Leonard Nimoy Retires From Star Trek

DesScorp writes "Leonard Nimoy is hanging up his Vulcan ears for good and retiring from the role of Spock in the Star Trek franchise, reports the Daily Mail. Nimoy apparently wants to pass the torch: 'Nimoy, one of the most recognizable and best loved characters from the sci-fi series that began in 1966, announced that he wanted to "get off the stage" and give young actor Zachary Quinto a clear run at the role he took over for last year's Star Trek movie.' Nimoy, at age 79, appears to be retiring from acting, period. He has, in recent years, undertaken another career in photography, as well as other pursuits, but seems to be preparing to retire from the public eye altogether."

Comments

Again?

[kentrel]

Thats.. three times now? Star Trek 2 Star Trek 6 Star Trek: Reboot?

Re:Again?

[TrisexualPuppy]

Mr. Nimoy, live long and prosper.

Re:Again?

[AliasMarlowe]

Let's hope he does not perform the "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" again. Once was barely forgiveable.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

He's dead, Jim.

Re:Again?

[AliasMarlowe]

Lest we forget: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC73PHdQX04 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPh12Q7cpeE

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd rank his talent in that as higher than any of Shatner's "singing" (or spoken) song attempts.

On the other hand, there's his photography. Now we have to sit through tons of fans who will say, "Oh, and he's such a talented photographer," when they have no background in the field to judge that.

Re:Again?

[RobDude]

I don't need a background in something to know what I *like*.

Subjective things are subjective.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

As my customary farewell would seem oddly self serving, I will simply say... good luck.

Re:Again?

[jellomizer]

Well there is some difference.

Trek 2 and 6 were kinda meant to stop the series.

Star Trek 2 Was design to redeem itself from Star Trek the Motion Picture. But trek was on its path of loosing popularity... Unfortunately the made the movie too good and people wanted more.

Star Trek 6 Was because the Cast was getting too old, They were acting Old in Star Trek 2 but by Star Trek 6 they were really showing their age. (Star Trek 7 the search for Kirks Teeth) As well many of the characters were kinda dying.

Star Trek Reboot, Really kept it going they just made it a way to have a new younger cast to continue on, So it would be safe to say Spock is retiring...

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

They're all dead, Dave.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

He's already done one of those... question is, what about the other :)

Re:Again?

[Erinnys Tisiphone]

And yet, it should be noted, that in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world, a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or an empty one - and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this... of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most ... human.

Re:Again?

[geekoid]

True, but you do need one to determine is someone is talented.

You can argue over weather on not you like a stake, but if it's burnt, then you can't argue over weather or no it was prepared properly.

His photography is pretty snappy.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

3,000,000 Years?!?!?!

Re:Again?

[Arthur Grumbine]

Subjective things are subjective.

Yeah, well - that's just, like, your opinion, man.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

The Daily Mail is hardly a reliable source. If it told me it was raining I'd not believe it till I got wet. http://www.dananddan.com/

Re:Again?

[karnal]

You really made my head hurt with that sentence.

Re:Again?

[Obyron]

The Canadian TV show InnerSPACE reports the same thing (specifically in relation to his cameo role as William Bell on Fringe). It's not just the Mail.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

Indeed, I have determined that you have a real talent for mauling the English language. Mistaking three homophones in a single sentence is extraordinary, but to incorporate two other misspellings into the same sentence and another into the first one, still without tripping the spell check, is truly the work of a master!

Re:Again?

[KibibyteBrain]

He keeps taking them off, but they keep pulling his ears back in.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

I just have to share this. Mr. Nimoy's character affected the lives of so many geeks that the Vulcan saying, "Live Long and Prosper" became part of regular geekdom. My Father exemplified this, and loving anachronistic simplicities, wrote in his hand written will as the very last line the same phrase. Since I didn't actually see him after his passing, and the first sight of him was in a plastic box from the crematorium, I had a hard time dealing with it and finding closure until I had his will in my hands and read the last paragraph.

Writing something like that is hard enough, reading it almost impossible, but he knew we would all understand what he meant.

PS. Yeah I know Nimoy didn't create Spock, but I didn't create the character I play on a video game, it's still MY character. I'm going to think of it that way no matter the idiosyncrasies of the genesis of Spock, Spock was Nimoy's character, he just gave it to someone younger to keep him alive.

Re:Again?

[Gorphrim]

FYI, that "Yeah, well..." line is from the Big Lebowski himself

Re:Again?

[JakartaDean]

Subjective things are subjective.

Not to me.

Wait......

Re:Again?

[Z00L00K]

Considering his age - and the cause that he will in all our minds be "The Spock" he will have a hard time to drop it completely.

He is also the most important figure that have appeared in Star Trek, which says a lot. Many other persons could have been replaced easily.

But he also need to have quality time and not be Spock all the time. And we will have to accept that even our favorite actors seems to grow old and pass away sooner or later even though some seems to hang around in the fringe for a long time after their heavy acting career has ended - like Kirk Douglas (who have more than 60 years of activities listed at IMDB).

Anyway - Nimoy will probably make guest appearances if it suits him, but maybe not as Spock.

Re:Again?

[shnull]

aye, we shall miss him

Re:Again?

[TheRaven64]

Yeah I know Nimoy didn't create Spock

He created many of the aspects of the character. The facial gestures that are quintessentially Spock, for example, were not scripted. He also invented the Vulcan neck pinch; the original script called for him hitting someone on the head from behind, and he felt that this was not something that Spock would do.

Re:Again?

[Anonymous Coward]

Going by what I saw in the last film, I'd say he's getting too old to spend money and so he doesn't need as much of it. Still, he might be good for some Star-Trek themed denture adhesive commercials.

Re:Again?

[Shadowmist]

I'd rank his talent in that as higher than any of Shatner's "singing" (or spoken) song attempts.

That's not exactly a high bar to meet. Shatner's not even a good ham, especially compared to Brian Blessed.

Re:Again?

[mikael]

It's life Jim, but not as we know it.

Sadface

[guspasho]

And here I was hoping I would hear him sing Bilbo Baggins one more time.

79?

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn I hope I look that good at 79...

Anyway who can blame him? Spock was the ultimate typecasting.

Re:79?

[MaskedSlacker]

I laughed out loud when he was Mustafa Mond in the Brave New World movie. That was some typecasting.

Re:79?

[AliasMarlowe]

I laughed out loud when he was Mustafa Mond in the Brave New World movie.

Actually, I thought he did it fairly well. Klaus Kinski might have been better, if he had not been dead already. Nimoy was a good choice.

