Lived Long And Prospered
February 27, 2015 9:22 AM Subscribe
Poet, author, director, actor, cultural icon... Leonard Nimoy has passed away at age 83 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Rest well, Spock, you will be missed.
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2015
I would post more details about his life, but that NYT obituary post says anything I might say.
(He directed Three Men And A Baby???? Are you serious???)
Leonard, you defined a major part of my life. Thank you.
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posted by hippybear at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2015 [21 favorites]
(He directed Three Men And A Baby???? Are you serious???)
Leonard, you defined a major part of my life. Thank you.
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posted by hippybear at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2015 [21 favorites]
Aw, this one hurts. I wasn't ready.
posted by emjaybee at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [43 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [43 favorites]
Reading the NYT obit, I've got goosebumps.
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posted by pokoleo_runs_with_wolves at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
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posted by pokoleo_runs_with_wolves at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
"Live long and prosper" was the Vulcan salute - by my estimation, he did both.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
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posted by custardfairy at 9:25 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by custardfairy at 9:25 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:25 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:25 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by Samuel Farrow at 9:26 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Samuel Farrow at 9:26 AM on February 27, 2015
You have been, and always shall be, our friend.
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posted by zombieflanders at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2015 [111 favorites]
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posted by zombieflanders at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2015 [111 favorites]
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posted by thewalledcity at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by thewalledcity at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by a lungful of dragon at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2015
"We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead... Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."
I grieve with thee, universe.
Live long and prosper. Peace and long life to you all.
posted by inturnaround at 9:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [80 favorites]
I grieve with thee, universe.
Live long and prosper. Peace and long life to you all.
posted by inturnaround at 9:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [80 favorites]
We need a Genesis Torpedo, stat.
posted by pashdown at 9:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [15 favorites]
posted by pashdown at 9:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [15 favorites]
"Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most.... human"
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posted by Going To Maine at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
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posted by Going To Maine at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
\V/
Best. Simpsons. Episode. Ever.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
Best. Simpsons. Episode. Ever.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honoured dead.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by just another scurvy brother at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by just another scurvy brother at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015
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Also, we shouldn't forget The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.
posted by borkencode at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
Also, we shouldn't forget The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.
posted by borkencode at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
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posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2015
Eating red vines for the rest of the day.
posted by Fizz at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Fizz at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
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posted by SenorJaime at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by SenorJaime at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015
As a lifelong Bostonian, I'm so glad Nimoy (indirectly) sent my elementary school classes to the Museum of Science for free. Live long and prosper.
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posted by pxe2000 at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
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posted by pxe2000 at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
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posted by pemberkins at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by pemberkins at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2015
The first time I heard his voice in the Boston Museum of Science's Mugar Omni Theater's sound demo, I busted out laughing. Please settle into your seat, turn down your office lights, and give it a listen here on YouTube.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
\V/
If you haven't seen his twitter its worth checking out. Some really thoughtful stuff in there.
Edit: like HalloweenJack said...
posted by ben242 at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
If you haven't seen his twitter its worth checking out. Some really thoughtful stuff in there.
Edit: like HalloweenJack said...
posted by ben242 at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
\\//ı
posted by Small Dollar at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Small Dollar at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2015
OH POOP.
The world remember him as Spock, but I knew him better as William Bell. Let's hope amber universe Leonard Nimoy is still with us.
posted by Kitteh at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [26 favorites]
The world remember him as Spock, but I knew him better as William Bell. Let's hope amber universe Leonard Nimoy is still with us.
posted by Kitteh at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [26 favorites]
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There goes a piece of my childhood. I will say I'm glad he featured in the Star Trek movie reboot, where they explicitly jumped to an alternate timeline, in a formal passing of the torch.
\V/ indeed.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
There goes a piece of my childhood. I will say I'm glad he featured in the Star Trek movie reboot, where they explicitly jumped to an alternate timeline, in a formal passing of the torch.
\V/ indeed.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
I am not now nor have I ever been a Star Trek fan.
But I am a Leonard Nimoy fan.
When the IMAX theater first went into the Boston Museum of Science, back when IMAX was new and there was like one IMAX film a year, they had a little intro to the concept and the theater in general, along with a short film, a "Drive through Boston" before the feature film. Nimoy was the narrator because, as he said, he grew up a couple blocks from the Museum. Ever since I saw that, when I was in Junior High, I've liked the guy.
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posted by bondcliff at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
But I am a Leonard Nimoy fan.
When the IMAX theater first went into the Boston Museum of Science, back when IMAX was new and there was like one IMAX film a year, they had a little intro to the concept and the theater in general, along with a short film, a "Drive through Boston" before the feature film. Nimoy was the narrator because, as he said, he grew up a couple blocks from the Museum. Ever since I saw that, when I was in Junior High, I've liked the guy.
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posted by bondcliff at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
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posted by ZipRibbons at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by ZipRibbons at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by ogooglebar at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by ogooglebar at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015
All Things Considered episode in which Nimoy talks about "Fascinating."
We have a a few of his 1970s (?) poetry chapbooks somewhere, discovered in a random used bookstore. I haven't read all of them, but maybe when I unpack them.
posted by wintersweet at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
We have a a few of his 1970s (?) poetry chapbooks somewhere, discovered in a random used bookstore. I haven't read all of them, but maybe when I unpack them.
posted by wintersweet at 9:33 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Hey, Apple, while you're in there adding more Emoji, can you throw in a Vulcan salute while you're at it?
posted by emelenjr at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [41 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [41 favorites]
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posted by betafilter at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by betafilter at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by ghostbikes at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by ghostbikes at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015
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The NYT obit is wonderfully delicate in saying what it can about his non-Spock work: "His poetry was voluminous, and he published books of his photography."
posted by RogerB at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [24 favorites]
The NYT obit is wonderfully delicate in saying what it can about his non-Spock work: "His poetry was voluminous, and he published books of his photography."
posted by RogerB at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [24 favorites]
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He both was and was not Spock, and seemed pretty cool either way.
posted by Artw at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]
He both was and was not Spock, and seemed pretty cool either way.
posted by Artw at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]
\\//
This is one of my favorite pictures of him.
posted by mogget at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
This is one of my favorite pictures of him.
posted by mogget at 9:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
\\//
Anything else I can think of to say would be...illogical.
posted by nubs at 9:35 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anything else I can think of to say would be...illogical.
posted by nubs at 9:35 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
His narration in Civ 4 for the tech tree is indelibly burnt into my psyche, along with all of his film and tv work
He'll be missed.
posted by Lord_Pall at 9:36 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
He'll be missed.
posted by Lord_Pall at 9:36 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
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posted by marginaliana at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by marginaliana at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015
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I will be playing Seaman in tribute.
posted by Dr-Baa at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
I will be playing Seaman in tribute.
posted by Dr-Baa at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
I so wanted to be a Vulcan when I was a teenager - no emotions! Imagine that!
Thanks for the entertainment.
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posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
Thanks for the entertainment.
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posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
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posted by equalpants at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by equalpants at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Northbysomewhatcrazy at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015
Spock smashes scissors. Spock vaporizes rock.
posted by Fizz at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
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posted by The Bellman at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by The Bellman at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015
Hey, Apple, while you're in there adding more Emoji, can you throw in a Vulcan salute while you're at it?
Damn right. This needs to happen.
posted by azpenguin at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
Damn right. This needs to happen.
posted by azpenguin at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
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posted by Prunesquallor at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Prunesquallor at 9:38 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by mstokes650 at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by mstokes650 at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015
I have been, and shall always be, your friend.
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posted by boo_radley at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
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posted by boo_radley at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
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posted by nonreflectiveobject at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by nonreflectiveobject at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015
He was a truly decent human. RIP, Mr. Nimoy.
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posted by dbiedny at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
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posted by dbiedny at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Wonderfully fitting title, thank you.
:( So sad. Such an important piece of my childhood is gone. I grew up on the original Trek, and loved it, and even more than Shatner or Takei or anyone else, he was its heart and soul. And a master of deadpan delivery. That one raised eyebrow.
But it always felt a bit weird to see him do shows post-Trek, such as Fringe, without the ears. Ironically, after watching him in three seasons of Star Trek and six (eight!) movies, his actual ears looked unnatural.
Nimoy was host of "In Search Of" in the 70's. I made a post about that show three years ago, and am gratified to see the playlist links to his episodes still work.
He once wrote, “The miracle is this - the more we share, the more we have.” And he shared so much of himself with us - his life and work and beliefs and passion for art and beauty and science. He came up with the idea of the Vulcan salute -- which is actually a hand symbol used by Jewish priests for the Birchat Kohanim prayer, which is only rarely said -- it's used when a special prayer is said to bless a congregation:
"May G‑d bless you and guard you.
May G‑d shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you.
May G‑d turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace."
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posted by zarq at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [39 favorites]
:( So sad. Such an important piece of my childhood is gone. I grew up on the original Trek, and loved it, and even more than Shatner or Takei or anyone else, he was its heart and soul. And a master of deadpan delivery. That one raised eyebrow.
But it always felt a bit weird to see him do shows post-Trek, such as Fringe, without the ears. Ironically, after watching him in three seasons of Star Trek and six (eight!) movies, his actual ears looked unnatural.
Nimoy was host of "In Search Of" in the 70's. I made a post about that show three years ago, and am gratified to see the playlist links to his episodes still work.
He once wrote, “The miracle is this - the more we share, the more we have.” And he shared so much of himself with us - his life and work and beliefs and passion for art and beauty and science. He came up with the idea of the Vulcan salute -- which is actually a hand symbol used by Jewish priests for the Birchat Kohanim prayer, which is only rarely said -- it's used when a special prayer is said to bless a congregation:
"May G‑d bless you and guard you.
May G‑d shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you.
May G‑d turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace."
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posted by zarq at 9:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [39 favorites]
Nimoy had a gorgeous, distinct speaking voice. Immediately identifiable, robust and impossible to ignore. I love listening to him (he was the main reason I enjoyed In Search Of...). He also consistently came across as one of the kindest people in Hollywood. That plus he was Spock, a tremendous TV character that evolved intoa wonderful film character. The world is a better place for Nimoy having been pay off it. There aren't enough periods for me to mourn him.
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:40 AM on February 27, 2015 [22 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:40 AM on February 27, 2015 [22 favorites]
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posted by the bricabrac man at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by the bricabrac man at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015
Set phasers to weeping.
I was an ardent trekkie as a child, and I identified with his Spock character more than any other on the show. I mean come on, Kirk must've kissed a girl in just about every episode. Yuck. Space cooties! But Spock was all logical and did science and computer stuff and he could do Vulcan-Fu if he had to.
Once at Toys are Us in Houston he made an appearance, and I got to stand in line for I don't know how long as he made his way around to shake everyones hand, including mine. He had such a big smile.
\\ //,
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posted by The Vice Admiral of the Narrow Seas at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
I was an ardent trekkie as a child, and I identified with his Spock character more than any other on the show. I mean come on, Kirk must've kissed a girl in just about every episode. Yuck. Space cooties! But Spock was all logical and did science and computer stuff and he could do Vulcan-Fu if he had to.
Once at Toys are Us in Houston he made an appearance, and I got to stand in line for I don't know how long as he made his way around to shake everyones hand, including mine. He had such a big smile.
\\ //,
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posted by The Vice Admiral of the Narrow Seas at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
My favorite picture of him as Spock.
posted by desjardins at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [24 favorites]
posted by desjardins at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [24 favorites]
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Also, we shouldn't forget The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.
Or indeed his entire musical output, which, while it mostly falls into the "celebrity cash-in" genre, is not nearly as awful as one might expect from that sort of thing.
And considering Shatner's much celebrated Pulp cover, it's worth pointing out that "Common People" seems likely to have been informed by (probably Paul Young's eightiesed-up version of) "Love of the Common People."
posted by Sys Rq at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, we shouldn't forget The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.
Or indeed his entire musical output, which, while it mostly falls into the "celebrity cash-in" genre, is not nearly as awful as one might expect from that sort of thing.
And considering Shatner's much celebrated Pulp cover, it's worth pointing out that "Common People" seems likely to have been informed by (probably Paul Young's eightiesed-up version of) "Love of the Common People."
posted by Sys Rq at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'll be in here for the rest of the day celebrating this man and the joy he brought to all of us.
*hugs everyone in this thread*
posted by Fizz at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
*hugs everyone in this thread*
posted by Fizz at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
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posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:42 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 9:42 AM on February 27, 2015
Seeing his character struggle with his logical and human sides and evolve over the years in the films possibly influenced a young screwed up kid more than he realizes, so thanks for sticking up for Spock, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
I was so cool. LLAP pic.twitter.com/hSCt69AvBh— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) May 16, 2014
posted by Fizz at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
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We loved you to to the moon and back Lennie.
posted by RandomInconsistencies at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015
We loved you to to the moon and back Lennie.
posted by RandomInconsistencies at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by the Real Dan at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by the Real Dan at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2015
I think it's so essential to the spirit of Star Trek, that the fan-favorite characters are the "inhuman" crew members, Spock and Data. Living in a world of scientific exploration, both embodied a different kind of search for knowledge and truth. Peace and long life.
posted by Muttoneer at 9:44 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Muttoneer at 9:44 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
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My favorite image of Spock.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 9:45 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
My favorite image of Spock.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 9:45 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've posted twice already in this thread, just short comments. I need to say a bit more.
As a kid it was Spock who showed me that calmly and logically looking at a problem from all angles was an option, I've kept that lesson with me to this day. He really seems to have had a great life lived well.
posted by Cosine at 9:45 AM on February 27, 2015 [14 favorites]
As a kid it was Spock who showed me that calmly and logically looking at a problem from all angles was an option, I've kept that lesson with me to this day. He really seems to have had a great life lived well.
posted by Cosine at 9:45 AM on February 27, 2015 [14 favorites]
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posted by audi alteram partem at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by audi alteram partem at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015
I believe this calls for colorful metaphors.
