Spock

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Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek
Star Trek media franchise. Spock was first portrayed by Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek
Star Trek series, and also appears in the animated Star Trek
Star Trek series, a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, eight of the Star Trek
Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek
Star Trek novels, comics, and video games.[1][2] In addition, numerous actors portrayed the various stages of Spock's rapid growth, due to the effects of the Genesis Planet, in the 1984 Star Trek
Star Trek film Star Trek
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. In the 2009 film Star Trek, Nimoy reprised his role with Zachary Quinto, who depicted a younger version of the character, existing within an alternate timeline. Both reprised their roles in the 2013 sequel Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness and Quinto reprised his role again in 2016's Star Trek Beyond.[2] Spock
Spock serves aboard the starship Enterprise, as science officer and first officer, and later as commanding officer of two iterations of the vessel. Spock's mixed human-Vulcan heritage serves as an important plot element in many of the character's appearances. Along with Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, he is one of the three central characters in the original Star Trek
Star Trek series and its films. After retiring from Starfleet, Spock
Spock serves as a Federation ambassador, contributing toward the easing of the strained relationship between the Federation and the Klingon
Klingon Empire. In his later years, he serves as Federation Ambassador-at-Large to the Romulan
Romulan Star Empire and becomes involved in the ill-fated attempt to save Romulus from a supernova,[3] leading him to live out the rest of his life in the parallel timeline introduced in Star Trek
Star Trek (2009).

Contents

1 Appearances

1.1 Background 1.2 "The Cage" and the first season 1.3 Season two and three 1.4 The Motion Picture and the film series 1.5 Star Trek: The Next Generation 1.6 Reboot films

1.6.1 Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 1.6.2 Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond (2016)

2 Development

2.1 The Original Series 2.2 Phase II and the film franchise

3 Reception

3.1 Reaction to Spock's death 3.2 Star Trek
Star Trek (2009)

4 Cultural impact

4.1 Fan productions 4.2 "Spocking" Canadian $5 notes

5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

Appearances[edit] Background[edit] Spock's backstory has been explained during the course of several episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, the 2009 film Star Trek and the episode "Yesteryear" of Star Trek: The Animated Series. Born to the Vulcan Sarek
Sarek and the human Amanda Grayson, Spock
Spock has a troubled childhood due to his mixed heritage. On his homeworld, he was repeatedly bullied and tormented by full-blooded Vulcan children, who wished to incite the emotions of his human nature.[4][5] For a time, he grew up alongside his older half-brother Sybok, until the older brother was cast out for rejecting logic.[6] In the episode "Amok Time", it is revealed that Spock
Spock became betrothed to T'Pring (Arlene Martel) during his childhood.[7] Sarek
Sarek supported Spock's scientific learning and supporting his application to the Vulcan Science Academy, as mentioned in "Journey to Babel".[8] In the 2009 film Star Trek, Spock
Spock is seen rejecting his acceptance into the Vulcan Science Academy on the basis that they would never fully accept someone who was only half-Vulcan. Although this film set up the Kelvin timeline seen in this and later films, writer Roberto Orci
Roberto Orci stated that he felt that the actions were unaffected by the changes in this timeline and so would have occurred in the same manner prior to The Original Series.[4][5] Because Spock did not enter the VSA, and sought to join Starfleet
Starfleet instead, he did not speak to his father for the following 18 years.[8] "The Cage" and the first season[edit]

Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy, as seen in the pilots of Star Trek