Re:79?

[MaskedSlacker]

I wasn't complaining about his performance, just the typecasting.

Let me just say ...

[Archangel Michael]

Live Long and Prosper.

Re:Let me just say ...

[MaskedSlacker]

Wow, the mods have a sense of humor today to mod that troll.

Re:Let me just say ...

[Anonymous Coward]

So illogical, these human mods.

Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[Rhys]

I can only hope he has already done the voice acting/narration of technologies for Civ5, as in Civ4. His reading of the little quotes with each technological advance were spot-on almost every time. The deadpan delivery of Space Flight/Sputnik's "Beep. Beep. Beep." is probably the best, but Bureaucracy isn't far behind.

Re:Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[Anonymous Coward]

'I got pig iron. I got all the pig iron.'

Re:Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[biryokumaru]

Ten points if you actually knew what that was from when you first played the game.

Re:Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[EPAstor]

Bizarrely, I did - despite being born in 1987. Skiffle's not really my thing, either. But I took this class on the Beatles in college, and well, you can't AVOID skiffle, given how heavily it influenced them.

Re:Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[HalifaxRage]

The Rock Island Line is a mighty good road!

Re:Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[Anonymous Coward]

I would have like to hear him say "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" for a tech such as economics.

Re:Hope for one last appearance: Civ5

[Anonymous Coward]

But I took this class on the Beatles in college...

OMG! This can't be happening. Suddenly it's all becoming quite clear to me...

Goodbye inappropriate hand gestures

[Anonymous Coward]

I always knew he was giving the invisible middle finger. "Live long and proper" my ass.

Thank You Leonard

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Mr. Nimoy,
    You have been an inspiration to many for the intelligence, values, character, and hope you have portrayed over the many years of work and service you have given to the world in your career. We wish you well. Live long and prosper.

By Grabthar's hammer...

[ItsJustAPseudonym]

...you shall be retired.

Re:By Grabthar's hammer...

[addie]

I'm just replying for the love of this post. One of my favourite movies of all time. Well done :D

Re:By Grabthar's hammer...

[Rogerborg]

You win three Internets for referencing the best Star Trek movie never made.

Re:By Grabthar's hammer...

[ItsJustAPseudonym]

LOL!

Retiring?!?

[Locke2005]

I find that... highly illogical.

Re:Retiring?!?

[Sulphur]

No, spaghetti.

Live long and...

[fortapocalypse]

...oh to hell with it.

Class

[PSandusky]

That man has quite a bit of class, and as one actress (Kim Cattrall?) noted, he is indeed a renaissance man. I wish him well. He has earned both deep respect and a well-deserved retirement.

Re:Class

[MightyMartian]

He's earned his place as a cultural icon, and spent a lot of years in the public eye. He's almost 80, and it seems like a good time to bid adieu. Better, I think, than the way Jimmy Doohan spent his finally years, his battle with Alzheimer's at least semi-public, and certainly a lot better than the never-ending George Takei-William Shatner hatefest (we get it, you guys are both preening egomaniacs). Do what Katherine Hepburn did, retire to your own little corner and enjoy your last years without having to put up with us pathetic Trekkies.

Re:Class

[MonsterTrimble]

And I just spent my last mod point. Dammit.

Re:Class

[S-100]

...like Deforest Kelly did.

Re:Class

[PSandusky]

Indeed. Bless his soul. (And Jimmy Doohan's!)

Re:Class

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope, he spent a lot of ears in the public eye

Re:Class

[Anonymous Coward]

Katherine Hepburn was in Star Trek?

Re:Class

[TheRaven64]

For the first season of Voyager, Kate Mulgrew seemed to think she was Katherine Hepburn. Some time after that, I presume someone gently reminded her that she wasn't.

Re:Class

[bill_mcgonigle]

For the first season of Voyager, Kate Mulgrew seemed to think she was Katherine Hepburn. Some time after that, I presume someone gently reminded her that she wasn't.

Heh, I remember shouting at the screen, "speak up, we can't hear you if you're whispering!" God, why I did I even watch that show?

That needs to be remixed.

[geekoid]

Or mashed up with a Shatner piece..

OH, I KNOW, Shatner needs to do a spoken word version of Lenard Nimoy's "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins".
 

Re:That needs to be remixed.

[MaskedSlacker]

I hate you.

Re:That needs to be remixed.

[geekoid]

Hey everyone, my ex-wife posts on /.~

Wait, were you referring to my post?

Re:That needs to be remixed.

[SleazyRidr]

I want to hear that now. Someone needs to inform Mr. Shatner of the gaping hole that is in all of our lives.

Re:That needs to be remixed.

[Miseph]

Shatner + gaping holes = DO NOT WANT

Re:That needs to be remixed.

[sunspot42]

You'll think gaping hole after Shatner is through with you.

Photography

[soupforare]

I got a chance to see some of his work at a show in Amherst, MA. He really is a fine photographer, I went in not expecting much.

Re:Photography

[Anonymous Coward]

Most of his photos are nude studies. Fascinating... http://www.leonardnimoyphotography.com/

Live long and prosper? Check and check.

[Anonymous Coward]

I am, and have always been, your fan. ;)

That sucks!

[SeanBlader]

That's unnacceptable! WTF! I refuse to accept this resignation. Spock must live on! I call upon all fans to put his face on your t-shirt and signs and post it around the world in honor of the Spock and Nimoy. Spock forever!

Re:That sucks!

[MightyMartian]

I actually thought Zachary Quinto did probably the best job of anyone in the reboot. I'm not sure I buy the whole Spock-Ururah thing, but all in all Quinto did a damned good Spock, and I think Nimoy's actually pretty lucky that he has someone he can leave his signature character in the hands of.

Re:That sucks!

[Pharmboy]

Spock must live on!

That seems to be the point of Nimoy retiring, and this is partly his way of saying Spock > Nimoy. He has certainly earned the right to a private retirement. I will miss him on future Futurama episodes, however.

Re:That sucks!

[biryokumaru]

I actually thought Zachary Quinto did probably the best job of anyone in the reboot.

Maybe, but he didn't get the best line.

"As you were."

Re:That sucks!

[NiceGeek]

I thought Urban's McCoy was pretty darned good too.

Re:That sucks!

[MightyMartian]

I'll agree. I knew right away who he was supposed to be, so that's pretty good. I thought the new portrayal of Scotty sucked big time.

Re:That sucks!