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posted by dislegomena at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
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posted by dislegomena at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
I heard the news the other day that he'd been taken to hospital and even though I knew he'd been ill, was sure (once I'd gotten over that shock) that he would recover. Then I saw the pop-up headline this morning and I'm unbelievably sad. A true legend, RIP.
posted by TwoWordReview at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TwoWordReview at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was a huge In Search Of... fan as a kid. Star Trek is great and important and I like it, but man, I'll always love that show.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Damn it.
It's really kinda of stunning just how long the characters from The Original Series have endured in the Star Trek world. Not just in memory, but with all the movies and franchises, there is just so much of Spock to watch. 66 TOS episodes, 6 feature length movies, 2 TNG episodes (sorry, what JJ Abrams movie?). Spock is one of the most fleshed out characters in modern culture.
The performance that always stuck out to me was Star Trek VI. I really enjoyed the Lion in Winter-esque aspect to Nimoy's portrayal of Spock in that movie. It was Spock at his Holmes-ian, "apply logic to a problem" best.
"Logic is the beginning of wisdom...not the end."
Damn it.
posted by dry white toast at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
It's really kinda of stunning just how long the characters from The Original Series have endured in the Star Trek world. Not just in memory, but with all the movies and franchises, there is just so much of Spock to watch. 66 TOS episodes, 6 feature length movies, 2 TNG episodes (sorry, what JJ Abrams movie?). Spock is one of the most fleshed out characters in modern culture.
The performance that always stuck out to me was Star Trek VI. I really enjoyed the Lion in Winter-esque aspect to Nimoy's portrayal of Spock in that movie. It was Spock at his Holmes-ian, "apply logic to a problem" best.
"Logic is the beginning of wisdom...not the end."
Damn it.
posted by dry white toast at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
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posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:46 AM on February 27, 2015
I watched the films during my teenage years. I watched TOS as an adult. And I learned to love him as William Bell.
So many memories.
posted by Fizz at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
So many memories.
posted by Fizz at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I grieve with thee.
I loved Spock the best, probably because I was an achingly depressed teenager when I discovered TOS. What a life he had, and he will be mourned and missed by so many.
posted by kalimac at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I loved Spock the best, probably because I was an achingly depressed teenager when I discovered TOS. What a life he had, and he will be mourned and missed by so many.
posted by kalimac at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by susanbeeswax at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by susanbeeswax at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2015
This was my childhood.
And now one part of that is gone.
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posted by Fizz at 9:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
And now one part of that is gone.
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posted by Fizz at 9:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
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Aw, man. I grew up on Star Trek (and In Search Of!). He's a big reason why I have always preferred the original series to TNG. I still have plans to give TNG another chance but I just love the Kirk/Spock/McCoy/Scotty interactions so much.
The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins almost caused me to have an aneurysm from laughing the first time I heard it. Granted, I was probably really high but like ... WTF? Great! Terrible! Terribly great?
posted by freecellwizard at 9:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Aw, man. I grew up on Star Trek (and In Search Of!). He's a big reason why I have always preferred the original series to TNG. I still have plans to give TNG another chance but I just love the Kirk/Spock/McCoy/Scotty interactions so much.
The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins almost caused me to have an aneurysm from laughing the first time I heard it. Granted, I was probably really high but like ... WTF? Great! Terrible! Terribly great?
posted by freecellwizard at 9:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Don't forget his brief turn in proto-X-Files Baffled!, which had one of the coolest theme songs ever.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:48 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Godspeed, Nimoy. This weirdo thanks you.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
⭐️
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Seriously, watch Fringe and eat red vines. It's what I'll be doing after work tonight.
posted by Fizz at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
I enjoyed listening to him read on Selected Shorts on NPR. What a wonderful voice. Having watched what COPD did to my father, I am surprised at how mellifluous his voice was for so long.
posted by TedW at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by TedW at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by get off of my cloud at 9:50 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by get off of my cloud at 9:50 AM on February 27, 2015
I've looked at clouds from both sides now...
posted by clawsoon at 9:50 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by clawsoon at 9:50 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:51 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:51 AM on February 27, 2015
Heartbroken. Spock was always my favorite, and Leonard was just so damned NICE. I'll miss his tweets, I always enjoyed them.
Sleep sweet, Spock.
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posted by MissySedai at 9:52 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Sleep sweet, Spock.
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posted by MissySedai at 9:52 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
I loved his work on Star Trek IV....
posted by kaibutsu at 9:52 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by kaibutsu at 9:52 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by LobsterMitten at 9:53 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:53 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by jabberwock at 9:53 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by jabberwock at 9:53 AM on February 27, 2015
.
In the early 80's he was touring his Vincent one-man show. My dad was a promoter and brought the show to sleepy little Rapid City, South Dakota. I was fortunate to act as the chauffeur for Mr. Nimoy and his wife, who were both exceptionally friendly and kind people.
posted by achrise at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
In the early 80's he was touring his Vincent one-man show. My dad was a promoter and brought the show to sleepy little Rapid City, South Dakota. I was fortunate to act as the chauffeur for Mr. Nimoy and his wife, who were both exceptionally friendly and kind people.
posted by achrise at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
.
posted by jeffkramer at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by jeffkramer at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 9:54 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by mrgroweler at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by mrgroweler at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015
I have always regretted never being able to do the Spock eyebrow thing, never more than now.
.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Billy Don't Play the Banjo Anymore
I read Adam Nimoy's memoir not long ago. Take it easy, Adam.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015
I read Adam Nimoy's memoir not long ago. Take it easy, Adam.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015
Just watched Star Trek IV and 2009 last week, and felt pretty anxious when I saw news that he'd been admitted to the hospital. Logical or not, I am filled to the brim with grief.
Change is the essential process of all existence. (But that doesn't mean I have to like it.)
.
posted by cellar door at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Change is the essential process of all existence. (But that doesn't mean I have to like it.)
.
posted by cellar door at 9:55 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Here's hoping that Lars and his amazing jars pick Nimoy up for the Head Museum.
We will all miss you, Leonard. You had grace. You had wit. You lifted us up by your presence. Go in peace.
posted by SPrintF at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
We will all miss you, Leonard. You had grace. You had wit. You lifted us up by your presence. Go in peace.
posted by SPrintF at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015
Congratulations Leonard on having such a great life and thanks for sharing it with us.
posted by Poldo at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Poldo at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by chicainthecity at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by chicainthecity at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015
Experiencing grief over the death of a well respected role model is logical. Therefore it is what I shall now do.
.
posted by quin at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
.
posted by quin at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
His narration in Civ 4 for the tech tree is indelibly burnt into my psyche
I came in to mention this. I always enjoyed researching a new tech and hearing his voice come out of my computer. I think I'm going to have to go play some in his honor.
.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
I came in to mention this. I always enjoyed researching a new tech and hearing his voice come out of my computer. I think I'm going to have to go play some in his honor.
.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
What were his last screen appearances? I know he did a voice-over on The Big Bang Theory, but what else?
posted by Melismata at 9:57 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Melismata at 9:57 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by paulus andronicus at 9:57 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by paulus andronicus at 9:57 AM on February 27, 2015
.
"row, row, row your boat... life is but a dream"
posted by mfoight at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
"row, row, row your boat... life is but a dream"
posted by mfoight at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
He had a huge impact on my childhood, but not as Spock, growing up in an ultra orthodox family I never watched TV or movies as a child but we did listen to Jewish Story tapes and he starred in my favorite one, called The Mysterious Golem of Prague. You can hear a sample here.
posted by doublenelson at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by doublenelson at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [14 favorites]
No more suffering. No more tears, your spirit is free from earthly constraints.
Fly free, fellow Aries. We will miss you.
He's really not dead, as long as we remember him.
posted by Lynsey at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015
Fly free, fellow Aries. We will miss you.
He's really not dead, as long as we remember him.
posted by Lynsey at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by dances with hamsters at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by dances with hamsters at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015
I practiced for hours when I was a kid, just so I could raise my eyebrow like he did.
posted by mikurski at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by mikurski at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
*Very slight Fringe Spoiler*
I can only add that Nimoy's appearance at the end of the first season of Fringe is one of the few times that a television show had me grinning in delight. Going "hey, that voice!' and then seeing him emerge from the shadows was really really great.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
I can only add that Nimoy's appearance at the end of the first season of Fringe is one of the few times that a television show had me grinning in delight. Going "hey, that voice!' and then seeing him emerge from the shadows was really really great.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:58 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
Sigh.
posted by Palindromedary at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Palindromedary at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015
Oh, he also read the quotes for technology discoveries in Civilization 4.
posted by borkencode at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by borkencode at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
.
posted by ChuraChura at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by ChuraChura at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015
I didn't know that he'd been in the hospital recently until trying to confirm his passing away when this first started popping up on twitter. Incredibly sad-making even though 83 is a good long run, and he will be fondly remembered for a long time.
What were his last screen appearances? I know he did a voice-over on The Big Bang Theory, but what else?
Aside from the Abrams Trek movies, he was on Fringe as a character who didn't get a ton of screen time but was very important to the overall plot of the show (and it was a role he was a lot of fun to watch in).
posted by sparkletone at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
What were his last screen appearances? I know he did a voice-over on The Big Bang Theory, but what else?
Aside from the Abrams Trek movies, he was on Fringe as a character who didn't get a ton of screen time but was very important to the overall plot of the show (and it was a role he was a lot of fun to watch in).
posted by sparkletone at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2015
I saw something about "his last tweet" and immediately came here going NONONONONO even though I knew it had to be. I hope he knew how much he was loved and respected and how much he had done for nerdy little kids like me.
posted by immlass at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by immlass at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2015
Melismata: What were his last screen appearances? I know he did a voice-over on The Big Bang Theory, but that's it.
He had a brief "on screen" scene in the atrocious Star Trek Into Darkness.
Man, I'm a bit surprised at how broken up I am over this. Part of me wants to go watch Wrath of Khan but the logical (heh) part of me realizes the ending would absolutely destroy me.
\\//
posted by brundlefly at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
He had a brief "on screen" scene in the atrocious Star Trek Into Darkness.
Man, I'm a bit surprised at how broken up I am over this. Part of me wants to go watch Wrath of Khan but the logical (heh) part of me realizes the ending would absolutely destroy me.
\\//
posted by brundlefly at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
He was my greatest childhood hero. The second death of an unknown to me personally human being that made me cry. I guess I'm getting old.
posted by helion at 10:02 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by helion at 10:02 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Man, I'm a bit surprised at how broken up I am over this. Part of me wants to go watch Wrath of Khan but the logical (heh) part of me realizes the ending would absolutely destroy me.
Might be time to revisit The Voyage Home, then?
"Tell mother... tell her I feel fine."
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:02 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
Might be time to revisit The Voyage Home, then?
"Tell mother... tell her I feel fine."
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:02 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
This breaks my heart. It really does. Watching Star Trek now, as silly as it sometimes seems, I am always struck by how fine and nuanced and funny his performance was. He brought so much to the role. The hand gesture was his, taken from the gesture that Cohens make at Jewish prayer. The nerve pinch was his, because he felt simply assaulting a character was too indelicate for Spock. I read a review once that said he had put so strong an imprint on the role that it was impossible to imagine anyone else getting a Vulcan right, and it was true: There were a long line of other people playing Vulcans, and they sometimes seemed Shakespearian and unreal, or too stiff and formal, or too human. He at once seemed genuinely alien, like he was a creature who experienced emotions, but very differently from how we did, and it never got in the way of an always surprising snarkiness.
The character was one of the first I really responded to, and although I have never participated in Trek fan culture, I was a fan club of one. I can still rattle off an enormous list of Spock trivia:
Blood type: t-negative
Where his heart is: Where his liver should be
Parent's names: Amanda and Sarek
Serial Number: s179276sp
I met him once in Los Angeles and was struck by how much he seemed like a typical Jewish grandfather -- like my grandfather. He seemed irritable but also kind, impatient but also somewhat amused by his own impatience. I liked him at once.
But this is how it goes. Everyone from my childhood are old men and women, and have been for a long time now. Star Trek seems positively ancient now -- it debuted almost a half century ago!
I'm going to go and listen to some of his music now. I expect people will rediscover it, because it was weirder and more interesting than Shatner's, if not as instantly mockable. Which, come to think of it, describes a lot of the difference between the two men. Shatner has a genius for working with his own largeness, his own silliness. Nimoy was just, quietly doing his own interesting thing, some of it great (his one-man show about Vincent Van Gogh), some of it fascinating (his erotic photography), some of it jenune but enjoyable (his poetry), some of it brilliantly misconceived (his music career), and some of it just ... Nimoy.
RIP. Your passing breaks my heart, but only because you were one of the first people to make me realize how important my heart was.
posted by maxsparber at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2015 [59 favorites]
The character was one of the first I really responded to, and although I have never participated in Trek fan culture, I was a fan club of one. I can still rattle off an enormous list of Spock trivia:
Blood type: t-negative
Where his heart is: Where his liver should be
Parent's names: Amanda and Sarek
Serial Number: s179276sp
I met him once in Los Angeles and was struck by how much he seemed like a typical Jewish grandfather -- like my grandfather. He seemed irritable but also kind, impatient but also somewhat amused by his own impatience. I liked him at once.
But this is how it goes. Everyone from my childhood are old men and women, and have been for a long time now. Star Trek seems positively ancient now -- it debuted almost a half century ago!
I'm going to go and listen to some of his music now. I expect people will rediscover it, because it was weirder and more interesting than Shatner's, if not as instantly mockable. Which, come to think of it, describes a lot of the difference between the two men. Shatner has a genius for working with his own largeness, his own silliness. Nimoy was just, quietly doing his own interesting thing, some of it great (his one-man show about Vincent Van Gogh), some of it fascinating (his erotic photography), some of it jenune but enjoyable (his poetry), some of it brilliantly misconceived (his music career), and some of it just ... Nimoy.
