Doug: Multiple news outlets are saying that famed Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy has passed away at the age of 83. Karen will be along later to shepherd the conversation.
Karen: It probably sounds trite to say a TV character taught me a
lot about life, but it’s true. Mr. Spock, so brilliantly portrayed by Leonard
Nimoy, doubtless appealed to many adolescents. The half-human, half-Vulcan
Science Officer reflected the turmoil boiling just below the surface that so many of us felt growing up. His calm
exterior and tremendous self-control were to be envied, just like his
incredible intellect. But it was the moments when we saw deeper into the character
that we really remember –and Nimoy managed to get across such nuance in his
performance that it hit on so many levels. Years later, after Star Trek: The
Motion Picture, Spock had finally made peace with the two halves of his
heritage –and again Nimoy gave us a wonderful depiction of a more mature,
changed Spock.
There are many great quotes from the character, but the one
that really stands out right now, at the time of Mr. Nimoy’s passing, is this: “I
have been –and always shall be –your friend.”
Thank you, Mr. Nimoy. Your many friends shall miss you.
Karen: I sat this evening looking through an old album of photos I took at various conventions I have attended over the years and came across a couple I'd like to share.
In 2003 I saw Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner at the Star Trek Grand Slam Convention in Pasadena. The two came out on stage together and were terrific, sharing stories and trading barbs. But the highlight was when Carrie Fisher (in a rare con appearance) came out and went right past Shatner to give Nimoy a big kiss! The Shat was distraught, and Nimoy loved it. One of my fondest convention memories.
14 comments:
Yeah, I just saw that. That's sad news indeed.
But what a life that guy had, and what great things he's done.
He will be missed.
M.P.
Ahh well, thank you for entertaining us Mr. Nimoy and sleep well.
Talk about our childhood endeavors, not so much sports as the rest, but sure had my model-building and sci-fi diet. A major contributor to that passed on today.
His final tweet is poetic and poignant, a solemn yet joyful reminder..:
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.
LLAP"
Yeah, just saw the news as I got home from work this evening; very sad indeed.
And thanks for sharing that tweet, David. Very sweetly sad...
Sad indeed. Those quotes are perfect. He was a talented performer; the nuances to his character were really amazing in how the emotions were understated but so recognizable and clear.
I was saddened to hear about this earlier. Back in 2006, I attended an orchestra performance of Holst's 'Planets' symphony. Nimoy served as MC and narrator. I'm glad I got to see him speak in person.
Mark Evanier was NOT a Trek fan, but he posted a nice story about Nimoy:
http://www.newsfromme.com/2015/02/27/leonard-nimoy-r-i-p/
Wow, can't even really process this.
Mr. Spock died???
To be such an iconic figure in world culture, and he always came across as a genuine nice guy too. God bless him.
Oh, and let's not forget how great he was in Invasion Of The Body Snatchers!
Might be heresy, but take this in the right way: I can't help but be reminded of the Spitting Image sketch where he's trying to be a Shakespearean thespian, and is all dressed up in Elizabethan finery, but can't stop being Spock.
The caption says ' LEO-nard NYE-moy, Shakespearean ACK-Tor '
And he says: ' To be or not to be, that.............is illogical, Captain. ' Hope he got to see that.
I heard about this on the radio a couple of hours ago and they described Spock as having "the most famous ears on television" and played a clip of him and Dr. McCoy bickering which had me smiling from ear to ear. The whole tone of the radio report was fun and good natured and paying tribute to an icon of popular culture and the actor who played him.
I couldn't believe it when I heard this news. I got into Star Trek later, as a teenager, but I quickly became addicted to it, and Spock ended up being my favourite character. And in all the interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff that I've read over the years, I don't think anyone ever had a bad word to say about Leonard Nimoy.
Mike W.
To this child, the character of Spock was an example. I didn't care much for Kirk's smooching with strange-looking women on every planet. McCoy seemed old. But Spock . . . He liked big words, as did I. He found everything interesting . . . or "fascinating." He was strange, in control (in most episodes), and misunderstood. He believed in peace before violence, and he stood back from human behavior to comment on its lack of logic. He showed a way to be in the world that wasn't like any other way we'd been shown.
