Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 83
coloneltcb · 11 years ago
74 comments
coloneltcb · 11 years ago
74 comments
malloreon · 11 years ago
He was... and always will be...our friend.
erickhill · 11 years ago
I am, and always shall be, his fan.
jaimebuelta · 11 years ago
:__________(
lione · 11 years ago
Wow, holy shit, that's horrible.
ritchiea · 11 years ago
It happens to us all my friend.
lione · 11 years ago
I hadn't even heard he was sick. I suppose he was getting pretty old, but it's still such a shame. RIP.
tsotha · 11 years ago
He had a minor part in Fringe, and if you watch it it's pretty clear he had advanced emphysema. I have to assume they did what they could to minimize how obvious it was, too.
I was kind of surprised to see him last this long.
beeworker · 11 years ago
For now. RIP.
thebouv · 11 years ago
Just started watching Star Trek with my 12 y/o daughter. We started with TNG, but she's well aware of who Spock is (and Leonard Nimoy). She's going to be sad.
mohap · 11 years ago
He lived long and prospered
itg · 11 years ago
"Of all the souls I have encountered in my journeys, his was the most human"
Skilleen · 11 years ago
Your legacy will live on through Civilization 4 quotes
viewer5 · 11 years ago
"Ozymandias" will always be in his voice in my mind. It's one of the few poems I'm at all familiar with, and I like it a lot.
edit: Here's the poem, below, for anyone interested. And for anyone unfamiliar with what my parent's comment means: In the game Civilization IV, researching a technology is accompanied by a quote. Nimoy reads these quotes aloud, in this game, and '"And on the pedestal these words appear: / 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' / Nothing beside remains."' is the chosen quote for the "Construction" technology. You can probably find audio of it on the internet (which I recommend), but I can't youtube at work.
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.pc2g4d · 11 years ago
Yes! Loved his Civ IV voice work!
usrusr · 11 years ago
Unfortunately, my stupid sense of humor makes me remember his Sputnik the best of all those little quotes. Somewhere on YouTube there's a black screen with the audio looped for hours.
moyix · 11 years ago
Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75oun5gvDAU#t=169
GlickWick · 11 years ago
Put your shoulder to the wheel
SSilver2k2 · 11 years ago
RIP Captain Spock.
2600 · 11 years ago
One to beam up.
moron4hire · 11 years ago
I don't know why, but that one got me. Maybe it's leftover grief from all the friends and family I lost last year. I'm not one to engage in celebrity worship. Indeed, I think it's a bit of a problem in our modern culture. But Nimoy and the character of Spock were both very inspiring. That has to count for something.
TeMPOraL · 11 years ago
I'm also not for celebrity worship. But I know that Star Trek formed me as a person, it's not just responsible for my interest in technology, it made me the very person I am now, taught me to always solve things peacefully, made me believe in the future of prosperity through science and good parts of human nature. I feel grief now, and I know I will feel the same when Kirk, Picard and other of my childhood role models shall depart.
Farewell Spock. It's for us who are left to work towards the bright future you shown us.
moron4hire · 11 years ago
TNG was the series that was on when I was a kid, so my attachments are much more oriented there. But I understand it completely. My favorite parts were always when Geordi and Data worked together to come up with a solution to a seemingly impossible problem.
And as I grew up, I started seeing all of the parts of the show: the way good leadership inspires the best in people, and how good leadership is about creating a sense of unity rather than being a God-like character demanding worship. How working together in diverse groups and hearing input from everyone can find solutions no one person would have found on their own. How saving the day doesn't have to be about violence, it can be about engineering, or just being there for someone. That the search for truth and knowledge is often the best motivation for anything.
It made me want to be the one who made the things and fixed the other things and save the day because of it. I call it "Wanting to Be the Guy". The go-to person. The one that can be counted on.
The entire run of Star Trek series' has a lot of flaws. I recently rewatched the first season of TNG with my wife: boy howdy does it stink. But I think a lot of that has more to do with the economics of serial television. The team that put together Star Trek gave themselves a phenomenal undertaking. And I think they covered a huge range of the human condition in an incredibly tasteful, nuanced manner. That's extremely commendable.
TeMPOraL · 11 years ago
I understand.
I personally haven't even watched the whole TOS. TNG was on when I was a kid as well, and this is the best and I think most true to the spirit part of the show.
But then the Kirk's crew were part of the show's legacy, so I grew connected to them as well.