Spock
Spock appeared as the science officer on the USS Enterprise in the first pilot for the series, "The Cage". This was not shown on television at the time, but the events of the episode were shown in the two-part episode "The Menagerie" of the first season, and Spock's previous 11 years of service on the Enterprise were described.[9] Spock
Spock was one of the members of the away team who joined Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) on a mission to Talos IV in order to investigate a distress call.[10] Spock
Spock did appear in the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before", but this was broadcast initially as the third episode.[11] During the events of that pilot, Spock
Spock became concerned at the risk to the ship posed by Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood) and suggested possible solutions to Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk (William Shatner).[12] The earliest appearance of Spock
Spock in the series as broadcast was "The Man Trap", the first such episode.[13] When he needs to knock out an evil version of Kirk in "The Enemy Within", he uses a Vulcan nerve pinch. Together with Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan) work together to rejoin the good and evil versions of the Captain, which had been split following a transporter accident.[14] During "Miri", he finds himself to be the only member of the landing party to be immune to the physical effects of the disease affecting human adults on the planet. However, he realises that he is probably a carrier and could infect the Enterprise if he were to return. Doctor Leonard McCoy
Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) manages to devise a cure, allowing the team to return to the ship.[15] When Simon van Gelder enters the bridge armed with a phaser in "Dagger of the Mind", Spock
Spock subdues him with a nerve pinch. He later conducts a mind meld with van Gelder as part of the investigation into the activities of the nearby colony. After the power to the colony is shut down, and a protective force field drops, Spock
Spock leads an away team to rescue Kirk.[16] Spock
Spock is reunited with Christopher Pike (Sean Kenney) in "The Menagerie". Pike had been promoted to Fleet Captain but suffered an accident, resulting in severe burns and confining him to a wheelchair and restricting his communication to yes/no answers via a device connected to his brainwaves. Spock
Spock commits mutiny and directs the ship to travel to Talos IV, a banned planet. He recounts the events of "The Cage" under a tribunal to Kirk, Pike and Commodore Jose I. Mendez (Malachi Throne). As the Enterprise arrives at the planet, Mendez is revealed to be a Talosian illusion. At the same time, the real Mendez communicates from Starfleet, giving permission for Pike to be transported to the planet, and all charges against Spock
Spock are dropped.[9]

