The Final Frontier: Remembering Leonard Nimoy

It has been many months since the passing of Leonard Nimoy. I have keep putting off writing about him. I got into TV because of Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek. Once I found out how hard and extraordinarily difficult it would be to go to space and how potentially boring I might find it once I got there, I decided that the only rational career choice open to me was to pursue a career in TV and features.

When I was a child I was made fun of, constantly and unceasingly. I was the kid who was popular because of how much he was picked on. I had almost no friends at school throughout my primary school career. But every night I would come home and flip on the TV and watch Star Trek. I was ridiculed for liking this show by even a certain teacher who forbade me from mentioning it. Of course Leonard Nimoy was integral to this show in the character of Mr Spock, or as he would be later called Captain Spock and then eventually Ambassador Spock.

Nimoy details his life in his commencement address at Boston University, I know it's a bit long but if you have the time give it a watch.

In Spock, Nimoy brought to the audience a character torn between two worlds, Earth and Vulcan. Or more simply logic and emotion. In this character many around the world found a personality they could relate to. In many ways he became the moral core of the show, always being able to weigh the good of the many against the good of the few.

It saddens me to no end that I never got a chance to work with Leonard Nimoy. Although strangely enough my mother got the opportunity to in 1986, through a connection my mother was a background in the theater lobby scene of Three Men and A Little Baby which was shot in Toronto, directed by Leonard Nimoy. Mom was never a Star Trek fan, but she does remember that the way the crew behaved around Nimoy, showed their deep respect for him and his direction.

Nimoy leaves behind a great body of work in Spock, his devotion to photography, his writing and his numerous directing endeavors. There should be no tears or regrets. He has left us so much to admire and build on. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend Fringe, on which he was a frequent guest star. He plays Dr William Bell, a slightly psychotic and genius corporate mogul who traverses universes. Nimoy gives the character so much darkness and gravitas as he walks the line between good and evil.

At the time of his death so many different mediums kept showing his death scene from the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I understand why this would be (forgive the pun) a logical choice. I think a much better choice is the ending from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock when following his resurrection Spock is reunited with his crew mates. Leonard Nimoy may have shuffled off his mortal coil but he has left a lasting impression on me and countless others throughout the world.