"We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted, in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."
I was fortunate enough 15 years ago to sit next to Leonard Nimoy on a 2 hour flight from Seattle to SFO. Giving no indication that I recognized him, I began a conversation. We chatted for about an hour about current theater on the West End in London, where I had been living and where he traveled every Christmas with his wife to see the shows.
As we were standing in the aisle at the end of the flight, I raised my hand in the Vulcan salute and said "Live long and prosper". No, actually I didn't, but I thought about doing so! In fact, I never told him that I recognized him, and I suspect he was happy to have a regular conversation as if he hadn't played one of the most important fictional characters in many people's lives.
But he did, and his portrayal of Spock was profoundly impactful to me, and I am now introducing the character to my young sons as well.
> But he did, and his portrayal of Spock was profoundly impactful to me, and I am now introducing the character to my young sons as well.
I don't know why, but it deeply saddens me to know that my children will only ever know him as a historical figure. I'm young enough that I've never known a world without Spock, and while I know Spock hasn't gone anywhere it's surprisingly hard to adjust to the idea of a world without Nimoy. He's always seemed, to me, such an amazing combination of larger-than-life and down-to-earth.
My father had a VHS collection of Star Trek that he had recorded off TV. I watched them over and over non-stop for years, every episode dozens of times. I still watch some Star Trek series nearly every day. As an incredibly introverted and nerdy kid, Spock gave me hope for the world and solace that things could be better.
One lucky day, when I was a teenager, Leonard Nimoy came over to my house. A mutual friend thought he would like to meet my father, a local artist, to have lunch and chat. I watched quietly as they talked and looked at art for hours.
Spending the day around him, and the few minutes I spent alone with him just chatting about nothing, was one of the highlights of my childhood.
I kept calm, but he knew I wasn't joking around when I asked him to sign the fine pencil drawing of myself as Kirk standing next to him as Spock, which I had received as a gift years prior.
I'm happy for him that he got 83 years and used them incredibly well. Choked up though.
Black Bar please, it would be a great show of respect to the calm, stoic logician that many of the people who read HN can either respect and/or would cite as an inspiration for our chosen career paths.
My father of 77 years passed away last Sunday. My sister and I often called him Spock because he was a physicist and he looked like Spock. RIP my dad. RIP Leonard Nimoy. They both were the best Spocks.
"Hello. I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounters is true. And by true, I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is: No." - "The Springfield Files", S8E10 , Simpsons.
He was and always will be a vestige of my childhood.
Star Trek was one of the reasons why I became passionate about science and tech. Its humanism deeply shaped the beliefs I eventually formed. The notion of kindness and fairness intermingled with the belief that through technology we could achieve a better world for all. But that took a while to percolate. His depiction of Spock was what kept me watching in the first place.
> Its humanism deeply shaped the beliefs I eventually formed. The notion of kindness and fairness intermingled with the belief that through technology we could achieve a better world for all.
Same for me. Star Trek is the very reason for me being who I am, a technologist believing in the better angels of our nature. And in the days when future looks dark, or when I feel lost, I sometimes rewatch a few episodes to regain both my hope and remind myself of the values I cherish.
My thoughts exactly. Star Trek, and Spock form an indelible part of my childhood that's shaped my early personality more than I probably realize. Truly a sad day. Rest in peace, friend.
I watched one of the movies in the 80's, and I remember my dad liked the series, but I grew up in another country and never got to watch it. I've always had the desire to. Do you have any tips on which version/generation of the series it would be best to begin with?
Among the many influences that put me where I am today, the lesson a much younger me, sitting by his father's side, took from Star Trek was that properly-applied logic could solve anything; that the Universe in its vast, seeming randomness, was at its core quite comprehensible. It's not a complete philosophy of life, but it's also not a bad place to start.
Whether or not he did so on purpose, he taught a lot of lessons to a lot of kids who now have their hands on the various controls of the spaceship we share. Thank you Mr. Nimoy.
I will miss his distinctive voice, acting, writing, photographic, and directing skills.
