There have been a lot of celebrity deaths in the first two months of 2015. Though I don't think there have been any more this year than in previous years. The thing is, I'm starting to recognize more and more of the names. They're starting to be people that I grew up watching on TV, or in movies. People that I have admired for most of my life. Names that make me a little sad. The same can be said for 2014, in all honesty. I recognized a LOT of those names as well. I haven't really done posts for any of them because I didn't feel like I had all that much to say. Even Harold Ramis who played one of my favorite movie characters of all time. Egon Spengler will forever live in my heart. But that's not why I'm posting today.
I'm posting because of Leonard Nimoy.
I grew up watching reruns of Star Trek with my family. It was the first science fiction that I was really engrossed in. The original Star Trek series was something that I would actually hunt for in the TV guide. I actually sat down and created a list of the things that happened in every single episode with just a few exceptions. There's a part of me that always connected with Spock because he didn't always get the joke. While he managed to say "That's illogical" in some form or another in every episode, he was not illogical to me. And the fact that McCoy kept making fun of him on a regular basis and he didn't let it bother him spoke to me. I was reading a lot of things into the character that probably weren't even there, but that's how I interpreted it. Spock was highly intelligent and could make a joke every now and then even if he didn't always get the funny. The character just spoke to me. I'll be honest that I haven't watched the show in a while and I'm probably not remembering things as clearly as I would have a few years ago, but that's what I do remember about the show and the movies. Spock was my favorite character and I felt like I could connect to him. Like if I could pick anyone of the cast to just hang out with, it would be him. And that is because of the wonderful acting talents of Mr. Nimoy. The writing only goes so far in creating a character. They're just words on a page that could be put in front of anyone. But the actor is who brings the character to life. Who makes them a real person, in a way. And Leonard Nimoy was brilliant.
Star Trek has been a part of my life longer than even Doctor Who and definitely longer than Star Wars. Spock has been a member of the family for all this time. My dad watches the western channel on a regular basis and Leonard pops up there every now and then as well. He had a pretty extensive career, though Spock was his most famous. He was on Dragnet and Mission: Impossible both of which I watched as reruns. And he was also the voice of King Kashekim Nedakh. His career goes all the way back to 1951 and has been full and varied.
There was a twitter post that said that every geek just lost their favorite grandfather and that's not wrong. I realize that this isn't as eloquent or heart felt as some of the other posts about Mr. Nimoy, but that's just because I have a hard time putting my feelings into words when it comes to someone I actually admired and cared about. At least as much as you can care about someone you've never actually met. He will always be remembered as one of my favorite actors and Spock will always be one of my favorite fictional characters.
