“Don't
grieve, Jim, it is illogical. The needs of the many outweigh the
needs of the few. I have been, and always shall be, your friend. Live
long and prosper.”
-
Spock, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Leonard
Nimoy died on Friday of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, with which he was diagnosed last year. The man was, of
course, a legend as far as people like me are concerned. I literally
do not remember a time when I wouldn't have recognised “Mister
Spock”, original series Star Trek reruns being a staple of BBC
programming since before I was born.
I
will admit his work outside of Star Trek is largely a mystery
to me (aside from Three Men And A Baby, which he directed) and
there are productions mentioned in his obituaries that do sound
interesting, especially the film Never Forget, in which he
plays a Holocaust survivor suing a group of Holocaust deniers.
Ambivalent
as he often was about Spock (his two autobiographies were tied I
Am Not Spock and I Am Spock) there's no denying the
character constituted an enormous body of work by any actor's
standards, both in terms of broadcast hours and the years he played
the role. He first appeared as Spock in the pilot episode The Cage
and last did so in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Until the next
film is released his contribution to Star Trek literally encompasses
the whole length of its lifespan over nearly five decades.
It
seems almost inconceivable that even now a Star Trek film is
being prepared that will be released into a world where the
franchise's longest standing contributor will no longer be around to
see it. At the end of the day, though, that's the nature of artistic
legacy: to be outlived by your contribution to the culture.
Nimoy's
last tweet, which I saw shared by his friend and Star Trek
co-star George Takei, read: “A life is like a garden. Perfect
moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.”
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