Normally, I’m pretty good with words. At the moment, I’m not at my best, for reasons I hope are self evident. However, I’m going to do my best to remember someone who gave more to my life than he ever knew.
I never got to know Leonard Nimoy the way my fellow cast members did, so I can’t remember him in the personal way that they can. I didn’t know Leonard as a friend, or even as a colleague. I can’t tell you what he was like off the set, because I never had the privilege of visiting with him off the set. In fact, by the time he worked on Next Generation, my character was off exploring other planes of existence, and I was a nineteen year-old kid who was stumbling around, trying to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life.
When you are part of the Star Trek family — and that’s what it is, in ways that are as wonderful and complicated as all families are — you are part of a very small and special group, where news travels fast. Though I never got to be close to Leonard, I knew that he was a wonderful and lovely man, because that’s all anyone ever said about him. I feel that I haven’t earned the right to eulogize him, but a lot of people are asking me to, so if you’ll allow me a few minutes of your time, I’d like to do my best to remember Leonard the way most of us will be remembering him today: as the actor who played a character who was deeply important to all of our lives, because everyone who watched and loved Star Trek is part of our extended family.
When I was a kid, long before I put on Wesley Crusher’s sweaters or piloted the Enterprise, I loved Star Trek. I watched it all the time in syndication on our black and white television, and when the other kids at school wanted to play CHiPs or the A-Team on the playground, I wanted to turn the jungle gym into the Enterprise. On those rare occasions that I convinced my classmates that we were boldly going toward new worlds on lunch recess, one of the Cool Kids would claim the role of Captain Kirk, and I would always happily assume the role of Mister Spock.
I was too young to fully understand why, but as I got older and looked back on those years, it became clear: I identified with Spock because he was weird, and cerebral, and he was different from everyone else. He was just like me, but the things that made me a target of ridicule on the playground made him a valuable and vital member of his ship’s crew. In ways that I couldn’t articulate at the time, I wanted to be Mister Spock because if I was, I could be myself –quiet, bookish, alien to the people around me — and it wouldn’t be weird. It would be awesome.
When I was cast to play Wesley Crusher, and became part of the Star Trek family, one of the first things I got excited about was meeting Mister Spock, and the actor who played him. It never happened, really, so I never got to know the man behind the ears and the eyebrows and the character that meant so much to me. But as I said on Twitter this morning, we in the Next Generation stood upon his shoulders, and we got to explore a universe that wouldn’t have existed without him. I’ve met thousands of people over the last decade, who have told me that Wesley Crusher meant the same thing to them that Mister Spock meant to me, and for that I am eternally grateful to everyone who was part of Star Trek before I was, including Leonard.
Mister Spock made it okay for me to be the weird kid who eventually grew into a slightly-less weird adult, but it was Leonard Nimoy who made Mister Spock live, and who made Star Trek — and every science fiction TV series since 1966 — possible.
Thank you, Leonard, for making it okay to be me, and for making it possible for me to explore brave new worlds, and boldly go where you had gone before. I wish I’d gotten to know you the way so many others did, because everyone says you were as awesome and wonderful as I hoped you would be. Rest in peace, sir.
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Thanks for your beautiful words
Very well said, Wil. I read the news at lunch and it has been a big damper on the rest of the day. RIP Leonard Nimoy
A great man, and some great words about him from a fan’s perspective too. Much appreciated.
Well said, Wil. Thank you for posting this.
I had the privilege of meeting him once, and I admit that while I was probably one of the faceless masses, to me it was like meeting a legend. He was polite, and asked me to whom he should make out the autograph to. He correctly assessed the spelling of my name, and that meant so much at the time. As a kid, I not only remember him from Star Trek, but from a show on Nickelodeon called “Lights, Camera, Action!” where I got to see my first clips of “Rock and Rule.”
You perfectly sum up why I loved Spock so much as a kid. He wasn’t the dashing, popular and sexy Kirk. He wasn’t the compassionate, wise Dr. McCoy. He was the weirdo, the alien, the half-breed– which to another weirdo half-breed, meant so much because he was pure awesome and embraced everything that I was. Brainy, geeky, and half-and-half– and to a kid growing up half-Japanese and half-black, it made a HUGE difference on my self image and recognizing that I was okay, and had something to give back.