[binary paladin]

I liked all the new characters, but I thought Urban was the best. Quinto was really good too, but man... I just loved Urban's take on Bones.

Re:That sucks!

[R3d M3rcury]

Indeed. In fact, if you close your eyes and listen to him, you would swear he's channeling De Kelley. It's uncanny.

Re:That sucks!

[eugene ts wong]

I agree with you 100%. I thought that Spock, McCoy & Kirk were done just fine. I don't think that they were overdone at all.

Scotty seemed to be a bit of a stupid guy.

Re:That sucks!

[Anonymous Coward]

I kept seeing Sylar's smile and characteristics, not Spock. I liked Bones and Kirk the best, plus Scotty was fun.

Re:That sucks!

[Abcd1234]

I'm not sure I buy the whole Spock-Ururah thing

You know, I wasn't sure I bought it, either, but then I went back and watched some of the original series episodes. There's at least two occasions I can think of off the top of my head (though, naturally, I can't think of their names at the moment) where there's some chemistry between Uhura and Spock.

Really, my biggest problem, there, was buying Zoe Saldana's portrayal of Uhura in the first place. Granted, Uhura wasn't exactly a well-fleshed-out character in the original series, but this super-sexy, sassy Uhura thing just seems too over-the-top to me (similarly, I thought Simon Pegg's Scotty was far too ridiculous... I mean, come on, Scotty has his funny moments in TOS, but for god sake, he wasn't comic relief).

Re:That sucks!

[Anonymous Coward]

My favorite character was Jar Jar.

Re:That sucks!

[TrekkieGod]

I agree with you 100%. I thought that Spock, McCoy & Kirk were done just fine. I don't think that they were overdone at all.

Scotty seemed to be a bit of a stupid guy.

I agree, but I don't think it's the actor's fault. The writers, in their infinite idiocy, decided to make Scotty the comedy relief. In between getting stuck in the Enterprise's series of tubes, which inexplicably led to a gigantic blender (I get the possible need of water pipes in engineering, what the hell is the giant blender used for?) to lines such as, "I like this ship, it's exciting!" and finally having an alien midget sidekick...

Well, Scotty sucked, but there's no way Simon Pegg could possibly make what he was given to work with any good.

Re:That sucks!

[eugene ts wong]

Yes, I don't think that it's the actor's fault either. I should have mentioned it. I totally agreed with all that you said.

I think that if this were a different kind of movie, then the new Scotty could have worked.

I think that the former actors didn't have much to work with, because of the limited budgets. I also think that a lot of the success of the characters happened because of the former actors just selling it with all that they had. Maybe I'm out to lunch when I say this, but to just rewrite the Scotty character, but give many of the other characters similar characteristics, really discredits the work that James Doohan did.

For Uhura, she wasn't consistent with the former Uhura, but she was still a high status character.

As I write, I just thought of something. You said, "I get the possible need of water pipes in engineering". I argue that there was no need for Scotty to get trapped in the water. A running theme of Star Trek, is that no matter where you want to go, you never end up in rock or in a wall or floor. We could argue about how realistic it is, and I do acknowledge that transporters were new for the reboot's time period, but the audience has already bought into it's reliability, so to stick him in water just for humour might not be such a good idea.

Another thing about the old Scotty is that he was just a supporting character, and for the most part didn't need lines like, "I like this ship, it's exciting!".

Another thing that I found so odd was Chekov being able to ramble off a lot of scientific babble. I didn't think that he would know that. Those lines should have been given to Scotty.

Re:That sucks!

[Anonymous Coward]

Please remember that transporters are usually used between ground and orbit, and the incident in question was over interstellar distances into a target moving a warp speed.

Re:That sucks!

[eugene ts wong]

Interesting. I forgot about the ship travelling at warp, but I didn't think that interstellar distances were a problem. Maybe they needed to show the ship at warp speed, and then show them beaming on to the ship. Maybe they need to hype up the challenges a bit more.

Re:That sucks!

[hey!]

The problem is that the character is not recognizably Scotty. I'm not sure you could *make* a recognizable Scotty under the circumstances.

What was the essential thing about Scotty? It was that the Enterprise was his toy. He put up with the five year mission and the command officers running around mucking things up because that was the price he had to pay to have *all the important stuff* under his control. That's why he always lied about damage and repairs. Knowledge is power, and if he gave that to Kirk, Kirk would have kept taking and taking until nothing could get done because there'd be negative slack.

You take the Enterprise away from Scotty, and what's left?

Re:That sucks!

[toddestan]

Well, the big mistake was to start him out in some remote outpost in the middle of nowhere. Rather, they could have had him as a master technician or something like that working on the construction of the Enterprise. Then they could have had him included in the crew of the Enterprise when they suddenly needed a crew for her, as he would have been one of the few people who really knew the ship at that time and a logical choice. It could have nicely set Scotty up as a technical whiz who really knew the Enterprise's systems and who already had a strong connection to the ship.

Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn turnip truck!

a class act who shall be missed

[Tumbleweed]

Let's hope Shatner follows his lead. I'd really like to miss him.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[JDmetro]

Then don't watch STAR TREK and miss him all you want. Kirk is my favorite character.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[crunch_ca]

Apparently, he may turn in his yellow shirt for a political position: Facebook campaign

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[geekoid]

Have you seen "Shatner's Raw Nerve."?

It's is excellent. I'm glad to start seeing interview shows popping up that actually talks to the person, instead of a 7 minute set of sound bites.

And yes, your joke was excellent.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Jim_Maryland]

As long as he doesn't go out wearing a red shirt, we should occasionally see him still. Never wear the red shirt.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Anne_Nonymous]

I just can't get behind that.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Antiocheian]

With or without the toupee ?

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[UnknowingFool]

You mean:
Let's hope. Shatner follows. His lead. I'd really like. To miss him.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[thoughtsatthemoment]

I like Kirk too but the character Shatner plays in priceline is killing him.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[jonadab]

> Kirk is my favorite character.

Kirk is just about the weakest major character in all Star Trek (with the *possible* exception of Uhura, and even that is a near thing). He's flat, static, *and* shallow, which is a pretty rare combination in a protagonist. Several TOS villians are better characters than Kirk.