RIP. Your passing breaks my heart, but only because you were one of the first people to make me realize how important my heart was.
posted by maxsparber at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2015 [59 favorites]
I had a major crush on him when I was a teeny bopper and he was playing Mr. Spock on the original TV series, which we never, ever missed seeing. And one of my most thrilling celebrity sightings ever was the evening I found myself dining in the same San Francisco restaurant where he was, and got to see him deep in conversation and laughter with the people at his window-side table. Over the years I really came to respect him as an artist and a man. Goodbye, you good human being, and farewell to the piece of myself you take with you.
\V/
posted by bearwife at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
\V/
posted by bearwife at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Don't know if this was coincidence or premonition, but his last tweet was an appropriate sign off. LLAP indeed, and thanks, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by caution live frogs at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by caution live frogs at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
...his entire musical output, which, while it mostly falls into the "celebrity cash-in" genre, is not nearly as awful as one might expect from that sort of thing.
This. He didn't have beautiful tone but he could actually both sing in key and carry a tune, and generally knew how to not get in the way of a song. That's so much more than you can say for the vast majority of celebrity cash-in music.
posted by lodurr at 10:04 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
This. He didn't have beautiful tone but he could actually both sing in key and carry a tune, and generally knew how to not get in the way of a song. That's so much more than you can say for the vast majority of celebrity cash-in music.
posted by lodurr at 10:04 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I still love this Spock/Spock Audi commercial.
posted by Mchelly at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
"Spock, oh, Spock, where can you be? Without Spock, I can't be me"
Spizz Energi, Spock's Missing
Goodbye, Leonard.
.
posted by Devonian at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015
Spizz Energi, Spock's Missing
Goodbye, Leonard.
.
posted by Devonian at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015
A huge, huge, HUGE loss mitigated only by the fact he left us so many ways to preserve and treasure his memory. Rest In Peace, Mr. Nimoy.
.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by grumpybear69 at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by grumpybear69 at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2015
... also, I've heard several stories over the years from people I've met who encountered him. The recurring theme is that he basically came off as a mensch.
posted by lodurr at 10:06 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by lodurr at 10:06 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
.
posted by mondo dentro at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by mondo dentro at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2015
I'm just stunned, and sitting here crying. I guess I secretly believed he would have the lifespan of a Vulcan in real life, too.
posted by Malla at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Malla at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
One touches the other, in order to feel each others thoughts. In this way, our minds were locked together. So that, at the proper time, we would both be drawn to: KOONUT KALIFFEE...
(Src Sample: Amok Time).
RIP
posted by symbioid at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2015
(Src Sample: Amok Time).
RIP
posted by symbioid at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2015
He always makes me think of my favorite aunt who died some years ago. She was from L.A. but always spoke in this grandiose faux-British way which I think she got from being a film buff (you know, how a lot of classic American actors used to talk). She loved Spock and Lord of The Rings and stuff like that even though she was very "cultured". When my brother and I went there for dinner, we'd sit at their fancy dinner table and she'd say things like "Oh DAY-VID, tell me about the ELLLLLLVES ...." Anyway, she loved Star Trek and especially Spock. When she died she just said "Onward", which had a huge impact on me.
Onward, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by freecellwizard at 10:11 AM on February 27, 2015 [32 favorites]
Onward, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by freecellwizard at 10:11 AM on February 27, 2015 [32 favorites]
What a beautiful soul, what an amazing life.
.
posted by Elly Vortex at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
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posted by Elly Vortex at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Mouse Army at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Mouse Army at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by doctornemo at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by doctornemo at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
He had a huge impact on my childhood, but not as Spock, growing up in an ultra orthodox family I never watched TV or movies as a child but we did listen to Jewish Story tapes and he starred in my favorite one, called The Mysterious Golem of Prague. You can hear a sample here.
Thanks so much for that. I had forgotten about it!
The hand gesture was his, taken from the gesture that Cohens make at Jewish prayer.
Nimoy was one of the first Jewish actors (that I'm aware of,) who took something which religious Jews would recognize as quintessentially Jewish, and inserted it into mainstream pop culture -- where it was picked up in a completely different context by non-Jews who more than likely had no idea what its origin was. As a kid, It was neat to see it on screen as part of my favorite show -- a bit of inside trivia that made Spock impossibly cool.
posted by zarq at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
Thanks so much for that. I had forgotten about it!
The hand gesture was his, taken from the gesture that Cohens make at Jewish prayer.
Nimoy was one of the first Jewish actors (that I'm aware of,) who took something which religious Jews would recognize as quintessentially Jewish, and inserted it into mainstream pop culture -- where it was picked up in a completely different context by non-Jews who more than likely had no idea what its origin was. As a kid, It was neat to see it on screen as part of my favorite show -- a bit of inside trivia that made Spock impossibly cool.
posted by zarq at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
.
posted by Constant Reader at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Constant Reader at 10:12 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015
I'm not a Deadhead (although I liked them), but when Jerry Garcia passed, I still felt a loss, like a peice of the landscape had vanished. And even though I'm not a Trekker (but I like the shows) I'm feeling that again today.
posted by jonmc at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by jonmc at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015
We know that he is wearing white and gold, instead of blue and black now.
RIP
.
posted by shortyJBot at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
RIP
.
posted by shortyJBot at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Foci for Analysis at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I like to imagine him beaming up into the Heavens, transforming from black and blue into white and gold.
posted by Kabanos at 10:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 10:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
Requiescat in pace Mr. Nimoy.
I met Mr. Nimoy twice, shook his hand. Once in Nevada City (small Northern CA town) where he was exhibiting his photography (nudes - always got a kick out of that). He was very gracious and seemed quite short compared to his onscreen presence. Once again at Lake Tahoe (he used to have a residence there for a time) for a charity function. Again very gracious and quite witty. As has been mentioned above, he seemed kind of grandfathery.
In any case a part of childhood has passed. He will be missed.
posted by elendil71 at 10:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I met Mr. Nimoy twice, shook his hand. Once in Nevada City (small Northern CA town) where he was exhibiting his photography (nudes - always got a kick out of that). He was very gracious and seemed quite short compared to his onscreen presence. Once again at Lake Tahoe (he used to have a residence there for a time) for a charity function. Again very gracious and quite witty. As has been mentioned above, he seemed kind of grandfathery.
In any case a part of childhood has passed. He will be missed.
posted by elendil71 at 10:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
I'm bawling like a little baby right now.
posted by hush at 10:16 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm bawling like a little baby right now.
posted by hush at 10:16 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
This hit me harder than I would have expected. Rest well, Mr. Nimoy.
.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by mistersquid at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by mistersquid at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015
Tears for someone I never met, or never knew. Most illogical.
But very, very real.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
But very, very real.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
.
posted by sharp pointy objects at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by sharp pointy objects at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
and seemed quite short compared to his onscreen presence
From what I understand, this is quite true of most actors. (Tom Cruise is, like, 3'11" or something)
posted by hippybear at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
From what I understand, this is quite true of most actors. (Tom Cruise is, like, 3'11" or something)
posted by hippybear at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Another career highlight: the creepy California pop psychologist from the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (before and after alien body-snatching).
\\//ı
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
\\//ı
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
I just heard the news on the radio, and it caught me totally off guard.
.
posted by redindiaink at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by redindiaink at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015
A FB friend just posted the funeral scene from WoK and... shit. Amazing Grace. No matter how many times I see that movie, the bagpipes never fail to get me.
posted by brundlefly at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by brundlefly at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
During the first nuTrek movie, I was enjoying Zack Quinto's interpretation of Spock right up until the moment that Leonard Nimoy showed up as THE REAL DAMN SPOCK and then after that, Quinto just seemed like a pale imitation of the real deal. The second Nimoy opened his mouth and you heard his rumbling voice, you just couldn't go back to Quinto's portrayal. That's nothing against Quinto, I've liked him in everything else, and he's a fellow CMU alum but he's no Nimoy.
posted by octothorpe at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
During the first nuTrek movie, I was enjoying Zack Quinto's interpretation of Spock right up until the moment that Leonard Nimoy showed up as THE REAL DAMN SPOCK and then after that, Quinto just seemed like a pale imitation of the real deal. The second Nimoy opened his mouth and you heard his rumbling voice, you just couldn't go back to Quinto's portrayal. That's nothing against Quinto, I've liked him in everything else, and he's a fellow CMU alum but he's no Nimoy.
posted by octothorpe at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
.
posted by nertzy at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by nertzy at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh dear, that last tweet. That is simultaneously the saddest and most beautiful thing.
As someone who has only recently got into Trek, this hits harder than I'd have thought.
Truly a great man, the title is absolutely fitting.
posted by Twain Device at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
As someone who has only recently got into Trek, this hits harder than I'd have thought.
Truly a great man, the title is absolutely fitting.
posted by Twain Device at 10:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
I guess I secretly believed he would have the lifespan of a Vulcan in real life, too.
I did too, but I didn't realize it until today.
\\//
posted by postcommunism at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
I did too, but I didn't realize it until today.
\\//
posted by postcommunism at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
Well, that's a hell of a solution to the Kobayashi Maru test.
posted by koeselitz at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by koeselitz at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
I think about myself as like an ocean liner that's been going full speed for a long distance, and the captain pulls the throttle back all the way to 'stop,' but the ship doesn't stop immediately, does it? It has its own momentum and it keeps on going, and I'm very flattered that people are still finding me useful.
Leonard Nimoy
Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
.
posted by Drinky Die at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
Leonard Nimoy
Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
.
posted by Drinky Die at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
Melody Kramer linked on Twitter to her flickr set of photos from when Nimoy was a guest on NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!
There are shots of him with Carl Kassell, Peter Sagal, Charlie Pierce and others.
posted by zarq at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
There are shots of him with Carl Kassell, Peter Sagal, Charlie Pierce and others.
posted by zarq at 10:20 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
not long enough
posted by aspo at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by aspo at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just sobbing right now. This picture of him and Carol Burnett is my favorite.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2015
He had an active TV career after Star Trek and published an autobiography called I Am Not Spock, but he came to embrace the character that gained him such fame. By many accounts he was a cool and classy guy. He will be greatly missed, but not forgotten.
posted by Gelatin at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Gelatin at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by ...possums at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by ...possums at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015
Damn and blast and damn.
.
Go boldly...
posted by seyirci at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
Go boldly...
posted by seyirci at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Interview with Walter Koenig:
Leonard (Nimoy, Mr. Spock) was always kind of unapproachable. But a very good man. Sound ethics and a good sense of morality.posted by brundlefly at 10:25 AM on February 27, 2015 [51 favorites]
How so?
When it came to the attention of the cast that there was a disparity in pay in that George and I were getting the same pay but Nichelle was not getting as much, I took it to Leonard and he took it to the front office and they corrected that.
He was sort of the captain, then?
On that issue, he was. You could count on Leonard for that kind of thing.
.
Trying very hard not to cry right now. Just woke up and saw this. This hurts.
posted by strixus at 10:26 AM on February 27, 2015
Trying very hard not to cry right now. Just woke up and saw this. This hurts.
posted by strixus at 10:26 AM on February 27, 2015
\\//_
posted by The Michael The at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by The Michael The at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015
Raymond E. Feist on Facebook:
posted by zarq at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
RIP Leonard Nimoy.
Confirmed by the New York Times.
He's been battling lung problems for years. On the Star Trek: Into Darkness he did is scene sitting down as he had trouble standing without help.
To address his impact as an actor is one thing, but his impact as a cultural icon was unmeasurable. While Spock was the creation of Gene Roddenberry and a host of writers, he was Nimoy's character when all was said and done. Generations of fans were adoring and after a rough patch in the late 1960s, he handled that fame and adoration well.
If anyone of you has the opportunity to see his interview by Bill Shatner, Mind Meld - Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime, take advantage. From a rivalry and some bitterness these two men created a friendship of a lifetime.
My impression after watching Nimoy's work for the last 50 years is he was a man of deep passion, gifted, and gracious.
Somewhere a new voyage has begun.
posted by zarq at 10:27 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
All my timelines are nothing but this.
He was ours, and we miss him.
posted by Devonian at 10:28 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
He was ours, and we miss him.
posted by Devonian at 10:28 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
My favorite Spock image - one of my favorite photos ever, in fact.
.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
.
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
Some rush about in preparation.
Some struggle to be nearest to the gate.
Some climb to be at the highest place.
And yet,
we shall all be born.
All will move about
In time
And space.
Life comes and goes.
Laughter of the past
Rings through empty hallways.
The seasoning is bittersweet.
- from You & I by Leonard Nimoy
posted by methroach at 10:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
Some struggle to be nearest to the gate.
Some climb to be at the highest place.
And yet,
we shall all be born.
All will move about
In time
And space.
Life comes and goes.
Laughter of the past
Rings through empty hallways.
The seasoning is bittersweet.
- from You & I by Leonard Nimoy
posted by methroach at 10:31 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
Adieu to the great Leonard Nimoy. Honoured so many Canadians thought we looked alike & would "Spock" their $5 bills: pic.twitter.com/hpTZmKmL9L— Wilfrid Laurier (@PMLaurier) February 27, 2015
posted by Fizz at 10:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
.
posted by lumpenprole at 10:34 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by lumpenprole at 10:34 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Diagonalize at 10:35 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Diagonalize at 10:35 AM on February 27, 2015
My mom hated Star Trek and she hated Spock in particular, but my brother joked that when I was born, my ears were slightly pointed like Spock's because she hated him so much. Strangely enough, he was already my favorite character before either of them told me those facts. So I like to think that somehow a little bit of Spock's katra got transferred to me.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Nimoy.
.
posted by lord_wolf at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Thank you for everything, Mr. Nimoy.
.
posted by lord_wolf at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm at work so I can't really go and have the bit of a cry that I want to just yet, but man. I love this thread and everyone's memories and good words so much.
