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?

[AliasMarlowe]

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

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?

[Arthur Grumbine]

Subjective things are subjective.

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

Re:Again?

[karnal]

You really made my head hurt with that sentence.

Re:Again?

[KibibyteBrain]

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

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.

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?

[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.

Let me just say ...

[Archangel Michael]

Live Long and Prosper.

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.

By Grabthar's hammer...

[ItsJustAPseudonym]

...you shall be retired.

Retiring?!?

[Locke2005]

I find that... highly illogical.

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.

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.

[Miseph]

Shatner + gaping holes = DO NOT WANT

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.

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

[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

[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

[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

[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: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.

What about Fringe?

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Happy retirement

[countertrolling]

And may the Force be with you..

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:But he's William Bell!

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Nimoy Retire?

[hibiki_r]

That is illogical!

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."

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.

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.

[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.

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."

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

[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

[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

[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.

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

[sconeu]

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

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: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.

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:That sucks!

[NiceGeek]

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

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.

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.

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.

Dammit, Len!

[sinthetek]

You're an actor not a convalescent!!