> the way good leadership inspires the best in people, and how good leadership is about creating a sense of unity rather than being a God-like character demanding worship. How working together in diverse groups and hearing input from everyone can find solutions no one person would have found on their own. How saving the day doesn't have to be about violence, it can be about engineering, or just being there for someone. That the search for truth and knowledge is often the best motivation for anything.
Couldn't have said it better myself. This show was the embodiment of benefits of cooperation. It inspired me not only to love science and technology, but first and foremost to be the best person I can. To love the truth, to love the fellow men with whom I'm stuck together on the same piece of rock orbiting a giant gas ball. To always seek peace and progress. To stay helpful, and stay curious.
> The entire run of Star Trek series' has a lot of flaws. I recently rewatched the first season of TNG with my wife: boy howdy does it stink. But I think a lot of that has more to do with the economics of serial television. The team that put together Star Trek gave themselves a phenomenal undertaking. And I think they covered a huge range of the human condition in an incredibly tasteful, nuanced manner. That's extremely commendable.
True, it's hard to rewatch old series now, they just feel off - a lot of that is due to its age. And yet I can still clearly see the message these shows had. As someone once said, maybe TNG was the last sci-fi that was hopeful of the future.
And while I know the newest Star Trek series, Enterprise, was somewhat controvelsial among fans, I do believe it's intro is the best summary, the very embodiment of what is the spirit of Star Trek.
moron4hire · 11 years ago
Hehe, I loved Enterprise. And I thought the same thing about its intro music. I think people just got caught up in their hero worship, again, and it prevented them from wanting to like the show. Then the ratings machinery took over and it really hurt the ending of the series.
I've similarly felt a lack of aspirationalism in modern sci-fi. That's one of the aspects that I like about Interstellar. It almost feels like a pre-warp, Star Trek universe Earth. It's gritty and bleak in a lot of places, but the overall message is one of hope. People also complained about the plot, but I thought it was pretty typical Christopher Nolan fair, so if you don't like that flavor of ice cream, you probably shouldn't have ordered it in a sunday, if you catch my metaphor.
jgeorge · 11 years ago
I am far more troubled by his passing than I am openly willing to admit. No celebrity worship here either.
What got to me was his comment a year or so ago on Twitter where he said that he would be anybody Grandfather just for the asking. I asked him, because I never new my grandfather (either one) and darnit if having him for even a virtual Grandfather wouldn't be the best thing ever. But in doing that, I more feel like I've lost a member of the family than I did when I actually lost some members of my family.
moron4hire · 11 years ago
Yeah, that's exactly why I slapped this together today: http://imgur.com/gallery/oJPiNDl
Hollywood works really hard to create a portrayal of Ubermensch out of people who are just people. In some cases, those people aren't good people, and that's where the celebrity worship worries me. I think a lot of people confuse the characters the actors play, and the words they speak written by other people, for the actor themselves.
And even when you think someone looks like a good person, outside of what characters they've played, you don't know the whole story. Look at the allegations against Bill Cosby lately. Are they true? I don't know, and it's not my place to say--we have a legal system for that very reason. And people make mistakes sometimes, too (though, in this case, they'd be pretty big, awful, questionably-forgivable mistakes, if they turned out to be true, but the example is the only one I could think of off of the top of my head). It's just another good enough reason to adopt a general policy to not elevate celebrities so high.
But in the case of Nimoy, he really seems like he did his best to enjoy life and be a decent person towards others. I don't know if he ever did anything specifically humanitarian, but if the story of Mr. Nimoy ended there, it'd be a pretty good one, one that more people should emulate.
Yeah, it feels a bit like losing a grandfather for me, too.
topkai22 · 11 years ago
I don't think it is celebrity worship. I don't know a thing about Nimoy outside his work, although other posts make it seem that he was a interesting, likable, and good man. We are affected by Nimoy's passing because we enjoyed his work, identified with his character, and because Star Trek and Spock represent ideas that we wish to hold on to.
The world of Star Trek TOS and TNG normally felt unambiguously better than ours, but it felt better in ways that were achievable. A world focused on exploration, with a society that did not shy away from conflict but worked to resolve it peacefully. It felt like what a steadfast belief in modernity could lead to. In the word's of Neal Stephenson (who I think borrowed the term from someone else) Star Trek and Spock serve as forms of cultural hieroglyphs, recognizable symbols of a great possible world developed from an unshakeable faith in modernity and progress.
I think we morn in part because we will miss our hieroglyph. While there have been a number of unamibigously pro-science/modernity movies lately, Spock stood out for generations. He stood for progress and goodness. He managed to be absolutely moral and absolutely logical. And I think it is the blow to those ideas we mourn as much as the man.