If there is awareness after death, I hope he's aware of how loved he still is.
posted by kalimac at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
If there is awareness after death, I hope he's aware of how loved he still is.
posted by kalimac at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
My first reaction was just sad acknowledgement, since I'd known he was having health problems, but it just keeps growing in me until I sit here at my desk crying.
The character of Spock was my number one childhood hero, and I named a dog after him because of the way he'd perk up his ears. I loved that he was the one character from the originals to make it into the new movies, and I loved everything I learned about Nimoy as a human being.
.
posted by Four Ds at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
The character of Spock was my number one childhood hero, and I named a dog after him because of the way he'd perk up his ears. I loved that he was the one character from the originals to make it into the new movies, and I loved everything I learned about Nimoy as a human being.
.
posted by Four Ds at 10:37 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Fascinating.
posted by spock at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by spock at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2015 [13 favorites]
.
posted by andreaazure at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by andreaazure at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2015
The great comic artist Don Rosa shared this caricature in fond remembrance.
posted by Gelatin at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Gelatin at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Kevin Street at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Kevin Street at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2015
I came back in here because the world out there is cold and does not know why we grieve and weep and rent our hair, hidden inside, where the others cannot see us.
As always, we have only foot here on this planet
and the other out there
in the stars
posted by infini at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
As always, we have only foot here on this planet
and the other out there
in the stars
posted by infini at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
I haven't cried yet, but oh man. Every deep breathe in there is a swell and I can tell that it's coming. Art means something. Art shapes lives, people's real lives. Nimoy gave that to us his whole life and who knows how many of us would have turned out if we never met Spock. It'll hit this afternoon, I'll bet. Hope I'm not out in public when it does.
"I have been, and always shall be"
.
posted by EatTheWeek at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
"I have been, and always shall be"
.
posted by EatTheWeek at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
.
We will carry your katra with fondness, gratitude, and respect, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by the matching mole at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015
We will carry your katra with fondness, gratitude, and respect, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by the matching mole at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace.
Diu vivere et prosperabitur.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Diu vivere et prosperabitur.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Count me as someone who is not a necessarily a TOS fan, but is definitely a Leonard Nimoy fan. He had such a thoughtful, gentle, incisive way with everything he did, including Mr. Spock who from the very pilot was much greater than the sum of his lines. I have always loved that he took his fame from Star Trek and did precisely what he wanted creatively - directing movies that he wanted to direct, writing poetry that he wanted to write, his particular photography, and making music that he wanted to make (even if critics couldn't stand it). And yet he recognized and always seemed so grateful for the fans that gave him that opportunity.
OK, now I'm crying. RIP, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by muddgirl at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
OK, now I'm crying. RIP, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by muddgirl at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
The Los Angeles Times' obit has some gems:
posted by zarq at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [41 favorites]
"Spock was a character whose time had come," Nimoy later wrote. "He represented a practical, reasoning voice in a period of dissension and chaos."
He also turned Nimoy into an unlikely sex symbol.
When he spoke at Ohio's Bowling Green State University in the 1970s, a young woman asked: "Are you aware that you are the source of erotic dream material for thousands and thousands of ladies around the world?"
"May all your dreams come true," he responded.
...
LSD guru Timothy Leary once flashed Nimoy the Vulcan salute. So did cabdrivers who sped by on the street, and interviewers who momentarily suspended their journalistic detachment. At a 2007 fundraiser in Los Angeles, presidential candidate Barack Obama spied Nimoy across a room, smiled, and held up his hand in the familiar gesture.
...
Rumors of Spock's impending on-screen demise in "Star Trek II" prompted death threats to director Nicholas Meyer.
"I received a helpful letter that ran: 'If Spock dies, you die,' " Meyer wrote in "The View from the Bridge: Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood."
The scene was filmed anyway -- so affectingly, according to Meyer, that the crew wept openly "as the dying Spock held up his splayed hand and enjoined Kirk to 'live long and prosper.' "
...
In numerous public appearances, he pointed out the irony of his success.
"My folks came to the U.S. as immigrants," he said in a 2012 speech at Boston University. "They were aliens, and then became citizens. I was born in Boston a citizen, and then I went to Hollywood and became an alien."
...
[On becoming an actor] Nimoy's Ukrainian-born father Max, who ran a barber shop in a Boston tenement neighborhood, tried to warn his son about the dangers ahead.
"Learn to play the accordion," he urged. "You can always make a living with an accordion."
posted by zarq at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [41 favorites]
.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:44 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:44 AM on February 27, 2015
Oh man :( George Takei had mentioned Nimoy wasn't doing well on Facebook, so I'm not entirely taken by surprise, but still, like so many here, I grew up with his Spock character and always connected to him. His ideal of friendship and love over logic.
.
posted by fraula at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by fraula at 10:45 AM on February 27, 2015
I was a teenager, I think, when I began to sit in front of "In Search Of" just for a glimpse.
posted by infini at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by infini at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015
Takei:
posted by zarq at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [13 favorites]
Today, the world lost a great man, and I lost a great friend. We return you now to the stars, Leonard. You taught us to "Live Long And Prosper," and you indeed did, friend. I shall miss you in so many, many ways.
posted by zarq at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [13 favorites]
Leonard Nimoy Reads Ray Bradbury Stories From The Martian Chronicles & The Illustrated Man (1975-76)
posted by Fizz at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [19 favorites]
Goddammit.
posted by adamrice at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by adamrice at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was waiting for Takei's tweet, glad to see it has come.
posted by infini at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by infini at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2015
Nimoy grew up in the West End, a Boston neighborhood that was completely demolished in the name of "urban renewal" so a developer could put up these soulless high rises.
In an interview last year, he talked about growing up in the tight-knit neighborhood and its destruction.
The Boston City Archives still has a copy of the city record of the photography business he set up - when he was 17.
posted by adamg at 10:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
In an interview last year, he talked about growing up in the tight-knit neighborhood and its destruction.
The Boston City Archives still has a copy of the city record of the photography business he set up - when he was 17.
posted by adamg at 10:47 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
• The End of an Era! :(
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:49 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:49 AM on February 27, 2015
I always thought he'd be the last one from the original series to die. He was invincible, resurrectable, written in stone and dare I say, Vulcanized.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:50 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:50 AM on February 27, 2015
Amazing artist and actor. He has been such a large part of my life, I feel like I lost a beloved uncle. So sad. A dot is not enough.
posted by Splunge at 10:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 10:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Jade Dragon at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Jade Dragon at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2015
let the terraforming commence.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 10:59 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 10:59 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2015
This is what got me crying.
Jonathan Frakes @jonathansfrakes 1h1 hour ago
LLAP RIP to the best First Officer. @TheRealNimoy
posted by Sophie1 at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2015 [32 favorites]
Jonathan Frakes @jonathansfrakes 1h1 hour ago
LLAP RIP to the best First Officer. @TheRealNimoy
posted by Sophie1 at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2015 [32 favorites]
Adding to what zarq mentioned above about the hand signal.
posted by mareli at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by mareli at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by atholbrose at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by atholbrose at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2015
"If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)"
Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy (Spock side, Mission: Impossible side)
Clips from The Simpsons monorail episode
posted by kirkaracha at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy (Spock side, Mission: Impossible side)
Clips from The Simpsons monorail episode
posted by kirkaracha at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew.
A 21-phaser salute to Mr. Nimoy. You will be missed!
posted by topophilia at 11:05 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
A 21-phaser salute to Mr. Nimoy. You will be missed!
posted by topophilia at 11:05 AM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
\\//
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 11:05 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 11:05 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:07 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:07 AM on February 27, 2015
All the quotes from Civ 4*. His voice - it sends shivers down my spine.
*Includes some read by Sid Meier (comparitively... poorly)
posted by Acey at 11:08 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
*Includes some read by Sid Meier (comparitively... poorly)
posted by Acey at 11:08 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:08 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Chrysostom at 11:08 AM on February 27, 2015
I loved it when I saw the picture of Obama making the Vulcan salute. I doubt I will ever personally know the President of the United States, but that image made me realize that the current President was at least of my generation. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 11:09 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 11:09 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
\\//_
posted by Jacqueline at 11:10 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Jacqueline at 11:10 AM on February 27, 2015
One of my memories of Leonard Nimoy is pretty random. One time I took a vacation to Vancouver, and my wife and I met up with an old friend of hers. We walked down the seawall by English Bay, and there was a tall building nearby with a tree growing on the top. My wife's friend told us that was where Leonard Nimoy lived, in the penthouse apartment with the tree our front. Pretty sure I repeated this to people from time to time, my wife too.
So it turns out he was totally lying to fuck with us and picked a random celebrity to make it seem more believable. But he tells me this rumor came back to him, almost 10 years later when he was walking by there with some people my wife and I don't even know. They tell him "see that apartment up there with the tree? Spock lives there." I wonder how far that rumor got.
posted by Hoopo at 11:11 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
So it turns out he was totally lying to fuck with us and picked a random celebrity to make it seem more believable. But he tells me this rumor came back to him, almost 10 years later when he was walking by there with some people my wife and I don't even know. They tell him "see that apartment up there with the tree? Spock lives there." I wonder how far that rumor got.
posted by Hoopo at 11:11 AM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
I was kind of ok until I had to try and explain that he was my twitter grandpa.
posted by Space Kitty at 11:13 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Space Kitty at 11:13 AM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
From Twitter: Nimoy spoke at my college graduation and when he did the Vulcan salute everyone in the stadium silently did it back. Every single person.
posted by dry white toast at 11:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [22 favorites]
posted by dry white toast at 11:15 AM on February 27, 2015 [22 favorites]
A most unpleasant situation, Captain.
posted by freakazoid at 11:16 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by freakazoid at 11:16 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
This makes me sadder than I expected.
.
posted by tommasz at 11:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by tommasz at 11:17 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've watched most, if not all, of the original Star Trek episodes, and, in retrospect, even though it seemed easier to like and root for Kirk, who was written as a dashing interstellar playboy hero, he always came off as dickish and shallow, while Spock had the gravitas and wisdom and the real, daily struggle to reconcile both halves of his nature. I credit Leonard Nimoy entirely with infusing that character with a soul that made him so much more than the sum of the "illogical"s in the script.
aav.
.
posted by the sobsister at 11:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
aav.
.
posted by the sobsister at 11:18 AM on February 27, 2015 [12 favorites]
I am way to human for this.
Because I am at work and sobbing.
Go boldly, Mr Nimoy. You too, Commander Spock.
posted by Mike Mongo at 11:19 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Because I am at work and sobbing.
Go boldly, Mr Nimoy. You too, Commander Spock.
posted by Mike Mongo at 11:19 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
\V/,
posted by Buttons Bellbottom at 11:21 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Buttons Bellbottom at 11:21 AM on February 27, 2015
Got the news from my SO on my communicator smartphone, which seems appropriate.
\\ //,
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:22 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
\\ //,
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 11:22 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Spock had the gravitas and wisdom and the real, daily struggle to reconcile both halves of his nature.
This. Nimoy had by far the trickiest acting job on Star Trek; he had to thread the needle of being both disquietingly alien and relatably human. Spock had to be infuriating, chilly, but not unlikeable.
.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
This. Nimoy had by far the trickiest acting job on Star Trek; he had to thread the needle of being both disquietingly alien and relatably human. Spock had to be infuriating, chilly, but not unlikeable.
.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:29 AM on February 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
Spock: "History is replete with turning points, Lieutenant. You must have faith."posted by audi alteram partem at 11:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [25 favorites]
Valeris: "Faith?"
Spock: "That the universe will unfold as it should."
Valeris: "But is that logical? Surely we must—"
Spock: "Logic, logic, and logic.... Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end."
I was so young when I started watch Star Trek that all I noticed at first were the colors! and the beautiful captain! But over time it began to feel like home -- it showed me that you could be friends, family, with people who weren't anything like you. In fact, that people who were nothing like you might be the best people you ever knew.
Thanks, Leonard.
.
posted by allthinky at 11:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
Thanks, Leonard.
.
posted by allthinky at 11:34 AM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
LLAP.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:35 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Navelgazer at 11:35 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Gymnopedist at 11:35 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by Gymnopedist at 11:35 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by lordrunningclam at 11:37 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by lordrunningclam at 11:37 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by JohnFromGR at 11:40 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by JohnFromGR at 11:40 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by spacely_sprocket at 11:41 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by spacely_sprocket at 11:41 AM on February 27, 2015
Wil Wheaton on Twitter:
We stood on your shoulders, and wouldn’t have had a galaxy to explore if you hadn’t been there, first. Thank you, Leonard, Rest in peace.posted by mephron at 11:42 AM on February 27, 2015 [17 favorites]
.
posted by HumanComplex at 11:43 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by HumanComplex at 11:43 AM on February 27, 2015
Dr. Baa mentioned this above, but Leonard Nimoy narrates the opening to each Seaman session. He actually introduces himself as Leonard Nimoy. It's the cheery on top of an unusual and thought-provoking game.
posted by JHarris at 11:44 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by JHarris at 11:44 AM on February 27, 2015
This will always be my favorite photo of Nimoy, and the Star Trek TOS crew, and of course, the first Enterprise.
LLAP
posted by gc at 11:45 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
LLAP
posted by gc at 11:45 AM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
You're coming with us, right?
No, Jim. My destiny... ahh, shit.
✌
posted by XMLicious at 11:46 AM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
@The_CDR: "'Spock' your $5 bills for Leonard Nimoy"
.
posted by Golden Eternity at 11:50 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
.
posted by Golden Eternity at 11:50 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
In one of the multiverses, William Bell lives on.
Genuinely sad at Mr. Nimoy's passing - and for those who think of him as a sex symbol, I leave you with this 1950s photo of a young, sexy Leonard in a leather jacket.
.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:51 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
Genuinely sad at Mr. Nimoy's passing - and for those who think of him as a sex symbol, I leave you with this 1950s photo of a young, sexy Leonard in a leather jacket.
