Spock Talk
For a person that (supposedly) can’t feel love, he really is a lovable character. Even with a bowl cut and pointed eyebrows, his constantly calm demeanour makes it easy for him to get people to follow orders. Of course, I’m talking about the half Vulcan, the one and only, Spock. This well known alien is usually the first thing to come to mind when the title “Star Trek” is heard. With ears like his, he’s not easy to forget. When the character was being developed nobody thought that he would be such a hit. In fact, NBC was scared that he wouldn’t be liked, and they didn’t want to keep Spock on the show. It’s a good thing they decided to keep him, because if they didn’t, it’s very possible that the show wouldn’t have been so successful.
Spock was definitely an important character for Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry wanted to show how not only all humans are treated fairly in the 23rd century, but also how an alien can be treated as one of our own. Creating Spock’s look was a difficult task, the ears and eyebrows had to be just right, which means the design had to undergo much trial and error. You can see that in the first pilot “The Cage” Spock had fluffier eyebrows and his bangs were shorter and less straight. The prosthetic ears proved to be the most difficult to perfect, always being either too exaggerated or not noticeable enough. Even when Gene and the makeup artists came to a conclusion on how the ears should look, there were still complaints that they looked too devilish. A poster was made to promote the show, but Leonard Nimoy noticed something peculiar about the photo. Spock’s ears had been edited to look normal. Nimoy called Roddenberry and he said that he saw it too, and that he was going to talk to the makers of the poster. They ended up not using that poster and Spock kept his pointy ears.
As accepted by the crew that he was, Spock was still an outsider. With all these humans around him experiencing these emotions he couldn’t have (or at least tried not to) he’s definitely singled out. This aspect of Spock was an important one for Nimoy. As an Orthodox Jew growing up around many non-Jewish people, it was harder for him to relate or be accepted by others. Leonard was called crude names referring to his religion, and for the friends he did have, Nimoy states: “Friendships stopped at the door of the church.” But without that history of being an outsider Nimoy may not have been able to play Spock as well as he did. His Jewish background is also the roots of the well known “Vulcan Salute.” If you are not familiar with the gesture, it’s when one raises their hand as though giving a high-five, with their fingers separated in the middle, between the ring and middle finger. Which is nearly the same gesture as used in what is called a Priestly Blessing in Orthodox churches. The difference is that it’s double handed. Although members of the church are not supposed to be to have their eyes open during this blessing, Nimoy admitted that when he was eight years old, he peeked. That moment is the origin of the now famous, Vulcan Salute.
When it comes to Spock, less is more. Even when all he does is raise an eyebrow, that still gets a response from the audience. simply because its getting close to a display of emotion. That makes a laugh or even a smile from Spock all that much more powerful. You may think that a character that never shows emotion can be boring. I think that it’s the opposite, I think it’s engaging. It keeps viewers on edge, waiting to see how Spock will respond, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he will show some emotion. Although Dr. Mccoy may have claimed a few times throughout the series that Spock is cold hearted, we know that not to be true. Although Spock tries to conceal it, his human half is very much present.
Spock blew up. Figuratively I mean. He didn’t suddenly explode on set or anything. What I mean to say is that Spock grew very popular very fast and nobody expected it. Especially not Shatner. Nimoy seemed to be getting more attention than William. This was unexpected for Shatner because, well, he was the captain. Spock was just the science officer, yet he seemed to have thousands more fans. This sudden stardom was so out of the blue that when at a signing that Nimoy was invited to, instead of hundred of people that they though would show up, there were thousands. The local police had to help Leonard out of the crowd.
Even just after watching a few episodes, it’s easy to grow a love for Spock. Although I wouldn’t suggest cancelling out all emotion from your life, I do believe Spock is a good role model. His patience and always looking for the best and most efficient way of going about things are certainly desirable qualities to have. I don’t think Spock is cold hearted, I think the opposite. He keeps others in his best interest and would sacrifice himself for the greater good.“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1982
Spock couldn’t have been such a good character if it weren’t for the fantastic actor who played him. Leonard Nimoy touched the hearts of many and will live long in our thoughts. Rest in peace, Leonard Nimoy. 1931-2015
