Opportunities Lost

The first time I saw James Doohan was at a Star Trek convention in Tulsa, OK in the late 80's.

I remember that my friend, Kyle, and I (I think that's who I went with) had not purchased the proper admittance to see him speak. Fortunately, neither of us were convention neophytes and knew just how to carry ourselves, where to place our badges, and how to blend in with the crowd to sneak into the room.

During that period in history, autographs were not a commodity. There was no standing in line at an autograph table. If you caught a celebrity at the right moment, had the guts to ask, and they were feeling generous, you got an autograph.

The thought never crossed my mind.

What did cross my mind was to bring a tape recorder. That's right, celebrity speeches were also not copyrighted at that time. For an hour, I let my portable tape recorder transcribe every word he spoke. My favorite was when someone asked if the Enterprise could land on a planet. Mr. Doohan said, "no" and the fan came back with, "Oh, I thought it might have big wheels or something." To which Mr. Doohan replied, "No, the only big wheel we had on the Enterprise was Captain Kirk."

Alas, that tape is long since lost. It went for several years migrating to various locations in my bedroom - unlabeled. I found it once and said to myself, "I need to hold on to this." but youthful recklessness let it slip through my fingers once again.

Three years ago, at Trek Expo 2001, I had the opportunity to see James Doohan for the second time in my life. Not having been to a convention in what seemed like a lifetime, I didn't realize that autographs had become a contractual obligation.

I could have gotten off cheap. James Doohan was only charging $10 for an autograph. I could have also had my picture taken with him - with my camera - at no additional charge. But I hadn't counted on wanting any autographs and I certainly hadn't counted on having to pay for them. Ten dollars would have wiped me out.

In retrospect, I should have spent my last dollar.

During that Trek Expo visit in 2001, I recall watching him sign autographs and noticing that he moved very slowly and deliberately. At his presentation, I found out that, during the filming of the TNG episode, Relics, he had suffered a silent stroke and had suffered more strokes and other health problems since then.

After the convention, I learned that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and was recently told that Trek Expo was the last convention where he actually signed the photographs. Since then, he has used a stamp.

I should have spent my last dollar.

Last weekend, the James Doohan Farewell Convention and Tribute was held in Hollywood, CA. Wil Wheaton talks about it on his blog. That's what jogged my memory.

I collect autographs now. Several I have paid for, some did not charge, and still others I convinced to give me a "freebie" while the contract monitors weren't looking. Many were happy to take pictures with their fans whether or not they bought an autograph. But I think I will always regret not seizing the opportunity to get Scotty's autograph. I was very excited that I got my picture taken with Batman at the same convention. I don't know why the thought of paying for the opportunity to have an autograph and picture of one of the most iconic characters in science fiction history clouded my vision and created such a regrettably lost opportunity.