LEONARD NIMOY: FOREVER GOING WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE
We lost a friend today
We lost Leonard Nimoy to the final stages of 'chronic obstructive pulmonary disease' this morning. At 83, he lived long and prospered both career wise and as a person.
He was fortunate enough to be involved with Gene Rodenberry's dream, STAR TREK, in the later sixties and became a household face and forever linked to his character, Spock. When I was growing up, everyone knew who Spock was. We did the iconic Vulcan salute with the V with our hands. We all cocked our eyebrows at each other and told one another 'that's illogical'. We knew and loved who he was. STAR TREK as a whole was on the cutting edge of social commentary of our time; dealing with volatile issues like racism and social justice. But we kids didn't realize it at the time. We just loved the adventure. We loved the crew of the Enterprise. AND we loved Spock with all of his quirkiness and stone-faced demeanor. We learned more about being human from this alien than any human ever. His commentary on life and the strange behavior of we humans alerted us to our faults. But his human half and his own personal struggle with his uncomfortable, illogical humanity gave us hope. I can't help but think Leonard Nimoy brought more of his philosophy to this character than any would admit. Roddenberry himself called him the 'conscience of Star Trek'.
It was known that he loved portraying the outsider. But, in the process,became one of us.
I remember as a young adult watching Spock die on the big screen. It was the first of the STAR TREK movies I got the pleasure of watching in the theater and the ending from Spock's words to Kirk to the burial in space, I was personally devastated. To this day, I can't hear AMAZING GRACE without thinking of that funeral. And, oddly enough, that particular song became a highly popular way to say goodbye to your loved ones. When Spock told Kirk, "I HAVE AND ALWAYS SHALL BE YOUR FRIEND", we felt he was talking straight to us. And we mourned him much like Kirk in the movie. Star Trek III: Wrath of Khan will always be my favorite of the series due to many factors, but this scene most of all.
Having him do a cameo in the new STAR TREK series, no matter what you think of the reboots, was monumental. The way it was done, it was not just a nod, it was a celebration of all of what Spock was. It was, by far, my favorite part of the new movies. But, of course, I grew up with Nimoy. He is like family. His voice will, like Shatner's, be forever connected with our hopeful future. And, as we mourn the actor's passing, let's take time to remember one of the best things about the 60s. Let's watch him and Kirk on television and pull out the DVDs of the myriad of cameos he's done throughout the years on the movie series and the incredible run of television spin-offs. Let's get our hands on the STAR TREK animated series from the seventies and relish in the voice of our friend that will live forever. Let's remember him and never forget the simple things he taught us: LIVE LONG AND PROSPER and never deny who you are.