ArkyBeagle · 11 years ago
I do not expect I heard the word "logic" before I heard it on Star Trek. I still don't know what they meant by it (never explain, never explain... ) , but I caught something there.
If you are nerd enough :), you will have caught all you could of the interviews with Gene Roddenberry. Gene was caught genuinely by surprise that Spock was such a hit. If you look at how Nimoy played Spock in "The Menagerie", where they (rather crassly ) reuse footage from the rejected pilot, the evolution of the character is startling.
Leonard Nimoy simply hit that part and the creation of that character out of the park.
One of the things that Frank Zappa used to use to talk about the space-between-the notes in art was "put the eyebrows on it". Isn't that a Spock reference? Were there eyebrows in theater or film before Nimoy?
m3rc · 11 years ago
Can we maybe find a Genesis planet real quick? I'm not ready for him to be dead :(
dan-silver · 11 years ago
RIP Spock.
Here's a fun video of him in a commercial with the "new" spock. Always love to stay positive when someone passes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UengULt6t7Q
DEinspanjer · 11 years ago
If this was Reddit, you would have all my gold. I remember this video and it was as awesome as I remember. Thanks for the link.
jordz · 11 years ago
Agreed.
abjorn · 11 years ago
:'(
sadtrekkie · 11 years ago
KHANNNNNNN!!!!! In all seriousness though, I wish his family the best.
facorreia · 11 years ago
He made an emotionless character quite likable. May he rest in peace.
aswanson · 11 years ago
Iconic figure...if only humans could be as logical. Rest in peace.
Springtime · 11 years ago
His last tweet was touching:
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had,
but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
ayanna · 11 years ago
I found this one more powerful.
Don't smoke. I did. Wish I never had. LLAP
wtbob · 11 years ago
Meh, he lived to be 83, which is really quite old. How much pleasure did he derive from smoking?
dragonwriter · 11 years ago
> Meh, he lived to be 83, which is really quite old. How much pleasure did he derive from smoking?
Clearly, not enough that, looking back, he thought it was worthwhile. And the cost isn't just years, its quality of life impacts of smoking-related illness (in his case, COPD.)
to3m · 11 years ago
Well, certainly, you could live to a ripe old age despite your smoking habit, just like my maternal grandfather (gave up aged 70 - in his pomp, smoked 80 per day). Or my paternal grandmother (gave up around 70). But then again, her husband, my dad's father, also a smoker, died in his late sixties. And I've never heard of anybody who was a former long-term smoker - and that includes my grandparents, who weren't always in the best of health! - that didn't suffer from related complications in later life.
15 years later, I'm still not yet old enough for my chickens to have come home to roost, nor those of my school friends. But looking at my parents, and their parents too, it's very obvious that those who never smoked are in much better shape.
Moral of the story? That's easy - don't smoke. Like... duh.
But - if you really insist, at least smoke only the doobie doo, and without any tobacco mixer. Because at least that gets you high. And then, when you're old, and your lungs are fucked anyway, you can at least say that when you were young... nobody knew for sure.
DonHopkins · 11 years ago
It's easy to spot a smoker, because it also has a terrible effect on the skin -- even before it strikes you down dead of cancer, heart and lung disease, and chronic halitosis.
It's so nice to see that all the money and propaganda that was going into covering scientifically proven facts like that up is now going into global warming denial instead. We've come a long was, baby!
http://dermnetnz.org/reactions/smoking.html
Beyond its known links to cancer, lung and heart disease, smoking is now thought to be associated with premature skin ageing and delayed wound healing, as well as a number of skin disorders, particularly psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa and cutaneous lupus erythematosus.
Smoking can accelerate the skin ageing process in the skin. Ageing of the skin means that it droops, develops wrinkles and lines and can become dry and coarse with uneven skin colouring and broken blood vessels (telangiectasia). Smokers can appear gaunt and develop an orange or grey complexion.
Since the 1970's studies have shown that smoking results in more premature facial wrinkling than sun exposure. Lines around the eyes called “crow's feet” can develop at an earlier age. Multiple vertical lines around the mouth also occur and are called “smoker's lines”. These effects continue into old age. By the age of 70 years, smoking 30 cigarettes a day could lead to the equivalent of an extra 14 years of skin ageing.
http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/ss/slideshow-ways-smo...
Maybe there is no fountain of youth, but there is a surefire way to make yourself look older. Smoking changes the skin, teeth, and hair in ways that can add years to your looks. It also affects everything from your fertility to the strength of your heart, lungs, and bones. Take a look at these side-by-side photos. Can you pick out the smoker? Check your pick and get a closer look on the next slide.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19675554
Molecular basis of tobacco smoke-induced premature skin aging.