.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:51 AM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
What is there to say? I've been a Star Trek fan coming up on 49 years, ever since seeing The Corbomite Maneuver fall of 1966 on my grandmother's B&W set -- though my regard for the show has faded somewhat over the years.
Nimoy was apparently in many ways the bridge between Roddenberry / Shatner and the "lower ranks". He seems to have got along with everybody involved. It's hard to imagine what any 50th anniversary events could look like without him*. A man who understood how lucky he'd been, it seems.
I was also a big fan of Mission: Impossible in those days. Nimoy was probably the most successful Trek cast member at continuing as a teevy actor. He all but walked right off the set of Trek and onto that of MI, 'replacing' Martin Balsam's Roland Hand, as The Great Paris, magician, card sharp, and master of disguise.
Nimoy wasn't the first to play an 'alien' as a regular character; that'd be Ray Walston in 1963. But Trek and Nimoy made you believe it was going to happen. Once we got our act together, we were gonna take it on the road and live and work together in space with like-minded folks from other planets. Spock set the standard for dealing with 'alien integration'. Every other alien character living among humans is either an homage to Spock or a reaction to him.
Not going to do the hand thing, but here's my sincerly felt dot of silence:
.
-------------------------------------------
*On edit, sadly, probably a lot like Ricochet Biscuit's linked image.
posted by Herodios at 11:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Nimoy was apparently in many ways the bridge between Roddenberry / Shatner and the "lower ranks". He seems to have got along with everybody involved. It's hard to imagine what any 50th anniversary events could look like without him*. A man who understood how lucky he'd been, it seems.
I was also a big fan of Mission: Impossible in those days. Nimoy was probably the most successful Trek cast member at continuing as a teevy actor. He all but walked right off the set of Trek and onto that of MI, 'replacing' Martin Balsam's Roland Hand, as The Great Paris, magician, card sharp, and master of disguise.
Nimoy wasn't the first to play an 'alien' as a regular character; that'd be Ray Walston in 1963. But Trek and Nimoy made you believe it was going to happen. Once we got our act together, we were gonna take it on the road and live and work together in space with like-minded folks from other planets. Spock set the standard for dealing with 'alien integration'. Every other alien character living among humans is either an homage to Spock or a reaction to him.
Not going to do the hand thing, but here's my sincerly felt dot of silence:
.
-------------------------------------------
*On edit, sadly, probably a lot like Ricochet Biscuit's linked image.
posted by Herodios at 11:54 AM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Speaking of cool, I first heard this on Dr. Demento
posted by goalyeehah at 11:54 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by goalyeehah at 11:54 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by cotton dress sock at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by HiddenInput at 11:56 AM on February 27, 2015
posted by HiddenInput at 11:56 AM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by localroger at 12:03 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by localroger at 12:03 PM on February 27, 2015
He was my honorary Twitter Grandfather. So very sad.
\V/
posted by blurker at 12:12 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
\V/
posted by blurker at 12:12 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Speaking of cool, I first heard this on Dr. Demento
Friend of mine had those first two albums on a pre-recorded C90. I remember listening to "Highly Illogical", "Highly Unmusical Bilbo Baggins", and "Visit to a Sad Planet" on his little Wollensak cassette portable.
Worth noting I guess, that Nimoy himself wrote "Maiden Wine", the wry little ballad the Platonians forced Spock to sing in "Plato's Stepchildren".
Amusing to note that there's a Leonard Nimoy Discography on the World Wide Wiki.
posted by Herodios at 12:13 PM on February 27, 2015
Friend of mine had those first two albums on a pre-recorded C90. I remember listening to "Highly Illogical", "
Worth noting I guess, that Nimoy himself wrote "Maiden Wine", the wry little ballad the Platonians forced Spock to sing in "Plato's Stepchildren".
Amusing to note that there's a Leonard Nimoy Discography on the World Wide Wiki.
posted by Herodios at 12:13 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 12:16 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 12:16 PM on February 27, 2015
I was hoping the picture I saw next to the word "Died" was The Amazing Kreskin, but no.
It's hard to believe he'll never again pop up on screen wearing those ears.
.
posted by Ickster at 12:16 PM on February 27, 2015
It's hard to believe he'll never again pop up on screen wearing those ears.
.
posted by Ickster at 12:16 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Glibpaxman at 12:27 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by Glibpaxman at 12:27 PM on February 27, 2015
South London, 2001. My friends and I are still in that post-University phase where we've all (well, most of us) now got proper jobs but we're still all living in house shares together. University mates, and dates, in a post-university world.
Now every Tuesday we'd go to a pub called "Cafe Society" (which wasn't as posh as it sounds) and take part in a pub quiz. Not sure if they're a thing in the US, but imagine a quizmaster reading out questions over multiple rounds, with each group of friends scrawling down their answers and it all being added up at the end - with everyone having paid a small amount to participate (£1 a person in this case). At the end of the night, the winning team gets all of the money and/or some other perks (in this case a free round of drinks at the bar).
Now the problem with pub quizzes is they sometimes attract "professionals" - teams that don't really care about the camaraderie, or the booze, or the taking part - they're there to win the pot and generally to feel superior to everyone else.
Cafe Society had such a team. They called themselves "Starfleet Academy."
Every week they'd turn up and win first prize. They were quiz experts and they didn't drink. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but in quizzing terms it gave them a definite advantage - they'd sip Coke all night as the rest of the teams descended into random drunken arguments about whether it was true that Stallone wrote and directed the sequel to Saturday Night Fever.
Their genuine knowledge and eternal sobriety gave them a distinct advantage, and seemingly every week they'd win by about ten points.
Now whilst we didn't like them, as a team we didn't really mind. We were all in our early twenties and thus not overly blessed with well rounded general knowledge - especially when it came to the music round (which was always something like "Songs of the Sixties"). On a good day we would finish fourth or maybe third at a push. It was fun though, and that's what mattered to us - and indeed most of the other teams there.
Then... one night... we get to the penultimate round - the music round - and the quizmaster says "this week it'll be nineties music." And we look at each other, and we know we have a chance. And we do - the girls in the team step up to the plate and they ace the round. 10/10 for us, absolute kryptonite to the forty-something guys making up Starfleet Academy - who can only muster about 2/10.
Suddenly, going into the final round - film - we're neck and neck in points with Starfleet Academy. You can practically cut the atmosphere in the pub with a knife - because Starfleet Academy are suddenly looking fallible.
As the quizmaster prepares for the final round, one of our party goes to the bar to get the drinks in and comes back confused with a full tray.
"The team over there just paid for these for us" He says in confusion, pointing to another regular team in the corner, "The guy who came over said, 'Go on! Take them down!'"
Still, we didn't really think we could do it. That we could win. But as the round goes on we realise we're on fire again.
"I'm an average nobody." Says the quizmaster. "I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook' What film is this from?"
"Goodfellas!" Whispers my housemate frantically. "It's Goodfellas." We write it down and look over at Academy. They're arguing. This is a good sign - but ultimately (from a distance) it looks like they've worked it out.
And then the final question.
"What." Says the quizmaster, "was the hymn played at Spock's funeral?"
My housemates and I look at each other. For the last three years Star Trek movies have been one of our regular cheeky film nights. Star Trek II has always been our favourite - those final scenes with Shatner, Kelly, Doohan and Nimoy... well if we've got a few beers in us we're not ashamed to cry. It is safe to say that they are burned into our skulls.
"Amazing Grace." I say instantly. My housemates nod. Our friends look confused, surprised and... yeah... a little bit amused but they write it down.
I glance over at Starfleet Academy, fully expecting that they'll have already got this. I mean... they're called Starfleet fucking Academy! But they're arguing! Proper arguing! They scribble something down but they don't look confident...
...and they shouldn't be! Because five minutes later we're standing up and being cheered by the whole pub because we've beaten them. They somehow got it wrong and, for the first time, Starfleet Academy have lost.
Fifteen years on I can still remember that moment. And so can my friends.
So Rest in Peace Leonard. You achieved many great things in your life, and you had a perhaps incalculable positive influence on more than one generation of young SciFi nerds - myself included. And for that I will always respect you.
But one day, a long time ago, you also indirectly helped a bunch of pissed-up twenty-one year olds beat a team of cold, charmless professional pub-quizzers at their own game.
And for that, I will always love you.
posted by garius at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [117 favorites]
Now every Tuesday we'd go to a pub called "Cafe Society" (which wasn't as posh as it sounds) and take part in a pub quiz. Not sure if they're a thing in the US, but imagine a quizmaster reading out questions over multiple rounds, with each group of friends scrawling down their answers and it all being added up at the end - with everyone having paid a small amount to participate (£1 a person in this case). At the end of the night, the winning team gets all of the money and/or some other perks (in this case a free round of drinks at the bar).
Now the problem with pub quizzes is they sometimes attract "professionals" - teams that don't really care about the camaraderie, or the booze, or the taking part - they're there to win the pot and generally to feel superior to everyone else.
Cafe Society had such a team. They called themselves "Starfleet Academy."
Every week they'd turn up and win first prize. They were quiz experts and they didn't drink. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but in quizzing terms it gave them a definite advantage - they'd sip Coke all night as the rest of the teams descended into random drunken arguments about whether it was true that Stallone wrote and directed the sequel to Saturday Night Fever.
Their genuine knowledge and eternal sobriety gave them a distinct advantage, and seemingly every week they'd win by about ten points.
Now whilst we didn't like them, as a team we didn't really mind. We were all in our early twenties and thus not overly blessed with well rounded general knowledge - especially when it came to the music round (which was always something like "Songs of the Sixties"). On a good day we would finish fourth or maybe third at a push. It was fun though, and that's what mattered to us - and indeed most of the other teams there.
Then... one night... we get to the penultimate round - the music round - and the quizmaster says "this week it'll be nineties music." And we look at each other, and we know we have a chance. And we do - the girls in the team step up to the plate and they ace the round. 10/10 for us, absolute kryptonite to the forty-something guys making up Starfleet Academy - who can only muster about 2/10.
Suddenly, going into the final round - film - we're neck and neck in points with Starfleet Academy. You can practically cut the atmosphere in the pub with a knife - because Starfleet Academy are suddenly looking fallible.
As the quizmaster prepares for the final round, one of our party goes to the bar to get the drinks in and comes back confused with a full tray.
"The team over there just paid for these for us" He says in confusion, pointing to another regular team in the corner, "The guy who came over said, 'Go on! Take them down!'"
Still, we didn't really think we could do it. That we could win. But as the round goes on we realise we're on fire again.
"I'm an average nobody." Says the quizmaster. "I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook' What film is this from?"
"Goodfellas!" Whispers my housemate frantically. "It's Goodfellas." We write it down and look over at Academy. They're arguing. This is a good sign - but ultimately (from a distance) it looks like they've worked it out.
And then the final question.
"What." Says the quizmaster, "was the hymn played at Spock's funeral?"
My housemates and I look at each other. For the last three years Star Trek movies have been one of our regular cheeky film nights. Star Trek II has always been our favourite - those final scenes with Shatner, Kelly, Doohan and Nimoy... well if we've got a few beers in us we're not ashamed to cry. It is safe to say that they are burned into our skulls.
"Amazing Grace." I say instantly. My housemates nod. Our friends look confused, surprised and... yeah... a little bit amused but they write it down.
I glance over at Starfleet Academy, fully expecting that they'll have already got this. I mean... they're called Starfleet fucking Academy! But they're arguing! Proper arguing! They scribble something down but they don't look confident...
...and they shouldn't be! Because five minutes later we're standing up and being cheered by the whole pub because we've beaten them. They somehow got it wrong and, for the first time, Starfleet Academy have lost.
Fifteen years on I can still remember that moment. And so can my friends.
So Rest in Peace Leonard. You achieved many great things in your life, and you had a perhaps incalculable positive influence on more than one generation of young SciFi nerds - myself included. And for that I will always respect you.
But one day, a long time ago, you also indirectly helped a bunch of pissed-up twenty-one year olds beat a team of cold, charmless professional pub-quizzers at their own game.
And for that, I will always love you.
posted by garius at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [117 favorites]
.
Dang this mortality thing really sucks.
posted by dougzilla at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Dang this mortality thing really sucks.
posted by dougzilla at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
*sniffles at garius' story*
*buys the thread a round*
posted by infini at 12:43 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
*buys the thread a round*
posted by infini at 12:43 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
I just had to sit down. I want expecting it to be this much of a shock. But he was there, add long add I could regret, and s big party of my childhood, teen years and adulthood were influenced by Trek.
There'll never be his like again.
posted by happyroach at 12:45 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
There'll never be his like again.
posted by happyroach at 12:45 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
He had a rich, distinctive voice, but he was also way cool even in silent roles, like playing The Bangles' chauffeur.
posted by Gelatin at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Unicode 7.0 Emoji Update cannot come soon enough.
posted by mazola at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by mazola at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
garius, we do indeed have pub quizzes (or "trivia nights") in the US. Actually, for a while I was on a trivia team that was the yin to Starfleet Academy's yang in multiple ways. We were genuinely awful, often coming in last, and were called The Red Shirts.
posted by brundlefly at 12:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by brundlefly at 12:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]
.
"He's really not dead as long as we remember him." - Bones about Spock, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
posted by zooropa at 12:49 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
"He's really not dead as long as we remember him." - Bones about Spock, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
posted by zooropa at 12:49 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
I glance over at Starfleet Academy, fully expecting that they'll have already got this. I mean... they're called Starfleet fucking Academy! But they're arguing! Proper arguing! They scribble something down but they don't look confident...
...and they shouldn't be! Because five minutes later we're standing up and being cheered by the whole pub because we've beaten them. They somehow got it wrong and, for the first time, Starfleet Academy have lost.
Those people should be ashamed of themselves. I've heard Amazing Grace a million times, including at my own grandmother's funeral, and Spock's funeral is still my first association.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:50 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
...and they shouldn't be! Because five minutes later we're standing up and being cheered by the whole pub because we've beaten them. They somehow got it wrong and, for the first time, Starfleet Academy have lost.
