The Legacy of Leonard Nimoy

[martok2112]

I never got to meet Leonard Nimoy, sadly. I feel poorer for it.

I remember as a small child, I used to (for some odd reason) always pronounce his last name as Nimony (said like "Jiminy" ) ....maybe because I was trying to read the credits so fast that I didn't really slow down to actually read his last name...and then not long after, when I heard him pronounce his name on tv as Nimoy, then I was set.

It was so wonderful how Leonard Nimoy could take a character that was supposed to repress his emotions, and yet make us all feel the strength and power of those same emotions. I remember, when I watched "Unification", the final moments of the episode, when Spock learned from mind melding with Picard the love that his father, Sarek, truly held for him, the wince....that pained grimmace on his face. That tore me up more than any words of regret and loss anyone could summon up. I actually got a tear in my eye at that moment. I think I felt more there, in that moment, than when he died in TWOK. (perhaps because my friends had spoiled that particular moment for me before I ever got to see TWOK...so any emotion from being caught by surprise at that moment was diminished by unbidden, advanced knowledge of events).

I always remember reading about Leonard Nimoy being "the actor's actor". Supposedly, when Star Trek the Animated Series was being proposed, Paramount only wanted Shatner, Kelley, Nimoy, Barrett, and Doohan to voice the characters....with Barrett voicing Uhura, and Doohan voicing Sulu, Chekov, as well as Scotty of course. When Leonard Nimoy got wind of this, supposedly he said "get all the other actors, or forget my involvement.". Paramount relented.....they got everyone else except Walter Koenig, who I think was busy with other projects, but he did write an episode for TAS, and if I recall correctly, it is considered one of the better episodes. But Leonard Njmoy's influence always amazed me, He might not have been one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, but he was certainly one of the most powerful men in Trek.

His eye and mind for directing and storytelling was also par excellence. TSFS was a beautifully told story, under his direction, and in no way, at anytime, did the movie feel self-indulgent. In fact, the movie seemed more of a showcase of his fellow actors...and one of the duties of a director is to try and bring out the best in their actors. Mr. Nimoy seemed to do this with an ease that might make other directors look on in envy.

Star Trek IV was another well told and directed tale. Light hearted in a way that it did nit become a parody of itself, but it was a delightful "fish out of water" story, and a lesson to be learned.

I've never seen his "non-Trek" directorial works, but as I understand it, his films were highly praised.

His return to the big screen Trek with the JJ Abrams movies was glorious. To hear of the friendship he kindled with Zach Quinto, and seeing the faith that Mr. Nimoy put into him to carry on the role of Spock....inspirational beyond words. Zachary Quinto's words for Leonard Nimoy upon his passing were beautiful.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Leonard Nimoy. You have certainly earned it. Thank you for so many decades of pure entertainment and inspiration.

 

[kirkfan]

So he really did pass the torch to the next Spock.

 

[CaptainStoner]

I never got to meet Leonard Nimoy, sadly. I feel poorer for it.

I remember as a small child, I used to (for some odd reason) always pronounce his last name as Nimony (said like "Jiminy" ) ....maybe because I was trying to read the credits so fast that I didn't really slow down to actually read his last name...and then not long after, when I heard him pronounce his name on tv as Nimoy, then I was set.

It was so wonderful how Leonard Nimoy could take a character that was supposed to repress his emotions, and yet make us all feel the strength and power of those same emotions. I remember, when I watched "Unification", the final moments of the episode, when Spock learned from mind melding with Picard the love that his father, Sarek, truly held for him, the wince....that pained grimmace on his face. That tore me up more than any words of regret and loss anyone could summon up. I actually got a tear in my eye at that moment. I think I felt more there, in that moment, than when he died in TWOK. (perhaps because my friends had spoiled that particular moment for me before I ever got to see TWOK...so any emotion from being caught by surprise at that moment was diminished by unbidden, advanced knowledge of events).

