Spock (Leonard Nimoy)

[stripe]

Well how about this ....

Twenty-two years after receiving a Master's degree from Antioch University, Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the institution.
In a private ceremony that took place September 25 at Nimoy's home in Los Angeles, Barbara Gellman-Danley of the McGregor School of Antioch University presented the actor-director with the degree and a resolution commending him for his accomplishments as an artist and a social activist. The presentation was videotaped for showing on October 21 at a celebration to inaugurate Gellman-Danley as the first president of the Antioch campus in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

The resolution cited Nimoy for using his "art and talent to advocate for social justice and community," including his efforts to refute those who have sought to deny the existence of the Holocaust during World War II; his environmental message in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," which Nimoy co-wrote and directed; and a myriad of other activities supporting art, education and social causes. (The full text of the resolution can be found here.)

The resolution also notes that the Vulcan hand salute symbolizing the phrase "Live Long and Prosper" originated from Nimoy's Jewish heritage. During his days on Star Trek, according to a press release from Antioch, Nimoy believed that there should be a greeting among Vulcans, so he recalled a gesture he saw as a boy that was used during an Orthodox Jewish ceremony in which Hebrew priests called Kohanim bless the congregation with outstretched hands splitting the fingers in a V-shape. "He knew that Vulcans were peaceful people and needed some kind of symbol when greeting one another," Gellman-Danley told StarTrek.com. "It's a very interesting integration of his own culture, and that of Vulcans!"

Nimoy earned a Master's degree in education from the Austin, Texas, campus of Antioch University in 1978. Even though he was in the midst of his acting career at the time, he learned that the school offered "courses without classes," programs that educate through close direct contact with faculty advisors. "I became aware in some part of my brain that I need constant re-stimulation," Nimoy said during the presentation, and that "there was something in my life that wasn't quite finished."

"So I enrolled in this program, which was a very good program. I was very pleased - the intensity of the work surprised me." Nimoy added that "we all need stimulation, we all need to be reinvigorated mentally, intellectually." He expressed to Gellman-Danley that he might even be interested in coming back for more classes.

--

 

[jsc]

What a wonderful tribute to a nice man. Yes, many people do refute the fact that the Holocaust happened. Am glad that Mr. Nimoy is taking the time to tell people that this disinformation is being spread as well as doing something about it. LA's Holocaust museum is the Museum of Tolerance and a very important place to visit. One of the many things done in this fascinating place is the fact that if you remember history you do not repeat it. So this museum looks at one Holocaust and aims to stop all of them still happening around the world. There is not one continent untouched by this unspeakable horror of killing others because they are not like you. Gene Roddenberry delt with this issue several times in TOS, the most famous being the one with Frank Gorshin.

When my son's class went earlier this year, one of the guides we had was a survivor. He talked about responsibility and that it was up to each of us to take the responsibility to not let this happen again... to anyone.

 

[MythingLink]

I have always liked and admired Leonard Nimoy as being a man true to his convictions. I'm glad to see that someone else agrees with me.

Cheers,

 

[jsc]

I have always thought that Leonard Nimoy should have had at leat 3 or 4 differnt professions to keep him occupied. He seems to be talented and compassionate, glad he is around and could use a few others such as him. Evil thrives when ordinary folk do not speak out or up! He just makes his corner of the world nicer!

 

[Dave]

Spock.

Spock

Born on Vulcan in 2230. His mother, Amanda Grayson, was a human teacher from Earth, and his father Sarek, was a diplomat from Vulcan. As a result, he was torn between two societies, the stern discipline of Vulcan logic and the emotionalism of his human side. His Starfleet service number was S179-276 SP. His blood type was T-negative. He earned the Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honour, was twice decorated by Starfleet Command before 2267, and held an A7 computer expert classification.

When he was five, he came home upset because Vulcan boys had said that he wasn’t really a Vulcan. As a boy, he had a pet Sehlat. He was raised with an elder half-brother Sybok, who was later ostracized from Vulcan because he rejected the dogma of pure logic. When he was seven, he was telepathically bonded with a girl called T’Pring in a betrothal. Sarek hoped his son would attend the Vulcan Science Academy, was disappointed when Spock instead chose to join Starfleet, and did not speak to him again for 18 years.