Although it is now widely recognized that tobacco smoke has negative effects on the skin, the molecular mechanisms underlying its skin-aging effects remain uncertain.
pimlottc · 11 years ago
LLAP = "Live long and prosper" (for those who aren't used to seeing it abbreviated)
therealdrag0 · 11 years ago
Thanks. My brain saw the 'L' and thought "Leonard" then it got confused and ushered my eyes along to other words.
wiremine · 11 years ago
"Change is the essential process of all existence."
jgrahamc · 11 years ago
I've not followed Nimoy's career post the end of Star Trek. If I wanted to start now to understand it what highlights should I look for?
billybofh · 11 years ago
I really liked him in the 1978 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077745/
GuiA · 11 years ago
His books are probably a good way to start.
Pxtl · 11 years ago
Fringe. He doesn't appear until well into the show, but he definitely steals the spotlight.
tjr · 11 years ago
e15ctr0n · 11 years ago
Nimoy made a splendid adversary to LAPD detective Columbo in the 1973 episode 'A Stitch In Time'[1]. I'm surprised that the New York Times article doesn't mention it at all because it is one of the best Columbo episodes, with a couldn't-see-it-coming twist in the end.
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069900/
Incidentally, William Shatner played the villain in 2 episodes of Colombo: 'Fade in to Murder' (1976) [2] and 'Butterfly in Shades of Grey' (1994) [3].
[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074328/
[3] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109458/
Apple fanbois will be interested to learn that Columbo loved to use the innocent-sounding phrase "Just one more thing ...." while faking an exit.
r00fus · 11 years ago
I was amazed to recently have found out that he played the voice of Galvatron in the original Transformers movie (which was amazingly not-sucky compared to the series).
He has a long list of roles as a voice actor.
selimthegrim · 11 years ago
I feel like he voiced an audiobook of LOTR or The Hobbit at some point?
selimthegrim · 11 years ago
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xbi7_leonard-nimoy-sings-...
frabcus · 11 years ago
Just watched Fringe for the first time, which was the last thing Nimoy was in before retiring. Some great scenes with him, lots of gravitas.
ceejayoz · 11 years ago
He had a brief cameo in the most recent Star Trek as his last appearance, I think.
easytiger · 11 years ago
It was a bit more than a cameo
ceejayoz · 11 years ago
Are you thinking of the right new Star Trek? Into Darkness put him on the Enterprise's viewscreen briefly for a very short chat with new Spock.
bentcorner · 11 years ago
(spoiler alert)
The first one he had a fair bit of screen time. IIRC, in Into Darkness, the new crew contacted Nimoy to ask him about Khan and how to defeat him. I think that was the only time he was on screen.
pmelendez · 11 years ago
This. I really loved his performance playing that character.
chris_wot · 11 years ago
I agree - Fringe was amazing.
teh_klev · 11 years ago
Sadly massively under utilised in Fringe, I hoped to see a lot more of him. But then maybe health issues and plain old age didn't allow this.
Not since John Peel's passing have I felt quite so sad about a "famous" person leaving this mortal coil.
walshemj · 11 years ago
Part of me wants Anna Torve to do a reading at his funeral
jonnynezbo · 11 years ago
From the Leonard Nimoy Wikipedia page:
On Twitter, he said: 'I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon
enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP (Live Long and Prosper)'goalieca · 11 years ago
He lives on in kirk.
FrankenPC · 11 years ago
My father of 77 years passed away last Sunday. My sister and I often called him Spock because he was a physicist and he looked like Spock. RIP my dad. RIP Leonard Nimoy. They both were the best Spocks.
jackreichert · 11 years ago
I am so sorry for your loss.
jnbiche · 11 years ago
Sorry you lost your father: my condolences.
geekam · 11 years ago
I am very sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family.
jonah · 11 years ago
My condolences. Sounds like he was a good one and your memories and his lessons will continue on.
JeffDavidson · 11 years ago
RIP
davidw · 11 years ago
Surprisingly sad about this.
viewer5 · 11 years ago
Yeah, I'm sitting in my cube at work trying to choke back tears, and the best I'm accomplishing is keeping them silent. This hit me a lot harder than I expected it to.
cafard · 11 years ago
If you are sufficiently old, you remember from "Mission: Impossible" also.
ArkyBeagle · 11 years ago
Yes. He was the new Rollin Hand.