In Star Trek, even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was first introduced to the idea that you could break apart decision-making into three pieces: the emotional (McCoy), the logical (Spock), and the noble (Kirk). This idea, and the way these actors portrayed these concepts in a hokey, corny "Wagon Train To The Stars" changed the way I looked at life. I owe them all, along with the writers, a debt of gratitude.
For those looking for an off-the-beaten-path way to remember Nimoy (and Spock) this weekend, I suggest watching "Mind Meld". It's just Nimoy and Shatner sitting around shooting the breeze. It makes for a good way to remember both the person and the role he played.
So long Nimoy, and Spock. You two didn't get along at times but it's been fun as hell watching you work together.
Great actor, great photographer, great human. He recently did a documentary about growing up in Boston and how he got involved in acting. Selling newspapers and Vacuums (Bait and switch he described it as). How he lost his Boston accent. Really down to earth.
If you've been to the Boston Museum of Science IMAX theater, you hear forever hear his voice say:
Minor correction, that was the sound check for The Mugar Omni Theatre.
On which they did project many distorted IMAX movies because Omni never really made it as a popular format.
I've been watching a bunch of the Star Trek movies lately, for the first time. My favorite was IV: The Voyage Home, written and directed by Nimoy. It stands out to me amongst epic Sci-fi movies as being dramatic and complex and wholly without villains. The Spock-Kirk dynamic is my favorite part of Star Trek.
I was in high school when Star Trek was first on the air. In a typical geeky, asocial, teenage way, I told my Mom I wanted to be like Spock. Thank goodness I outgrew that phase.
Forty-five years later, he came to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and I attended a lecture on his extensive photographic work of nude, corpulent women. It blew my mind to see the massive sweep of his artistic and intellectual range. He was so much more than Spock, the character. The world tries to pigeon hole us in something that catches the popular fancy, and Leonard Nimoy very deliberately never let that keep him from his artistic pursuits.
I saw him speak a couple times at DragonCon, and became a fan of Nimoy the person even more than Nimoy the actor. He was a very compassionate and intelligent human being.
I've been a Star Trek fan my entire life, since my dad first exposed me to TOS when I was maybe 5 or 6. When I was growing up I was the kid who dressed as Star Trek characters for middle school Halloween parties when everyone else was seemingly obsessed with Star Wars. I never understood it. I attribute that to one character: Spock. With his unshakable discipline and faith (ha!) in logic as the method to explore our problems ("Fascinating!"), I identified with him more than any other character - because he didn't fear the unknown. As the series and universe progressed, and Data in TNG seemed to fill that void I couldn't help but notice the subtle commentary. Spock, half human, seemed to desperately try to repress his humanity - and therein show us why being human is all the more important - Data, literally a machine, a pure logic system, sought to become more human.
There's a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe it's just a commentary on the cultural zeitgeist of the times of the two series, but for me it's simply to not fear the future or what's out there, even if there are bumps along the way. Spock is a deep, and lasting character that I'm sure will remain influential. House of Cards can wait, tonight. Plotting a course for Regula 1.
[+] [-] stox|11 years ago|reply
-Captain James T. Kirk
[+] [-] aaronem|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] karmacondon|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DonHopkins|11 years ago|reply
Star Trek: The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise - Saturday Night Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx0xOgFDXFg
[+] [-] danielweber|11 years ago|reply
:(
[+] [-] dankohn1|11 years ago|reply
As we were standing in the aisle at the end of the flight, I raised my hand in the Vulcan salute and said "Live long and prosper". No, actually I didn't, but I thought about doing so! In fact, I never told him that I recognized him, and I suspect he was happy to have a regular conversation as if he hadn't played one of the most important fictional characters in many people's lives.
But he did, and his portrayal of Spock was profoundly impactful to me, and I am now introducing the character to my young sons as well.
[+] [-] mokus|11 years ago|reply
I don't know why, but it deeply saddens me to know that my children will only ever know him as a historical figure. I'm young enough that I've never known a world without Spock, and while I know Spock hasn't gone anywhere it's surprisingly hard to adjust to the idea of a world without Nimoy. He's always seemed, to me, such an amazing combination of larger-than-life and down-to-earth.