But the real problem is Shatner's acting, which would be right at home in a lame B-grade horror flick directed by Ed Wood. The only other bridge-officer Star Trek character to even begin to approach his level of incompetence is Nana Visitor, and at least she was cast well enough that you really only notice her bad acting in episodes that require her to act a different part from usual (e.g., mirror universe, that ceremony where she takes on the personality of one of Dax's former hosts, Bashir's holodeck programs, and that one where Sisko is a twentieth-century sci-fi writer). When she's playing Major Kira, you don't notice that the acting is bad, because you just attribute the actor's personality to the character, and it works. With Shatner's Kirk, on the other hand, the acting is so bad it's impossible to ignore. You can actually *see* him struggling to come up with his lines, like it's some kind of junior high play production. The words the writers put in Kirk's mouth would, if you read them on a printed page, convey emotions that the actor doesn't seem to be able to manage to get across when he says them out loud -- an impressive level of badness. He may be the worst actor ever to appear in a major motion picture, although the competition for that dubious honor is pretty steep.

The closest thing to Shatner's acting in the rest of Star Trek is in Time's Arrow (the TNG episode where they find Data's head in a cave on Earth then travel back in time and meet Mark Twain and Guinan) when Mrs. Carmichael (the boarding house lady) is reading off the line from A Midsummer Night's Dream: "What. Jealous. Oberon. Fairies. Skip. Hence. I have... forsworn... his bed... and company." It's like that because they were deliberately portraying Mrs. Carmichael as completely incapable of acting, but she's really not very much worse than Shatner.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[MightyMartian]

Having recently rewatched Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock, and I think you're completely wrong. Shatner's acting in the series has become cliched, to be sure, and there were times when he did ham it up a bit, but Kirk in Star Trek II was pretty damned good, and the scene in Star Trek III where he's told his son dies is probably the best acting Shatner ever did, and certainly indicates some talent.

None of the TOS actors were at the level of, say, Patrick Stewart, but in part that's because they come from a different age of acting. Shatner still came from a time when melodramatic performances were preferred to realistic ones.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Leebert]

I have to say he did an amazing job at the end of Trek II... The way he did Spock's funeral. The talk with Carol. "You ask me how I feel? Old. Worn out." He really did have the ability to act.

I have to say, personally, that his wry, "meh, whatever" attitude in the later films actually contributed to the Kirk character fairly well. He has a great ability to deliver one-liners. Like in V: "Other ships, yes. But no experienced captains. I need Jim Kirk." Shatner's "oh, please" reply was priceless. His "We volunteered?!" to Spock in VI.

Maybe on the whole, if someone else had been cast as Kirk, the character would have worked far better. But the Shat did a pretty decent job, if you ask me.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Rogerborg]

Oh dear, this again? You lost this argument 40 years ago, when Star Trek created the fanboi. You can put it down to Roddenberry's drive and genius, Nimoy's utterly compelling Spock - the first truly human alien - or Kelly or Doohan's flawless portrayals of their parts, superb method actors all of them.

But here's the thing. None of it would have worked with Jeffrey Hunter in the Big Chair. The supporting cast provided a solid and convincing human backdrop, the first believable future world, but what really sold Star Trek to us as show was Shatner's unfliching and towering passion.

Shatner was a stage actor, and he played every scene as though he were projecting to the back of the theater. Call it hammy, cheesy, any food-based moniker you like, but the one thing you cannot ever accuse him of is being bland, or ignorable. He stole every scene, he owned every scene.

And it was deliberate; Shatner is method too. He chose to play the part that way because when he sat in the Big Chair, he was James T. Kirk, and James T. Kirk had to be larger than life, and possessed of superhuman self confidence. A man chosen from billions to command the flagship of a Star Fleet tasked with: how could he be anything other than the way Shatner played him?

Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.

There are not just words. These are the Kirk's entire raison d'être. To boldly go. Kirk could never be just a man; he had to be a superhumanly cocky, skirting the border between genius and occupational insanity, always above and apart from the rest of the crew. Yes, Shatner's wild portrayal of Kirk jarred with the solid or nuanced performances of the rest of the cast, but Shatner owned the show, in the way that Kirk owned the ship.

Consider the ridiculous things that Shatner had to do in the Historical Documents; running from one side of a sound set to the other in response to a camera being tilted, fighting a guy in a big rubber lizard suit, putting on black eyeliner and being Evil Kirk. A lesser actor would have just said the lines and taken his paycheck, but Shatner gave it 100% in every scene, played it like he was on the opening night of Hamlet every single shoot, made it believable because - while the camera was on him - he believed in it.

I cannot think of any other actor of his generation who could have sold Roddenberry's vision to us in the way that he did. Shatner is Star Trek.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[feepness]

Jesus dude, cut the guy some slack. Is he the world's greatest actor? No, definitely not. But in TOS he's on a set where they are sliding open the automatic doors by hand. Is he any worse they Tom Cruise? Probably, but not much.

No, he's not a great actor and yes, he kind of did luck out to be where he was.

That doesn't make him bad on the order that you're ascribing.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Rogerborg]

Exactly. Shatner is a superb actor. He chose to play Kirk as big and wild and over the top in the Historical Documents because that's what was needed to contrast with Nimoy's compelling portrayal of Spock, and Kelley's passionate restraint; it made for compelling drama and kept the show on the air. Having created the mythos, in the films he could dial it back and riff on the legend that he created.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[u38cg]

In the sixties, actors were all stage trained, and did their craft directed towards an audience thirty feet away. No-one can see the tears welling up or the nervous tic in the face at that distance, so that was what acting looked like: big, strong, clear expression. It took quite a while before television realised that the audience was only six inches away - and if you watch Patrick Stewart closely, you can see, particularly in the early seasons, he is still playing to the big stage most of the time. He's just such a good actor you never pick it up.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[TheRaven64]

Maybe on the whole, if someone else had been cast as Kirk, the character would have worked far better

Try watching Star Trek Phase II. The acting is mostly competent, but they guy they got to play Kirk really makes you miss Shatner.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[MightyMartian]

Shatner and Co. were incredibly fortunate to occupy the same characters for over a quarter of a century. Even with the reboot, it's hard to imagine Kirk without thinking of Shatner. I know that in Shatner's Star Trek Memories he basically said that he modeled Kirk on himself, a very idealized and much braver version of himself of course. But I think Shatner, more than all the other actors on TOS played Kirk pretty close to the skin.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[geminidomino]

Tasha says your uniform color scheme is out of date. ;)

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[mariox19]

I think criticizing Shatner's acting in Star Trek has become the real cliche.

I don't want to contribute to a flame war, so I would ask that people take my comments as a matter of personal taste. But, when I look at Star Trek: The Next Generation, I often cannot get over how campy it seems -- Patrick Stewart included. I don't know where this show gets off as being the definitives statement concerning Star Trek.