If you are not familiar with the series, it's worth exploring. It was deeply flawed* show, but the basic premise is amazing and they executed on it brilliantly.
*continuity problems, props that were laughable, a severe and unyielding formula, long stretches of no dialogue at all.
The Mentalist at its best got close to it. I can't think of anything else that did.
LaSombra · 11 years ago
RIP
biomimic · 11 years ago
Time slows down today.
stox · 11 years ago
"We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted, 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 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."
-Captain James T. Kirk
karmacondon · 11 years ago
I will be listening to "Amazing Grace" played on the bag pipes today, along with many others I'm sure.
danielweber · 11 years ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/reply?id=9120165&goto=item%3Fid...
:(
aaronem · 11 years ago
DonHopkins · 11 years ago
Fair well, Spock; I have been, and always shall be, your friend.
Star Trek: The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise - Saturday Night Live
DennisP · 11 years ago
I saw him speak a couple times at DragonCon, and became a fan of Nimoy the person even more than Nimoy the actor. He was a very compassionate and intelligent human being.
pspeter3 · 11 years ago
I feel like this is appropriate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhcR-w-56tA
outworlder · 11 years ago
Can we get a black bar?
kefka · 11 years ago
I second this. Please, the black bar, pg?
TeMPOraL · 11 years ago
I agree. Spock was a part of experience that formed many of us on the deepest level and brought us to technology in the first place.
anigbrowl · 11 years ago
Thirded. I think he was a role model for a great many HNers.
jgeorge · 11 years ago
Black bar, please.
jstanek · 11 years ago
Fourthed. He was a great inspiration to me.
ybrs · 11 years ago
Fifth
jameshk · 11 years ago
I also second this.
fixermark · 11 years ago
Among the many influences that put me where I am today, the lesson a much younger me, sitting by his father's side, took from Star Trek was that properly-applied logic could solve anything; that the Universe in its vast, seeming randomness, was at its core quite comprehensible. It's not a complete philosophy of life, but it's also not a bad place to start.
Whether or not he did so on purpose, he taught a lot of lessons to a lot of kids who now have their hands on the various controls of the spaceship we share. Thank you Mr. Nimoy.
todayiamme · 11 years ago
He was and always will be a vestige of my childhood.
Star Trek was one of the reasons why I became passionate about science and tech. Its humanism deeply shaped the beliefs I eventually formed. The notion of kindness and fairness intermingled with the belief that through technology we could achieve a better world for all. But that took a while to percolate. His depiction of Spock was what kept me watching in the first place.
sithu · 11 years ago
My thoughts exactly. Star Trek, and Spock form an indelible part of my childhood that's shaped my early personality more than I probably realize. Truly a sad day. Rest in peace, friend.
TeMPOraL · 11 years ago
> Its humanism deeply shaped the beliefs I eventually formed. The notion of kindness and fairness intermingled with the belief that through technology we could achieve a better world for all.
Same for me. Star Trek is the very reason for me being who I am, a technologist believing in the better angels of our nature. And in the days when future looks dark, or when I feel lost, I sometimes rewatch a few episodes to regain both my hope and remind myself of the values I cherish.
Farewell, Spock.
crag · 11 years ago
Same here. I remember, my grandfather and I building my first computer, a Heathkit (I'm going back to the 70's). Because Spock inspired be to, want to be Spock.
He (and Scottie) had a huge influence on me. And to this day, I still watch ST when I'm feeling blue.
Farewell, Mr. Spock. And thank you.
sanoli · 11 years ago
I watched one of the movies in the 80's, and I remember my dad liked the series, but I grew up in another country and never got to watch it. I've always had the desire to. Do you have any tips on which version/generation of the series it would be best to begin with?
at-fates-hands · 11 years ago
Amazing man in so many other areas than just his Star Trek stuff.
The one thing I will always miss will be his voice, it was so distinctive. No matter when you heard it, you knew right away it was him.
soylentcola · 11 years ago
Yeah, I remember as a kid, the song "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" by Information Society was on the radio a lot. The second I heard that sample of him saying "pure energy" I was like "Mom! Is that Spock?!"
at-fates-hands · 11 years ago
Mt first recollection of his voice was on the "In Search Of" series when I was a little boy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKCCrZHlbY
That theme song was always one of my favorites too.
emeraldd · 11 years ago
The Lazy Song - Alternate Official Video
franzpeterstein · 11 years ago
"Live long and prosper."
acomjean · 11 years ago
Great actor, great photographer, great human. He recently did a documentary about growing up in Boston and how he got involved in acting. Selling newspapers and Vacuums (Bait and switch he described it as). How he lost his Boston accent. Really down to earth.
