Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.
His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Leonard Nimoy has the distinction of having starred in two of the greatest television series ever. Let us recall that he went straight from Star Trek to Mission: Impossible, where he basically saved the show after the seemingly irreplaceable Martin Landau left.
Come to think of it, he was also the special guest bad guy in another of the greatest television series ever: Columbo. Here's the whole episode. Skip ahead to the one hour mark and watch for three minutes to see one of my all-time favorite scenes.
He will be missed.
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Matthew Yglesias has an article on Spock which I liked:
http://www.vox.com/2015/2/27/8121571/leonard-nimoy-spock-best
He points out how the original character of Spock was re-used throughout the Star Trek genre, as Data, Odo, and Seven of Nine, as well as similar characters in other series.
A character who looks at humans logically, from the outside can tell us a lot about ourselves - provided we have the objectivity to write such a character.
A story I sometimes day-dream about writing is about some scientists who are observing an alien species without revealing themselves (possibly from a stealth satellite in orbit). They point out the odd and sometimes repulsive features (e.g., mouth tentacles) as well as the good points. At the end it turns out the observers are a species of intelligent squid and the observees are humans. (It's probably been done somewhere in the vast annals of science-fiction.)
Skip ahead? - you can't be serious!
I did not know about that Columbo episode. He was great!
Ah fraylechin Purim!
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/the-iconic-live-long-an…
Wikipedia says that “The White House referenced the salute in its statement on Leonard Nimoy's death, calling it "the universal sign for 'Live long and prosper’ “. I’m pretty sure Netanyahu got a different hand signal.
It isn’t much a stretch, especially since he mentioned it, that the prime minister’s address was timed to occur before Purim. The Haman party was predictably indignant about Mordecai’s refusal to bow.
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For myself, more that his acting, I enjoyed Nimoy’s captivating voice as a narrator. This slipped by me, but I look forward to seeing it:
http://superstore.wnd.com/The-Miracle-of-Israel-Narrated-by-Leonard-Nim…
"I’m pretty sure Netanyahu got a different hand signal."
Given his dishonesty about what he said over Iran's nuclear program and what his own intelligence agency said he deserves that other signal.
But it's the dishonesty that attracts you, I'm sure.