Those people should be ashamed of themselves. I've heard Amazing Grace a million times, including at my own grandmother's funeral, and Spock's funeral is still my first association.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:50 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:51 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:51 PM on February 27, 2015
I remember sprawling on the floor of the living room in a friend's house. I was in seventh grade and the syndicated original series had just started airing at four pm. When school got out. We watched just about every episode that spring and it's been a part of me ever since. RIP Mr. Nimoy, you were a beacon of everything that is good and fascinating in us humans.
\V/
posted by Ber at 12:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
\V/
posted by Ber at 12:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
V
posted by nicebookrack at 12:53 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by nicebookrack at 12:53 PM on February 27, 2015
I'm a grown man, and I'm sitting here trying to read this screen through eyes blurred with hot tears. I'm sad that he's gone. I've lost someone who made my life a little better, just by living. But, this sadness will pass, and we'll go on remembering him. We'll quote his best lines, we'll sing his silly songs, we'll arch our eyebrows and give his salute.
Can you imagine how many people he's influenced in such a positive way, all the kids who grew up watching Mr. Spock, who were inspired in their own lives to become scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, teachers? He'll probably go right on influencing them, too, for who knows how many generations.
What a great life.
posted by KHAAAN! at 12:56 PM on February 27, 2015 [23 favorites]
Can you imagine how many people he's influenced in such a positive way, all the kids who grew up watching Mr. Spock, who were inspired in their own lives to become scientists, doctors, engineers, artists, teachers? He'll probably go right on influencing them, too, for who knows how many generations.
What a great life.
posted by KHAAAN! at 12:56 PM on February 27, 2015 [23 favorites]
.
posted by 404 Not Found at 1:00 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by 404 Not Found at 1:00 PM on February 27, 2015
There's a press release on the White House twitter feed.
posted by postcommunism at 1:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by postcommunism at 1:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
His final tweet: "A life is like a garden," he wrote. "Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP."
I don't quite know why I keep crying about this, except that as a lonely young nerd I adored Trek and Spock.
Spock was always the one I liked best, the outsider looking in on humanity. Every Trek has had its Spock (Data, Odo, Doctor) but Spock's intense arc of life, sacrifice, death, and rebirth is the stand-out Trek storyline for me. Spock is a character who evolved, right up until his final Spock moments in Star Trek 09. By then he was not the same chilly, sarcastic youngster but an old vulcan with wry humour and a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, who understood that "Logic is the beginning of wisdom [...] not the end".
Nimoy's acting showed us the full life of a fictional character.
Live Long And Prosper.
posted by NoiselessPenguin at 1:03 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
I don't quite know why I keep crying about this, except that as a lonely young nerd I adored Trek and Spock.
Spock was always the one I liked best, the outsider looking in on humanity. Every Trek has had its Spock (Data, Odo, Doctor) but Spock's intense arc of life, sacrifice, death, and rebirth is the stand-out Trek storyline for me. Spock is a character who evolved, right up until his final Spock moments in Star Trek 09. By then he was not the same chilly, sarcastic youngster but an old vulcan with wry humour and a lifetime of hard-won wisdom, who understood that "Logic is the beginning of wisdom [...] not the end".
Nimoy's acting showed us the full life of a fictional character.
Live Long And Prosper.
posted by NoiselessPenguin at 1:03 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Zachary Quinto's epitaph for Leonard is what utterly broke me.
posted by lonefrontranger at 1:04 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by lonefrontranger at 1:04 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.
-Leonard Nimoy
.
LLAP, sir.
posted by BlueHorse at 1:05 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
-Leonard Nimoy
.
LLAP, sir.
posted by BlueHorse at 1:05 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Just thinking about it now... I kind of, to the extent that one can, patterned my persona on him as Spock. Like, still.
It's a big one.
posted by Trochanter at 1:09 PM on February 27, 2015
It's a big one.
posted by Trochanter at 1:09 PM on February 27, 2015
In 1968, a teen magazine published a fan letter from a biracial girl to half-human, half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. Leonard Nimoy wrote a response to her.
It made me cry when I first read it, and it makes me cry today.
posted by nicebookrack at 1:10 PM on February 27, 2015 [27 favorites]
It made me cry when I first read it, and it makes me cry today.
posted by nicebookrack at 1:10 PM on February 27, 2015 [27 favorites]
.
posted by jet_pack_in_a_can at 1:13 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by jet_pack_in_a_can at 1:13 PM on February 27, 2015
When I was in six grade, my grandfather died from pancreatic cancer. Shortly afterward my mom took us out to California to visit my Aunt for three weeks because everything at home felt wrong.
We visited all the touristy places around San Francisco Bay, but things still felt off. Then my Aunt took us to the Monterey Aquarium. Walking in sent this happy spark through me and for once I was excited. I seemed to know where exhibits were before getting to them, and had such a joyful sense of having been there before.
It wasn't until I announced the Whales were this way and led everyone out onto a deck overlooking nothing but a rocky inlet that it hit. The Star Trek movie with the Whales had been filmed there. I ran over to a certain spot and yelled, "Oh my god! Spock stood here!"
I was so happy. For the rest of the day my mom says I walked around with a dazed grin on my face.
It's one of my favorite memories.
Rest in peace, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by FunkyHelix at 1:17 PM on February 27, 2015 [21 favorites]
We visited all the touristy places around San Francisco Bay, but things still felt off. Then my Aunt took us to the Monterey Aquarium. Walking in sent this happy spark through me and for once I was excited. I seemed to know where exhibits were before getting to them, and had such a joyful sense of having been there before.
It wasn't until I announced the Whales were this way and led everyone out onto a deck overlooking nothing but a rocky inlet that it hit. The Star Trek movie with the Whales had been filmed there. I ran over to a certain spot and yelled, "Oh my god! Spock stood here!"
I was so happy. For the rest of the day my mom says I walked around with a dazed grin on my face.
It's one of my favorite memories.
Rest in peace, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by FunkyHelix at 1:17 PM on February 27, 2015 [21 favorites]
.
posted by darchildre at 1:19 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by darchildre at 1:19 PM on February 27, 2015
And I'll be damned if this isn't a solid Glen Campbell cover.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:21 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:21 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'll just point out two other roles where Nimoy's performance raised the bar for the entire work. The 1973 Columbo episode "A Stitch in Crime" where he paired the eyebrow with a smug grin as one of the few villains able to goad Columbo into dropping the act prematurely, and the 2001 Atlantis where his voice shone in a handful of lines.
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 1:22 PM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 1:22 PM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
Interesting that we had a post about him one year ago today.
My Twitter feed is full to the brim of @TheRealNimoy. It is beautiful and heartbreaking.
posted by blurker at 1:23 PM on February 27, 2015
My Twitter feed is full to the brim of @TheRealNimoy. It is beautiful and heartbreaking.
posted by blurker at 1:23 PM on February 27, 2015
I love scratchy 70s occult and paranormal stuff and In Search Of is just a perfect, sprawling candy store to me.
posted by SharkParty at 1:26 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by SharkParty at 1:26 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
\V/
What a long and prosperous life! But never long enough....
posted by Westringia F. at 1:30 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
What a long and prosperous life! But never long enough....
posted by Westringia F. at 1:30 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've counted about three people on my Facebook feed who've changed their profile pictures to pictures of their own hands giving the Vulcan salute.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:35 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:35 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Obama on Nimoy and Spock (whom he was often compared to):
Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy. Leonard was a lifelong lover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences, generous with his talent and his time. And of course, Leonard was Spock. Cool, logical, big-eared and level-headed, the center of Star Trek’s optimistic, inclusive vision of humanity’s future.posted by zombieflanders at 1:35 PM on February 27, 2015 [13 favorites]
I loved Spock.
In 2007, I had the chance to meet Leonard in person. It was only logical to greet him with the Vulcan salute, the universal sign for “Live long and prosper.” And after 83 years on this planet – and on his visits to many others – it’s clear Leonard Nimoy did just that. Michelle and I join his family, friends, and countless fans who miss him so dearly today.
For a long time our families went the same synagogue. When my older brother was a very young star trek fan my parents would get him to sit quietly by telling him to watch Mr. Nimoy's ear and maybe they'd get pointy!
posted by atomicstone at 1:36 PM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by atomicstone at 1:36 PM on February 27, 2015 [16 favorites]
After all these years, it's still my first impulse to come to MeFi when something like this happens. *hugs any MeFites who may need it*
posted by Fenriss at 1:45 PM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by Fenriss at 1:45 PM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
This is just so sad.
He was ageless to me, so thinking of his death seems off and wrong, somehow.
.
posted by droplet at 1:47 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
He was ageless to me, so thinking of his death seems off and wrong, somehow.
.
posted by droplet at 1:47 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm always interested to see who else died on the same day when an obituary for a famous person is in the news - I think of them traveling together on their next journey. In this case, the President of Notre Dame University will be traveling with Spock, which seems a nice arrangement for traveling companions.
Peace and light to both of you gentlemen, and thank you from the earthbound.
posted by aryma at 1:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
Peace and light to both of you gentlemen, and thank you from the earthbound.
posted by aryma at 1:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
.
I knew this day would come, but I am surprised at how much it is affecting me, anyway.
Mr. Spock was such a huge influence on me growing up.
LLAP
posted by bashos_frog at 1:52 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I knew this day would come, but I am surprised at how much it is affecting me, anyway.
Mr. Spock was such a huge influence on me growing up.
LLAP
posted by bashos_frog at 1:52 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have been, and will always be, your friend.
.
posted by gauche at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by gauche at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by haiku warrior at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by haiku warrior at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Slithy_Tove at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by Slithy_Tove at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015
Glad to see some people mentioning the Boston Museum of Science IMAX. I went there a lot when I was young, and it was big part of my childhood. I remember a version with a pair of male voices plus Nimoy, instead of the female voice linked above, but the internet seems to suggest that that version was damaged or lost somehow. Too bad.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:00 PM on February 27, 2015
I'll just go on pretending that you're still alive.
posted by QueerAngel28 at 2:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by QueerAngel28 at 2:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by faethverity at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by faethverity at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by NoiselessPenguin at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by NoiselessPenguin at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2015
This makes me so sad. I grew up watching the original Star Trek, all three seasons, with my dad and brother. I loved that show. I loved the movies (mostly) and LN seemed to be a gracious human being who genuinely cared about other people.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:04 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by bluesky43 at 2:04 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by pernoctalian at 2:06 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by pernoctalian at 2:06 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by angelchrys at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by angelchrys at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2015
When I was young, I would stand in front of the mirror and practice raising one eyebrow. All because of Spock.
Requiscat in pace, honored sir.
posted by CancerMan at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Requiscat in pace, honored sir.
posted by CancerMan at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
.
posted by fluffycreature at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by fluffycreature at 2:07 PM on February 27, 2015
I like that he wanted to be the internet's grandpa.
I liked a lot of things about it, and I will miss him like crazy.
LLAP
\\//
.
posted by Archer25 at 2:14 PM on February 27, 2015
I liked a lot of things about it, and I will miss him like crazy.
LLAP
\\//
.
posted by Archer25 at 2:14 PM on February 27, 2015
.
I feel like this is my fault for watching The Search For Spock two nights ago.
posted by Mezentian at 2:15 PM on February 27, 2015
I feel like this is my fault for watching The Search For Spock two nights ago.
posted by Mezentian at 2:15 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by HandfulOfDust at 2:24 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by HandfulOfDust at 2:24 PM on February 27, 2015
Kids called me 'Spock' when I was in grade school.
It wasn't supposed to be a compliment, but I was proud of it anyway.
.
posted by hap_hazard at 2:28 PM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
It wasn't supposed to be a compliment, but I was proud of it anyway.
.
posted by hap_hazard at 2:28 PM on February 27, 2015 [10 favorites]
.
And one from my partner, who as a young boy, wanted to be Spock in the worst way.
.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 2:28 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
And one from my partner, who as a young boy, wanted to be Spock in the worst way.
.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 2:28 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 2:41 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 2:41 PM on February 27, 2015
LLAP
posted by flyingsquirrel at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by flyingsquirrel at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2015
That was too terse. It was the mid-70's, and being a 'nerd' wasn't as... domesticated as it became later. Leonard Nimoy made it OK to be a little bit alien, and that made all the difference. I always sorta loved him for that I guess.
posted by hap_hazard at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by hap_hazard at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by gusandrews at 2:47 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by gusandrews at 2:47 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by mikelieman at 2:59 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by mikelieman at 2:59 PM on February 27, 2015
He was my honorary Twitter Grandfather.
Mine too, and I honestly feel like wearing keriah and sitting shiva.
posted by mikelieman at 3:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
Mine too, and I honestly feel like wearing keriah and sitting shiva.
posted by mikelieman at 3:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
io9 has a round-up of social media tributes.
posted by audi alteram partem at 3:02 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by audi alteram partem at 3:02 PM on February 27, 2015
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posted by Banknote of the year at 3:05 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by Banknote of the year at 3:05 PM on February 27, 2015
There are no words.
Oh wait, there's one.
...nope, seems there isn't.
\\//
.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:08 PM on February 27, 2015
Oh wait, there's one.
...nope, seems there isn't.
\\//
.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 3:08 PM on February 27, 2015
Nimoy was interviewed by Dr. Julius Strangepork for the Summer 1984 issue of Muppet Magazine, and he made a cameo appearance in Episode 102 of Muppets Tonight.
I'm guessing this is it. I never did watch Muppets Tonight.
posted by Mezentian at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm guessing this is it. I never did watch Muppets Tonight.
posted by Mezentian at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
RIP Mr Nimoy.
You were an interesting photographer as well.
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posted by adamvasco at 3:24 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
You were an interesting photographer as well.
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posted by adamvasco at 3:24 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
What a small portion of infinite and immeasurable time is allotted to each of us.
