Star Trek characters were known for some wild injuries on the show, but few fans realized one actor hid a real war wound on set!
Star Trek was a show of the 1960s set in the future, but it was clear that, like scores of TV shows of that decade, it carried the weight of World War II. That was evident in "Patterns of Force" when the Enterprise discovers that an Earth historian modeled an alien society after Nazi Germany. There were also themes that carried over to every Star Trek show, paralleling World War II.
It made sense as so many in the cast and crew had come of age during the conflict, and a few even had experience with it. DeForest Kelley was a radio operator, Gene Roddenberry and Gene Coon both served in the Pacific while artist Matt Jefferies was a B-52 bomber pilot.
However, one cast member carried the memories of WWII in a very vivid way that fans would never have caught on set!
Star Trek used a hand double for James Doohan's Scotty
Montgomery Scott, aka Scotty, was the first (and some say best) engineer in all of Star Trek history. Famous for being able to do near-miracle repairs in record time, the Scottish genius was played wonderfully by James Doohan to become a Trek icon.
With his job, one would expect Scott to be fast with his fingers and very dexterous. That's why fans may be stunned to discover that whenever the show had a close-up of Scott's hands, it was a double to hide the fact that Doohan was missing a finger.
Doohan enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1939 just before the outbreak of the war. He spent four years mostly on bases and bars while earning the rank of lieutenant.
On June 6, 1944, Doohan commanded 120 men from the Winnipeg Rifles as part of Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day. They were given the task of capturing Juno Beach, and, shockingly, not one of the 33 men in Doohan's assault boat was hit as they took the beach position, with Doohan personally shooting two German snipers.
After the chaos of that day, Doohan must have felt he could relax at night as the Allies took control of Normandy. He was walking back to his command post after midnight when a hail of bullets struck him, four in his leg, one hitting the middle finger of his right hand and a sixth at his chest stopped by a cigarette case in his breast pocket (with Doohan joking this was one time "smoking was good for your health.”) The worst part? It wasn't an enemy soldier but a nervous Canadian sentry.
The field medic had to amputate the finger down to the middle knuckle, but Doohan said to just remove it completely or "spend my life looking as though I was flipping someone an obscene gesture."
Obviously, this injury ended Doohan's field military career, although he would continue to serve later as a pilot with some crazy stunts. After being discharged, Doohan eventually made his way into acting, deciding to conceal the injury for fear it would hurt him getting roles. That would mean often wearing a flesh-covered glove with a fake middle finger.
Doohan was launched to fame as Scotty, a role he'd reprise in the first six Trek movies and scores of cameos. While he never denied the lost finger, he still kept it so quiet that many fans had no idea about it before Doohan's death in 2005.
It's a fun bit for fans to look at when rewatching the show and see if they can spot the missing digit. It also makes one marvel more at how well Doohan played Scotty with that unique touch of being a real-life wounded veteran.
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