Leonard Nimoy died yesterday. I wanted in my own small way to pay tribute to him
I was born in 1987 so ‘my’ Star Trek series was Deep Space Nine. I have of course seen the original series too. Although it looks a little dated, both in terms of effects and cultural attitudes, it still stands out as an excellent series.
I always felt that Mr. Spock was a, to use exactly the right word, fascinating character. That of course was a lot to do with Leonard Nimoy. He came up with the Vulcan salute and suggested the finger touching, in The Enterprise Incident, as an alien alternative to kissing. This gave Spock a wonderful mystique. He was a wonderful character. I wasn’t born until eighteen years after the cancellation of Star Trek but Spock is still more iconic to me than any other character in any of the series.
I never got to meet Leonard Nimoy and always hoped I would.
In interviews it is obvious that he was a very thoughtful man both as an actor and a human being. In one interview he describes hearing Spock in his head – helping him to come to better ways of dealing with a problem.
Nimoy was aware of his condition before his death. Earlier this year he tweeted:
“I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP”
I’d like to echo that. I know many people who smoke and it saddens me to see it. I’ve never smoked but I understand that quitting is a difficult thing to do.
Leonard Nimoy did live a long and prosperous life but, like Andreas Katsulas, died sooner than he might have due to a smoking related condition.
Like Leonard Nimoy says: ‘Quit now.’
In closing it only remains for me to say: Live Long and Prosper.
….
And quit smoking.
Please.
Unstable Orbit 