Well, sad news indeed. Even though he was 83 it was still a shock to hear that he has passed. Just like a loved one who dies in your family, even when one has lived a long time and you know the end is near it's still hard to accept when they finally pass.
I knew via Twitter that he had been hospitalized but only on coming on here did I get the news of his passing. Like millions of fans around the world his iconic portrayal of Spock had a big impact on me. It's because of Spock that I first knew about the mutual struggle between logic and emotion, as well as the challenges facing a person who doesn't fit in with the rest of society. It's the main reason why Spock empathized with the space hippies in the episode "The Way to Eden".
Farewell, Mr. Nimoy. You truly lived long and prospered. Thank you for all your wonderful work, and our lives are so much the richer for that.
- Mike from Trinidad & Tobago.
I'm happy that I got to meet Leonard Nimoy once, at a Star Trek convention, and he was warm, friendly, even jovial, certainly far from the image of the reserved Mr. Spock. He seemed delighted to meet the long line of fans waiting for him. Whatever misgivings he might have had about his Trek role early on, he had over come them and embraced it later on.
Nimoy did not create Spock; Roddenberry and the show's writers did that. But he breathed life into Spock and contributed many traits to the character that made him so remarkable, such as the Vulcan salute. I truly believe no other actor could have done a better job -this was a case where role and actor came together in perfect unison. Consider that in 1966, many actors would have looked upon the role as beneath them or goofy and treated it as such. But Nimoy had respect for the work and was always thoughtful in his approach. He was a true professional, an artist.
Thanks for the post(s), Karen, and for sharing those pictures.
I'm still a sad and a bit shocked, but it was nice reading through some of the tributes this morning from the likes of Shatner, Wil Wheaton, LeVar Burton, etc., and even NASA and the president. It's nice to know he was so well loved...
So many great things to say about him. The fact that, right after Star Trek TOS, he started down the Tina Louis path ("Ginger Grant destroyed my career."), and then clearly had a wonderful, affirming epiphany-- seeing how much that one role had touched and effected such an extraordinary number of people. . . and realized that was something to be cherished, proud of, and even a bit humbled by. And upon embracing it, man, he became this great, great guy! (From what I've read over the years, in his early career he did tend to be a touch over-serious and insular-- not a bad guy at all, just not particularly warm.)
He was a guest on WAIT, WAIT, DON'T TELL ME a few years back, but I'd missed the intro-- so I was simply catching this delightful interview with this smart, dry-witted, very engaging, well-spoken guy with a great voice. . . until the Star Trek references started to pile up and I realized it was Leonard Nimoy (who didn't even hesitate to get a laugh at his pal Shatner's expense-!).
And while everyone and his aunt can manage to do a passable Shatner impersonation, gosh-- I have never, ever heard a credible imitation of Nimoy's Spock in any spoof or satire. His voice was incredibly unique and lovely-- a warm, resonant deep, deep baritone. Of all things, that's my only real problem w/ Zack Quinto's recreation of the role-- and it's not like poor Zack can do anything about it. Ya get the voice yer born with-- and some folks are just blessed with a superior instrument. But the voice is inseparable from the character for me-- and we are diminished a bit with its loss.
HB
Wow, I couldn't believe it. I did however like his last tweet where his said that:
"Life is a Garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved. Only in memory. Live Long and Prosper."
I hope that the director of the next Star Trek film pays tribute to him. The plans to have both Nimoy and Shatner in the next movie are not possible, but I'd like to think the director has a way of putting Nimoy's last words into the movie.
When I was a very young kid in school we had a costume party.They didn't make "Spock Ears" at the time so my grandmother cut my (at the time) long hair so my ears would look pointed. I don't know how she accomplished this but my ears did appear pointed the way my hair was cut. She even cut my side burns to a point like they appeared in the original series. I wish I had a picture to show you but she did a fantastic job on a budget next to zero. I wish my grandmother was still around to see what became of my life and the world around us.
But I digress,
I really liked his character a lot and will miss him. Star Trek was and still is a part of my life. I used to have a black light poster in my room of Mr. Spock for over 30 years! Anything Spock related in Star Trek merchandise was always part of my collection. He will be missed!
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