Spock
Spock with his parents, Sarek
Sarek and Amanda

While the Enterprise is under threat in "Balance of Terror", Spock
Spock is accused by Lieutenant Stiles (Paul Comi) of knowing more about the Romulans
Romulans than he admits when the alien's similar physical appearance is revealed. Spock
Spock hypothesises that they are an offshoot of the Vulcan race. He saves the Enterprise, manning the phaser station and saves the life of Stiles in the process.[17] Spock
Spock leads a landing party on the shuttlecraft Galileo in "The Galileo Seven", which is damaged and pulled off course and lands on the planet Taurus II. Lieutenant Boma (Don Marshall) criticises Spock's fascination with the weaponry of the natives after the death of Lieutenant Latimer (Rees Vaughn) at their hands. After Scotty uses the power packs of the party's phasers to supply enough energy to get the damaged shuttle back into orbit, Spock
Spock decides to dump and ignite the remaining fuel to attract the attention of the Enterprise. The procedure is successful and the crew on the shuttle are rescued.[18] Spock
Spock is reunited with Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland) in "This Side of Paradise"; after joining an away team to the planet Omicron Ceti III. After being affected by planet spores, Spock
Spock begins showing emotion and re-initiates his romantic liaison with Kalomi. The impact of the spores on him is cured after Kirk goads him into anger, and once freed of the effects, Spock
Spock is able to initiate a solution which cures the rest of the crew.[19] Spock
Spock attempts to mind meld with a non-humanoid Horta in "The Devil in the Dark", having initially suggested that Kirk should kill the creature. Following a second mind meld, Spock
Spock relays the history of the Horta and is able to create peace between the aliens and a nearby colony.[20] Both Spock
Spock and Kirk undertake guerrilla warfare against the occupying Klingon
Klingon forces on the planet Organia, prior to the establishment of the Organian Peace Treaty in "Errand of Mercy".[21] To restore the timeline, he travels with Kirk back to 1930's New York City in "The City on the Edge of Forever". He uses technology of that period to interface with his tricorder over the course of the weeks they spend in the period before witnessing Edith Keeler's (Joan Collins) death.[22] Season two and three[edit] In the premiere episode of the second season, "Amok Time", Spock begins to undergo pon farr, the Vulcan blood fever, and must undergo a ritual mating in the next eight days or die. Kirk disobeys Starfleet orders and takes the Enterprise to the planet Vulcan so that Spock
Spock can undergo the mating ritual. When they arrive, he is reunited with T'Pring (Arlene Martel). She rather wishes to be with Stonn (Lawrence Montaigne), a full-blooded Vulcan. She demands the ritual kal-if-fee fight instead, and selects Kirk as her champion, who unknowingly agrees to a fight to the death with Spock. McCoy persuades T'Pau (Celia Lovsky) to let him inject Kirk with something to alleviate the issues with Vulcan's thinner atmosphere and make the fight fair. The fight begins, and Spock
Spock gains the upper hand, garroting Kirk and killing him. McCoy orders an emergency transport directly to sickbay, while Spock
Spock is told by T'Pring that it was all a game of logic which would let her be with Stonn no matter the outcome. No longer feeling the effects of the pon farr, Spock
Spock returns to the Enterprise where he discovers that McCoy had injected Kirk with a paralyzing agent which merely simulated death and that the Captain was still alive.[7] During the course of the encounter with the Nomad space probe in "The Changeling", Spock
Spock undertakes a mind meld with the machine. Kirk stops the meld when he realises that Spock's personally starts to be changed by the contact.[23] Following a transporter accident which transports Kirk, McCoy, Uhura
Uhura and Scotty to a Mirror Universe
Mirror Universe and swaps them with their counterparts in the episode "Mirror, Mirror", they encounter a different version of Spock. Sporting a beard, he grows suspicious of the activities of the suddenly changed personnel and under Starfleet orders, attempts to kill Kirk. Mirror- Spock
Spock is knocked unconscious, and is treated by McCoy while the others head to the transporter to attempt to return to their universe. Spock
Spock awakes and mind melds with McCoy to discover why Kirk did not have him killed. Discovering what took place, he agrees to help them return and as he mans the transporter controls, Kirk implores him to take control and save not only the ship but his Terran Empire from implosion at the hands of tyrants. The switch is once again successful, and the crew members return to their relevant universes.[24] The Motion Picture and the film series[edit] At the beginning of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Spock
Spock is no longer in Starfleet, having resigned and returned home to pursue the Vulcan discipline of Kolinahr. Spock
Spock is unable to complete the Kolinahr
Kolinahr ritual after he senses the coming of V'ger, and rejoins Starfleet
Starfleet to aid the Enterprise crew in their mission.[1] Spock, promoted to captain, is commanding officer of the Enterprise at the beginning of Star Trek
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).[1] At the film's end, he transfers his "katra" – the sum of his memories and experience – to McCoy, and then sacrifices himself to save the ship and its crew from Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán).[1] The sequel, Star Trek
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Spock (1984), focuses on his crewmates' quest to recover Spock's body, learning upon arrival that he has been resurrected by the Genesis matrix after landing on the planet at the end of the previous film. At the film's conclusion, Spock's revived body is reunited with his katra.[1] Spock
Spock is next seen in Star Trek
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), which depicts his recovery from the after-effects of his resurrection. In the film's final scene, he joins the crew of the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-A under Kirk's command.[1] In Star Trek
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Spock and the Enterprise crew confront the renegade Sybok, Spock's half-brother.[1] Star Trek
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) reunites the Enterprise crew on a mission to prevent war from erupting between the Federation and Klingon
Klingon Empire. Spock
Spock serves as a special envoy to broker peace with the Klingons after a natural disaster devastates their homeworld. Star Trek: The Next Generation[edit] After a period in which the production team avoided mentioning some aspects of The Original Series,[25] Spock
Spock was mentioned by name in Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episode "Sarek" (1990).[26] Executive producer Michael Piller later described this one act as "the breakthrough which allowed us to open the doors, that allowed us to begin to embrace our past".[25] Spock
Spock appears in "Unification" (1991), a two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Set 75 years after the events of The Undiscovered Country, the episode focuses on Federation Ambassador Spock's attempt to reunite the Romulans
Romulans with their Vulcan brethren. Filming of The Undiscovered Country overlapped with production of this episode, and the episode references Spock's role in the film. Reboot films[edit] Main article: Star Trek
Star Trek (film)

Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto as Spock
Spock in the 2009 Star Trek
Star Trek film

Spock's next appearance in the live action Star Trek
Star Trek franchise is the 2009 Star Trek
Star Trek film. Nimoy was given approval rights over Spock's casting and supported Quinto's casting.[citation needed] In the film's flashback (set 19 years after the events of "Unification", and as depicted in the comic miniseries Star Trek: Countdown[3]), Ambassador Spock
Spock (Nimoy) promises the Romulans
Romulans he will use Vulcan technology to save them from a rogue supernova that threatens to destroy their Empire. He pilots an advanced starship equipped with red matter, a powerful substance able to create artificial black holes. The mission is only partially successful, and in the aftermath Spock
Spock is pursued into the past by Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan
Romulan driven mad by the loss of his homeworld and family, setting into motion the events of the film. In the film's opening act, Nero's ship emerges in the year 2233, and through its interaction with the inhabitants, inadvertently creates an "alternate, parallel 'Star Trek' universe".[27][28] Twenty-five years later in the new reality, Spock's ship emerges, and Nero captures him and the red matter. Stranded in the alternate past, the prime version of Spock
Spock helps the alternate, younger version of himself and Kirk ( Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine, respectively) thwart Nero's attempt to destroy the Federation. The film also features Jacob Kogan in several scenes depicting Spock's childhood, including his abuse at the hands of other Vulcan children due to his half- Human
Human heritage, and his relationship with his parents ( Ben Cross
Ben Cross and Winona Ryder). The film also depicts Kirk and Spock's initial clashes at Starfleet
Starfleet Academy, and the gradual development of their friendship based on shared mutual respect,[27] what the elder Spock
Spock calls "... a friendship that will define them both in ways they cannot yet realize."[29] A major change in characterization from the primary timeline is alternate Spock's involvement with alternate Uhura (Zoe Saldana), his former student. At the end of the film, the young Spock
Spock opts to remain in Starfleet
Starfleet while his older self stays in the altered universe to aid the few surviving Vulcan refugees, as Nero had destroyed Vulcan, Spock's home planet. Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)[edit] Main article: Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness In Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness, Spock
Spock Prime is described as living on 'New Vulcan' while the younger Spock
Spock remains aboard the Enterprise struggling with the loss of his homeworld, as well as his relationships with Uhura
Uhura and James T. Kirk. Spock
Spock nearly dies protecting a planet from an active volcano, but Kirk breaks the Prime Directive and saves him. Spock
Spock Prime is contacted by Spock
Spock on the Enterprise, to find out details on Khan. Spock
Spock Prime initially reminds his alternate self that he will not interfere with the events in the alternate timeline. That being said, he then informs Spock
Spock that Khan was a dangerous man, and the greatest threat that the Enterprise ever faced in his own timeline, and warns that he is likely as dangerous in Spock's alternate timeline as well. When asked whether Khan was defeated, Spock
Spock Prime answers that he eventually was defeated, but at great cost (referring to the events of Star Trek
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). When Kirk contracts radiation poisoning and dies in front of Spock
Spock (a transposed parallel of events in the prime timeline where Spock
Spock dies in front of Kirk), an enraged Spock
Spock attempts to kill Khan to avenge Kirk before Uhura
Uhura informs him that Khan's regenerative blood can revive Kirk. Nearly a year later, Spock
Spock remains as Kirk's chief science officer and executive officer as the Enterprise departs on its first five-year mission of deep-space exploration. Into Darkness would be Nimoy's final appearance as Spock
Spock Prime, as well as the last role of his career. He died in 2015, shortly before production began on Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond. Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond (2016)[edit] Main article: Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond In Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond, Spock
Spock receives word that Ambassador Spock
Spock (Spock Prime) has died. Impacted by this, Spock
Spock later tells McCoy that he intends to leave Starfleet
Starfleet to continue the ambassador's work on New Vulcan. At the end of the film, Spock
Spock receives a box containing some of Ambassador Spock's personal effects, and reflecting on a photograph of the older crew of the Enterprise from the series' original timeline (c. Star Trek
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)[citation needed] he chooses to remain in Starfleet. Development[edit] Main article: Development of Spock The Original Series[edit] The earliest known mention of Spock
Spock was in a conversation between Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry and actor Gary Lockwood, in which Lockwood suggested Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy for the role. The trio had previously worked together on Roddenberry's The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant in the episode "In the Highest Tradition".[30][31] Roddenberry agreed to the idea, but was required to audition other actors for the part.[30] At the time, Roddenberry sought DeForest Kelley
DeForest Kelley to play the doctor character in the pilot, "The Cage", but both NBC executives and director Robert Butler wanted him to play Spock. Roddenberry offered the part to both Kelley and Martin Landau, but they both turned him down.[32] When offered, Nimoy accepted the part but was apprehensive about the make-up which had not been determined at that point.[33]

