A lot of people have already blogged about Jimmy Doohan, of course, but for some reason I was still startled today to see his obit on the BBC website whence I had gone to check the story on the bombings. I should know better, but I still tend to think of Star Trek as a North American phenomenon. Not so - the Scots are planning a memorial to the character.
I say I should know better, because green_trilobite has told me how, years ago, he was Scotty at an SF convention in Niagara Falls and got to experience first-hand how loved the character and the actor were: he had a hard time keeping his wits about him because strangers kept buying him drinks all weekend, and when he stepped out of the hotel, a flock of Japanese tourists surrounded him, taking photos of each other. Afterwards he wondered if he should have contacted the Niagara Falls tourist board and tried to get a permanent job.
I say I should know better, because green_trilobite has told me how, years ago, he was Scotty at an SF convention in Niagara Falls and got to experience first-hand how loved the character and the actor were: he had a hard time keeping his wits about him because strangers kept buying him drinks all weekend, and when he stepped out of the hotel, a flock of Japanese tourists surrounded him, taking photos of each other. Afterwards he wondered if he should have contacted the Niagara Falls tourist board and tried to get a permanent job.