It’s a dark day for the universe.
Leonard Nimoy, the revered actor who created the role of Spock on Star Trek and carried out a prolific career in film, television, music and more passed away on Friday at the age of 83.
Though the original series of Star Trek, which premiered in 1966, only ran for three short seasons (its ratings, believe it or not, were terrible) its fantastical adventures combined with its earnest humanity has earned it generations of loyal fans. And they were out in force after the news of Nimoy’s death, paying tribute to the actor with a Vulcan salute and Spock’s most legendary phrase: “Live long and prosper.”
#LLAP He will always be my hero. pic.twitter.com/4nfU4ViExC
— Annabell (@BelliBell) February 27, 2015
#LLAP from all of us at WIRED pic.twitter.com/u2oa887Q65
— WIRED (@WIRED) February 27, 2015
Live long and prosper. This is it folks, make the best of your time on this earth. #LeonardNimoy #RIPSpock pic.twitter.com/lvKFrWT6Es
— Tommy Campbell (@MrTommyCampbell) February 27, 2015
The actor, and the series that made him famous, had an indelible effect on fans. For some scientists at Nasa, the show inspired them to go where no man has gone before. As our our film critic Jordan Hoffman put it: “Chaplin’s tramp, Nimoy’s ears. To argue which has a greater impact would be illogical.”
What kind of impact did Leonard Nimoy or Star Trek have on you? Tell us what they mean to you in the comments below.
Here’s just a sample of what our commenters and followers have been saying:
Mr Spock was my “hero” as a child and teenager. I grew up with a strict catholic upbringing but from early on I could not warm to religion. I just did not believe (and still do not) in a “god”. But I was taught that godless people have no ethics and moral, so I kept quiet and thought something is wrong with me. On top of it I was a tomboy and the silly display of “girlish” emotions left me baffled.
Then came Star Trek and Mr. Spock. He showed me that moral and ethics don’t need religion, that you can be good even if you are “godless”. He also showed me the beauty of logic; and that being logical doesn’t mean that you are cold or not incapable of emotions. Or incapable of dreams and ideas.
Mr. Spock planted the seeds which turned me later into a scientists. And his approach to logic helped me to find my own “second star to the right and straight on 'til morning”.
This is going to be pretty niche, buuuuut:
Decades before Michael Bay ruined it, the primary school me was a big fan of the Transformers comics, but the cartoon never sat that well with me because it was very silly and the nominally fearsome bad guys all had stupid screechy voices. And the one time it lived up to what the comics had put in my head was the animated movie, and Leonard Nimoy's gravelly, menacing Galvatron (I do realise how absurd this sounds) was the heart of it. I daresay he knocked the whole voiceover out in an afternoon and forgot about it, and of course it's not a 'good' film unless compared to the works of Michael Bay. But I always bloody loved him for that little bit of my childhood. Cheers LN!
@GuardianUS @MJanovic He made me want my child to think big and see the universe differently. Sci-fi writer now! pic.twitter.com/NE06ZdLZk0
— TJ Williams (@tjinlv) February 27, 2015
@GuardianUS @guardiantech The moment I watched Spock on TV I became a fan of Scifi. Thank-you for such a great character #LLAP LN YWBMissed
— Elrae Escorcio (@ElraeMusic) February 27, 2015
@GuardianUS Thx! to be more specific, @TheRealNimoy was such a humanitarian, and wonderful HUMAN, even tho we loved his Vulcan ways ;) #LLAP
— e jamelle Morgan (@1ZenWoman) February 27, 2015
Leonard Nimoy created a character in Spock who made it ok to be me. A mixed race kid with brains and talent. Being astride two worlds and a geek to boot was cool.