Scotty gets his star

Laura Gjovaag links to these pictures of James Doohan getting his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. I see George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, and Grace Lee Whitney in attendance, and at least one of those "that guy" character actors. I've always been fascinated at the enduring popularity of the "second tier" characters from the original series -- their characterization took place in the margins of the series, while Kirk and Spock and, to a lesser extent, McCoy sucked up most of the dramatic oxygen available (which is not a knock on the series, its creators, or any of the actors; that just seems to be how TV series worked in the late 1960s). And so it seems to have fallen to the fans of the series, during the liminal decade between the series' cancellation and its return on the big screen, to have projected and extrapolated much of their impressions of the characters from their repeated viewings of the 79 available episodes. In a way, the limited nature of their characters made this simpler; there just wasn't all that much TO know about Scotty or Sulu or whomever, and if they never attained the depth or screen time of their counterparts on the later, more ensemble-style Trek series, I think they've come to occupy a place in the popular culture firmament that none of the later characters can ever hope to match.

All of which is a very rambling, roundabout way to say it's cool that Mr. Doohan has gotten this honor as he retires from the public stage. Sail on, Scotty.