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Beam Me Up, Scotty
Montgomery Scott, the endlessly resourceful chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise, has been a familiar presence in our collective imagination for over three decades. All around the world, everyone knows "Scotty" - but far fewer know the true story of actor James Doohan, who has brought Starfleet's legendary "miracle worker" to life for three seasons on television and in seven major motion pictures. Here at last are all the colorful details of Doohan's life and times, including how war hero Jimmy Doohan charged the beach at Normandy on D-Day, and how World War II left its mark on him forever; how Doohan landed the part of Scotty on the classic Star Trek television series, and how the character acquired an accent; memories of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and all of the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and the feuds and friendships that formed among them; how Doohan made his peace with Star the Next Generation - and brought Scotty back to television for one very special episode; and the long and affectionate bond between Doohan and generations of Trek fans - and how Star Trek brought true love into Doohan's life.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1996
654 people want to read
About the author
James Doohan
20 books10 followersCanadian actor, best known for playing Scotty, the irascible but lovable Scottish Flight Engineer for the Starship Enterprise in various Star Trek series and films - See more at: http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 17, 2014
One of the better autobiographies I've read recently. It doesn't hurt that it is about such a cool individual as James Doohan, either. There's not a lot of whining and whinging in it, either - James Doohan relates his life, his career and the advantages (and disadvantages) of fame very succinctly. Well-written by comic book and Star Trek scribe Peter David, this one is a fun afternoon read.
July 30, 2011
Jimmy Doohan is a true hero.
Not because he was Scotty, although that's awesome.
It's because he stormed Juno Beach at Normandy with his fellow Canadians and lived to tell the tale. That is reason alone to read his memoir.
We all owe a debt a gratitude to men like Jimmy who fought for our freedom.
His book offers a rare glimpse of what it was like to grow up in Canada, become an actor, and eventually one of the best-known pop culture phenoms of all time.
Not because he was Scotty, although that's awesome.
It's because he stormed Juno Beach at Normandy with his fellow Canadians and lived to tell the tale. That is reason alone to read his memoir.
We all owe a debt a gratitude to men like Jimmy who fought for our freedom.
His book offers a rare glimpse of what it was like to grow up in Canada, become an actor, and eventually one of the best-known pop culture phenoms of all time.
July 26, 2017
An excellent book. This is as much a tale of a young soldier as a cherished TV hero. About 1/3 of the book has to do with his "coming of age" over six years in the Canadian military. Most of those military years were based in Britain, on both sides of D-Day! He eventually rises to the rank of captain and becomes a small plane pilot after suffering injuries both physical & emotional.
A few chapters later, when he does finally get to those 3 magic years of ST:TOS, he gives a brief synopsis of each episode - many of which he has a peculiar viewpoint of. Throughout the book he writes of family tensions, loves, thespian training alongside others who became well known, and a constant sprinkling of minor disappointments throughout. Mr. Doohan is a human striving to be a bit better - the epitome of Star Trek through his life-story.
Also of note is the co-author, Peter David. I have read several of his fiction pieces - especially those based on TOS or NG. Each was good and most were also excellent. Peter catches each character perfectly in his fiction (I've only seen one paragraph that didn't!) and in this autobiography he perfectly conveys the meaning in speech cadence of how Jimmy Doohan actually spoke.
I never met Mr. Doohan in person, but after reading this book and seeing a very few interviews online I feel like I know him quite well. Perhaps someday there will be a biography of Mr. David as well. I would also highly recommend the autobiography of De Kelley also.
A few chapters later, when he does finally get to those 3 magic years of ST:TOS, he gives a brief synopsis of each episode - many of which he has a peculiar viewpoint of. Throughout the book he writes of family tensions, loves, thespian training alongside others who became well known, and a constant sprinkling of minor disappointments throughout. Mr. Doohan is a human striving to be a bit better - the epitome of Star Trek through his life-story.
Also of note is the co-author, Peter David. I have read several of his fiction pieces - especially those based on TOS or NG. Each was good and most were also excellent. Peter catches each character perfectly in his fiction (I've only seen one paragraph that didn't!) and in this autobiography he perfectly conveys the meaning in speech cadence of how Jimmy Doohan actually spoke.
I never met Mr. Doohan in person, but after reading this book and seeing a very few interviews online I feel like I know him quite well. Perhaps someday there will be a biography of Mr. David as well. I would also highly recommend the autobiography of De Kelley also.
July 20, 2022
I enjoyed it. I'm a big Star Trek fan, of course. This is apparently written by Peter David from many hours of interviews and conversations with Scotty. It was an easy read, smoothly written. I learned a little more about "Scotty's" personal life, which I was hoping for. There was quite a bit about Trek and about his favorite and least favorite episodes. He really disliked most of season 3. No surprise, I guess. He had many good friends on the cast but did not get along with William Shatner, as I already knew. It's from 1996, which makes it fairly dated on Star Trek history, but still worth the read.
April 9, 2018
Fantastic and fun. A Must-read for any Trekkie. First half better written than the second, which turns into a sort of stream of consciousness rambling of anecdotes. I've always been fond of "Scotty" and after this book, he will always be in my heart.
Favorite quote "I heard somebody say once that if you can go thirty-six hours without the desire to have a drink, you're not an alcoholic. I have proven that to myself so many times."
Parts I loved, WWII (landing on the Beach in Normandy on D-Day and getting his middle finger shot off), descriptions of how much he loved his Trekkie fans, being an actor in the 50's, how Star Trek changed his life for good and for bad, his castmates that he liked and women he admired. Jimmy Doohan was a sweet man. I liked his frankness about being an adult child of an alcoholic and I liked that despite his hatred for Bill Shatner, Doohan took the high road and didn't slam Shatner any more than what was absolutely necessary to explain the situation. I would have used much less restraint.
I enjoyed this book a lot.
Favorite quote "I heard somebody say once that if you can go thirty-six hours without the desire to have a drink, you're not an alcoholic. I have proven that to myself so many times."
Parts I loved, WWII (landing on the Beach in Normandy on D-Day and getting his middle finger shot off), descriptions of how much he loved his Trekkie fans, being an actor in the 50's, how Star Trek changed his life for good and for bad, his castmates that he liked and women he admired. Jimmy Doohan was a sweet man. I liked his frankness about being an adult child of an alcoholic and I liked that despite his hatred for Bill Shatner, Doohan took the high road and didn't slam Shatner any more than what was absolutely necessary to explain the situation. I would have used much less restraint.
I enjoyed this book a lot.
January 14, 2019
Interesting book about James Doohan and his life and career.
I enjoyed reading about Doohan's background growing up in Canada and his military service, which covered about half of the book. Next, came the part I was really looking forward to: Star Trek. He covered how he got into acting and detailed his early roles before trek and how he got the job on Star Trek. He discussed his experiences on Star Trek and ended detailing some of his favorite and not-so-favorite episodes, but he did not go too deeply into his personal relationships with the other cast members.
He did talk about his friendships with the cast, namely Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and Walter Koenig. He did like and work well with Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, but did not seem to have a close personal relationship with them.
My one disappointment is that he did not detail why he had such animus for William Shatner, except to describe two instances that seemed to annoy him. He only said he disliked Shatner early on. Reading Shatner's "Star Trek Memories", we learn that Doohan would not even take Shatner's call when he reached out to the other cast members while the others did. I was expecting a little more information about Doohan's side of the feud.
With that being said, the book was an entertaining look at Doohan's life and experiences in acting both on Trek and post-Trek. He ends the book saying he is happy despite the negatives that Trek brought him and enjoys the positives that Trek has brought him. In the end, he admits the positives outweigh the negatives.
I enjoyed reading about Doohan's background growing up in Canada and his military service, which covered about half of the book. Next, came the part I was really looking forward to: Star Trek. He covered how he got into acting and detailed his early roles before trek and how he got the job on Star Trek. He discussed his experiences on Star Trek and ended detailing some of his favorite and not-so-favorite episodes, but he did not go too deeply into his personal relationships with the other cast members.
He did talk about his friendships with the cast, namely Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and Walter Koenig. He did like and work well with Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, but did not seem to have a close personal relationship with them.
My one disappointment is that he did not detail why he had such animus for William Shatner, except to describe two instances that seemed to annoy him. He only said he disliked Shatner early on. Reading Shatner's "Star Trek Memories", we learn that Doohan would not even take Shatner's call when he reached out to the other cast members while the others did. I was expecting a little more information about Doohan's side of the feud.
With that being said, the book was an entertaining look at Doohan's life and experiences in acting both on Trek and post-Trek. He ends the book saying he is happy despite the negatives that Trek brought him and enjoys the positives that Trek has brought him. In the end, he admits the positives outweigh the negatives.
April 26, 2014
Ok, I admit that the reason I am giving this book a 5 star review is that the used copy I bought was autographed! Since James Doohan is no longer among us, I felt this was beyond lucky for me. I have another autograph of his, and checked them out. They matched. Then when I read his book, I learned that he always signed his own autographs.
The book spends a lot of time on his pre-Star Trek adventures. It is apparent in his book that he was not a fan of Shatner. But his relationships with the rest of the Star Trek stars appears to be based on genuine friendship.
The stuff about his marriages seemed a little "sterilized". Especially the last one where he married a fan who was basically a teenager while he was social security aged. Ah, true love.
His views on various episodes is (in my opinion) some of the best parts of the book.
The book spends a lot of time on his pre-Star Trek adventures. It is apparent in his book that he was not a fan of Shatner. But his relationships with the rest of the Star Trek stars appears to be based on genuine friendship.
The stuff about his marriages seemed a little "sterilized". Especially the last one where he married a fan who was basically a teenager while he was social security aged. Ah, true love.
His views on various episodes is (in my opinion) some of the best parts of the book.
November 4, 2015
2.5 stars.
Short and quick read that any Star Trek fan will appreciate. James "Scotty" Doohan has led a long and interesting life, from serving in the Canadian armed forces to making a living as an actor. About half the book is about his non-Star-Trek life while the other half is his recollections from the TV show and movies.
As with the other original series actors, he's not too fond of William Shatner. However, he seems appreciative of the fandom that allowed him to survive when the acting gigs dried up due to typecasting.
It's not the most engrossing memoir I've read, but I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stuff. Since I love Star Trek I breezed right through it, but if you're not a fellow Trekkie you can skip this one.
Short and quick read that any Star Trek fan will appreciate. James "Scotty" Doohan has led a long and interesting life, from serving in the Canadian armed forces to making a living as an actor. About half the book is about his non-Star-Trek life while the other half is his recollections from the TV show and movies.
As with the other original series actors, he's not too fond of William Shatner. However, he seems appreciative of the fandom that allowed him to survive when the acting gigs dried up due to typecasting.
It's not the most engrossing memoir I've read, but I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stuff. Since I love Star Trek I breezed right through it, but if you're not a fellow Trekkie you can skip this one.
July 30, 2011
Autobiography covering Jimmy Doohan's early life and until he met and married his last wife Wende. Gives some gossip about Star Trek but doesn't focus on it. Does talk about the Star Trek series of movies through "Generations." Roughly the first half of the book is devoted to Jimmy's service in World War II and participation in D-Day with the Canadian armed forces, and how he almost lost his life being machine-gunned.
March 14, 2013
I always knew that James Doohan had an interesting life but I didn't quite know how interesting until I read this. It was also a fascinating perspective on world war two from a Canadian who actually served - as much as he could considering all the waiting around that he apparently did. Less star trek insight than other works I've read but it wasn't at all disappointing. It was a great read and the world is certainly lesser without him :(
May 31, 2013
Mr. Doohan's life was full before he became chief engineer on the Enterprise. Well written, fun and interesting tales of his time on Star Trek but also of his time in the war, and his early career. He had a story to tell beyond Star Trek and he did it very well. As the only actor from the series that I've met and been able to talk to, he's held a special interest for me. It was good to get to know him.
June 11, 2014
This was book 6 of the summer, my first non- fiction one. This was a pretty good biography and gave a lot of background into the original Star Trek series. I was especially glad to see that James Doohan had been a soldier for the Canadian army on D-day
June 9, 2016
I'm a bit perplexed how clipped this autobiography was. James Doohan landed on the beaches during D-Day and had an acting career that stretched decades. Yet everything is glanced over with the shortness of a Twitter Tweet.