If you've been to the Boston Museum of Science IMAX theater, you hear forever hear his voice say:
"who put the bump in the bump... shabump"
ajslater · 11 years ago
Minor correction, that was the sound check for The Mugar Omni Theatre. On which they did project many distorted IMAX movies because Omni never really made it as a popular format.
sswaner · 11 years ago
Black Bar please, it would be a great show of respect to the calm, stoic logician that many of the people who read HN can either respect and/or would cite as an inspiration for our chosen career paths.
Igglyboo · 11 years ago
What do you mean by black bar? Never heard that phrase.
NickPollard · 11 years ago
At many previous times, on days when important, influential or otherwise respected persons have died, the site turns the header bar (normally orange) black, as a mark of respect.
DanBC · 11 years ago
Many? About three times, I think.
raheemm · 11 years ago
I remember the black bar for Dennis Richie and Steve Jobs only. It would be fitting for Leonard Nemoy too.
wtbob · 11 years ago
I dunno, I think Richie was appropriate, and maybe Jobs, simply because, like him or not he was a great notable. But an actor? That just doesn't seem right. The black bar should recognise significance in computing, I think.
No offense to Nimoy of course; the guy was an iconic actor and personality. But, as Spock would note, his passing is irrelevant to computing.
danellis · 11 years ago
Why does that matter? Many of the posts here are irrelevant to computing. It's not like that's the exclusive topic of this site.
noblethrasher · 11 years ago
John McCarthy and Doug Englebart got a black bars as well.
tomjen3 · 11 years ago
Aaron Swartz got one as well.
estel · 11 years ago
On the passing of some individuals important to the community, HN occasionally adds a black bar to the top of the page as a sign of respect.
pyre · 11 years ago
Sometimes HN does a black bar for deaths that hit close to the community (e.g. when Dennis Richie died).
Luc · 11 years ago
Apparently he was quite a powerful actor, because I bet you didn't become an artist like him...
After downvotes, I feel compelled to add: nor a logician!
sswaner · 11 years ago
Actually, I studied philosophy in college, with a focus on logic. But it is hard to find work as a philosopher, so I took that logic training and now apply it to computer systems. So, back to my original point - Spock the character and Nimoy the man were inspirational in my choice of career paths.
staunch · 11 years ago
It's very possible I wouldn't be a programmer if not for Spock.
DonHopkins · 11 years ago
I would totally code in a programming language called Spock!
msie · 11 years ago
I don't see a black bar yet. Pity. There are not enough science/engineering roles/role-models on TV. His was one of the most famous and revered.
mdisraeli · 11 years ago
Leonard Nimoy gave many of us a role model to look up to, and his work inspired many future works of fiction that inspired even more.
How many of us were called "Spock" by bullies, but actually found comfort in knowing that Spock was six shades of badass?
JonnieCache · 11 years ago
Here he is, reading Desiderata:
DanielBMarkham · 11 years ago
I will miss his distinctive voice, acting, writing, photographic, and directing skills.
In Star Trek, even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was first introduced to the idea that you could break apart decision-making into three pieces: the emotional (McCoy), the logical (Spock), and the noble (Kirk). This idea, and the way these actors portrayed these concepts in a hokey, corny "Wagon Train To The Stars" changed the way I looked at life. I owe them all, along with the writers, a debt of gratitude.
For those looking for an off-the-beaten-path way to remember Nimoy (and Spock) this weekend, I suggest watching "Mind Meld". It's just Nimoy and Shatner sitting around shooting the breeze. It makes for a good way to remember both the person and the role he played.
So long Nimoy, and Spock. You two didn't get along at times but it's been fun as hell watching you work together.
dankohn1 · 11 years ago
I was fortunate enough 15 years ago to sit next to Leonard Nimoy on a 2 hour flight from Seattle to SFO. Giving no indication that I recognized him, I began a conversation. We chatted for about an hour about current theater on the West End in London, where I had been living and where he traveled every Christmas with his wife to see the shows.
As we were standing in the aisle at the end of the flight, I raised my hand in the Vulcan salute and said "Live long and prosper". No, actually I didn't, but I thought about doing so! In fact, I never told him that I recognized him, and I suspect he was happy to have a regular conversation as if he hadn't played one of the most important fictional characters in many people's lives.
But he did, and his portrayal of Spock was profoundly impactful to me, and I am now introducing the character to my young sons as well.
mokus · 11 years ago
> But he did, and his portrayal of Spock was profoundly impactful to me, and I am now introducing the character to my young sons as well.
