Who Was James Doohan?

James Doohan (1920 - 2005) was an Irish actor best known for playing "Scotty" in the hit US television series "Star Trek." Doohan's character, the chief engineer on the spaceship famously called "U.S.S. Enterprise," had a strong Scottish accent and remained on the show until its very last episode. He also played in "Star Trek: the Motion Picture," which came out in 1979 and appeared once in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the final years of his life, Doohan was rarely seen in public, as he struggled with Alzheimer's disease.

As a very fitting end to his life and career, Doohan's cremated remains were finally launched into space on 28 April 2007, after repeated delays. Doohan's widow was among the many guests present at the launch, which took place in rural New Mexico. Ten years ago, a similar ceremony was held for Gene Roddenberry, who created the Star Trek series.