I know that many others will have things to say about the man and what he meant to them. But to me, he’ll always be the character that embraced his two heritages and showed me that beyond the childhood traumas and teasing, life could be all the more amazing because of that mixed heritage.
You bring up an excellent point, which I’ve been thinking about all day myself. While I’m sure he had some idea how very beloved and influential he was/is, I’m not sure he realized the positive influence Spock had/has on people of mixed race. Leonard Nimoy had such an influence on my family and who they are. My late mother-in-law was half Cherokee and half white, and got called “half-breed” a LOT growing up; too white to be Indian, too Indian to be white. Spock was her hero, in so many ways; he made her realize as an adult that being who and what she was, a mixed-race intellectual, was just fine. She passed that pride on to my husband, who idolized Spock and the intellect and dignity he represented (I have a photo of him dressed as Spock for Halloween, reading a book while waiting to trick or treat), even though he was teased for it. His Vulcan ways are the reason I fell in love with him; he’s my very own Spock. And he’s been crying all day, in a very human way. Most unnerving, and very sad.
I quit smoking 24 days ago, because I could tell I was getting COPD, and when Leonard announced last year that he had it, he told his fans to stop smoking; I will think of him the next time I’m tempted to smoke. I did a Death Howl for him; my neighbours think I’m even crazier now. Thank you for this, Wil.
Cheers,
Storm the Klingon
Well said brother.
LLAP.
Well said. I’m sure that Leonard was the type of man who also admired you.
What a really nice blog post. As a fan that grew up with him being on the original series, I too wanted to believe there was a great guy behind the character. Thank you, for confirming that belief.
Sad day for not only the Star Trek family, but the world in general. My family is having a Star Trek marathon this weekend in honor of him. My lifelong love of reason and logic was inspired by the character of Mr. Spock. He was truly a Renaissance man:acting, directing, music, photography, writing…. You name it, Mr. Nimoy did it. He will be deeply missed.
I grew up seeing Leonard Nimoy in Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, and In Search Of. His performance in Never Forget was his most important role for me. He will be missed.
Very welk saud Wil.
That was excellent Wil. Seriously excellent. I’m following your blog now, just wish I’d discovered it under different circumstances. Mr. Nimoy was an icon and will be forever…to me he was more than Spock, one of the few that didn’t sell out – did what he wanted, when he wanted. A great man he was.
Yes, WWS.
(What Wil Said)
Great job, Wil. Peace and long life, brother.
Very well said. Spock was always my favourite as well, but I never really thought about why that was. You put it perfectly with: “I wanted to be Mister Spock because if I was, I could be myself –quiet, bookish, alien to the people around me — and it wouldn’t be weird. It would be awesome.” Exactly!
Yes! Exactly!
Great post Wil. He will truly be missed by us all. What is remembered lives.
Beautiful insight and very touching.
What an awesome tribute. I will miss him. Thank you Leonard for the memories of Mr Spock. You were indeed my favorite.
It’s a perfect eulogy because in recognizing that he validated your nerdy side, you have gone on to validate so many others of your own in the same way.
I, and many of my friends, all wanted to be “like Spock”, because he was someone we all looked up to for the reasons stated here.
LLAP indeed.
Pretty
In a word, fascinating.
Very well said; I do not believe it possible for any of us to know all of the lives that we touch everyday, and all of the myriad changes we may inspire in others who wish to see more of us in themselves, simply by being who we are.
I think that was the strength that Leonard brought to us all, his Spock was our “Everyman” – the grounded, realistic, unflappable stick in the mud – that we all wished we could be.
I still believe that the best eulogy for Spock/Leonard was already given – by Shatner/Kirk himself at the end of Wrath of Khan.
“Of all the souls I have known – his was the most … human.”
LLAP –
The Caretaker.
Well said, Sir. Well said.
You have every right to eulogize the man. You never had the opportunity to meet him personally,no. There are a lot of us in the same boat (or, same starship) and we all loved him just the same. Your words are beautiful, and I am sure wherever he is he is beaming with the knowledge that he made such a difference to so many, but especially to you.