Nimoy as Spock
Spock in 1967

The character evolved from having a metal plate in his stomach through which he ingested energy to being a half- Martian
Martian in the original 1964 pitch with a "slightly reddish complexion and semi-pointed ears".[34][35] Due to Roddenberry's concern that a Mars landing
Mars landing might take place before the end of the series, Spock's home planet was changed.[36] Lee Greenway conducted the initial makeup tests on Nimoy, but after four or five days, Fred Phillips was asked to take over. Phillips in turn asked John Chambers to create Spock's ears, as he was working on getting an appropriate shade of red for Spock's skin;[37] this idea was later abandoned in favor of a yellow hue because of the effects on black and white television.[37] Nimoy hated the ears, and Roddenberry promised him that if he was still unhappy by the 13th episode then they'd find a way to write them out.[38] The NBC executives were also concerned, as they felt it made the character satanic.[39] At Roddenberry's insistence, Spock
Spock was the only character retained for the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". However, NBC demanded that he was only a background character,[40] and when it went to series, the tips of Spock's ears were airbrushed out on promotional materials.[40] It was during early episodes such as "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "The Naked Time" that Nimoy came to understand the nature of the character.[41][42] After eight episodes, NBC executives complained to Roddenberry that there was not enough Spock
Spock in the series – "Spockmania" had begun.[43] In response, Spock
Spock was moved to a more prominent role within the series, such as taking the lead role in "This Side of Paradise" over Sulu.[44] The popularity of the character caused frictions with Shatner,[45] and rumours spread that he was going to be dropped from the show and replaced as the lead by Nimoy as Spock.[46] A drawn out contract renegotiation at the start of season two resulted in Roddenberry considering whether or not to replace Nimoy and the character.[47] Both Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard and Lawrence Montaigne were seriously considered.[48] The character continued to develop, with Nimoy creating the Vulcan salute during the filming of "Amok Time". This was based on a Jewish Kohen
Kohen he had seen as a child.[49] During the course of the season, a rift grew between Nimoy and Roddenberry and by the end of the year, they only spoke through formal letters.[50] After the departure of producer Gene L. Coon and the stepping back of Roddenberry during the third season, Nimoy found that the writing of Spock
Spock deteriorated. In particular, he did not like the character being made a fool of during the episode "Spock's Brain".[51] The interracial kiss between Kirk and Uhura
Uhura in "Plato's Stepchildren" had been intended by the writers to be between Spock
Spock and Uhura, but Shatner persuaded them to change it.[52] Phase II and the film franchise[edit]

Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto was cast as Spock
Spock for the 2009 Star Trek
Star Trek film.