I always remember reading about Leonard Nimoy being "the actor's actor". Supposedly, when Star Trek the Animated Series was being proposed, Paramount only wanted Shatner, Kelley, Nimoy, Barrett, and Doohan to voice the characters....with Barrett voicing Uhura, and Doohan voicing Sulu, Chekov, as well as Scotty of course. When Leonard Nimoy got wind of this, supposedly he said "get all the other actors, or forget my involvement.". Paramount relented.....they got everyone else except Walter Koenig, who I think was busy with other projects, but he did write an episode for TAS, and if I recall correctly, it is considered one of the better episodes. But Leonard Njmoy's influence always amazed me, He might not have been one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, but he was certainly one of the most powerful men in Trek.

His eye and mind for directing and storytelling was also par excellence. TSFS was a beautifully told story, under his direction, and in no way, at anytime, did the movie feel self-indulgent. In fact, the movie seemed more of a showcase of his fellow actors...and one of the duties of a director is to try and bring out the best in their actors. Mr. Nimoy seemed to do this with an ease that might make other directors look on in envy.

Star Trek IV was another well told and directed tale. Light hearted in a way that it did nit become a parody of itself, but it was a delightful "fish out of water" story, and a lesson to be learned.

I've never seen his "non-Trek" directorial works, but as I understand it, his films were highly praised.

His return to the big screen Trek with the JJ Abrams movies was glorious. To hear of the friendship he kindled with Zach Quinto, and seeing the faith that Mr. Nimoy put into him to carry on the role of Spock....inspirational beyond words. Zachary Quinto's words for Leonard Nimoy upon his passing were beautiful.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Leonard Nimoy. You have certainly earned it. Thank you for so many decades of pure entertainment and inspiration.

Definitely put "Three Men and a Baby" on your to-watch list.

 

[kirkfan]

^Based on a French movie.

 

[martok2112]

Will do, Captain Stoner.
Aye, Kirkfan, I remember it was based on a French title....and I used to know the title once upon a clearer head.

 

[FormerLurker]

Three Men and A Cradle.

 

[Zod]

I had the great privilege of meeting him with my dad in 2004.

My dad and him grew up in the same neighborhood, although they didn't know each other. It was as it was a reunion with them talking about the area as it existed in the 1930s. I was fascinated by their conversation and never will forget it.

My dad died in late October of last year and now a few months later Mr. Nimoy. Very sad time for me.

 

[kirkfan]

Will do, Captain Stoner.
Aye, Kirkfan, I remember it was based on a French title....and I used to know the title once upon a clearer head.

Yes, what they did is that they removed from the French movie all references to French culture and replaced them with American equivalents. Something I find appalling. Imagine if they had done that to all the classics... The three musketeers, Cyrano De Bergerac, The Count Of Montechristo, Les Miserables... all replaced by American adaptations...

I shudder to think.

 

[kirkfan]

Three Men and A Cradle.

That's it.

 

[publiusr]

I don't know that I can ever watch ST II again.

 

[anti-matter]

Many fond remembrances to be found here. Thanks.

I suppose if you can call it a legacy I admire the gracious way Leonard handed off the Spock baton to Zachary Quinto in the 1st of the latest Star Trek variants.

 

[Cyke101]

Many fond remembrances to be found here. Thanks.

I suppose if you can call it a legacy I admire the gracious way Leonard handed off the Spock baton to Zachary Quinto in the 1st of the latest Star Trek variants.

I quite love the whole care and reverence that Quinto and Co. took to it. Any other crew would have just taken the role, done no research whatsoever, stamped the character's name on it, and get on with it, with no contact whatsoever with the original actor. No, not here -- there was plenty of vetting, correspondence, attention, and appreciation put into the process. It went a long way towards gaining approval and doing the homework, the prize being that very baton. And, imo, contributed a great deal to ST09's legitimacy in the franchise.

