Rest in Peace Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

On February 27, 2015, the world lost another legend of entertainment and the geek world lost one of its icons - Leonard Nimoy. He was a charismatic man of many talents; he was not only an actor but also a director, writer, photographer, poet and singer. For me this passing is another sad case of me not fully appreciating an entertainer fully until his passing.

There is one role we all know Leonard Nimoy for, and that's his role of the science officer Spock on the legendary TV series Star Trek. Now I'm only a casual fan when it comes to Star Trek related material. I've only seen a handful of the episodes but I've seen only a few of the movies, but never the less - I can see what makes the show and movies legendary and stand out. I can especially see how influential and important the character was to geek culture. There is no doubt that Mr. Spock will live long and prosper for years to come.

I know this is probably cliche to say but my favorite Trek film is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, dir. Nicholas Meyer). Even I as a casual fan can appreciate how good this movie is. It deals with themes of revenge and leadership, makes allusions to classic literature and it featured a truly great villain portray from Richardo Montalban as the titular Khan.

Whether you're a fan of Star Trek or not there's no doubt that Nimoy had the most powerful scene in the whole movie. I would give a spoiler warning but chances are you already know of this scene.

Nimoy was more than perfect in the scene, along with every other scene in the film. 

But obviously if you know the franchise you know that Spock was not gone for good because in the next film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock - which he also directed, the character was brought back. 

But that wasn't his only time in the director's chair. Nope, he also directed the very funny fourth installment of the Star Trek franchise - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). He was also responsible for the funniest moment in the movie as well. 

But he also directed the comedy Three Me and a Baby (1987) - I didn't know that, anybody else know that? He also directed some comedies that I'm sure he doesn't want to be part of his legacy. He also adapted, directed and starred in a 1981 made-for-TV movie called Vincent, based on the Phillip Stevens play. In it heportrays Theo Van Gogh, the younger brother of the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh. I want to find a copy of this and check it out. 

But his acting career is so much more than his iconic role as Mr. Spock. He was in the, rather trippy but memorable, remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, dir. Philip Kaufman). But another memorable no-Star Trek role was in the Louis L'Amour adapted western Catlow (1971, dir. Sam Wanamaker) where he played the vicious gunslinger Orville Miller and he is more amazing. Apparently he had mentioned in one of his autobiographies that making the movie was one of the happiest moments of his life, and it could have been because it gave him a chance to do something that was Star Trek.

Although it's obvious that, at least during the later half of his life, Leonard Nimoy didn't hold a grudge or scorn against his status as a Science Fiction icon. I mean he starred in almost EVERY Star Trek film. 

One final role I want to note him for is his role as King Nedakh in the underrated Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001, dir. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise). Not much to say except he was just perfect for the role. 

But as stated earlier he much more than an actor and director. He was a photographer and singer who did some fairly decent covers of country songs including Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town and I Walk the Line. And did a song about The Hobbit... which is um... unique I'll say. He was also a poet who at the very least had an appreciation for the written word.

The final thing I want to highlight is that Mr. Nimoy had without a doubt one of the best guest appearances on The Simpsons.

 

To conclude: He has left his mark on pop culture and an impact on us. He shall never be forgotten.

Mr. Nimoy, I promise you that whether it's for your performance as Mr. Spock or you countless other creative endeavors you'll always be remembered. Rest in Peace, Sir.