March 2, 2010
James Doohan may have been famous for being Scotty on Star Trek, but this autobiography shows that he was much more than that. A WWII D-Day hero. A consummate character actor. A family man.
December 19, 2010
James Doohan was a war hero (he was at D-Day!) and of course, Scotty on Star Trek. The guy led a long and interesting life!
October 6, 2012
A fun and interesting little read. Discovering that a sci-fi legend is also a war hero AND a Canadian was inspiring. Hard not to read it with a Scottish accent tho.
November 12, 2014
Good book. Damn good story. Anyone that liked Scotty will like this.
June 27, 2024
It's funny that on the cover it says that it is told in his own words but you can hear Peter David's voice throughout the book which is why I can't give it 5 stars.
The parts I liked about the book were where Doohan was talking about his relationship with his father and how that shaped his desire to just go, go and do something and being at home was a prime motivator to go. You can see by how he just does things and solves things and that drive to solve his issues with his dad drove him to keep striving and keep learning and keep growing and keep doing things that prevent you from becoming that man and I appreciated in how that came full circle for him on The Bold and the Beautiful of all things.
I also appreciated the chapters on him during the Second World War and the Canadian perspective which is often overlooked for an American one. The frustration of being there but not doing anything and then finally doing something only for that to have ended after the first day.
As I was reading the early chapters of the book I was wondering how this man would enter acting and again it was just a situation of him seeing something and wanting to do it better.
The moments of self-reflection were also parts I enjoyed as you got to really get into the head of the man, questioning where his life would have gone if he had done something else and that is something I think all people question in the end.
Anyway, I always liked Scotty, I liked that the actor that played him was Canadian and that was the prime motivator for reading this book. I don't idolize these people as in the end they are just actors playing a part but I liked some of his insights into behind the scenes of the Original Series actors and how much he doesn't like William Shatner which I found kind of sad due to growing up watching TNG and what a family that crew was.
In the end we're all human and it's always good to read a biography here and there and see how people have lived their lives and this was a fun one to go through.
The parts I liked about the book were where Doohan was talking about his relationship with his father and how that shaped his desire to just go, go and do something and being at home was a prime motivator to go. You can see by how he just does things and solves things and that drive to solve his issues with his dad drove him to keep striving and keep learning and keep growing and keep doing things that prevent you from becoming that man and I appreciated in how that came full circle for him on The Bold and the Beautiful of all things.
I also appreciated the chapters on him during the Second World War and the Canadian perspective which is often overlooked for an American one. The frustration of being there but not doing anything and then finally doing something only for that to have ended after the first day.
As I was reading the early chapters of the book I was wondering how this man would enter acting and again it was just a situation of him seeing something and wanting to do it better.
The moments of self-reflection were also parts I enjoyed as you got to really get into the head of the man, questioning where his life would have gone if he had done something else and that is something I think all people question in the end.
Anyway, I always liked Scotty, I liked that the actor that played him was Canadian and that was the prime motivator for reading this book. I don't idolize these people as in the end they are just actors playing a part but I liked some of his insights into behind the scenes of the Original Series actors and how much he doesn't like William Shatner which I found kind of sad due to growing up watching TNG and what a family that crew was.
In the end we're all human and it's always good to read a biography here and there and see how people have lived their lives and this was a fun one to go through.
June 20, 2025
The book has a confusing start as it took a while to realize an older James Doohan was talking to a younger James Doohan. The end of the book reverses this conversation, with the younger version asking questions of the older. The book is written in first person, but from what I understand, it was written from interviews/transcripts with James Doohan. There is one inconsistency when Doohan mentions he met John Ford as a boy and “has been a Ford man ever since.” Yet twice in the book he is owns very non-Ford cars. Surprised the editors didn’t catch this. And as much as there are jokes about James Tomcat Kirk, Kirk has nothing on James Doohan. Not sure how many times he married or dated members of the Star Trek family. Being married four times is a quite an accomplishment, but not a necessarily good accomplishment.