Well said Wil. So long Mr Nimoy, we hardly knew ya 🙁
That sir was a beautiful piece you have written…a great tribute
what a lovely Post. I am always annoyed when someone dies and everyone jumps forward to talk about it as though it were all about them. You have not done that, and your self honesty is apparent.
Thank you for sharing
Will Thank you for your beautiful words. You have summed up what many of us feel. We never got the chance to know him, but he was an important person in your lives. He changed us in so many important ways.
Very well said and deeply touching. He was a total renaissance man and I appreciate that of him. The creative process excelled in him and he let everyone see it and brought them along for the ride. I was so saddened by today and I truly adored your kind words about what he meant to you. RIP sir indeed!
Thanks, Will. 🙁
Wish we could send him into space where he belongs and maybe we will meet again
Beautifully said, Will…I watched those same reruns in syndication hundreds of times. Thanks for sharing, and live long and prosper.
Thank you, Mr. Wheaton, for your very well written post. Shaka, when the walls fell…
Eloquent to the core, Wil. He will be missed and even though he’s gone….he’s not.
Never met him, but I feel as if I have lost a father figure.
Exactly how I feel. Spock was my superhero, and Leonard Nimoy was the heart of Spock. LLAP
Nimoy’s leaving us has hit me harder than I would have expected. Your words, Wil, explain some of why that is. Nimoy himself, per his books, struggled for a time with the voice/character of Spock persisting “in his head” (after the series ended), before finally coming to terms with him. There is something special or “mystic” going on here, a character that is larger than the sum of its creators (Roddenberry+Nimoy+fans), but was very largely a creation of Nimoy himself. We’re all in his debt for that.
Thank you for those words that resonate deep within me. Mister Spock was the character I looked up to, and Mr. Nimoy was the actor whose work I found so intriguing and relateable.
Live long and prosper
I just love everyone on any of the Star Trek shows and Spock and Wesley Crusher were two of my favorites. Kiss the shape shifting princess for me Wil.
Well said. I too am a bookish (writer) nerd who admired Mr. Nimoy. I watched him as Spock, I listened to him tell me about weird and mysterious things on In Search of…, which made history seem all that much cooler to me and was sad to hear of his passing today. Thank you for sharing your kind words about him.
“Mister Spock made it okay for me to be the weird kid who eventually grew into a slightly-less weird adult”
Hmm, are you sure that’s what happened? I’m not sure you didn’t get weirder. And therefore more awesome.
Thank you. Very well said.
I’m getting to the age when all my friends are passing on. Even the ones I’ve never met. Leonard was one of those but he felt like a good friend who would always be there for me, popping up in one form or another. He had a smile, unfortunately too rarely seen, that would light up his face. I loved his work on Trek and on other early TV shows and I was intrigued and enchanted by his photography. So Long Old Friend.
Mr. Wheaton:
You eulogy of Leonard Nimoy was/is excellent, And you did him proud. Your job/role-duty/etc of playing Wesley was well done. DO take a bow. You have NOT embarrassed us! THANKS! Thanks for, well, a lot of the stuff we thank Leonard for. You have carried on the legacy, as well as you could. I am 59, and much older than you. So I hope my “fan words” mean something.
Mr. Crusher:
Job well done. Carry on.
Course 352-49-33. Warp 4. Engage!
To “Both” of you:
And thanks! And…. DO carry on.
I think we all owe a debt to Leonard Nimoy, and the others!
We owe one to that young Wheaton kid, too. But to keep him humble, we shall not mention that.
I am very sorry you never got to properly meet your (and my) hero!
But … you DID get to do so much else!
Maybe,if there is an afterlife, you may some day, in the far future, get to have that privilege, in some way.
No Wil, you were perfect with your words. Very obviously from the heart. While most of us never had the opportunity to know the man, the icon, his loss is still felt. I feel as though I’ve lost a part of my childhood. But then, as we grow older we lose those that have meant so much to us. All we can do is live on with memories of those that pass before us and keep them alive inside us. They may be gone but will never be forgotten.
Wonderfully authentic. Thank you for sharing that, Wil.
Beautifully said.
Thank you for the touching eulogy on the passing of a great American Icon. Leonard will truly be missed.
That was beautiful. Thank you, Wil.