I like Shatner's acting in Star Trek; and, taken in the context of 1960's television, I think any over-the-top quality is quite forgivable. (Incidentally, William Shatner in Boston Legal is absolutely inspired.)

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I agree with what you've written.

Re:a class act who shall be missed

[Anonymous Coward]

It took quite a while before television realised that the audience was only six inches away - and if you watch Patrick Stewart closely, you can see, particularly in the early seasons, he is still playing to the big stage most of the time.

Indeed. In "I, Claudius" he was incapable of speaking his lines; everything was a major declamation. The six-inches/thirty-feet thing was also no doubt to blame for his appallingly bad wig.

May the force be with him.

[Anonymous Coward]

Bwahahaha. ;)

Re:May the force be with him.

[GameboyRMH]

Oh no you di'int!
</voice>

What about Fringe?

[Anonymous Coward]

He still got some 'splainin to do on that show!

Re:What about Fringe?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah what the hell about Fringe, he's like one of the main mythical characters

Re:What about Fringe?

[Anonymous Coward]

Fringe - AWESOME SHOW!!!! This will be Nimoy's final
TV appearance in the last episodes!!!
Who was the man on the bridge? Alternative Walter?

Re:What about Fringe?

[RivenAleem]

I've noticed in recent Fringe episodes that Nimoy seemed to be avoiding appearance, or wasn't contracted to play there any more. He was in Europe when Walter was giving the demonstration (and the mobile phone) to the army people, and then wasn't there at the funeral. Both times excuses were made for his lack of appearance, which seemed plausible, but I had already got to wondering why he seemed to be written out of the story.

This news doesn't surprise me. It makes what I'd seen in Fringe make sense.

But he's William Bell!

[Anonymous Coward]

How is he going to retire completely when he's William Bell in Fringe?

Re:But he's William Bell!

[Anonymous Coward]

Fringe doesn't count; it's a documentary.

Re:But he's William Bell!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure the entire season is filmed already, so he can retire now. I kinda expect him to die in the finale, but definitely sounds like he's gone next season.

Re:But he's William Bell!

[lennier1]

Since it's Fringe it's probably something along the lines of Nimoy's appearance actually being a disguise to hide from the easter bunny's army of zombie cows.

Re:But he's William Bell!

[Kam Solusar]

Maybe they'll hire Quinto.

Happy retirement

[countertrolling]

And may the Force be with you..

Re:Happy retirement

[wisnoskij]

That is the funniest comment I have read in months.

Re:Happy retirement

[ijakings]

Thats not even from your franchise!

Re:Happy retirement

[Trogre]

Do you even know who I am?

Not just Mr. Spock...

[AliasMarlowe]

Here's a pastiche of snips from other less-well-known Nimoy performances (SS officer, playboy, detective, spy, revolutionary, etc.), to Duran Duran's "Wild Boys". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRM1NB_SU40 See if you can identify which movies/shows these clips are from (hint: his appearances are at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000559).

Re:Not just Mr. Spock...

[Shimmer]

It's really strange to think that he went directly from playing Spock to playing a magician named Paris on another show the next season. And Shatner went directly into unemployment for several years, I think.

Re:Not just Mr. Spock...

[sproketboy]

Not really. He had a lot of work. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000638/#actor1970

Re:Not just Mr. Spock...

[swillden]

Wow. It's really weird to see Spock in all those different outfits and scenarios.

Re:Not just Mr. Spock...

[Shimmer]

"Shatner had a dry spell in the early 1970s, which he believes was due to his being typecast as Captain Kirk, making it difficult to find other work. Moreover, his wife Gloria Rand left him. With very little money and few acting prospects, he lived in a truck bed camper in the San Fernando Valley until acting bit-parts turned into higher paying roles. Shatner refers to this part of his life as "that period", a humbling one in which he would take any odd job, including small party appearances, to support his family."

From Wikipedia

So long, and thanks for the fish

[nurb432]

Or something like that :) ( yes i know its a different franchise, don't flame me )

Seriously tho, its a loss for scifi fans, but i know personally i wish him well in retirement.

Nimoy Retire?

[hibiki_r]

That is illogical!

Re:Nimoy Retire?

[kybred]

He must be out of his Vulcan Mind!

You can meet him today in Vulcan...

[Anonymous Coward]

Vulcan Alberta (Canada) that is.
I'm not even joking: http://www.vulcantourism.com/ .

News for nerds

[Anonymous Coward]

Stuff that matters

Shatner for Governor General

[Kenshin]

Just as Nimoy's in the news, so is Shatner. Right now people are pushing for William Shatner to be named the next Governor General of Canada (an appointed position), and there's a large Facebook group based on it. Even Leonard Nimoy wants him to get the job:

Nimoy, who was in Alberta for a comic convention, says the job would be perfect because Shatner has just been "sitting around twiddling his thumbs" recently.

He says the job would give Shatner a sense of "self worth" and allow him to "get out and do something."

Re:Shatner for Governor General

[Luke has no name]

Mostly symbolic, but the end of an era.

Make it so.

Re:Shatner for Governor General

[MichaelSmith]

Mostly symbolic

Is that the case in Canada? In Australia the GG has a much power as the Queen and occasionally none of the restraint. You don't want an idiot in that role.

Re:Shatner for Governor General

[ChunderDownunder]

One of the pro/cons of direct election, in the context of an Australian republic, was that you'd end hand-picked appointments - such as Hollingworth. So if the public voted for say, Geoffrey Rush, then thus it would be the will of the people.

Anyway, Denny Crane has Alzheimer's. :-)

Re:Shatner for Governor General

[Luke has no name]

Sorry, I really shouldn't have replied to parent's thread, I was making my own statement. The announcement of his retirement is mostly symbolic.

Re:Shatner for Governor General

[MichaelSmith]

Personally I think that (similar to a proposal by Arthur C Clarke) we make a list of citizens, filter it for obvious problems such as age and criminal history, then pick a victim at random. Its got to be better than allowing people to campaign for the position.

One last stop in Vulcan

[Anonymous Coward]

He is making one last stop in Vulcan this week before retiring. He tried to get the world premiere of last years star trek to open there, but the studio wouldn't go for it. He is in Vulcan today. Get your picture taken with him beside the Constitution Class Star Ship with him there.

High School Book Report

[methano]

I'm wondering if anybody RTFA. It was amazingly bad. It reminded me of some high school book report rambling from Nimoy and ending on Gene Roddenberry's academic misadventures. Sounded like something I might write.

Whimper...

[AliasMarlowe]

Shatner needs to do a spoken word version of Lenard Nimoy's "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins".

The mind boggles. The stomach retches. The spirit withers.

amen!

[goffster]

I never quite got used to all the wrinkles

Of course he did.

[rickb928]

This last movie broke so many things, they can avoid the 'original' Spock (depending on which timeline you subscribe to) and plow new ground:

- Vulcan is destroyed. They have to fix it, obviously. Time travel to the rescue.

- Kirk knows Spock from the future. He'll be looking for a way to restore Vulcan now.

- Spock (new) obviously will figure out he's in two places at the same time.

They need at least two more movies to fix everything. One to get Kirk and Young Spock in a position where they know both how and why they must restore Vulcan. I don't yet know why, but I'm not the screenwriter either. And one to actually do it. After that, then movies keep coming to let villains and victims try to take revenge, Cmdr. Pike's story, and some excuse to see more slave girls.

Pretty much as pathetique as Star Wars. Why can't we have a Blade Runner sequel, eh? Nobody has any Vaseline for the lenses? Do it in digital, ok? A set of Red cams isn't that damned expensive.

Re:Of course he did.

[EggyToast]

I believe one of the major differences between the "reboot" franchise and the old franchises is that they're not going to fix anything. They don't need to fix anything, after all -- there's plenty of stories and intrigue leaving the universe as it is. Getting everything back to zero is old sci-fi.

Re:Of course he did.

[NiceGeek]

The point of the new movie was to completely break away from the old "Trek universe" - This isn't the universe of TOS, TNG, DS9 etc, it's an alternate reality created by the time travel. The old universe is still there.

Re:Of course he did.

[rickb928]

Agh! Just an excuse to re-do the sets, and make us buy more tickets... I'm ruined, ruined!

Re:Of course he did.

[MichaelSmith]

Why can't we have a Blade Runner sequel

Be careful what you ask for. There are plenty of good SF stories out there waiting to be filmed. Not all of them were written by Philip K Dick.

But if a sequel is made I think it should be done at a remove from the original. I don't have a problem with 2010, for example, because Peter Hyams made no attempt to be Stanley Kubrick.

Re:Of course he did.

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed. Spock is alive so Vulcan doesn't need to be restored. And now we can have an orgy planet in their stead, those Vulcans weren't a fun bunch anyway.

Re:Of course he did.

[quacking duck]

There are still some things in the original timeline that will have to be addressed (internal to the rebooted universe, not necessarily on-screen).

Khan's story might not happen because his ship was found by Kirk in TOS, but the Doomsday machine, V'Ger, and the whale Probe from Star Trek IV are all bearing down on Earth, on journeys started long before the original or rebooted stories take place.

Re:Of course he did.

[Anonymous Coward]

Though young spock restores the timeline, he some how retains his reboot memories, including his love for Uhura.
Uhura however, is from the old timeline and has no feelings for spock.
Spock uses his logic to keep it all a secret. A boiling lava of pain under a cool tranquil crust.

The females will hoover that up !

Re:Of course he did.

[toddestan]

What might be even more interesting is that old Spock should know about all of those things already, which means that they could be dealt with in the new Universe in an entirely different manner. I'd really like to know more about who built the Doomsday machine, where the whale probe came from, and what Voyager (V'ger) ran into myself.

True Story

[Monkeedude1212]

Well, CRAP! Here's the deal.

He's going to be in Calgary, Alberta, (Canada) this weekend for our Comics & Entertainment Expo. There is a small town (maybe population 300) about half an hour outside of town called "Vulcan" - so of course he swung through there and all the daily papers made the pun about how Spock was in Vulcan. Anyways, back to the issue.

I told my girlfriend I'd take her to the mountains tomorrow. And I told my room mate we'd go snowboarding on Sunday, before the season ends, and seeing how I backed out on our plans to go last weekend, there's a bit of an obligation. I've never seen Leonard Nimoy before besides the Star Trek Series (despite his numerous trips around the globe for these kinds of events) - so it'd be nice to check it out before he puts in the towel.

So now I'm faced with a Dilemma. If I back out on my wingman, he'll likely get pissed, which could translate into a cruel prank at the house. Or do I put myself in the doghouse with the girlfriend, ditching out on our romantic trip for a geek fest? I know what you guys are going to say, bring both of them to the Expo and I'm sure they'll have fun. I'm not so sure they would enjoy it as much as the other plans we've made.

I think I have a worthy submission for Ask Slashdot.

Re:True Story

[cxp]

Fascinating.

Re:True Story

[eln]

The solution to your problem is simple: do all three. Go up to the mountains with your girlfriend, tell your friend to meet you there. Find a coffee shop you and your girlfriend can hang out at and sit there with her for a few minutes. Then, tell her you're having some gastrointestinal distress from some bad shrimp you ate the night before, and excuse yourself. Run up to the slopes, and snowboard down the mountain with your friend, then hop in the car and burn rubber down to wherever Nimoy is hanging out. Hang out there for a few minutes, then book it back to the coffee shop, sneak in the back way, into the bathroom, flush a few times, and go back and sit down with your girlfriend. After a minute or two, repeat the whole process.

If Three's Company has taught me anything, this should work at least until the second commercial break.

Re:True Story

[MadnessASAP]

Cool story bro

Re:True Story

[obarthelemy]

French comic Pierre Desproges had a very un-comical set, starting with "I got a story to tell you. An authentic story. I insist that it is authentic, because it is more or less its only interest". It was something about buying batteries, but not by lot of 4... Would you be related, perchance ?

Re:True Story

[MachDelta]

Saturday:
1. Get up early and be at the head of the Mr.Nimoy line. Bring a bucket. Get autograph, perform vulcan salute, high-five, hurl in bucket (if applicable) and then bolt.
2. Swing by nearest liquor store, purchase bottle of champagne and bag of ice. Rinse out bucket, put ice and champagne in bucket, throw in trunk of car.
3. Pick up girlfriend, drive to Banff (or wherever you're headed). Rent cosy little faux-log-cabin hotel room. Put ice-bucket in room.
4. Have dinner with girlfriend. Return to hotel room, break out champagne.
5. ???
6. Profit?

Sunday:
7. Wake up early, leave cash and note on nightstand that girlfriend is to spend day shopping.
8. Locate friend, hit slopes.
9. Have dinner with friend and girlfriend (if possible)
10. Return home autographed, sucked off and covered in white powder. These three things will now constitute "the best weekend of my life".

You can thank me later.

