To boldly go where no man has gone before

(Leonard Nimoy, actor, poet, film director, photographer. 1931--2015)

Spock: Live Long and Prosper

How do you salute an icon of such stature and accomplishment as Leonard Nimoy, aka Mr. Spock? He taught an entire generation how to think, not with emotion but with logic laced with a thinly disguised sense of humor. He was the true star of the series, Star Trek. Half Vulcan and half human he was loyal to both. Whenever the starship Enterprise got into trouble, Spock was there to quickly analyze, synthesize, and find the solution that always put the ship and crew back on course. When he melded minds with anyone, we had the eerie feeling that he could actually do it. He was every space dreamer’s alter ego. He was incredibly brilliant, yet humble enough to be respected by all. Think of the acting skills that he put into play to present such a character to the world with conviction. Yet in spite of his appearance of detachment, we all developed a sense of bonding with this superbly talented actor.

Leonard Nimoy did more than just give life and form to Mr. Spock. He gave us a reason to tune in to those wonderful TV episodes of Star Trek. And when the movies came out, we could not get enough of them. They repeated until the cast grew too old to be believable. And through it all, he was the improbable glue that made each story work.

With time the crews changed hands, and the episodes became less exciting, at least for those of us who were around from the beginning. It is the original crew with Kirk, Bones, Scottie and Spock that will be remembered for as long as there are trekkers and dreamers around to gaze outward and yearn to explore the vast unknown reaches of space—the final frontier. And who knows, somewhere out there Spock may still be at his station cruising at Warp speed while solving the riddles and the mysteries of the universe.