. It seems just a touch less likely that any of us will be warping across the galaxy or beaming down to planets if ol' Scotty himself didn't make it. Hope will have to live on in re-runs and DVD, ready to inspire future generations to reach for the stars and live in peace when we get there.