I’ve always been a fan of Scotty and would have followed my own engineering path even if he hadn’t existed. My wife and I met James Doohan at where else but a convention where he insisted on getting a hug from her. But why not, she was a striking young redhead. While I also served in the military during a time of war, I’m not sure I would have shown the courage he showed during WWII. James Doohan was a true hero, and I wish that aspect of his background had been better known. The book is required reading for anyone who grew up with Star Trek. My son’s middle name is Scott, and even though I was always going to be an engineer (software engineer), the show still had an impact on my life.
Finally, it is clear James doesn’t have much positive to say about William Shatner. Of course, we have heard the same from other sources. I will agree that other than the first Star Trek movie, the one William Shatner was responsible for is the worst of the lot. Unfortunately, just like Star Wars by Disney, Star Trek by Paramount has suffered from bad shows. Star Trek is still hanging on while I think it is over for Star Wars. So, Star Trek wins the battle of the Sci-Fi franchises.
I’ve always been a fan of Scotty and would have followed my own engineering path even if he hadn’t existed. My wife and I met James Doohan at where else but a convention where he insisted on getting a hug from her. But why not, she was a striking young redhead. While I also served in the military during a time of war, I’m not sure I would have shown the courage he showed during WWII. James Doohan was a true hero, and I wish that aspect of his background had been better known. The book is required reading for anyone who grew up with Star Trek. My son’s middle name is Scott, and even though I was always going to be an engineer (software engineer), the show still had an impact on my life.
Finally, it is clear James doesn’t have much positive to say about William Shatner. Of course, we have heard the same from other sources. I will agree that other than the first Star Trek movie, the one William Shatner was responsible for is the worst of the lot. Unfortunately, just like Star Wars by Disney, Star Trek by Paramount has suffered from bad shows. Star Trek is still hanging on while I think it is over for Star Wars. So, Star Trek wins the battle of the Sci-Fi franchises.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 17, 2020I never did get another copy, but the copy I had turned up out of the blue a couple of weeks ago when I emptied a basket that had been jammed into a closet when we were clearing out the dining room to rearrange the first floor. There it was, bookmark still in place. So I put it on the night stand and have been doing a chapter-ish a day since, finishing it today over a microwaved lunch. This is probably the longest I've ever taken to read a book. Of course, it was missing for something like 21 months.
But you know what? It was a good read. Oh, it didn't give me everything I wanted, not nearly. I got some of Mr. Doohan's early life and some great detail about his WWII service, things he liked and didn't and friendships he made or didn't during The Original Series, but most of the rest of his Trek history blows by very quickly. TAS through the movie years, well, there's not a lot of detail, not even remotely enough about the relationships he had with other Trek alumni, and some of that things he only observed from a distance. Kind of skimpy, but he wraps things up with a circular moment and some closure about his relationship with his father discovered while acting on a soap opera and then all of the doors that have opened for him because he was Scotty, and all the good things in his life he attributes to having gotten that part. There are regrets, but they're outweighed.
In his mid-70s looking back, but still looking forward a bit in his career, his life, and for the world. It was a good read, but I wish it had been a longer one.
But you know what? It was a good read. Oh, it didn't give me everything I wanted, not nearly. I got some of Mr. Doohan's early life and some great detail about his WWII service, things he liked and didn't and friendships he made or didn't during The Original Series, but most of the rest of his Trek history blows by very quickly. TAS through the movie years, well, there's not a lot of detail, not even remotely enough about the relationships he had with other Trek alumni, and some of that things he only observed from a distance. Kind of skimpy, but he wraps things up with a circular moment and some closure about his relationship with his father discovered while acting on a soap opera and then all of the doors that have opened for him because he was Scotty, and all the good things in his life he attributes to having gotten that part. There are regrets, but they're outweighed.
In his mid-70s looking back, but still looking forward a bit in his career, his life, and for the world. It was a good read, but I wish it had been a longer one.
October 15, 2021
Life: James Doohan was born in Canada in 1920 shortly after his family emigrated from Ireland. He was raised Catholic and was very angry at his alcoholic father growing up. He joined the Canadian military for World War Two and was wounded in D-Day, where he lost part of a finger. After the war, he decided to become an actor, some thing he babbled with in high school, and after schooling began to get jobs, and some struggle. Which of course leads to Star Trek. Jobs are sparse after the shows ends, so he latches onto the fandom and gets paid gigs from conventions and talks. Then comes the movies and more gigs. This book was published before Doohan had two more children in his advanced years.
