Leonard Nimoy didn't just have a massive impact on science fiction, he also transformed pop culture. Nimoy, who died today, took the thankless supporting role of an emotionless alien science whiz, and turned Spock on Star Trek into an icon. <\/p>\n
Before Spock came along, alien beings in mass media (and most written SF as well) were one-dimensional. They represented the \"other,\" the strange and unknowable beings who could only throw our human characters in relief. In the hands of most actors, Spock would have been a one-note joke character: the guy who spouts off formulas and equations in a monotone. Spock could easily have become the butt of Star Trek's jokes, or just a weird side character. <\/p>\n
But Nimoy imbued Spock with a life and complexity that were impossible to deny. Far from being a one-note character, Spock became one of the most complex and nuanced people on television. From his inner torment to his quiet amusement at the humans around him to his occasional flashes of anger, Spock was a constantly surprising mystery, with a lot of layers. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As I wrote a few years ago (in a piece that I was overjoyed that Nimoy retweeted): <\/p>\n
Nimoy was playing a common science fiction \"type\" the impassive alien and he took it to a different place. Before Spock, science fiction was full of emotionless aliens who spoke in a monotone or imitated a stereotypical \"computer\" inflection. Nimoy gave a whole range of nuance to the Vulcan role, conveying a lot of different stuff with every raised eyebrow or furrowed brow. Nimoy's Spock never seemed to have emotions, as we understood them but he still had a range, and moods. A huge host of sympathetic aliens on television owe their genesis to Spock. <\/p>\n
Here's a pretty great video from just over a year ago, where the singer Pharrell interviews Nimoy about his process in creating the role of Spock: <\/p>\n
In an anecdote that Nimoy has recounted many times, the genesis of his portrayal of Spock came from one early episode, where he learned to say the word \"fascinating\" in a detatched, cool fashion. As NPR recounted: <\/p>\n
The first time actor Leonard Nimoy said the word [fascinating] was in an episode where the crew of the USS Enterprise faced a strange, sinister entity. No matter where the ship turned, the object managed to be in their way. The bridge was on high alert so Nimoy shouted out his next line with the same energy: \"Fascinating!\" <\/p>\n
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Read the original: <\/p>\n
Leonard Nimoy Showed Us What It Truly Means To Be Human<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Leonard Nimoy didn't just have a massive impact on science fiction, he also transformed pop culture. Nimoy, who died today, took the thankless supporting role of an emotionless alien science whiz, and turned Spock on Star Trek into an icon. Before Spock came along, alien beings in mass media (and most written SF as well) were one-dimensional Continue reading