It is so quickly swallowed up by eternity.
.
posted by cromagnon at 3:36 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
It is so quickly swallowed up by eternity.
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posted by cromagnon at 3:36 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
“RIP, Leonard Nimoy,” Charles P. Pierce, Esquire Politics Blog, 27 February 2015
Remembering the man who did not take himself or Star Trek's Spock too seriously, but always took seriously the love that fans had for that character.posted by ob1quixote at 3:37 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
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posted by freelanceastro at 3:41 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by freelanceastro at 3:41 PM on February 27, 2015
When you are 11 years old and have a crush on a TV star, you are probably in it for the long run. I loved Mr. Spock because he was a scientist and was logical. It only took a few years to figure out that Leonard Nimoy was actually kind of new-agey and illogical, but too late: I was there for the duration. I was there for the bad times ("In Search of") and the plays-Golda-Meir's-first-husband-so-only-acts-with-Ingrid-Bergman-as-the-mature-Meir-for-30-seconds TV Mini-series years. I don't need to mention the ALBUMS, but you might have missed the horrible poetry books, which I still have somewhere. When Nimoy played summer stock, I was there at Pat Paulson's Cherry County Theater in Traverse City, MI, to see him in "6 Rm Rv Vw". Still, the photography hobby was more joyous than one possibly could have expected, like when Nimoy got in trouble with synagogues for his soft-porn pictures of Orthodox Judaism personified by naked women, or his depictions of Aristophanes's theory that the two sexes were actually halves of one soul. Then there were the Cult Years, of playing his own detached head on "Futurama" and being President of TV and appearing in Bruno Mars videos and hip car commercials. It's been great. Thanks, Leonard Nimoy!
posted by acrasis at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by acrasis at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Live long and prosper.
RIP, Mr. Nimoy. :( My condolences to his family and friends. He made me love TOS as Spock, made me laugh as his own detached head on "Futurama," and filled me with glee as William Bell on Fringe.
Star Trek IV is on Netflix. I think I'm going to curl up with that, my knitting, and my good friends Ben and Jerry this evening.
posted by wiskunde at 3:46 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
RIP, Mr. Nimoy. :( My condolences to his family and friends. He made me love TOS as Spock, made me laugh as his own detached head on "Futurama," and filled me with glee as William Bell on Fringe.
Star Trek IV is on Netflix. I think I'm going to curl up with that, my knitting, and my good friends Ben and Jerry this evening.
posted by wiskunde at 3:46 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
.
posted by clockbound at 3:48 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by clockbound at 3:48 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by wallawallasweet at 3:48 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by wallawallasweet at 3:48 PM on February 27, 2015
I'm going to wait for the next movie where he comes back to life again. What a wonderful man he was.
posted by w0mbat at 3:50 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by w0mbat at 3:50 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by disclaimer at 3:56 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by disclaimer at 3:56 PM on February 27, 2015
vibratory manner of working, I'd love to hear that intro again. I heard it once, in 1992, as a foreign exchange student at a Mass. high school. I guess it stuck with me enough that the version above just sounds very, very wrong.
posted by tigrrrlily at 4:00 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by tigrrrlily at 4:00 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by Superfrankenstein at 4:17 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by Superfrankenstein at 4:17 PM on February 27, 2015
I've already said part of my piece, but I thought it was also worth saying:
Leonard Nimoy and Spock made being an awkward geek in 1980s small-town America a little more bearable, and I'm forever indebted to him for it.
Double dumbass on this news.
.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:20 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
Leonard Nimoy and Spock made being an awkward geek in 1980s small-town America a little more bearable, and I'm forever indebted to him for it.
Double dumbass on this news.
.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:20 PM on February 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
.
posted by apartment dweller at 4:30 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by apartment dweller at 4:30 PM on February 27, 2015
You know when he nerve pinched the punker on the bus? I was watching that movie with my pops about three years ago, and he turned to me and laughed, there was light in his eyes. My dad died of Alzheimer's two years ago.
Godspeed, Mr. Nimoy, thank you.
posted by Divine_Wino at 4:37 PM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
Godspeed, Mr. Nimoy, thank you.
posted by Divine_Wino at 4:37 PM on February 27, 2015 [8 favorites]
When I was a kid, my mother bought me a Star Trek shuttle Christmas tree ornament, powered by a standard tree-light socket. Press the button on the ornament, and Leonard Ninoy says "Shuttlecraft to Enterprise, shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Spock here. Happy holidays. Live long and prosper." Every Christmas my mother will play that ornament for me over the phone.
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posted by infinitewindow at 4:39 PM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
.
posted by infinitewindow at 4:39 PM on February 27, 2015 [18 favorites]
TOS was the first tv show Dad and I really bonded over. I mean, it was late '70s reruns, but if there was syndicated Star Trek on, we sure as hell watched it on that tiny Trinitron.
To this day I cringe if Dad is behind me, and I know it's due to the incessant VNP's.
We lost a real mensch today, LLAP indeed.
.
posted by Sphinx at 4:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
To this day I cringe if Dad is behind me, and I know it's due to the incessant VNP's.
We lost a real mensch today, LLAP indeed.
.
posted by Sphinx at 4:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
To this day I cringe if Dad is behind me, and I know it's due to the incessant VNP's.
Can someone explain this to me?
Also, .
posted by dhens at 4:59 PM on February 27, 2015
Can someone explain this to me?
Also, .
posted by dhens at 4:59 PM on February 27, 2015
He lived a long full life and inspired so many people. Hell of a legacy.
.
posted by leslies at 5:01 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by leslies at 5:01 PM on February 27, 2015
VNP = Vulcan Nerve Pinch.
I used to sit on the floor with Dad on the couch, and at the worst possible time, he'd reach down and do the pinch. I hate that.
Love you, Dad.
posted by Sphinx at 5:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
I used to sit on the floor with Dad on the couch, and at the worst possible time, he'd reach down and do the pinch. I hate that.
Love you, Dad.
posted by Sphinx at 5:02 PM on February 27, 2015 [11 favorites]
MetaFilter: I know it's due to the incessant VNP's.
posted by hippybear at 5:14 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 5:14 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I still have the blue Science Officer's jacket I wore when I was eight.
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posted by bitmage at 5:25 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by bitmage at 5:25 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Vulture, "20 Cool Things Leonard Nimoy Did Other Than Star Trek." Including being The Bangles' driver in the "Going Down to Liverpool" video.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:31 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 5:31 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
This one really hurts. Spock was the soul of Star Trek.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:33 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:33 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by sevensixfive at 5:40 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by sevensixfive at 5:40 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by homunculus at 5:44 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by homunculus at 5:44 PM on February 27, 2015
I have that shuttlecraft ornament too! We didn't put up a tree last year because we were away, but this year, we're having a big tree and that ornament will be in a place of honor on it.
posted by mogget at 5:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by mogget at 5:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
This one really hurts. Spock was the soul of Star Trek.
It's still sinking in, really.
I wonder if they've all got a bottle of champagne put up somewhere. A tontine. God it's depressing.
posted by Trochanter at 5:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's still sinking in, really.
I wonder if they've all got a bottle of champagne put up somewhere. A tontine. God it's depressing.
posted by Trochanter at 5:48 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
posted by Defying Gravity at 5:55 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by Defying Gravity at 5:55 PM on February 27, 2015
I hadn't ever seen (or heard) the shuttlecraft ornament, thanks for mentioning its existence. I checked and there was a video of someone playing it on youtube.
posted by dawg-proud at 5:57 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by dawg-proud at 5:57 PM on February 27, 2015
15 years ago or somewhere in that range I was randomly tuned into a local NPR radio station and I heard Leonard Nimoy narrating a story that involved robots. I think it was an Asimov short story but I have never been able to find it or the name of the story he was reading.
I'm just taking a wild shot in the dark but if anyone has any idea of what story and/or a link to purchase/download/listen, I would be greatly indebted. It was one of the most amazing stories (especially as told with his voice).
Man, I'm going to miss this guy.
.
posted by Fizz at 6:08 PM on February 27, 2015
I'm just taking a wild shot in the dark but if anyone has any idea of what story and/or a link to purchase/download/listen, I would be greatly indebted. It was one of the most amazing stories (especially as told with his voice).
Man, I'm going to miss this guy.
.
posted by Fizz at 6:08 PM on February 27, 2015
I'm (mostly) unable to post to MeFi from work, but I can check in briefly from time to time. I saw this on the front page and shouted "Oh, NO!" very, very loudly. I had to quickly shut down the tab, keep myself from crying, and come up with a plausible excuse for having frightened half the office. (I failed.)
I've had all day, and I still don't believe it.
posted by tzikeh at 6:09 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've had all day, and I still don't believe it.
posted by tzikeh at 6:09 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
My parents were devout ST fans during its initial run, so as a kid I watched all the reruns, the animated series, the movies, etc. Mr. Spock was definitely my favorite, so much so that I taught myself how to do the whole "arch one eyebrow" thing.
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posted by thomas j wise at 6:14 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by thomas j wise at 6:14 PM on February 27, 2015
15 years ago or somewhere in that range I was randomly tuned into a local NPR radio station and I heard Leonard Nimoy narrating a story that involved robots. I think it was an Asimov short story but I have never been able to find it or the name of the story he was reading.
Fizz, might that be Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains? (Depressing Cold-War Post-Apocalyptic SciFi based on a depressing Cold-War Post-Apocalyptic poem)
Or as it was asked on a hypothetical AskMe question queue one time:
trying to remember a story i read in 8th graed about a robot house
posted by pins, needles at 3:19 AM. 0 answers
posted by radwolf76 at 6:18 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Fizz, might that be Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains? (Depressing Cold-War Post-Apocalyptic SciFi based on a depressing Cold-War Post-Apocalyptic poem)
Or as it was asked on a hypothetical AskMe question queue one time:
trying to remember a story i read in 8th graed about a robot house
posted by pins, needles at 3:19 AM. 0 answers
posted by radwolf76 at 6:18 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Fizz, might that be Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains ? (Depressing Cold-War Post-Apocalyptic SciFi based on a depressing Cold-War Post-Apocalyptic poem)
I linked above to Nimoy's reading of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, but for some reason I had this in my mind as Asimov. When I get home and have access to youtube (at work currently), I'll check it out. Thanks.
posted by Fizz at 6:25 PM on February 27, 2015
I linked above to Nimoy's reading of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, but for some reason I had this in my mind as Asimov. When I get home and have access to youtube (at work currently), I'll check it out. Thanks.
posted by Fizz at 6:25 PM on February 27, 2015
The town of Vulcan Alberta remembers Nimoy's visit fondly.
I may need to do a road trip this summer.
posted by chapps at 6:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
I may need to do a road trip this summer.
posted by chapps at 6:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
.
posted by lalochezia at 7:10 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by lalochezia at 7:10 PM on February 27, 2015
I'm going to miss Leonard Nimoy. Aside from his formative influence on my science fiction viewing habits, there was his nightmare-inducing narration for documentaries (the specific culprit was one about the alleged curse of Tutankhamen), his odd poetry, his photography and glorification of women who are larger than your average bear, and his wonderfully reserved performance on Fringe. Knowing he was still doing amazing things in his 70s and 80s was encouraging and heartening. He lived long and prospered - all any of us could wish for, really!
.
posted by Athanassiel at 7:16 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
.
posted by Athanassiel at 7:16 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Wil Wheaton expands on his earlier tweet with a blog post.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by radwolf76 at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2015 [5 favorites]
\V/
posted by MrBadExample at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by MrBadExample at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by chinesefood at 7:43 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by chinesefood at 7:43 PM on February 27, 2015
Be well, Mr. Spock, whatever alternate universe you travel.
Back in my drugged out youth, when nothing was going right, I always held out hope that one day Mr. Spock would beam me up and I could apprentice with him. Who knows? Perhaps he will yet.
posted by chance at 7:47 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
Back in my drugged out youth, when nothing was going right, I always held out hope that one day Mr. Spock would beam me up and I could apprentice with him. Who knows? Perhaps he will yet.
posted by chance at 7:47 PM on February 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
I don't know how people go around meeting celebrities, but many of them seem to manage it. I never once tried to meet the guy, but now I wish I did while I had the chance. That is... if someone simply being alive at the same time you are gives you a "chance" to meet them somehow.
I was 11 years old when I became OBSESSED with the original Star-Trek series. This was back in the late 1980's... more than 2 decades after it had originally aired. The Next Generation was doing well on TV at the time, but I could never get into it. It was the original I loved. And Mr. Spock was the best. Man I feel like my life changed today when I heard the news.
posted by rancher at 7:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was 11 years old when I became OBSESSED with the original Star-Trek series. This was back in the late 1980's... more than 2 decades after it had originally aired. The Next Generation was doing well on TV at the time, but I could never get into it. It was the original I loved. And Mr. Spock was the best. Man I feel like my life changed today when I heard the news.
posted by rancher at 7:51 PM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
“Leonard Nimoy, my fellow space traveler,” Buzz Aldrin, CNN Opinion, 27 February 2015
posted by ob1quixote at 8:27 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 8:27 PM on February 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
When I was in jr high my brother, a year younger with whom I didn't always get along, for Christmas one year he gave me a model kit of the USS Enterprise. It was and remains The Perfect Gift. I'm going to call him now.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Too sad to come up with a post that accurately describes my thoughts and feelings.
Live long and prosper in the next life, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by MsVader at 9:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Live long and prosper in the next life, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by MsVader at 9:38 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have to say, the decision to rewatch The Voyage Home was a most logical counterpoint to the Star Trek blues.
posted by Mezentian at 10:23 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Mezentian at 10:23 PM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by sigmagalator at 11:03 PM on February 27, 2015
posted by sigmagalator at 11:03 PM on February 27, 2015
.
posted by limeonaire at 1:20 AM on February 28, 2015
posted by limeonaire at 1:20 AM on February 28, 2015
.
