Leonard Nimoy - In Memoriam

It is with great sadness that I find myself typing this out - Leonard Nimoy passed away aged 83. A man who lived a very long and full life and who was adored by millions has left this world. Leonard Nimoy was best known as the wise and logical half-human half-Vulcan Science Officer, Mr Spock. As Spock he captured the imaginations of thousands of young children on television and inspired many people to pursue a life devoted to science.

For me Leonard was so much more. I remember watching Star Trek as a child on BBC2 at tea time - this TV show which at the time was 25 years old became a huge part of my life. Star Trek showed me that humanity had the potential to overcome our prejudices and work together to better ourselves. Spock was someone who I found myself admiring. He was intelligent and brave with a hint of mystery to him. Leonard embodied the role of Spock and I cannot imagine anyone who was more perfectly suited to a role ever.

As I grew older I learnt more about the world that we all live in but my love of Star Trek never diminished, even with all the violence and hatred in the world we live in I still knew that one day we would put it aside and the world of Star Trek would become a reality. Having suffered through bullying I found a kindred spirit in Spock, like me he was an outsider. The only alien officer on board the Enterprise and even within his own people he was an outsider, being half human. Spock gave me the strength to tackle the emotional turmoil the constant bullying would lay on me.

As I grew older still I became interested more in the production of film and television. I enjoyed watching documentaries on the making of these amazing productions. It was through these documentaries I learnt much more about the man himself. Leonard brought so much to the role of Spock, the Vulcan salute, “live long and prosper”, these were all things that Leonard brought to the role.

When Spock died at the end of Star Trek II it was such a shock and when I watched Star Trek III it was fantastic to see him return from the grave. Leonard’s direction in the two Star Trek films he helmed were outstanding, he knew the material better than anyone and he used that to his advantage. Some of the best moments of Star Trek are in the two films that he directed.

Mr Spock would show up in the Star Trek universe every so often after the final Star Trek film that featured the original crew. The two episodes of The Next Generation he appeared in were two of the best episodes that they produced. With every appearance in the universe he brought this aura of magic to the screen. A single line almost brought me to tears in the 2009 reboot.

Leonard has now moved on, joining his other fallen shipmates Deforest Kelly and James Doohan. In true Spock style, Leonard did live a long life and he prospered in his career achieving a legendary status like nobody else has before. As co-star Deforest Kelly said in Star Trek IV he truly has gone where no man has gone before, unfortunately this time there will be no cunning storytelling measures that will bring him back.

Despite his passing he will never be forgotten, his presence enriched the lives of millions of people and I have never heard anyone have a bad word to say about him. Now I am going to keep his memory alive by popping on a Star Trek Blu Ray to celebrate the life of this incredible man who has left us to travel beyond the final frontier.