TO BOLDLY GO ... FOR JAMES DOOHAN.

Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer

The immortal cry, ``Beam Me Up, Scotty,'' will once again ring out at a ``Star Trek'' convention this weekend, but the phrase will have far greater resonance than usual.

The vintage sci-fi series' original cast members will gather to honor James Doohan, beloved for his role as U.S.S. Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. The 84-year-old actor, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, is retiring from public life following the four-day convention at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and the unveiling of a star in his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Appearances by all living cast members of the original 1966-69 ``Star Trek'' TV series - William Shatner (Capt. James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Janice Rand), Majel Barrett Roddenberry (Nurse Christine Chapel) and, of course, Doohan - are on deck. (Shatner, Nimoy and Takei will appear together with their fellow actors at 5:30 p.m. Sunday only; the other ``Star Trek'' luminaries are scheduled at various times over the weekend.)

Recalling the years he played Spock to Doohan's Scotty, Nimoy said his dulcet-toned friend was a ``solidly professional character actor who came prepared, got the job done and was absolutely, totally reliable. For me, his performance was one in a long line of traditional engineer roles - as in the steamship movies I used to love as a kid. There'd the captain shouting down into the engine room, 'More coal!' And you'd see a guy shoveling coal into the boiler. Jimmy played that part beautifully.''

The main ``Star Trek'' convention starts Saturday morning, but Friday evening sees a party with live entertainment, while Saturday night boasts a special Doohan dinner benefiting the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation (www.alzinfo.org). The weekend culminates at 5:30 p.m. Sunday with Doohan on stage for the last time alongside the remaining original cast. Monday morning, Doohan and Takei join fans on a tour of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum (7021 Hollywood Blvd.), and at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Doohan gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the museum.

``Jimmy's a beautiful, sweet man,'' Nichols said. ``When he's your friend, he's your friend for life, and I'm proud he's my friend. We've had many, many years that I treasure - and I can't say that about everybody I've worked with.''

First telecast Sept. 8, 1966, NBC's ``Star Trek'' followed the adventures of the Enterprise spacecraft in the 23rd century as it explored alien worlds. The series, which ended its original network run on Sept. 2, 1969, broke ground by touching on familiar social issues disguised in otherworldly settings. The show wasn't a hit, and its famously fanatic cult following of Trekkies developed in the 1970s after steady syndication built a worldwide following.

``Why is it so enduring?'' Koenig said. ``It portrayed an optimistic future for people of all colors, ethnicities and religions. It's a concept people can identify with.''

But this weekend's events center on Doohan, who now lives in the Seattle area. ``We had a wonderful relationship,'' Takei mused. ``We were best friends, and when he lived in L.A., he was my best drinking buddy. We put in a lot of miles together on the convention circuit.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY ... ONE LAST TIME

Where: Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, 1755 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday (Scotty's Star Party); 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday (benefit dinner); 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to noon Monday.

Tickets: $15 to $25 general; $5 to $10 kids. $75 for Star Party; $150 for benefit dinner; $20 for Monday's Hollywood Entertainment Museum tour. Information: [phone] or www.planetxpo.com.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

This weekend's ``Star Trek'' convention is a tribute to Doohan, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.