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 2:23 AM on February 28, 2015
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 2:23 AM on February 28, 2015
.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 2:46 AM on February 28, 2015
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 2:46 AM on February 28, 2015
\\//_ Dif-tor heh smusma.
posted by beanytacos at 6:22 AM on February 28, 2015
posted by beanytacos at 6:22 AM on February 28, 2015
He will be missed. I work with teens with autism, and they're at a prickly age where they know they're different from their peers, but they don't always understand that whole theory of mind and that they have autism.
Mr. Spock has been and will always be my first go to when showing these kids what autism can look like to others. He was such a strong icon of high intelligence, of wanting to be helpful but not always understanding that line between logic and emotion, of not always understanding the emotions of others.
Back in the day when Spock was invented, I doubt anyone ever thought Spock would be used in such a way, but he has and he has dramatically increased autism awareness in a gentle and kind and highly intelligent way.
posted by kinetic at 6:58 AM on February 28, 2015 [11 favorites]
Mr. Spock has been and will always be my first go to when showing these kids what autism can look like to others. He was such a strong icon of high intelligence, of wanting to be helpful but not always understanding that line between logic and emotion, of not always understanding the emotions of others.
Back in the day when Spock was invented, I doubt anyone ever thought Spock would be used in such a way, but he has and he has dramatically increased autism awareness in a gentle and kind and highly intelligent way.
posted by kinetic at 6:58 AM on February 28, 2015 [11 favorites]
Well played, Washington Post.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:49 AM on February 28, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:49 AM on February 28, 2015 [9 favorites]
The history of Spock's wardrobe.
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posted by jenfullmoon at 9:10 AM on February 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
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posted by jenfullmoon at 9:10 AM on February 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
Wow. What a terrible shock. I don't know how I didn't hear about this sooner.
Live long....
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posted by Benway at 10:25 AM on February 28, 2015
Live long....
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posted by Benway at 10:25 AM on February 28, 2015
I don't know how I didn't hear about this sooner.
Something something llama dress terror owls something.
posted by localroger at 11:25 AM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
Something something llama dress terror owls something.
posted by localroger at 11:25 AM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
.
I waited in a long line to get Mr. Nimoy's signature on a photo of Spock at a condominium complex's opening celebration in Pacific Grove in ~1974. It wasn't until seeing Dr. Lazarus' character in Galaxy Quest that I understood how much the post-trek appearances must have grated on Nimoy.
posted by oozy rat in a sanitary zoo at 12:26 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I waited in a long line to get Mr. Nimoy's signature on a photo of Spock at a condominium complex's opening celebration in Pacific Grove in ~1974. It wasn't until seeing Dr. Lazarus' character in Galaxy Quest that I understood how much the post-trek appearances must have grated on Nimoy.
posted by oozy rat in a sanitary zoo at 12:26 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
Sometimes on the weekend I make fancy food and we eat dinner as a family and watch classic episodes of Star Trek. Why? That's what I did as kid, ate dinner in the TV room on Saturdays and watched Star Trek on WPIX at 6pm. It was my favorite. Tonight I'll make pork chops and mashed potatoes and we'll Netflix either Journey to Babel -or- Galileo Seven.
Tomorrow I will go with my son to the Griffith Observatory, because that's my kid's favorite place. We'll catch a viewing of the mini doc about the Observatory (Leonard Nimoy narrates! he and his wife make a cameo, too!) in The Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. We just did this a few weeks ago, but this time I'll be crying after the lights dim for the movie. I've never known a world without Spock.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by jbenben at 1:17 PM on February 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
Sometimes on the weekend I make fancy food and we eat dinner as a family and watch classic episodes of Star Trek. Why? That's what I did as kid, ate dinner in the TV room on Saturdays and watched Star Trek on WPIX at 6pm. It was my favorite. Tonight I'll make pork chops and mashed potatoes and we'll Netflix either Journey to Babel -or- Galileo Seven.
Tomorrow I will go with my son to the Griffith Observatory, because that's my kid's favorite place. We'll catch a viewing of the mini doc about the Observatory (Leonard Nimoy narrates! he and his wife make a cameo, too!) in The Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater. We just did this a few weeks ago, but this time I'll be crying after the lights dim for the movie. I've never known a world without Spock.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Nimoy.
posted by jbenben at 1:17 PM on February 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
Sophie1: "This is what got me crying.
Jonathan Frakes @jonathansfrakes 1h1 hour ago
LLAP RIP to the best First Officer. @TheRealNimoy"
I was doing okay and that was a gut punch I didn't need, you bastard.
As a kid, I spent hours with one hand (slowly increasing the number of fingers) jammed between the middle and ring fingers of the opposite hand, since I just couldn't manage the Vulcan salute. Of course, when we played Star Trek, I always got picked to be Spock or Scott (although my accent is BEYOND atrocious).
You'll be missed, Mr. Nimoy, and by more than just some Star Trek fans. Enjoy the new voyage you are on.
.
posted by Samizdata at 1:41 PM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
Jonathan Frakes @jonathansfrakes 1h1 hour ago
LLAP RIP to the best First Officer. @TheRealNimoy"
I was doing okay and that was a gut punch I didn't need, you bastard.
As a kid, I spent hours with one hand (slowly increasing the number of fingers) jammed between the middle and ring fingers of the opposite hand, since I just couldn't manage the Vulcan salute. Of course, when we played Star Trek, I always got picked to be Spock or Scott (although my accent is BEYOND atrocious).
You'll be missed, Mr. Nimoy, and by more than just some Star Trek fans. Enjoy the new voyage you are on.
.
posted by Samizdata at 1:41 PM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
dry white toast: "From Twitter: Nimoy spoke at my college graduation and when he did the Vulcan salute everyone in the stadium silently did it back. Every single person."
You stop it too. I was coping, then I was stupid enough to come in here.
This is a moment when Vulcan composure would be a salvation.
posted by Samizdata at 1:43 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
You stop it too. I was coping, then I was stupid enough to come in here.
This is a moment when Vulcan composure would be a salvation.
posted by Samizdata at 1:43 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
thomas j wise: "My parents were devout ST fans during its initial run, so as a kid I watched all the reruns, the animated series, the movies, etc. Mr. Spock was definitely my favorite, so much so that I taught myself how to do the whole "arch one eyebrow" thing.
."
I hate you. Despite the hours of finger stretching and repeating lines to myself to get the intonation right, the single eyebrow raise still defeats me to this day.
posted by Samizdata at 2:08 PM on February 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
."
I hate you. Despite the hours of finger stretching and repeating lines to myself to get the intonation right, the single eyebrow raise still defeats me to this day.
posted by Samizdata at 2:08 PM on February 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
Oozy rat, the older I get the more I understand how Nimoy must have felt such pain and anger at the difference between who he was, his sense of self, and the box everyone else wanted to put him in.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 4:57 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 4:57 PM on February 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just watched The Wrath of Khan on Netflix a few minutes ago. What a great movie and Nimoy and Shatner's interactions are wonderful.
posted by octothorpe at 7:07 PM on February 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 7:07 PM on February 28, 2015 [4 favorites]
Leonard Nimoy's Mameloshn: A Yiddish Story
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:19 PM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:19 PM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ik ben afgesneden: "Oozy rat, the older I get the more I understand how Nimoy must have felt such pain and anger at the difference between who he was, his sense of self, and the box everyone else wanted to put him in."
Maybe that informed the evolution of his most popular role?
Maybe I am weird, but Nimoy was Nimoy and Spock was Spock to me. Of course, that probably also comes from exposure to his other works.
(Don't ask any of my ex-s about whether or not I am weird, though.)
posted by Samizdata at 10:08 PM on February 28, 2015
Maybe that informed the evolution of his most popular role?
Maybe I am weird, but Nimoy was Nimoy and Spock was Spock to me. Of course, that probably also comes from exposure to his other works.
(Don't ask any of my ex-s about whether or not I am weird, though.)
posted by Samizdata at 10:08 PM on February 28, 2015
I miss you.
posted by PsychoTherapist at 10:29 PM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by PsychoTherapist at 10:29 PM on February 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
\V/.
Watching Star Trek was a weekly ritual for my family as long as I could remember. Spock was my favorite - I even managed to glue a pair of cut out paper Vulcan ears to myself before I was old enough to realize that was a bad idea.
Farewell, mister Nimoy.
You have been, and always shall be, our friend.
.
posted by Zalzidrax at 12:12 AM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Watching Star Trek was a weekly ritual for my family as long as I could remember. Spock was my favorite - I even managed to glue a pair of cut out paper Vulcan ears to myself before I was old enough to realize that was a bad idea.
Farewell, mister Nimoy.
You have been, and always shall be, our friend.
.
posted by Zalzidrax at 12:12 AM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Autumn Leaf at 2:54 AM on March 1, 2015
posted by Autumn Leaf at 2:54 AM on March 1, 2015
This just got Tweeted from the international space station. And notice that they made sure they were over Boston, too.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:26 AM on March 1, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:26 AM on March 1, 2015 [14 favorites]
I don't know how long imgur images stay up, but this one ...
posted by Trochanter at 8:27 AM on March 1, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by Trochanter at 8:27 AM on March 1, 2015 [10 favorites]
.
posted by bile and syntax at 10:22 AM on March 1, 2015
posted by bile and syntax at 10:22 AM on March 1, 2015
.
posted by vibrotronica at 12:03 PM on March 1, 2015
posted by vibrotronica at 12:03 PM on March 1, 2015
I'll always be proud that I (like a few others of us) was his adopted grandchild. There are no words that adequately convey how much he was beloved by me, or many of us, I suspect.
\V/
posted by B_Pithy at 1:31 PM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
\V/
posted by B_Pithy at 1:31 PM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
This has left me feeling so forlorn. I never met Nimoy, but Spock was the first fictional character I fell in love with, and that love abides. I have huge respect for Leonard Nimoy's handling of his post-Spock life, and what it did to his acting career and his public perception. He handled the whole thing with such tremendous grace, and became a genuine force for good in the world.
I wrote a remembrance piece here about what Spock's character meant to me as a young nerd. I'll miss both the creator and the thing created; I'll miss the hell out of that voice, and the mind behind it.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:13 PM on March 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
I wrote a remembrance piece here about what Spock's character meant to me as a young nerd. I'll miss both the creator and the thing created; I'll miss the hell out of that voice, and the mind behind it.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:13 PM on March 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
Pallas Athena, that is a beautiful remembrance. I am just slighlty too young to remember Star Trek's original network run, but it was in syndication a lot in the early 1970's and there was nothing else remotely like it, either on TV or in movies. So it was pretty much the gateway drug to written science fiction, which in turn was of course a world unto itself.
posted by localroger at 4:34 PM on March 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by localroger at 4:34 PM on March 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
hippybear: “Lived Long and Prospered”Spotted along the highways and byways of Atlanta: “He did.”
posted by ob1quixote at 5:43 PM on March 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
I really liked his poetry.
posted by jb at 9:22 PM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jb at 9:22 PM on March 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
.
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 5:52 PM on March 2, 2015
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 5:52 PM on March 2, 2015
.
posted by GrammarMoses at 4:46 AM on March 3, 2015
posted by GrammarMoses at 4:46 AM on March 3, 2015
Big wheel, keep on turning.
posted by flabdablet at 7:40 AM on March 3, 2015
posted by flabdablet at 7:40 AM on March 3, 2015
Fascinating.
posted by spock at 10:38 AM on February 27
T'Paunysterical
.
posted by otherchaz at 9:40 AM on March 3, 2015
posted by spock at 10:38 AM on February 27
T'Paunysterical
.
posted by otherchaz at 9:40 AM on March 3, 2015
I really liked this remembrance from Marty Kaplan, which I first found written up on Hullabaloo.
In Kaplan's telling, it's vintage Nimoy and vintage Spock. Kaplan is the Disney studio executive on the set of the picture. His job is to relay instruction from the "suits" back home to the director, in this case, Nimoy. In this scene, Nimoy plays Nimoy.posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:47 AM on March 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
"Spocking" Canadian $5 bills is not illegal
posted by exogenous at 11:34 AM on March 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 11:34 AM on March 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
"Spocking" Canadian $5 bills is not illegal
Moreover, that series is being taken out of circulation as banks get it. But the new series is printed on polymer (pdf), which means it's not going to be absorbent and therefore harder to write on. OTOH, it does have a space theme on the back, and Laurier's still on the front, sooooo....
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:11 PM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Moreover, that series is being taken out of circulation as banks get it. But the new series is printed on polymer (pdf), which means it's not going to be absorbent and therefore harder to write on. OTOH, it does have a space theme on the back, and Laurier's still on the front, sooooo....
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:11 PM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Leonard Nimoy's letter to all of us.
posted by Athanassiel at 10:57 PM on March 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Athanassiel at 10:57 PM on March 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
Laurier's still on the front, sooooo....
Yeah, but he's way less Spocky. They probably went through all the Laurier portraits in the archives and deliberately chose the least Spocky one.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:42 AM on March 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, but he's way less Spocky. They probably went through all the Laurier portraits in the archives and deliberately chose the least Spocky one.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:42 AM on March 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Science Friday posted its 1998 interview with Nimoy about science in science fiction and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, which he directed in 1984. Direct SoundCloud link.
posted by XMLicious at 5:34 PM on March 5, 2015
posted by XMLicious at 5:34 PM on March 5, 2015
We'll never get go ask him just what the fuck Checkov was wearing in that thing...
posted by Artw at 5:37 PM on March 5, 2015
posted by Artw at 5:37 PM on March 5, 2015
@WilliamShatner: Today would have been Leonard's birthday. Remembering him today.
posted by zombieflanders at 9:52 AM on March 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by zombieflanders at 9:52 AM on March 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
Trekcore.com put together a special edition of their rare photos series featuring Nimoy.
posted by audi alteram partem at 1:40 PM on March 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by audi alteram partem at 1:40 PM on March 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by pb at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2015