By: Jason Barwick
Today we lost a legend, Leonard Nimoy passed away today at the age of 83. Nimoy is best known for his recurring role in the Star Trek universe as Mr. Spock. He was born in 1931 in Boston, MA and is survived by his two children Adam and Julie and his wife Susan Bay, whom he married in 1989 after his first wife (Sandra Zober) passed away in 1989.
Nimoy began his acting career in the early 1950s and has over 130 roles as an actor and voice actor credited to him. He has directed 12 films/TV episodes including Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Nimoy’s deep voice and calm demeanor was perfect in countless scientific documentaries.
A while back I wrote an article about me being a fan of Star Trek and how that began. It was watching the episode “The Devil in the Dark” from season 1 of the original Star Trek series. Mr. Spock was the first person I saw that day and I wonder if I would still be the fan I am if it had been Kirk or some nobody in a red shirt. I was intrigued by Spock’s serious face, pointy ears, and bad haircut. I can say without a doubt that he is the reason I didn’t just walk out that day and go play outside. I stayed and watched that episode with my dad because of Spock and have been a fan ever since. I love Star Trek and am just starting to get my kids, ages 10 and 7, into it as well. You can make the argument that Spock is a more important figure to the Star Trek universe than even Captain Kirk himself. I would ask that everyone be respectful to the family as you go to social media to pay your respects. I am aware of this Star Trek vs. Star Wars battle and would ask that nobody would use this day to try and “win” people to their side. While we lost an actor that we loved, others have lost a friend, a husband, and a father.
Rest in peace Leonard Nimoy. It was an honor to watch you live long and prosper. I leave you with this tweet from Mr. Nimoy: