In Memory of Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy, 1931 - 2015

To my fellow Trek fans - there's no biographical blurb or factoid that I can offer that we don't all already know. The simple truth that we all share is this: we all love you, Leonard. It's so sad to know you've left us after all these years. That being said, this is how I shall remember Leonard Nimoy.

He was sometimes ambivalent about his identity as, 'Mr. Spock', but he always seemed to return to the character. While best known for his acting, Nimoy was an accomplished author, director and photographer; but I, like many others, am first and foremost a fan of his portrayal as Spock. Nimoy took an active hand in shaping the character, genuinely cared about developing Spock in the right direction, and was one of the actors most involved with making Star Trek the enduring classic that it is. Much of what makes that series great was carried by Nimoy's character. He manages no small feat in portraying a man who is alien - both literally and figuratively - and yet totally relatable. He is logical and emotionless, and yet likeable.

I have to admit that, usually, when an actor, musician or anyone else famous dies, even those whom I'd call myself a fan of, I still don't feel too much of a sense of loss. Occasionally, someone is taken from us very young, and we wonder what they might have created, had they been given time - but deep down, losing an artist whose work you enjoyed isn't always the same feeling as losing someone you cared about. But in this case, I've found myself feeling an immediate weight upon learning of Nimoy's passing. I suppose this is a first for me, and, I suspect, for a lot of Trek fans who are around my age - an artist with whose I works I've deeply connected has died within my lifetime. And it hurts.

So, this evening, as I'm sure many other fans will be doing, I'm going to marathon a bunch of Spock-centric episodes from The Original Series. The only way I feel qualified to eulogize Nimoy is by posting this list of ten episodes where Spock was featured in some important way. These are some of the performances that made me love the character.

1. The Naked Time (Season 1, Episode 4)

It's hard to avoid picking The Naked Time when you're thinking of episodes about several characters from TOS. Everyone's inhibitions are wiped away by a form of 'space madness' as Spock calls it - and thus, every actor gets to portray a hyperbolized version of their character. But this episode is particularly notable for Spock, because we get the first inklings of an attraction between himself and Nurse Chapel. Additionally, the central conflict within the character of Spock - between his human and Vulcan halves - rises to the forefront. A classic episode overall, and the first major bit of characterization for Spock.

2. The Menagerie, pt. 1 & 2 (Season 1, Episodes 11 & 12)

The Menagerie doesn't focus solely on Spock. It is the only TOS two-parter, after all, and there's a lot going on in this story-within-a-story. But we get an insight into Spock's human half from a perspective we hadn't seen before. At it's core, The Menagerie is a story about Spock's relationship with his former captain. Spock's actions at the beginning are shocking and inexplicable, but we're soon swept up in the story of Captain Pike on Talos. So we don't really notice as Spock's motivations unfold for us on the screen; but by the end of the episode, it suddenly dawns on us that Spock's actions have been motivated by his loyalty, and friendship with Captain Pike. When challenged by Kirk, Spock counters at the end of the episode that he has been "completely logical about the whole affair."

3. The Balance of Terror (Season 1, Episode 14)

Much of the reason why the Romulans were created to resemble the Vulcans was as a plot element designed for this specific episode. A young officer, Lt. Stiles, has it out for the Romulans - his family fought in the Earth-Romulan War. However, no one had ever seen a Romulan at this point in the continuity, due to the technological limitations of yesteryear, and the Romulans' tendency for reclusiveness. So when it is revealed that the Romulans are biologically related to Vulcans, and even alleged that the Romulans may have spies aboard the Enterprise, Stiles is quick to suspect Spock. In retrospect, given what we know of the Federation, it would seem almost absurd to jump to this conclusion; but in the episode's context, it works. Spock faces and overcomes prejudice, it's our first look at the Romulans, and it's got a tense, back-and-forth Starship duel. A perennial fan favorite.

4. The Galileo Seven (Season 1, Episode 16)

Though it's just a shuttlecraft, McCoy remarks that the Galileo Seven is Spock's 'first command'. As the executive officer, Spock takes charge of the away team when their shuttlecraft crash lands on an alien world. The native inhabitants are technologically in the stone ages, but they're twelve-foot tall giants who throw proportionately large spears. Kirk and the Enterprise ineffectually search for Spock and the Galileo away team, all the while being badgered by a Federation Ambassador (who were always huge jerks in TOS), so it's all up to the landing party. Spock's leadership skills are called into question as he applies all his logical prowess to solving their predicament. Whether or not a good leader can be made of a man like Spock, who looks at every decision rationally and with emotional detachment, is the central question of the episode - and the answer is a bit ambivalent.

5. This Side of Paradise (Season 1, Episode 24)

Spock falls in love in this episode. Granted, it's while under the influence of alien spores, but the feelings Spock experiences are genuine, and they represent, in his words, the first time he's ever known true happiness. This is possibly my favorite Spock episode of the bunch - I already talked about it in the article "Paradise", where we examined the concept of utopia in Star Trek, and I think I said most of what needs to be said on the episode from a critical perspective. But speaking strictly about Spock's relationship to Leila: once again Nimoy manages to convincingly sell us the idea of a character who, by his very nature, suppresses his emotions... and yet, even when freed from the spores, we get the sense that (in some kind of subtle, Vulcan way) Spock is a bit heartbroken as he ends things with Leila.

6. Amok Time (Season 2, Episode 1)

This is the episode that expanded the Vulcan mythos like no other episode had. Spock returns to Vulcan to engage in a mating ritual, and one which he is instinctually compelled to take part in. Spock is implied to be a somewhat private character, and we learn much about him and Vulcan that neither we nor his fellow crewmen knew before. Many casual fans and hardcore trekkers alike will talk about the legendary battle scene with Captain Kirk. But for me, the best moment in this episode is Spock's reaction when he realizes that Kirk is alive and well. It's the only time when Spock, without being under the influence of alien spores, mind control, magic or 'space madness', breaks out into a huge smile. It's a great moment, and we're also starting to get a good idea of why Spock felt the need to undertake the kolinahr and purge all emotion in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Being around the Enterprise crew and their human feelings does seem to have made Spock more emotional after all.

7. Mirror Mirror (Season 2, Episode 4)

In pop culture, the trope of the bearded 'evil version' of a character all began with Mr. Spock. In the mirror universe, the Federation is replaced with the evil Terran Empire, and this sinister version of Mr. Spock sports a goatee. Of course, in the episode's context, most of the alternate versions of characters were a little bit different - the uniforms were flashier, and Mr. Sulu had a disfiguring scar. Kirk jokes that he always knew Spock had a bit of 'pirate' in him. But setting the novelty of the episode aside - Spock's character is once again central, as the only one implied to make a sincere change for the better as a result of Kirk visiting the mirror universe. Indeed, when Deep Space Nine revisited the mirror universe in the 1990s, we learn that Mirror Spock was responsible for instituting reforms to the Terran Empire. Unfortunately, like most things that happen in the mirror universe, it didn't turn out well.

8. Journey to Babel (Season 2, Episode 10)

We get to meet Spock's family for the first and only time in Journey to Babel - although Sarek would later appear in the films, in TNG, and of course we would get to see a rebooted version Spock's family in Star Trek 2009. We learn that Spock's father, Sarek, was actually quite disapproving of his son's decision to join Starfleet, and this tension between father and son is central to the episode. It is interesting to see what kind of people Spock's parents would have to be to make such a marriage work, considering the wide gulf in social norms between humans and Vulcans. Ultimately, the episode doesn't disappoint. It all feels very human. This episode is also a lot of fun in that we get to see a bunch of Federation aliens have a cocktail party, introducing us to the Tellarites and Andorians.

9. The Enterprise Incident (Season 3, Episode 2)

Spock got a lot more romance in season three, and this time it was with a Romulan commander. It's worth noting that Spock essentially seduces this woman, and the scenes of the serious Romulan and the logical Mr. Spock courting one another waver somewhere between silly and hilarious (in a good way). This episode is generally seen as one of the better offerings of season three, and it's a lot of fun. We get to see Kirk as a Romulan, the Enterprise installs a cloaking device and uses it, and the plot is basically a tense, political thriller set in space. William Shatner really chews the scenery in this episode, taking Kirk over the top in some places. The Balance of Terror was a beloved episode for many reasons, but we never get to see the Vulcan Spock directly interact with Romulans in that one; here, when it finally happens, we aren't disappointed.

10. All Our Yesterdays (Season 3, Episode 23)

All Our Yesterdays is a flawed episode - it aired around the end of season three, when the series was winding down. However, Kirk got his tragic love story in the form of City On the Edge of Forever, and now Spock gets his in the form of All Our Yesterdays. While trapped in a planet's ice age period - having been accidentally sent back in time on an alien world - Spock's mental faculties are compromised by the cold, something which adversely affects Vulcans. In this state, he falls for a woman who was banished to the time period, forced to live alone as a hunter/gatherer in the frozen wastes. In the end, Spock's duties and responsibilities require that he return to the Enterprise; that, and he realizes that the cold is changing who he is as a person. Thus, Spock must depart from his newfound love interest, leaving us to wonder whether an actual romantic relationship will ever be attainable by Mr. Spock.

Well, that's it. Those are my favorite Spock episodes, and I couldn't help but notice that many of them are also fan favorites, easily standing alongside the best episodes of TOS. As I said at the beginning of this list, Nimoy made the show what it was, and whenever he was centrally featured, the episode shined.

Rest in peace, Leonard Nimoy. Live long and prosper, Mr. Spock.

Additional watching:

Seen all those? Well, there are other notable Spock moments in the series.

Dagger of the Mind (season 1, episode 9) features the very first mind-meld, which was a major aspect of the show and character that Nimoy collaborated on.

The mind-meld developed a lot throughout the show, and Devil in the Dark (season 1, episode 25) contains what I'd call the best mind-meld scene in the franchise. Spock goes so far as to meld with a totally alien being - a silicon-based lifeform - and Nimoy gives an over-the-top performance that completely works for the episode.

In the Immunity Syndrome (season 2, episode 18), Spock telepathically senses the destruction of a ship full of Vulcans. He then pilots a shuttle into a giant space amoeba in order to stop it from consuming our galaxy.

Spock's Brain (season 3, episode 1) is widely derided as one of the most ridiculous in TOS, and rightfully so. But Spock is central to the episode yet again. If you like the campy elements of TOS, all of them are turned up to 11 in this episode.

Spock found a love interest again in The Cloud Minders (season 3, episode 21). The learned, cultured 'work of art' named Droxine falls for Spock; this becomes a point of tension because her culture is socially stratified between an affluent class and a caste of laborers.

Finally, in The Savage Curtain (season 3, episode 22) Spock gets to meet Surak, the founder of the Vulcan way of life... or at lest an image of him created by aliens in order to help them understand morality. But this was the first episode to introduce Surak as a historical figure in the Trek mythos.

And, while you're at it, you might as well go watch TNG's excellent two-parter, Unification, with Nimoy reprising his role as Spock.

The torch has been passed to Mr. Quinto, but the classic Mr. Spock as played by Leonard Nimoy will live forever.