All of us at Somewhatnerdy were saddened by the passing of one of the founding fathers of nerddom, Leonard Nimoy. As Spock Mr. Nimoy showed that rationality and intelligence could be just as effective as brute strength and bravado. As a man he showed us that success could be handled with humility and that kindness was a person’s greatest wealth. All of Leonard’s fans will miss hearing his iconic voice or even just receiving his insightful thoughts in their Twitter feeds. Instead of mourning the loss of one of our heroes we decided to take a post and remember his life. Sad as it is see him go what he represented, as Spock and as himself, will outlive any of our lifespans. Below are some of our favorite moments from the career of Leonard Nimoy, please share yours with us in the comments section.
BillIam- I’m too young to have seen the original Star Trek when it first aired, but my father Billiam Sr, being the right and honorable man he is, made sure I was introduced to the pinnacle of Sci-Fi entertainment at a very young age. One of my fondest memories of Leonard Nimoy is in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. My father bought it when it came out VHS and I remember watching it so much that the tape started to wear. What I remember more than anything is the scene that takes place in the Monterey Bay Aquarium (which was in San Francisco in movie cannon) where Spock swims with the humpback whales.
Star Trek laid the groundwork for the six original series movies that followed. While the show focused more on the five year mission, the movies focused more on the relationship between Kirk and Spock (much like the TNG movies shined a spotlight on the relationship between Picard and Data). Star Trek IV was a voyage home in more than one way since it was the first outing of Kirk and Spock since they got him back again in Star Trek III. Nimoy did a fantastic job showing a more childlike and whimsical side of the always logical Mr Spock. While the rest of IV was fantastic, the scene with the whales will always stick out in my memory because as a kid I thought it was funny and it made me wish I could do the same thing. As an adult I can appreciate Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal of the revived Vulcan trying to reclaim his old self.
I want to take a moment to mention my friend Don. He’s the biggest Trekkie I know and he actually had a chance to meet Leonard Nimoy. When I asked Don what his favorite Nimoy moment was he mentioned the ending of Amok Time. I won’t discuss that scene further just in case one of my fellow nerds is going to talk about it. I just wanted to give a tip of the hat to one of my closest friends and one of the biggest Star Trek fans in existence.
Chris51- Mr. Leonard Nimoy was an icon. A legend. An inspiration to me. The character he immersed himself in as Mr. Spock was exactly what the sci-fi world needed at the right time and right place. He helped forge the imaginary, yet desired world of peace and exploration as a wise and moral being long before any Jedi or Wizard wooed us. What was even more impressive than the creativity and ethic he put in to his on-screen character was the continuation of support and dedication he followed it with after the cameras were off. He was a true science fiction enthusiast and passionate about his beliefs in the culture. It was more than a role or a job to Mr. Nimoy, it was his life and his future. Excusing the logical pun, he boldy went where no man has gone before in the genre and blazed a warp trail that will never be duplicated. Leonard Nimoy, I have been, and always will be your fan!
(I have attached a pic to include of MY OWN leg tattoo of Spock. I’ve had this for almost a decade now.)
Derf- My memories of Leonard Nimoy go beyond Spock. Sure, he will always be remembered as the man of logic, but Mr. Nimoy was more than Spock. He was a huge figure in the world of Sci-Fi. He may have been a successful writer, actor, revolutionary, but what I remember most is his tremendous voice. His voice always had passion, that is why he is one of my favorite voice actors of all time. When I first heard him as Galvatron, I knew Leonard could do no wrong. You may have heard his voice in many films or TV shows such as Ancient Mysteries and pondered, why do I know that voice? His voice had character and that character is what made Leonard Nimoy the legend that he is. It takes raw talent to be able to make people feel a plethora of emotions just by hearing your voice. Hell, it was his delivery as the voice of Galvatron that made me believe in Galvatron and want him to lead the Decepticons.
You already know that one of my favorite Nimoy voices is that of Galvatron, but I also loved his appearance, vocally, as Spock in an episode of the Big Bang Theory. The episode was titled “The Transporter Malfunction” and he convinced Sheldon that there was no logic in keeping his transporter toy mint in box. The interaction between Nimoy’s voice and Jim parsons was classic and to this day it is one of my favorite episodes of the Big Bang Theory. Mr. Nimoy, you will be truly missed and I thank you for your talent, your voice, and your vision that you shared with us. You were and still are an inspiration to us all.
D-Day- It is sad news that the sci fi world lost such a prolific actor this week. I would have to say that one very recognizable role that he is known for is Mr. Spock on Star Trek. Now I may not be that huge of a Star Trek fan, but I do like Spock and some of the other roles or characters he played. Plus the cameo spots on The Big Bang Theory were pretty great. To me it is the coolest that he appeared in the Transformers universe for the 1986 Transformer animated movie as Galvatron and then again in the 2011 Transformer movie Dark of the Moon as Sentinel Prime. I think its great that he appeared in both as an actual bad guy and his character straight up killed without hesitation. He was awesome and definitely owned these two bad guy roles! I’m sure most fans would prefer the good guy to always be the good guy, but I like the fact that he switched universes and did the opposite. All Hail Galvatron!!!! Live Long And Prosper!
Ben- As a kid I always looked up to Spock. To me he was this kind of alien Sherlock Holmes. A hero based more around his intellect than his physical strength. Obviously I wasn’t the only one who admired this attribute as even our president issued his condolences expressing the same sentiment. I find it hard to pick one moment from Mr. Nimoy’s career to call a favorite though. I think my favorite thing about him is who he was as a person. The calmness and rationality of Spock wasn’t just the character’s personality it was also a little bit of Leonard himself. From the poems he would post on Twitter to his love for photography. He exuded this relaxed creativity that was incredibly admirable in such a fast paced professional world. A true artist and master of his craft, his legacy will live and prosper much longer than a single lifetime. LLAP.
