Monday, January 7 12:00 AM ET

James Doohan's Ashes to Appear in Volume 3 of Heroes

Hollywood, CA – The Star Trek connection grew even stronger for the NBC hit series “Heroes” when show creator Tim Kring announced Monday that James Doohan would be appearing in Volume 3: “Villains.”

Doohan, who played Montgomery Scott on the original Star Trek series, died in 2005, but that didn't prevent the creative Kring from finding a way to include him on the show.

“We've had Nichelle (Uhuru) and George (Sulu) appear in previous volumes, but my favorite was always Scotty,” said Kring. “When I learned that some of his ashes were still available, I knew I had to write him in the show.”

Kring was guarded on what role Doohan's ashes would play in Volume 3 of the series. “I think fans of the show will be impressed by how we integrate his ashes into the storyline. They won't recognize the charming Mr. Scott. There's a reason the third season is called Villains.”

Fans of the show were mostly confused by the announcement. Bill Eckert of Simi Valley, California said, “Wouldn't it make more sense to get someone alive to appear on the show? Shatner? Nimoy? Heck, even Walter Koenig? I have to admit though, that it will be nice to see Scotty on screen again.”

Many wondered how they could be sure it was the actual ashes of James Doohan, and not just some replica or CGI. “I got burned on Ebay several months ago,” said one poster on a popular Heroes discussion board. “I thought I was getting the ashes of Scotty, but a forensic scientist found out that it was only Jane Wyatt.”

Kring assured fans they were the actual ashes of Doohan, and that they would not being doing anything silly with him to dishonor the memory of him.

Volume 3 of Heroes is currently on hold because of the writer's strike, but it's hoped that new episodes will appear in fall of 2008.