Also, here's Nimoy walking onto SNL in 2009: https://screen.yahoo.com/feature-star-trek-000000010.html

The skit is fairly "meh" but you can cut towards the end at the 1:00 Remaining mark, and the crowd just gives up a really warm, really enthusiastic, long reception to Nimoy (with a friendly little jab at Quinto). It warms my heart.

 

[Sybok Was Wrong]

He gave integrity to Star Trek.

Especially when it needed it most with "Star Trek II,III, IV".

With someone else calling the shots, it all might have gone in the toilet.

And, because of that commitment to quality to
"Star Trek", we eventually got " The Next Generation ".

And, he was vital to giving TOS a proper sendoff with " The Undiscovered Country ".
So, I think in his own way Nimoy was as important to Star Trek as Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Have Bennett.

That's a legacy to be thankful for.

 

[Cyke101]

He gave integrity to Star Trek.

Especially when it needed it most with "Star Trek II,III, IV".

With someone else calling the shots, it all might have gone in the toilet.

And, because of that commitment to quality to
"Star Trek", we eventually got " The Next Generation ".

That is a great way to put it. I never thought of Nimoy and TNG like that.

And, he was vital to giving TOS a proper sendoff with " The Undiscovered Country ".
So, I think in his own way Nimoy was as important to Star Trek as Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Have Bennett.

That's a legacy to be thankful for.

In another thread about TUC, it was mentioned that Spock was the catalyst for Kirk and the Enterprise to join the story; he was the one that volunteered them for the mission. And to me, it's almost like a metaphor -- in a way, it was decided that Nimoy would introduce the main cast to their final film together. In light of Nimoy's passing, that's how I prefer to watch that movie from now on.

 

[kirkfan]

He gave integrity to Star Trek.

Especially when it needed it most with "Star Trek II,III, IV".

With someone else calling the shots, it all might have gone in the toilet.

And, because of that commitment to quality to
"Star Trek", we eventually got " The Next Generation ".

That is a great way to put it. I never thought of Nimoy and TNG like that.

And, he was vital to giving TOS a proper sendoff with " The Undiscovered Country ".
So, I think in his own way Nimoy was as important to Star Trek as Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Have Bennett.

That's a legacy to be thankful for.

In another thread about TUC, it was mentioned that Spock was the catalyst for Kirk and the Enterprise to join the story; he was the one that volunteered them for the mission. And to me, it's almost like a metaphor -- in a way, it was decided that Nimoy would introduce the main cast to their final film together. In light of Nimoy's passing, that's how I prefer to watch that movie from now on.

I think he was more than a catalyst. A catalyst is something that speed up a reaction that is at least latent. Here Spock made it happen and also he forced Kirk into it against his will.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I wrote a tribute for a pop culture site.. but I'll copy the text here.

Author's Note: Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise passed away on Friday, February 27. He was 83 years old.
Star Trek was the franchise that brought science fiction, with all of its unique terminologies and intricacies, into the mainstream. Leonard Nimoy was the man that made that Star Trek great.

Oh sure, many people could (and, indeed, should) be credited for making Star Trek what it has become. You can start right from the source, with Gene Roddenberry, it’s creator, and then continue to list any one of the producers and actors along the way. Through all of its highs and lows, this franchise made science fiction accessible to the public, offering the profound, "hard sci-fi" ideas with enough depth to make them worthy to be placed next to the works of the great novelists of the genre (indeed, many of the genre’s greatest minds wrote some episodes and offered their thoughts) while not forgetting to bring some whiz-bang fun and relate-able humor to the proceedings at the same time. All of these various talents together made this franchise so compelling to the even casual viewers because they made it about humanity itself. Each of us in the audience, whether we've poured through every single episode in this sometimes cheesy, sometimes profound franchise looking for some challenging stories, or whether you couldn’t care less about space or planets and just happened to hear about the show in passing, have all understood at some level that Trek was, in fact, all about the both the greatness, and the limitations of what it means to be human. With those notions always forming and rebuilding themselves in the mind, anyone could watch nearly any episode and take something of value from it. (Keep in mind, however, that there are a few truly deplorable episodes mixed in. Oh well.)

