In Memoriam Leonard Nimoy

Because actors can embody a character for several years (and not just the two hours of a movie), and because TV shows come into our homes, it is not uncommon for actors to become wedded to their characters.  Jack Webb will always be Joe Friday, Peter Graves is Jim Phelps, Hugh Laurie’s obituary will have the headline “House Dies.”  Supposedly George Reeves committed suicide because he couldn't escape the legacy of having been Superman.

But probably no actor melded with his character as much as Leonard Nimoy became Mr. Spock (his first name was unpronounceable). Nimoy even wrote a book titled “I Am Not Spock,” and then another one much later titled “I Am Spock.” This inconsistency might be annoying, but the duality seems appropriate for a character who was America’s best known alien, yet was described at his funeral as being surpassingly human.

Nimoy brought a gravitas to Spock than many TV actors would have eschewed. Yes, he wore pointed ears and was tinted as green as 1960’s make-up could manage, but instead of hiding behind the facade Nimoy allowed the humanity of the character to peak through no matter how much Spock tried to suppress it. Nimoy added a Jewish hand gesture to Spock’s greeting, “Live long and prosper,” creating a secret handshake for closet Trekkies for decades to come.

More than anyone else, it was Nimoy who remained attached to the Trek franchise, through the Original Series, the Animated Series, the film series (writing or directing three, and doing a much better job than Shatner), a guest spot on The Next Generation, a vocal appearance as Spock on The Big Bang Theory, and ultimately the Trek movie reboot where he met . . . himself. His final acting credit was Spock Prime in Star Trek Into Darkness.

Side note—as someone with a well-developed respect for logic, it fascinates me that two of the most enduring characters through the 20^th century were Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Spock, two logicians of the highest order, revered by a humanity wallowing in its own illogic.  Both characters would point out (if they existed) that what they do is not remarkable, yet millions of readers, TV viewers and filmgoers are amazed by their ability to reason.  It is highly illogical.

Nimoy was of course more than Mr. Spock.  He had a multi-year run on Mission: Impossible as the resident actor/impersonator.  In addition to his three Emmy nominations for Star Trek he became the only member of the Trek cast to get a post-Trek Emmy nomination for A Woman Called Golda. He was one of the best guest stars on Colombo, playing an arrogant surgeon that Columbo must have been happy to collar.  His vocal performance on The Simpsons’ episode “Marge vs. The Monorail” was one of the standout guest appearances in the show’s 25 year run.  And then there were books he wrote, photography, and notable stage work.

But Spock dominates his resume. His devotion to logic and reason made him catnip to female fans who were sure they could break through his Vulcan philosophy.  His friendship with James Tiberius Kirk is one of the great buddy duos of fiction; in the famous episode where Spock and Kirk time-travel to Earth’s past, a character played by Joan Collins says they don’t belong there; when Spock asks where he does belong, she replies that he belonged by Kirk’s side.  Kirk needed Spock; Kirk was capable of logic but it wasn't his first choice.  And Spock needed Kirk; his logic sometimes came up short when there were factors that couldn't be reduced to stochastic variables.

Mr. Spock was a one-dimensional character that never stopped growing, even in the Star Trek reboots.  He was logical, yet compassionate; aloof, yet loyal; mentally and physically superior, yet comfortable in a subordinate position. Gene Roddenberry has been heaped with praise for the genius of creating Star Trek, but I've long thought that 90% of that genius was the casting of Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock.

Safe journeys, Leonard Nimoy.  The world is an even more irrational place without the actor who gave Mr. Spock life.