Live Long and Prosper Leonard

I finally got around to watching "Star Trek", the 2009 version with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.   Not always logical, but whew, what an action packed movie.  It brought back childhood memories from when I used to watch reruns of the original series on TV.  I still have a fondness for Spock :)

When I was a kid, Spock was, hands down, my favourite character on Star Trek.  He was smart, he was cool, he had that awesome Vulcan salute.  Also fascinating were his abilities to mind meld and render a victim unconscious with his Vulcan nerve pinch.   Most of all, he had those irresistibly shiny black bangs!  Talk about dream boat material for a seven-year old!  One of the most memorable episodes, I thought at the time, was when he fell in love!  I was always intrigued by his half Vulcan/half human persona.

Who better to portray Spock than Leonard Nimoy?  He was perfect for the role -- tall and lean with a deep voice that was calm yet compelling.  And he could sing too!  In the 1970s my brother and I used to watch the TV show "In Search Of...".  That was a show about the paranormal and unexplained and hosted by Leonard Nimoy.  It used to spook me a little, but at least Leonard was a small source of comfort.  It's probably not a coincidence either that as kids we had a pet goldfish named Leonard.

In April 2010, Leonard Nimoy actually came to visit the small town of Vulcan, Alberta, which is only about a two-hour drive away from where I live.  He was there to help the town celebrate its new status as "The Official Star Trek Capital of Canada".  Spock was also immortalized with a bronze bust and plaque of the Vulcan hand salute.  I kinda wish I had been there to see it.  Live long and prosper Leonard.