Re:True Story

[Target Practice]

Heh. I just presented your dilemma to my girlfriend. She said "Well, I'd leave you for a chance to meet Leonard Nimoy."

Your mileage may vary, of course...

Re:True Story

[LordLucless]

I think I have a worthy submission for Ask Slashdot.

Actually, I think it's more a case of "ask your girlfriend". She might be more annoyed that your decision-making process involved consulting thousands of anonymous geeks on a website than the actual decision made.

Re:True Story

[AmberBlackCat]

I think you would have to be out of your Vulcan mind to hurt her again. You could be sacrificing your relationship with her forever, just to see Spock for a moment.

Re:True Story

[udowish]

I got my pass, and my photo pass with Mr. Nimoy and Brent Spiner. :)

Re:True Story

[Prince Vegeta SSJ4]

Go visit Mr. Nimoy, then ask him to make the proper calculations to slingshot your Bird of Prey (read car) around the sun at the proper speed to travel back in time and then enjoy the weekend with your friends.

Re:True Story

[Maxo-Texas]

Number of potential girlfriends.... almost limitless
Likelihood of this particular girlfriend making over 7 years anyway... slightly over 50%.

Number of potential chances to see nimoy before he dies.. about 1.
Likelihood of nimoy making it another 7 years.. probably slightly under 50% (but he looks in good shape).

Tho I do like the snow-boarding, stomach distress plan above too.

Re:True Story

[GameboyRMH]

If I had money I'd hire you as my personal advisor and assistant. The Alfred to my Batman.

(yeah if I had money I'd also be a superhero.)

Re:True Story

[Anonymous Coward]

>> Anyways, back to the issue. Anyways ain't actually a word. Anyway.

Re:True Story

[517714]

You don't understand. - this is SlashDot. The friend is necessarily a similar geek and therefore will happily go to see Mr Spock rather than sit alone in his parents' basement. Then he can go with his friend skiing on Sunday. On Monday he just makes up a new girlfriend to replace the imaginary one he pissed-off.

Re:True Story

[Anonymous Coward]

Tell them both that it may be your last opportunity to ever see Leonard Nimoy. The guy is not only retiring, but he's old and could easily die sometime soon. If they can't understand that then fuck them, they aren't real friends.

Re:True Story

[Jedi Alec]

7. Wake up early, leave cash and note on nightstand that girlfriend is to spend day shopping.

Ah yes, girlfriends just love to wake up and find their partner unexpectedly gone and a wad of cash on the nightstand. Makes them feel...special and appreciated.

Re:True Story

[Anonymous Coward]

'Heh. I just presented your dilemma to my girlfriend. She said "Well, I'd leave you for a chance to meet Leonard Nimoy."

Thousands of other nerds are wondering why haven't you asked this girl to marry you yet?

Oh, right, this is /. This marriage thing won't cross your mind, you're still a virgin, and we only do well analyzing other people's lives.

"Your mileage may vary, of course...'

Given your (ideal) circumstances, you're probably not the one that should be saying that...

(You're posting AC, so you could be female, but this is /. and given the percentage anyways, you're probably male.)

Re:True Story

[bobvious]

Logical.

Re:True Story

[rdnetto]

Do one of the above at night. I'd recommend the girlfriend, since the night sky could be quite romantic if it isn't covered with clouds.
Oh, and if you're asking for romance advice on /., you're doing it wrong.

Re:True Story

[tehcyder]

You humans are so...emotional.

Re:True Story

[Anonymous Coward]

Dump the girlfriend and begin a homosexual relationship with your wingman.

Now that you're both faggots, you and your butt-buddy will naturally prefer to go to the comics expo.

Re:True Story

[doti]

Get autograph, perform vulcan salute, high-five, hurl in bucket (if applicable) and then bolt.

sure you mean "high-three"

Re:True Story

[j-beda]

"Thousands of other nerds are wondering why haven't you asked this girl to marry you yet?"

Well, the fact that she's planning on leaving him for an older man seems to indicate the relationship might not be completely stable....

The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[Rene S. Hollan]

One can see the resemblance between Spock and Nimoy. However, Quinto needs a lot more makeup to play the role... because he has to look like the "original" Spock, who looked, pretty much, like Nimoy.

It's a case of the actor not so much portraying the character, but rather his predecessor's portrayal of the character.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[Arthur Grumbine]

One can see the resemblance between Spock and Nimoy.

The mind boggles.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[Rene S. Hollan]

You miss my point, methinks.

Makeup can make a character appear VERY DIFFERENT from the actor or actress that portrays him or her.

This is not the case with Nimoy and Spock (ears notwithstanding), but IS the case with Quinto and Spock, because Quinto "has to" look like Nimoy's portrayal of Spock.

Conversely, Pine looks very little like Shatner's portrayal of Kirk (at least to me): he does not look like Shatner very much at all.

Of course, both Quinto and Pine do an excellent job of capturing their respective character's personality and mannerisms.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[sconeu]

Quinto and Pine were OK, but Karl Urban totally NAILED the McCoy character.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[Trogre]

That he did, though the permanent frown did look a little forced at times.

I'd say Simon Pegg nailed the Scotty role.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[Anonymous Coward]

You can only say that because Doohan was an almost OK actor with crappy lines, while Urban is a crappy actor with almost OK lines.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[Anonymous Coward]

Well maybe they can do a full facial transplant on Quinto

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[master_p]

Well, they may have done so, but, overall, the movie was a step back in science fiction.

Re:The thing is: Quinto as Spock looks like Nimoy

[bill_mcgonigle]

Well, they may have done so, but, overall, the movie was a step back in science fiction.

You're confused, we were talking about Star Trek.

Regarding the song about Hobbits.

[phrackwulf]

In Mr. Nimoy's defense, I'm sure his response would be identical to the farmer who purposefully threw himself into a thorn bush, to wit, "It seemed the thing to do at the time."

I'll miss him in many ways...

[wrightrocket]

Most of all from Star Trek, but also from shows like "In Search Of" which he narrated.

Twitter?

[adenied]

He's been pretty active on Twitter lately. Doesn't seem like the thing one would do if they're "dropping out of public life". http://twitter.com/therealNimoy

Re:Twitter?

[religious freak]

Interesting. An actor doesn't just decide to "drop out of public life" - they're actors because they love public life. Hate to say it, but he may have one of those wretched old person's disease and needs to say goodbye.

Aging should be treated as a disease. /provactiveStatement

If he wants to retire...

[jeko]

...why did he just start playing William Bell on "Fringe?"

