Beam Me Up, Scotty
by James Doohan, Peter David
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Book Summary Information
Author: James Doohan, Peter DavidEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-12-01
ISBN: 0671520563
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Pocket
Product features:
- A great read for Star Trek Fans
Book Reviews of Beam Me Up, Scotty
Book Review: A brief comment
Summary: 4 Stars
I was 14 when the original Star Trek came out, and it was always the high point of the week for me. I wasn't exactly a nerd in school, although the science classes were my favorite, and so I thought the science and technology in Star Trek was the coolest stuff I had ever seen. In 1965 it was still the Cold War and we lived under the specter of possible global nuclear annihilation, and then along comes this little TV series, which showed that humans might finally abolish war and achieve peace (at least on earth), and that science and technology might create a better future for the human race. The combination of the positive message along with all the cool technology was an irresistible combination for me, and so I hardly ever missed a show.
So although I've never been to a Trekkie conference or participated in any of the typical fandom events, I was a big fan of the original (and subsequent series) and so still count myself as a true "Trekkie."
With the recent passing of James Doohan last week this brief autobiobraphy will remain the one and only commentary on his life. The book concentrates more on Doohan's earlier life and his experiences and career up till Star Trek, including his poor childhood, his military service during WWII, and early acting experiences, and most people would probably prefer that he devoted more space to that. But Doohan was 10 years older than most of the other people in the cast, except for DeForest Kelly, and it was interesting to read his perspective on many of these events. He is honest in admitting his dislike for Capt. Kirk, which takes some courage--since that by itself might predispose some people to giving the book a one-star review.
One thing I have to mention is that the scene where Scotty is explaining to Capt. Kirk when he finally punched the Klingon officer that started the fight in the bar in the episode, The Trouble with Tribbles, was considered the funniest scene in the whole series by the fans. I'm not going to go into anymore details than that or the dialog since I'm sure all the diehard fans here remember the scene from start to finish.
I just had one other comment, which is that the character of Scotty was interesting in that basically what they did was to create a likable and charismatic nerd or geek. I've always found Americans' widespread disdain for nerds paradoxical since we are the most high-tech society on earth and are responsible for inventing and developing almost all the high-tech science, engineering, and medical technology, and we even win most of Nobel Prizes in science, and yet nerds and geeks still get no respect here, and are still widely derided. :-) Well, Scotty's amiable and charismatic personality both on and off the set changed all that and made it, if not fashionable to be a geek, at least acceptable.
I will always remember Doohan, who was one of my personal favorites among the cast, and can only hope that he beams up to a better place than the world he left behind.
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