I don't know why, but it deeply saddens me to know that my children will only ever know him as a historical figure. I'm young enough that I've never known a world without Spock, and while I know Spock hasn't gone anywhere it's surprisingly hard to adjust to the idea of a world without Nimoy. He's always seemed, to me, such an amazing combination of larger-than-life and down-to-earth.
eevilspock · 11 years ago
You gave him a precious, totally selfless gift. Thank you.
fapjacks · 11 years ago
Man, this is so rough. I've lost friends and family before, but this is a different kind of loss. RIP Leonard Nimoy.
mahamedamiin2 · 11 years ago
Nic i like
anantzoid · 11 years ago
RIP :(
snorkel · 11 years ago
The original phaser toting Chief Science Officer
ArkyBeagle · 11 years ago
My personal favorite Nimoy moment:
"Hello. I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounters is true. And by true, I mean false. It's all lies. But they're entertaining lies. And in the end, isn't that the real truth? The answer is: No." - "The Springfield Files", S8E10 , Simpsons.
mhartl · 11 years ago
I loved that one, too. Here's the clip on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6lTSPXDOAI
colechristensen · 11 years ago
Let's not forget this gem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU
Watching it for the first time made me immeasurably happy
mjklin · 11 years ago
I enjoyed his three autobiographies: "I Am Spock" followed by "I Am Not Spock" and finally "I Am Also Scotty"
staunch · 11 years ago
My father had a VHS collection of Star Trek that he had recorded off TV. I watched them over and over non-stop for years, every episode dozens of times. I still watch some Star Trek series nearly every day. As an incredibly introverted and nerdy kid, Spock gave me hope for the world and solace that things could be better.
One lucky day, when I was a teenager, Leonard Nimoy came over to my house. A mutual friend thought he would like to meet my father, a local artist, to have lunch and chat. I watched quietly as they talked and looked at art for hours.
Spending the day around him, and the few minutes I spent alone with him just chatting about nothing, was one of the highlights of my childhood.
I kept calm, but he knew I wasn't joking around when I asked him to sign the fine pencil drawing of myself as Kirk standing next to him as Spock, which I had received as a gift years prior.
I'm happy for him that he got 83 years and used them incredibly well. Choked up though.
ebertx · 11 years ago
In loving memory of Leonard Nimoy's wackier side:
smhenderson · 11 years ago
It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before. A far better resting place that I go to, than I have ever known.
RIP Leonard Nimoy, Long Live Spock...
canvia · 11 years ago
RIP
He made some solid music back in the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tpe1HEMVSM
leanthonyrn · 11 years ago
When I was a kid I only knew of him as Mr Spock. Imagine my surprise when I saw him as Emil Vautrain in the Mission: Impossible TV series. I could not understand how he could be a vulcan science officer and a human secret agent, at the same time. He will be missed.
bitwize · 11 years ago
He lived long and prospered. Which is as much as any of us can ask for.
the-kenny · 11 years ago
🖖
arjn · 11 years ago
I havent watched an episode of Star Trek in ages but his passing makes me profoundly sad.
Fond childhood memories of waiting for the weekend for the next episode of ST. Then going to school on monday and pretending to be Mr. Spock, calling everything "logical" or not , or "fascinating".
Live Long and Prosper Mr Spock.
macrael · 11 years ago
I've been watching a bunch of the Star Trek movies lately, for the first time. My favorite was IV: The Voyage Home, written and directed by Nimoy. It stands out to me amongst epic Sci-fi movies as being dramatic and complex and wholly without villains. The Spock-Kirk dynamic is my favorite part of Star Trek.
ajays · 11 years ago
I grew up in India, and TV was very new to where we lived. But they used to put on Star Trek (TOS) on Saturday mornings, and I religiously watched the show. I soon gravitated to Spock, and consciously modeled my thinking after him: trying to be extremely rational, not showing emotion, etc. My friends even started calling me Spock. :-)
He touched so many lives...
narrator · 11 years ago
Reddit /r/all shows the top 5 posts being spock is dead in 5 different subreddits. There has truly been a disturbance in the geek force /ducks .
mkramlich · 11 years ago
Spock has always been an idol of mine in my sort of personal pantheon of ficional characters. Especially in childhood the line blurs between fiction, myth and reality. And that can be a powerful thing in healthy ways. Especially when helping serve as a role model. "What would Spock do?" and so on. Wanting to have people like Spock in one's life. etc
Spock was also a huge influence on me as a writer. I have a sci-fi adventure series, The Dread Space Pirate Richard, a bit like a modern faerie tale for adults. The main character is strongly influenced by Kirk. And there's a bounty hunter who starts off an enemy of Richard/Kirk, but eventually becomes an ally and, by the very end, his best friend. His name is Vega Venturion. The V is for Vulcan. And his personality is modelled after Spock in many ways, esp the Kirk-Spock dynamic. I have another character who will serve as McCoy, to complete that trinity pattern evident in the original Star Trek series. Also Vega is the very first and very last character "on stage" in my series arc -- the final pages of the last book are already written. The only two people who've read the preview draft of this last Vega/Spock scene have told me it made them cry like a baby.