[+] [-] eevilspock|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Springtime|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ayanna|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pimlottc|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] staunch|11 years ago|reply
One lucky day, when I was a teenager, Leonard Nimoy came over to my house. A mutual friend thought he would like to meet my father, a local artist, to have lunch and chat. I watched quietly as they talked and looked at art for hours.
Spending the day around him, and the few minutes I spent alone with him just chatting about nothing, was one of the highlights of my childhood.
I kept calm, but he knew I wasn't joking around when I asked him to sign the fine pencil drawing of myself as Kirk standing next to him as Spock, which I had received as a gift years prior.
I'm happy for him that he got 83 years and used them incredibly well. Choked up though.
[+] [-] sswaner|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] staunch|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] msie|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mdisraeli|11 years ago|reply
How many of us were called "Spock" by bullies, but actually found comfort in knowing that Spock was six shades of badass?
[+] [-] Igglyboo|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Luc|11 years ago|reply
After downvotes, I feel compelled to add: nor a logician!
[+] [-] FrankenPC|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jackreichert|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jnbiche|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] geekam|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jonah|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ArkyBeagle|11 years ago|reply
"Hello. I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounters is true. And by true, I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is: No." - "The Springfield Files", S8E10 , Simpsons.
[+] [-] mhartl|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mjklin|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dan-silver|11 years ago|reply
Here's a fun video of him in a commercial with the "new" spock. Always love to stay positive when someone passes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UengULt6t7Q
[+] [-] DEinspanjer|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] todayiamme|11 years ago|reply
Star Trek was one of the reasons why I became passionate about science and tech. Its humanism deeply shaped the beliefs I eventually formed. The notion of kindness and fairness intermingled with the belief that through technology we could achieve a better world for all. But that took a while to percolate. His depiction of Spock was what kept me watching in the first place.
[+] [-] TeMPOraL|11 years ago|reply
Same for me. Star Trek is the very reason for me being who I am, a technologist believing in the better angels of our nature. And in the days when future looks dark, or when I feel lost, I sometimes rewatch a few episodes to regain both my hope and remind myself of the values I cherish.
Farewell, Spock.
[+] [-] sithu|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sanoli|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fixermark|11 years ago|reply
Whether or not he did so on purpose, he taught a lot of lessons to a lot of kids who now have their hands on the various controls of the spaceship we share. Thank you Mr. Nimoy.
[+] [-] outworlder|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kefka|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] anigbrowl|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jstanek|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jameshk|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ybrs|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] itg|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DanielBMarkham|11 years ago|reply
In Star Trek, even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was first introduced to the idea that you could break apart decision-making into three pieces: the emotional (McCoy), the logical (Spock), and the noble (Kirk). This idea, and the way these actors portrayed these concepts in a hokey, corny "Wagon Train To The Stars" changed the way I looked at life. I owe them all, along with the writers, a debt of gratitude.
For those looking for an off-the-beaten-path way to remember Nimoy (and Spock) this weekend, I suggest watching "Mind Meld". It's just Nimoy and Shatner sitting around shooting the breeze. It makes for a good way to remember both the person and the role he played.
So long Nimoy, and Spock. You two didn't get along at times but it's been fun as hell watching you work together.
[+] [-] acomjean|11 years ago|reply
If you've been to the Boston Museum of Science IMAX theater, you hear forever hear his voice say:
"who put the bump in the bump... shabump"
[+] [-] ajslater|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] macrael|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tacon|11 years ago|reply
Forty-five years later, he came to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and I attended a lecture on his extensive photographic work of nude, corpulent women. It blew my mind to see the massive sweep of his artistic and intellectual range. He was so much more than Spock, the character. The world tries to pigeon hole us in something that catches the popular fancy, and Leonard Nimoy very deliberately never let that keep him from his artistic pursuits.
[+] [-] jonnynezbo|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] malloreon|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] erickhill|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DennisP|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] remarkEon|11 years ago|reply