Spock was the first Vulcan to enlist in the Federation Starfleet. When he first came aboard the USS Enterprise, he was probably still a cadet, and served under Captain Christopher Pike for 11 years, 4 months. After serving with Captain James Kirk for 5 years Spock retired from Starfleet and returned to Vulcan to pursue the Kolinahr discipline. Although completing the training, intended to purge all remaining emotion, the V’Ger entity stirred his emotions in 2271, preventing him from achieving Kolinahr.

Spock’s body received huge radiation doses in 2285, while saving the Enterprise from the detonation of the Genesis device by Khan. His body was consigned to space, but landed on the Genesis planet. Although, believed dead, Spock had actually mind melded with McCoy and intended for his friend to return his Katra to Vulcan. This provided an opportunity to re-unite Spock’s living spirit in McCoy’s mind and his regenerated body on the Genesis planet. The fal-tor-pan (refusing) process was conducted at Mount Seleya on Vulcan, supervised by T’Lar. He then underwent several months of re-education.

Spock’s work became more diplomatic than scientific. At the request of Ambassador Sarek, Spock served as Federation special envoy to the Klingon government in 2293, paving the way for the Khitomer peace accords. In 2368, Spock secretly travelled to Romulus, on a personal mission to further the cause of Romulan-Vulcan re-unification.
He remained there working with the Romulan underground.

Following his father’s death, Spock had one final encounter with Sarek. He had mind melded with Jean-Luc Picard, and on Romulus sharing his deepest emotions, Picard allowed Spock to mind-meld with him, so that he finally knew his father’s love for him.

Picard said that he once met Spock before, and that he attended the wedding of Sarek’s son, but there is no direct evidence that Spock ever married.

 

[Neo]

Great synopsis on spock...

 

[Mellian]

Great job and synopsis on Spock. I have always wondered what that comment of Picards' meant about attending the wedding of Sarek's son. Maybel they left the door open in case they wanted Spock to have married? Or did Sarek have more children later?

 

[Neo]

think they only had spock and a son from an earlier marriage.. Sarak

 

[Dave]

We only know about Spock-- Sarek and Amanda & Sybok-- Sarek and a Vulcan priestess, but Sarek could have had other sons, and did get married again to Perrin.

There is no reference to the date of the marriage that Picard attended, only that Picard was a "young lieutenant" at the time. Gene Roddenberry is quoted as saying he was sure that the marriage was Spock's. But where was Spock's wife if he was married at the time of 'Unification, Pt1', as there is no mention of a wife?

 

[Neo]

Thgats true i dont recall ever hearing about spocks wife,... thought he was a bachelor

 

[Dave]

Spocks name.

I also missed out some stuff about Spock's name:

He apparently has a first name. He told Leila Kalomi (This Side of Paradise) that "you couldn't pronounce it".

He also has another family name. Amanda tells Kirk (Journey to Babel) that she can pronounce it only after many years of practise.

 

[Neo]

well well well... i did not know that

 

[Dave]

Fascinating!

 

[stripe]

Jim, beam me up a whiskey

From Frontier online


By HUGH DAVIES
Thursday 1 November 2001

The actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in Star Trek, has admitted that his role as the Starship Enterprise's straight-laced Vulcan with two hearts and no emotions, led him to alcohol addiction.

He made the confession in a video he has completed with William Shatner, who played Captain Jim Kirk. They interviewed each other for 80 minutes about how the science fiction series affected their lives.

Nimoy, 70, told how his problem started with the two glasses of wine he would use to wind down after long hours of filming.

"I started drinking regularly, ritually, during the second or third year of our series. The minute we finished the last shot I would have a drink. Then it became a series of drinks, little by little. Before I knew it I was drinking more and more because my addictive personality was taking over," he said.

Nimoy said he drank wine, beer and spirits. His secretary would bring him alcohol disguised in a cardboard cup.

Eventually he realised the toll it was taking on his professional and personal life and he went to a rehabilitation clinic.