At some level Spock will live forever. Vega Venturion lets me cheat and create new adventures for him, for as long as I want and can keep it going.
RIP Spock and Mr. Nimoy. You will be missed. You've inspired and effected millions for the better.
bcn · 11 years ago
Recommend this 30 min. documentary about about Nimoy growing up in Boston. https://vimeo.com/90940421
tacon · 11 years ago
I was in high school when Star Trek was first on the air. In a typical geeky, asocial, teenage way, I told my Mom I wanted to be like Spock. Thank goodness I outgrew that phase.
Forty-five years later, he came to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and I attended a lecture on his extensive photographic work of nude, corpulent women. It blew my mind to see the massive sweep of his artistic and intellectual range. He was so much more than Spock, the character. The world tries to pigeon hole us in something that catches the popular fancy, and Leonard Nimoy very deliberately never let that keep him from his artistic pursuits.
amyjess · 11 years ago
Man....
I heard he was hospitalized a day or two ago, but I just assumed he would make it. He was always one of those people who just came off as... immortal, I guess.
I mean, I know intellectually that everybody dies, but emotionally I didn't even think it was a possibility that he wouldn't make it.
I'll miss him :(
bootload · 11 years ago
'Life and death are seldom logical. — Spock to McCoy, Stardate 2821.7'
I used that quote for my domain name. LLAP.
Arnor · 11 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU
LLAP
Shivetya · 11 years ago
Great picture with both Shatner and Nimoy from the old days, https://imgur.com/gallery/1JGQk78
NAFV_P · 11 years ago
Anyone remember this? ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot_(1995_The_Outer_Limits...
mdisraeli · 11 years ago
Glad it wasn't just me!
hackbinary · 11 years ago
I'm pretty dissapointed with the news coverage of Nimoys death. He died of "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)." This is what the media reported, but it means almost nothing to me, and probably to most people. It turns out this condition is generally, but not always, caused by smoking, or have been a smoker.
Not one of the stories I have seen so far gives even a brief description of COPD.
We spend many billions on fighting terrorism, and on fighting 'crime', but most of will die of cancer, lung, or heart deceases.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-d...
colechristensen · 11 years ago
I'm pretty happy that they talked about the man instead of turning his death into an anti-smoking commercial.
jgord · 11 years ago
black HN header band would be appropriate.
FesterCluck · 11 years ago
Rom-halan ne ki'ne.
msie · 11 years ago
No black bar, I guess PG is a Star Wars fan.
remarkEon · 11 years ago
I've been a Star Trek fan my entire life, since my dad first exposed me to TOS when I was maybe 5 or 6. When I was growing up I was the kid who dressed as Star Trek characters for middle school Halloween parties when everyone else was seemingly obsessed with Star Wars. I never understood it. I attribute that to one character: Spock. With his unshakable discipline and faith (ha!) in logic as the method to explore our problems ("Fascinating!"), I identified with him more than any other character - because he didn't fear the unknown. As the series and universe progressed, and Data in TNG seemed to fill that void I couldn't help but notice the subtle commentary. Spock, half human, seemed to desperately try to repress his humanity - and therein show us why being human is all the more important - Data, literally a machine, a pure logic system, sought to become more human. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Maybe it's just a commentary on the cultural zeitgeist of the times of the two series, but for me it's simply to not fear the future or what's out there, even if there are bumps along the way. Spock is a deep, and lasting character that I'm sure will remain influential. House of Cards can wait, tonight. Plotting a course for Regula 1.
cmdrfred · 11 years ago
What a great actor, I've always been a logical person and his portrayal as spock was a early role model for me.
effdee · 11 years ago
🖖
ianamartin · 11 years ago
Heh. Almost 1500 points, lots of requests for black bar, and nothing.
I knew there was a reason I don't care for HN that much.
Jean-Philipe · 11 years ago
:( a black bar would have been fine...