And so, among all of those people who contributed to making this franchise what it was and what it has become, there was Nimoy. He portrayed his most famous character, Spock, with just combination of understatement and earnestness. He basically succeeded in making this character so iconic by merely him straight, and always giving an honest performance. The scripts were quick to remind us that Spock was, indeed, not human - or not “quite" human, as it was (the notion of having a non-human character on network television in the 60’s when Star Trek aired was quite profound for the time) but Nimoy carefully attenuated his performances to give us a character that was still a man, someone that still had empathy and compassion (as much as Spock himself might deny it). Spock was someone that had value to the crew because he was different, and his logical and rational outlook on every situation was a huge help in every adventure. His shipmates respected his importance, and he respected them. Nimoy knew how to play this character in such a way that was free of histronics and gimmicks - he didn’t “play up” his “alienness” so that he could steal the screen from the others. He merely played the character in a very realistic, often understated way. He was part of the team. Even now, there aren’t too many examples of filmed science fiction wherein the chemistry of it’s lead characters and how they interact would define the show so much. Special effects weren’t important to Star Trek: it’s audience were waiting with baited breath for the next interesting discussion to happen more than they were for the next “kewl” explosion.

Nimoy’s pitch-perfect performance of the Vulcan served as the blue print for how that race would be portrayed in all future installments of the franchise, but I also feel that it also served as inspiration for other performers in the franchise who were charged with the task of playing other types of aliens. Often, these actors were given very minor prosthetics (just as Nimoy was distinguished as a Vulcan merely with pointed ears and a Moe-like haircut, many Star Trek aliens were only given minor adjustments to their human appearance, such as forehead bumps, nose ridges, or antennae) so whether or not their characters would be at all compelling was dependent on their performances. The best actors in the franchise, from Michael Dorn (Worf) to genre favorite Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun, Shran) all no doubt studied Nimoy’s acting rhythms in order to ensure that their performances would be in keeping with the tone of the story being told. Nimoy set the precedent for how a “strange” character can be played in a serious manner, not just on Star Trek, but in all of film and television. Spock might be his most famous role, but through the evolution of that character, he basically served as a guide for any and all actors since as to how to play such roles - and how to get them “right.” Nimoy’s contributions to acting cannot be understated.

Nor can his contributions to popular culture. In light if Nimoy’s death, another famous man observed that “long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy.” Now that popular culture has opened up more to science fiction and comic book-style entertainment, the impact of Spock and all that Nimoy brought to this character also cannot be understated. Most people, even those who were never fans of the Star Trek franchise, understand who Spock is, at least at the most basic level. Like Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker, they are aware of the basic “hook” that makes his character interesting and enduring, and they, too, will understand and even laugh when the character of Spock is being referenced and parodied.




Nimoy did a whole lot more than play Spock. He was a consummate actor well before landing the role in the 60’s. He also played various other notable characters in shows and films after the original Trek series went off the air (anyone ever notice that he was apart of the old Mission: Impossible show?) What's more, he also has a number of respectable directing credits as well, including the very funny Three Men and a Baby from 1987 (which was also the highest-grossing film of that year.) To quote critic Roger Ebert, Nimoy’s directing style was one of “calm professionalism,” as he didn’t allow for over-the-top stylistic flourishes that would draw the viewers attention to the directing of the films he worked on. In the Star Trek franchise, Nimoy helmed the third and fourth films. Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock was the first film he directed, and his freedoms were restricted by an extremely tight budget and a mandate to film every scene, even those that were to take place outdoors, in the confines of claustrophobic sound-stages. (It should be noted that sequels were done a lot differently during the 80’s: studios were often reluctant to ease up the purse-strings, even for successful franchises.) In spite of these limitations and a story that, in the end, couldn’t compare to it’s predecessor, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Nimoy focused on those things that were always there, those things that existed in the very fabric of the story that were not simply matters of budget. These included the relationships between the characters, the sense of of sacrifice and loss that each character must face, and the operatic nature of the storytelling.