- TELEGRAPH

 

[Dave]

Interesting!

I haven't read his autobiographies, so tell me, is that a new revelation, or something he has said before?

Did it say if the other cast members gave equally frank admissions -- it says that he made the video with Shatner?

 

[stripe]

Sorry Dave ...thats all there was ...but its not new news to me I have heard rumors of this before.

If I find anything else I'll let you know and post it here

 

[Dave]

From the spoilers that I've seen on ST:X 'Nemesis', which is set on Romulus and it's sister planet Remus, Spock does not appear, and is not mentioned.

Since we last saw him as a Federation Ambassador working undercover for Romulan-Vulcan reunification on Romulus in 'Unification, Part II' TNG, the question arises, where has he gone?

 

[Highlander II]

good question ---

maybe ST:X will lead up to something that will bring Spock into a potential ST:XI film??

 

[Dave]

Nimoy won't be taking part in any movies, and reveals how he came up with the famed Vulcan salute.

TREKTODAY - Original Series star Leonard Nimoy (Spock) recently said he has retired from the movie business.

"It feels very good," Nimoy told Salon.com. But the actor was keen to stress he has fond memories of working on films. "When I was a kid starting out, I did my first movie work when I was 19, 20 years old. I lived in Boston and left home when I was about 18 to go to California to be an actor. The first work that I did - I thought it was the most exciting and romantic thing that a person could possibly do.

"I'd get up before dawn when it was still dark and drive to the studio at 5 in the morning - 'Report to work at 5:30.' 'I'll be there!' - It was so great," Nimoy continued. "Cup of coffee in the car. Drive to the studio gates. Give 'em your name and they open the gates. Spend a day being part of moviemaking. Drive home in the dark. God, it was so great."

The actor explained that his circumstances are now very different. "We have a life now. We can choose by weather. [...] We can be there for kids and grandchildren's experiences, and then leave and say, 'We're going to New York for a week.' Or Lake Tahoe for the summer. Or we're going to Europe because we want to go and this is the best time to go, not because this is when the picture is being shot, but because we want to be there. We want to do certain things there, not go into a studio or out in the woods somewhere at five o'clock in the morning to shoot a scene. I had enough of it. I had 60 years of it."

Nimoy also related how he came up with the familiar Vulcan salute. "We were shooting a scene of Spock going back to his home planet of Vulcan for the first time. This was the first time we saw Vulcan on the series. We had never seen any other Vulcans before. I was very much attuned to the thought that I should be watching for opportunities to add something to the Vulcan culture, to the Vulcan story," he explained. Nimoy first saw the Jewish symbol performed when he was a child.

"So I said to the director, 'There should be some special thing that Vulcans do.' He didn't quite get it at first. I said, 'Well, humans shake hands with each other. Asian people bow to each other. Military people salute. What do Vulcans do?' He said, 'Well, OK. What do Vulcans do?'

"I said, 'How about this?' And she did it in response. And that's how we did it. It's as simple as that. But it resonated very quickly. Within days after that show airing, I started getting people doing this [gesture] to me on the street. Still do."

 

[Dave]

Ananova:

from Ananova

'Spock' publishes book of fat bottomed girls

Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy is publishing a book featuring naked fat bottomed girls.

The women, members of the cabaret troupe The Fat Bottom Revue, are photographed in similar poses to models used by acclaimed erotic fashion photographers Herb Ritts and Helmut Newton, reports the New York Post.

Nimoy, who played Spock in the hit sci-fi series said: "The women are interested in fat liberation. Their self-esteem is strong.

"They will tell you that too many people suffer because the body they live in is not the body you find in the fashion magazines."

Nimoy, 73, previously caused controversy in the US when in 2003 a book of his photographs, Shekhina, featured photos of women wearing nothing but ritual Jewish prayer items.

Why does so much Art today need to shock or be voyeristic?

I'm thinking of the works of Tracey Emin and Damien Hurst, and also of the picture of Moria Hindley made out of children's handprints. Maybe these are very beautiful women, I haven't seen them, but his earlier photos with the ritual Jewish prayer items was certainly designed to gain him notoriety.