Leonard Nimoy died Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. Nimoy was just hospitalized earlier this week. The legendary actor that played the great half-human half-Vulcan science officer Spock in the original Star Trek TV-series was 83 years old.
According to his wife Susan, Leonard Nimoy passed away due to end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. When Nimoy first publicly announced his lung disease a year ago, he attributed his illness to years of smoking, even though he had quit three decades ago.
Leonard Nimoy possessed many talents and was regarded as a noted photographer, director, as well as a published writer and poet. However, there is no denying that Leonard Nimoy will be eternally linked to the iconic Mr. Spock that he brought to life.
As the science officer and first officer of the Starship Enterprise, Spock is one of the three central characters alongside Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley, in the original "Star Trek" series and films. In the series, first officer Spock worked very closely with Captain Kirk and McCoy. While McCoy played the role of Kirk's conscience, Spock offers the captain an emotionally detached, logical perspective. More importantly, the character Spock offered an outsider's perspective on the more-than-occasionally irrational human condition.
Nimoy first played the role as Spock in the 1965 "Star Trek" TV pilot "The Cage." At the time, NBC execs liked the concept but thought it was rather cerebral for an evening show. A second pilot featured some script and casting changes yet it was only Leonard Nimoy that made it past both pilots. Ultimately, "Star Trek" officially aired on 1966 and cultivated a cult following until the show was cancelled in 1969.
The legacy of the Spock character lasted far greater than the original series. Nimoy would return to his role as spoke in the 1979 film "Star Trek: The Moion Picture." The success in the box office paved the way to a successful "Star Trek" movie franchise that created "Wrath of Khan” (1982), “The Search for Spock” (1984), “The Voyage Home” (1986), “The Final Frontier” (1989) and “The Undiscovered Country” (1991). Nimoy was in all the movies,
Leonard Nimoy would also appear as Spock in the revived TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Most recently, Nimoy played Spock Prime in J.J. Abrams' new "Star Trek" reboot (2009) and "Into Darkness" sequel (2013) alongside a young Spock played by actor Zachary Quinto.
We remember Leonard Nimoy's terrific and unforgettable performance as Spock with some of his greatest quotes:
On language and vocabulary: “Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected, in this case I would think interesting would suffice.”
On women: “I’ve never understood the female capacity to avoid a direct answer to any question.”
On cooperation: “May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with Humans? I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant.”
On crime: “Interesting. You Earth people glorify organized violence for 40 centuries, but you imprison those who employ it privately.”
On violence: “Where there is no emotion, there is no motive for violence.”
On poker: [Spock]: “Has it occurred to you that there is a certain inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you’ve already made up your mind about?”
[Captain Kirk]: “It gives me emotional security.”
[Spock]: “A very interesting game, this poker.”On computers: "Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them."
On the unknown: "Insufficient facts always invite danger."
On leadership:"I realize that command does have its fascination, even under circumstances such as these, but I neither enjoy the idea of command nor am I frightened of it. It simply exists, and I will do whatever logically needs to be done."
On truthfulness: "Vulcans never bluff."
On desire: "It is curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want."
On deductive reasoning: "Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
On sacrifice: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."
On influence: "Without followers, evil cannot spread."
"Without Fear, evil cannot spread."
On change: "Change is the essential process of all existence"
On potential: "A stallion must first be broken before it can reach its potential."
On luck: "Random chance seems to have operated in our favor"
On unrewarding pursuits: "Computer, compute to the last digit of Pi."
On possessions: "You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing as wanting. This is not logical, but it is often true."
On desperation: "I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only logical action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at."
On our environment: "Judging by the pollution content of the atmosphere, I believe we have arrived at the late twentieth century."
"One can begin to reshape the landscape with a single flower, Captain."
A final bonus quote: "Live Long and Prosper."
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