The riskiest and most poignant moment in the film, at least from standpoint of staging, directing, and acting, was when Kirk learns that his son has been killed. In shock, he takes a step back as if to sit down in the captain’s chair, but the reality of what just occurred is too new, to great to fathom, and he stumbles, missing the chair entirely to land himself on the floor. It was a risky move to have the captain “miss” when sitting on his own chair; in lesser hands it would have reflected badly on the character’s dignity and crossed the line into self-parody. That’s not what happened. The moment, as depicted in the film, was directed and performed so perfectly that no viewer could ever laugh at this scene, or ever doubt that it wasn’t what would have actually happened under those circumstances.

Even better was his direction of the following film, Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home. In that film the crew of the Enterprise are essentially fish-out-of water in the modern world, and the film itself can rightly be considered a comedy, but Nimoy understands this franchise too well: he never allows the film to cross into the realms of self-parody. Nimoy also produced - and guided the story-telling - of Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country to ensure that the original cast would have a solid, relevant story that could serve as a proper send-off. He appeared in a two-part Next Generation story as Spock that wound up being more than just memorable, as it would serve to show how this important character would serve the Federation for many years after his time on the Enterprise. Those episodes nicely set up his reappearance in the rebooted franchise in 2009 and it’s sequel from 2013.

And it’s that film, Star Trek Into Darkness, wherein Nimoy’s appearance is a mere cameo, that would mark his final film performance. Nimoy was very proud of the young man, Zacharay Quinto, who had inherited the coveted role, and as Quinto goes on to play Spock in the future, he will continue to distinguish his interpretation of the character from Nimoy (Quinto is quite good in the role and his interpretation of Spock may be the most consistently interesting thing about this new franchise). However, such was the impact of Nimoy's portrayal of the character that both fans and the public at large will continue to see the a lot Nimoy in this younger version of Spock.

Nimoy is gone now. There had been rumors that the next film would feature both William Shatner (Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy back in their respective roles in some capacity in the film set for release next year, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the franchise. Barring an unexpected announcement that Shatner and Nimoy had already completed filming their roles, it seems that this big Star Trek event will not take place. Yet, it hardly matters: Nimoy has left us with so much. And he was as giving in the real world as he was in making those movies and television episodes: he was a photographer, a poet, and a humanitarian. He was someone who inspired millions of scientists and mathematicians as well as actors and writers.

Let’s be honest: Everyone wants a Spock in their lives to be their friend, to serve as the voice of logic and reason just when a difficult choice must be made. We want him to remind us that it’s important to consider that the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the few. We want him to remind us of what our first, best destiny actually is. We want him to remind us that we came from an archaic zinc-plated vacuum-tubed culture and that we still have a long way to go before we can know what true prosperity is. We want him to remind us that, as important as logic and wisdom may be it, these things are merely the beginning of true wisdom, not the end. And with that idea of a Spock as our friend, it is reassuring that he has he has been, and always will remain that friend, even long after his passing.

Nimoy, as a real human being, has been all of that for us already.

 

[kirkfan]

^Nice tribute!

 

[Tim Walker]

Beside the iconic Spock , I also enjoyed his work on the In Search Of (1976-1982) television series.

There can be perfect casting for a fictitious character, with a particular actor being just right for a part.

It occurs to me that a particular actor may also be just right as a host/narrator.

 

[eyeresist]

Nimoy's portrayal of Spock was what made Star Trek great. Shatner was very good as Kirk, but Spock enhanced the quality of the series to a whole new level.

Without Nimoy's Spock, Trek as we know it would not be an ongoing concern. But it took Shatner's arrival on the show to point Nimoy's interpretation in the direction it needed to go, to become truly memorable and lovable.

It was great to see Nimoy as a regular character on Fringe a couple of years ago. Great casting.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I've never been emotional watching the reboot.. until now, when I see this clip
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ppo5YIYwTM#t=112[/yt]