He's just refocussing on his music career instead

[JustNiz]

Great now he has time for that Bilbo Baggins concept album :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_Bilbo_Baggins

awesome

[pak9rabid]

I love this guy. So humble. I wish more people were like him.

Thank you!

[e.liz.alleman]

Thank you, Mr. Nimoy, for many years of entertainment that helped to push minds and imaginations. I hope you enjoy your--hopefully many, comfortable, and well-companioned--remaining years, and, should you find it in yourself to continue sharing of yourself with us, thank you again in advance!

What a slacker!

[Snaller]

79 is nothing for a Vulcan! He's still a kid!

Re:What a slacker!

[trytoguess]

I blame his pesky human side.

Re:What a slacker!

[ChunderDownunder]

Spock is half-human.

Re:What a slacker!

[WillDraven]

He would make a great spokesperson for life extension research.

May the Force be with you...

[CosaNostra Pizza Inc]

...Uh, I mean, Live long and prosper. The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many...or the few.

Speaking as someone who hates Star Trek...

[Asmor]

...live long and prosper, Lenny. I might not like the show you're famous for, but you've always seemed like a great guy who was happy to indulge all of us geeks, and that's something I can respect.

Quitter

[Anonymous Coward]

Throwing in the towel after a mere 44 years? Soft.

In Search Of...

[Dan East]

When I was a kid (like not even 10) "In Search of..." used to come on in the evening. All Nimoy had to do was start narrating and I would be creeped out immediately. Didn't matter if he was talking about Bigfoot or aliens or The Bermuda Triangle, he scared the crap out of me. I'd probably laugh if I watched that show now, but back then when I was little, it was practically traumatizing. Am I the only one that crawled down a little deeper under the covers at night after watching that show?

Re:In Search Of...

[axl917]

Dude, that is so spot on. There was just something about how they stylized that show, the score and sound effects, and his voice that used to keep me both riveted and flippin petrified at the same time. Like the one about the Eater Island heads, he just made them feel so...I dunno, up-close and present that you could feel how old those things were and get a sense of the passage of time from then to now, how small we are in time compared to these behemoths that endure.

I've watched some of those old episodes online since and it still gives goosebumps.

Re:In Search Of...

[bill_mcgonigle]

If I ever manage to see a sunrise in Giza, no doubt I'll be subconsciously expecting the Nimoy voiceover.

FWIW, I was raised to fear. My kids wouldn't react the same way.

Bendii Syndrome

[jonadab]

He probably has to retire because he's losing control of his emotions. That's what happened to his father, you know.

Thank you so much

[spirit_fingers]

Live long(er) and prosper, Leonard.

Fringe?

[neurocutie]

Nimoy semi-regularly appears on Fringe as the alternative universe icon William Bell... Is he going to disappear from that role also?

if americans hate shatner

[Anonymous Coward]

if americans hate shatner then i say we make him governor general of canada OR

he can start a new political party called

"the federation"
and you'd be surprised how many people yesterday in my travels to 4 cities thought he'd make a better PM or GG then what we have.

NIMOY you stay right where you are
you butchered star trek with that last movie and ill not patronize any NEW trek form that TIMELINE that basically eradicates all the known trek.

THIS should mean that all previous trek now not relevant should be released form all COPYRIGHTS as it should not even exist.

Dammit, Len!

[sinthetek]

You're an actor not a convalescent!!

Long Life to you Mr Nimoy. May you yet achieve..

[Anonymous Coward]

kolinahr

And thank you for the entertainment and insight.

Take care and as a fellow photographer, may you enjoy yourself.

Live Long and Prosper

[magus_melchior]

It was a thrill to see him return after "retiring" twice (once for "Unification" on TNG, and again for Star Trek)-- those reprises of Spock, despite his earlier intentions to refrain from returning, are testament to his devotion to the fans of the Trek franchise.

He's also one of the funniest actors in Trek, as convention panels with William Shatner and his recordings with John de Lancie have demonstrated.

Fringe

[chikanamakalaka]

Was hoping to for more Dr. Bell on Fringe.

I'll always remember him as...

[White Flame]

...Galvatron from Transformers: The Movie (the real one ;-) )

"This is bad comedy!"

quote

[circletimessquare]

On April 8, 2009, it was announced that Leonard Nimoy would appear as Walter Bishop's former lab partner, Dr. William Bell in the first season's finale, which explores the existence of an ominous parallel universe. Nimoy will return as Dr. Bell for an extended arc, and according to Orci, Bell will be "the beginning of the answers to even bigger questions."[29][30] This choice led one reviewer to question if Fringe's plot might be an homage to the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror", which featured an alternate reality "mirror universe" concept and an evil version of Spock distinguished by a goatee.[31] He will reprise his role in the second season finale, where his character and Walter will meet for a "showdown".[32]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_(TV_series)

the second season finale is a month away. granted, the second season has already finished shooting. and we'll find out in a few weeks if they kill off nimoy's character in the series. so he really might be done with acting

but i wouldn't count on nimoy being done with acting for good as long as fringe pulls in the ratings and they don't kill off his character

42 22 "Over There: Part 1"[26] Akiva Goldsman[27] Jeff Pinkner & J.H. Wyman[27] May 13, 2010[24]
In the part one of the two-part season finale, Walter and Olivia travel to the parallel universe, and the anticipated face-off between Walter Bishop and William Bell occurs. Seth Gabel guest stars as the principal investigator in the Alternative Fringe division.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_(season_2)

so be watching may 13 if you want to see possibly nimoy's last performance ever

Re:Live long and prosper? Check and check.

[dacaldar]

Mod parent up. (AC and all...)

now i get it

[Anonymous Coward]

They decided it was cool to completely destroy the plotline with a cheezy time travel 'it never happened' explanation so the original cast can have a few years unmolested by trek conventions and trekkies

Retire long and prosper

[Bat Dude]

All the best to one of the greats. A life time in the lime light without all the bad hipe and gossip, form the media you have done well. one off a kind you will be missed.

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

[Anonymous Coward]

You played Spock perfectly and did honor to the character.

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!

Joe Carrington

Maybe he'll be rebuilt...

[Anonymous Coward]

Now all we need is a giant robot planet to come by, and rebuild Mr. Nemoy into a transforming robot canon.

Let's be honest here...

[Duggeek]

Mr. Nimoy, live long and prosper.

In truth, he's already done both.

green blooded

[cifey]

I imagine it's no fun to inject your blood with green food coloring every day on set.