NEWS: James Doohan Will Be a Shooting Star

CULTURE: James Doohan Will Be a Shooting Star

Between elaborate pyramids and Viking ships set ablaze, funerals back in the olden days were a sight to behold. Now it seems like everyone just wants to be buried in dirt and get it over with already, which is so boring and unmajestic I could cry. Some, however, go with the unexpected, and it's almost always the guys you already knew were awesome already.

Doohan passed away in 2005, but I suppose it takes a little time to collect enough people to make taking the rocket trip for such burial methods worthwhile. Such a method isn't as innovative (or exorbitantly expensive) as it was ten years ago when Gene Roddenberry did it, but it doesn't make it any less fascinating; it's still quite out-of-the-ordinary enough to make an impression when you hear it's being done. More importantly, like a sailor being buried at sea, it just seems right. It almost somehow seems like it's even more special in the case of Doohan, who only played an astronaut (or would it be sailor, really?) on television. All those years acting against backdrops, finally now being able to truly go where few have ever gone.



Things involving space, while still retaining a vastness of longing and humanity, never fail to remind me of Ray Bradbury. This one reminds me of his short story Kaleidoscope.

Godspeed on your imminent voyage, Mr. Scott. Ride on, you shooting star.





_DictionaryGirl_ once told her mother that she wanted to be cremated and packed into fireworks and exploded over the Pacific when she died, and was swiftly smacked upside the head for thinking a damn fool thing like that. DG was eight years old then, but her views have not changed. Only now, she's broadening her horizons to consider space rockets.

"Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most...human"

I can't think of anything to say, so...

Don't let the dream die, _DG_.

-TM

I love this. That's all I can think of to say.

That was amazing !!!

That damn rocket better fly straight and true.

I know I'd be pissed after a lifetime of saying 'She can't take much more of this' only to have it come true.

I'm still hoping that I get eaten by a large animal so... ashes in space isn't likely. I'm going to be poop.

+1

What a great way to say it.

you'll be ashes in space eventually, dont worry

HST also had a spectacular funeral

Aw, you say that like I don't worship the ground he was shot-out-of-a-cannon-packed-with-fireworks on.

awesome!

That's sweet!

That quote almost got me teary eyed.


When I die I want to be launched from a torpedo tube onto a freshly terraformed planet.

you can actually get your ashes launched into orbit for less than the cost of a nice casket. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm looking forward to it, but I'm pretty sure none of my asshole relatives will have the balls to give me a viking funeral.

How sweet <33

Viva la TOS!

if his ashes manage to re-engage the warp drive with a record time-setting cold start and rocket the... er... rocket back wards into last week, well... i won't say i told you so.

.... count to three... come with me and you'll see a world of pure imagination.

May his gentle soul slip the surly bonds of earth and touch the face of God... or Keith RIchards.

that was pretty beautiful

James Doohan was awesome, I'm glad he's finally getting his ticket into space. From the way things are looking humans won't be departing this solar system (up until the panic when our sun many millennium from now our sun finally dies). We're too darn selfish as a species to work together to make space travel viable (plus we banned the shit out of the nuclear propulsion craft that could have gotten us up a lot easier than the damned Hydrogen and other liquid and solid boosters.

+ Mee too