Shatner: Newsflash, he really really really did not like Shatner. At all. And he can barely admit that Shatner can act. Like the other four (Checkov, Uhura, and Sulu) thinks Shatner has an inferiority complex. He also thinks Leonard Nimoy played Spock wrong.
Thoughts: Doohan did this book as a series of interviews with David, a well regarded Star Trek and comics writer, and it is kinda obvious. Doohan expresses plenty of emotion for his issues with his father, sympathy for his mom, and sorrow for his deceased sister, plus pride in his children. But his ex wives are barely mentioned, with open disdain to his first ex. Alcoholism is a theme he touches on alot, and he openly talks about the effect his father’s issues had on his entire life.
Shatner: Newsflash, he really really really did not like Shatner. At all. And he can barely admit that Shatner can act. Like the other four (Checkov, Uhura, and Sulu) thinks Shatner has an inferiority complex. He also thinks Leonard Nimoy played Spock wrong.
Thoughts: Doohan did this book as a series of interviews with David, a well regarded Star Trek and comics writer, and it is kinda obvious. Doohan expresses plenty of emotion for his issues with his father, sympathy for his mom, and sorrow for his deceased sister, plus pride in his children. But his ex wives are barely mentioned, with open disdain to his first ex. Alcoholism is a theme he touches on alot, and he openly talks about the effect his father’s issues had on his entire life.
March 12, 2025
Entertaining memoir by James Doohan. This book covers his life growing up in Canada with an abusive and alcoholic father. James enlisted to fight in WWII and eventually led 120 men during the D Day invasion. He made it past the beaches and was shot in the right middle finger and four to the leg and two rounds reflected off a sterling silver cigarette case his brother had given him. James went into acting and he goes into some detail about Star Trek TOS episodes and the movies. Interestingly James does not mention the huge 1977 hit that led to the Star Trek movies. Without Star Wars there would have been no Star Trek movies. James doesn’t pull punches on his dislike for some actors or people and his like and love for others. He did not like William Shatner but really doesn’t say why. Pretty quick and fun read.
May 26, 2023
This is a good biography. Put together by regular Trek writer Peter David, from hours of interviews with Doohan, it is a breezy and engaging read. I enjoyed his coming of age and his time in the Canadian military the most. I knew that he lost his finger in WWII, storming Juno beach, but I didn't know everything around that event, and he tells it well and brought me alongside him during his time on the European front. I appreciated his frank honesty. He lived a good life, for the most part, and is wise enough to recognize and admit to times that he acted poorly or made an unwise choice. I would recommend this to any Star Trek fan, and to anyone interested in yet another perspective of a solider from WWII - this one is worth it.
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November 30, 2021Interesting book about a loved character on TOS. It was refreshing because he talked a little about the other actors but it wasn't the same old stuff you read in Shatner's and Nimoy's book. I enjoyed finding out more about Doohan's personal life before Star Trek and acting jobs he did before TOS. A nice book to read after watching the show for many years .
October 12, 2025
The book reads like you are listening to a conversation over a dinner table. Wonderful stories about his life and why he made certain decisions. From his youth as a son of an emotionally distant alcoholic father to the beaches of Normandy to the final frontier this mans life was far from boring. He came across as eccentric but lovable. A worthwhile read.
December 16, 2019
What a difficult early life Jimmy had. I’m glad that he, like us who were there at the time, had no idea what kind of impact those three short seasons would end up having on the entire world. If he had, he probably would not have done it. I’m glad he did.
February 8, 2020
Just sad, What could have been a great way to get to know the James Doohan behind the Scotty, ended from pages 127 to 212, a smudge of bruised ego and unresolved issues. Straight to the donation bag
December 30, 2022
In BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY, James Doohan, tells it like it is in his own friendly, easy style. This is a full autobiography from his childhood before the two World Wars all the way through Star Trek movies. I loved it!
February 7, 2020
Quite interesting for a die-hard Star Trek fan
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews