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I got a
lot of enjoyment from watching Leonard
in Star Trek, and other television
shows, but I always saw a little of
"Spock" in everything he did. Maybe he
wouldn't have wanted his fans to always
think of him as the pointy eared alien named Spock, but the
character was, "fascinating", as
Spock used to say frequently.
With an
acting career that started in 1951,
Nimoy was in numerous TV series,
sometimes multiple appearances in the
same series but in the one time
appearances, only one to three times a
year. Rolls for this struggling actor
were far and few between. It
wasn't until Gene Rodenberry cast him as
the resident alien in his upcoming pilot
for a show called Star Trek, that Nimoy
costarred with film Jeffery Hunter star in his own series. (When
Roddenberry first met Nimoy he thought,
"I'm going to put pointed ears on him
and paint him green. The green skin
obviously was dropped and green blood
was substituted.)
The roll
of Spock was very interesting which
Nimoy gave excellent performances. Spock
was a Vulcan, from the planet Vulcan.
Vulcans had practiced non-violence for
centuries and to express emotions would
have been socially unacceptable.
This cause a different dilemma for Spock
for he was half human. Vulcans are
extremely intelligent and physically
stronger. (Don't you know everyone from
outer space is more intelligent
physically stronger than us.) Their minds
are computer-like. He could keep perfect
time in his mind and at times would
correct his fellow shipmates when they
would estimate time. He could place
three of his finger on a person's face
and forehead and meld their mind with his.
His life expectancy was much longer that
humans. He was the conscious of the star
ship Enterprise, keeping serious issues
under control with coolness and logic.
You may
have noticed Spock holding up his hand
in a V shape. This was the Vulcan
gesture of greetings or goodbye, usually
accompanied with the phrase, "Live
Long And Prosper". Nimoy was asked where
he came up with the V shaped hand
gesture. As a young Jewish boy in the
synagogue, he was peeking at the Rabbi
during prayer and that was how the Rabbi
was holding his hands.
The first
pilot of Star Trek was rejected by NBC,
but for reasons unknown, NBC asked for
2nd pilot, something that just wasn't
done in the 60s. Nimoy and
Jeffery Hunter were the only actors
retained by the producers for the 2nd
pilot, however, Hunter was already
involved with his next picture. William
Shatner was hired as James T. Kirk for
the role of Captain. The second pilot
was another story line with many scenes
from the first pilot, use as flash
backs. They pull it off nicely. NBC
bought the series and it ran from 1966
through 1969.
After the
series was canceled, Star Trek had a
very loyal following and they were
crying out for more of Star Trek,
especially a full length movie.
During this time Leonard Nimoy and
William Shatner were enjoying the fruits
of they popularity, both with new series
and even a recording contract. While the
rumors of a movie were written and
discussed, in 1979 the first Star Trek
picture was released. Although it wasn't
that great of a story, it momentarily
pacified the fans. There were a total of
6 motion pictures in the original Stat
Trek franchise and Nimoy was of course
in them all of them.
As you
can see in the list below of movies, it
took 12 years to make them all and the
cast grew older. Someone referred to
them as "geezers in space". In the 1982
film, "The Wrath of Khan", Nimoy's
character dies saving the ship, but
through a process that wasn't fully
explained, was back in the next film,
"The Search For Spock".
Star
Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
(1984)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
(1991)
In
1987, 21 years after the original
series, a new series of Star Trek - The
Next Generation was launched. There were
no original cast members, but Nimoy's
Spock show up in a special two hour
episode. I guess Vulcans do live longer
than humans.
Leonard
Nimoy accomplished much more in his
chosen field of being an actor. But it
was the vehicle Star Trek that made it
possible. He has donned the ears for the
last time and another appearance as
Spock seems impossible, even for Vulcans.
"Live Long and Prosper" Leonard, you had
a great run and I'm glad I was
there to see it.
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