Nimoy agreed to return to Spock
Spock during one of the early 1970s attempts to create a Star Trek
Star Trek film, entitled Star Trek: The God Thing, but dropped out after his likeness as Spock
Spock was used without permission to advertise Heineken
Heineken beer.[53] He was persuaded to return when production turned to the film Star Trek: Planet of the Titans as directed by Philip Kaufman.[54] However, this was dropped in favor of a new television series, Star Trek: Phase II. After being offered only a recurring part by Roddenberry, Nimoy refused to appear at all.[55] When the work moved on again, to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, director Robert Wise
Robert Wise persuaded Nimoy to return as the character.[56] During the course of the production, Nimoy presented traits of method acting and would not break character.[57] Nimoy returned for Star Trek
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan with the promise of a dramatic death scene.[58] Nimoy enjoyed the production of the film so much that he asked if the previously irrevocable death could be reversed.[59] Nimoy did not know how this was going to happen until he saw the film.[60] To facilitate his return in the following film, Paramount executives agreed that Nimoy could direct it and following the success, he was asked to direct once more for Star Trek
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.[61][62] The call for Spock
Spock to betray Kirk and side with his half-brother Sybok in Star Trek
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was changed at Nimoy's insistence, as he felt the character had already come to terms with his human-side and Sybok would have no influence on him.[63] Nimoy organised Star Trek
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, appointing the director, writers and producers.[64] To hand over to Star Trek: The Next Generation at the time of The Undiscovered Country, Nimoy agreed to appear as Spock
Spock in the episode "Unification".[65] Nimoy subsequently turned down the directing role on Star Trek
Star Trek Generations as the role for Spock
Spock was limited;[66] the character's lines were subsequently given to Chekov and Scotty.[67] When recasting the role for 2009's Star Trek, Nimoy was asked his opinion. He highlighted the work of Zachary Quinto, as he felt he looked similar and could sufficiently portray the inner thought process of the character.[60] Quinto became the first actor to be cast for the film,[68] and Nimoy agreed to return as the version of the character from the "Prime" universe.[69] Nimoy said that he returned because of the enthusiasm from director J.J. Abrams
J.J. Abrams and the writers, and because it made him feel appreciated.[68] Nimoy made a final appearance as Spock
Spock in Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness as a favor to Abrams. At the time, he did not rule out returning again,[70] but he died prior to the following film.[71] In Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond, Quinto's Spock mourns the loss of Spock
Spock Prime, as played by Nimoy.[72] Reception[edit] "Given the choice", Nimoy said years after the show ended, "If I had to be someone else, I would be Spock."[73] He recalled, more than a decade after the show's cancellation:[74]

The "Star Trek" phenomenon continues to amaze and confound me. It was incredible, and it still is, although it is gentler now than it used to be. For a time, it was hysterical – it was so wild I had to be very careful where I went. If I went to a restaurant, I had to plan my entrances and my exits so I wouldn't be mobbed and hurt. Same thing in hotels and airports – any public place. It isn't that hysterical any more, but it is still a potent force.

From early on, the public reacted very positively—even fanatically—to his character, in what The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe in 1967 described as "Spockmania".[75] Headshots of Spock
Spock became popular souvenirs, with the rare ones of the actor laughing the most valuable.[76] Nimoy reported that "within two weeks after ["Amok Time"], my mail jumped from a few hundred letters to 10,000 a week".[77] When he appeared as Spock
Spock as grand marshal of a Medford, Oregon parade in April 1967, thousands gathered to receive autographs: "They surged forward so quickly that I was terrified someone would be crushed to death; and then they started pressing against the bandstand so hard it began to sway beneath my feet!" After being rescued by police "I made sure never to appear publicly again in Vulcan guise", Nimoy stated.[78][79] Fans asked Nimoy questions about current events such as the Vietnam War and LSD
LSD as if he were the Vulcan scientist;[80] one even asked the actor to lay his hands on a friend's eyes to heal them.[81] When a biracial girl wrote asking for advice on how to deal with persecution as "a half-breed", Nimoy responded that young Vulcans had treated Spock
Spock similarly and that she should, as he did, "realize the difference between popularity and true greatness".[82] The actor believed that the character appealed to viewers, especially teenagers, because[77]

Spock
Spock understands the trauma of human existence, for he is not home with earthmen or Vulcan; he can function only in the fabricated and neatly ordered society of the Enterprise. There, he knows who he is; he relates to his role very specifically, and this gives him a kind of cool.

To Nimoy's surprise, Spock
Spock became a sex symbol;[83] Isaac Asimov described the character as "a security blanket with sexual overtones", and Nimoy reported that "I've never had more female attention on a set before. And get this: they all want to touch the ears!"[77] (When a young woman asked "Are you aware that you are the source of erotic dream material for thousands and thousands of ladies around the world?", he replied "May all your dreams come true".) Nimoy speculated that Spock
Spock appealed to women because[84]

Down comes a stranger—tall, dark, thoughtful, alien and exotic. Somewhat devilish in appearance. He has a brilliant mind, the wisdom of a patriarch and is oh, so cool. With one raised eyebrow, he suggests he is above game-playing and role-playing—which are just hangovers from Earth's Victorian Age—that he and he alone understand the deepest needs and longings of the Earth female.

NASA
NASA made Spock
Spock an informal mascot. Nimoy was invited to be guest of honor at the March 1967 National Space Club dinner and to take an extensive tour of the Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. The actor concluded from the warm and intense reception he received that astronauts like John Glenn
John Glenn and aerospace industry engineers, secretaries, and shareholders alike all regarded Star Trek, and especially the character of Spock, as a "dramatization of the future of their space program".[85] An asteroid in the Eos family discovered on August 16, 1971 was named Mr. Spock
Spock after the discoverer James B. Gibson's cat (which had been named Mr. Spock, who was likewise "imperturbable, logical, intelligent, and had pointed ears").[86] The character proved inspirational to many budding scientists and engineers. Nimoy has said that many of them, on meeting him, were eager to show him their work and discuss it with him as if he were a scientific peer, as opposed to an actor, photographer, and poet. His stock response in these situations was "it certainly looks like you're headed in the right direction".[87] In 2004, Spock
Spock was ranked number 21 in Bravo's list of The 100 Greatest TV Characters.[88] In 2008, UGO
UGO named Spock
Spock one of the 50 greatest TV characters.[89] According to Shatner, much of Star Trek's acting praise and media interest went to Nimoy.[90] In 2016, Adam Nimoy released his documentary film For the Love of Spock, about his father and his iconic character.[91] Reaction to Spock's death[edit] The Wrath of Khan had its first public screening at a science-fiction convention in Overland Park, Kansas on May 8, 1982, almost a month before general release. Although Paramount executives were concerned that Spock's death would set fans against the movie, the audience actually applauded after Spock's death scene. "It was sensational. I hate to be given to superlatives but it absolutely reached everything we wanted it to. I couldn't ask for anything better," said co-producer Robert Sallin of the advance audience's reaction.[92] Critical reaction to Spock's death was mixed. Film critic Roger Ebert lauded Spock's death: "He makes a choice in Star Trek
Star Trek II that would be made only by a hero, a fool, or a Vulcan. And when he makes his decision, the movie rises to one of its best scenes, because the Star Trek stories have always been best when they centered on their characters."[93] On the other hand, The Washington Post's Gary Arnold stated Spock's death "feels like an unnecessary twist, and the filmmakers are obviously well-prepared to fudge in case the public demands another sequel."[94] 25 years later, Spock's death in The Wrath of Khan ranks number 2 on Total Film's list of 25 greatest Star Trek
Star Trek movie moments,[95] and number 1 on IGN
IGN Movie's top 10 Star Trek
Star Trek movie moments.[96] Star Trek
Star Trek (2009)[edit] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe described Quinto's performance in the 2009 film as "something special", and stated that Nimoy's appearance "carries much more emotion than you'd expect".[27] Slate said Quinto played Spock
Spock "with a few degrees more chill" than Nimoy brought to the original character.[97] Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly said that Quinto "... invests Spock
Spock with a new layer of chilly-smoldering sex appeal, [and] Quinto does a fantastic job of maintaining Spock's calm, no-sweat surface but getting quietly hot and bothered underneath."[98] Cultural impact[edit] Spock
Spock has been parodied by, and has also been the inspiration for, pop culture works in various media. Composer/keyboardist George Duke's 1976 Solo Keyboard Album features two tracks which pay homage to Spock: " Spock
Spock Gets Funky" and "Vulcan Mind Probe". Rock guitarist Paul Gilbert wrote the song "Mr. Spock" on his Space Ship One album. Swedish synthpop band S.P.O.C.K
S.P.O.C.K makes music heavily influenced by the Star Trek
Star Trek universe. Even Nimoy got in on the act; assuming the Spock character, Nimoy recorded a number of novelty songs, the first being "Highly Illogical", in which Spock
Spock pointed out the foibles of human thought, such as relationships, automobiles, and greed. The second song, "A Visit to a Sad Planet", was darker in tone and told the story of Spock
Spock visiting Earth in the future and discovering it had been ruined by war, violence, and environmental irresponsibility. According to comic book writer and editor Bob Budiansky, The Transformers character Shockwave was inspired by Spock.[99] Spock's utilitarian perspective that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"[100] is cited in a legal decision rendered by the Texas Supreme Court.[101] Leonard Nimoy's second-season Spock
Spock costume shirt was expected to sell at auction for over $75,000.[102] Spock's physical appearance in the Original Series episode "Mirror, Mirror" (1967) has itself spawned a trope of the "evil twin" archetype found in various fictional genres. In that episode, several members of the Enterprise travel to a parallel universe inhabited by evil versions of themselves. The parallel universe version of Spock
Spock is distinguished physically by his goatee.[103] Science fiction blog io9 said that Spock's beard in the episode introduced "the best shorthand ever for evil parallel universe duplicates".[104] Examples of the evil goatee's appearances in other media include Bender's "evil twin" Flexo in Futurama
Futurama and a 2009 episode of The Colbert Report
The Colbert Report featuring Stephen Colbert and Dan Maffei
Dan Maffei wearing fake goatees while pretending to be evil versions of themselves.[105] The name of progressive rock band Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard is a direct reference to Spock's goatee in this episode.[106] Fan productions[edit] In addition to television, feature films, books, and parodies, Spock has also been portrayed in fan fiction. Since 2004, the online fan production Star Trek: Phase II has continued the further voyages of the cancelled initial series. The fan-series' creators feel "Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest should be treated as 'classic' characters like Willy Loman
Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman, Gandalf
Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, or even Hamlet, Othello, or Romeo. Many actors have and can play the roles, each offering a different interpretation of said character."[107] The fan series Star Trek: Phase II has featured three actors in the role of Spock. Spock
Spock was portrayed by Jeffrey Quinn for the pilot and first three episodes, by Ben Tolpin in episodes 4 and 5, and by Brandon Stacy in episodes 6 through 11. Stacy also served as a stand-in for Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto in the 2009 Star Trek
Star Trek film.[108] The independent online fan series " Star Trek
Star Trek Continues" has featured Todd Haberkorn as Spock
Spock since its inception in 2012 with three vignettes, seven full episodes and at least two more planned to shoot. In scientific illustrator Jenny Parks' 2017 book Star Trek
Star Trek Cats, Spock is depicted as an Oriental Shorthair.[109][110][111][112] "Spocking" Canadian $5 notes[edit] There has been a practice of altering the portrait of Canada's seventh prime minister, Wilfrid Laurier, on Canadian five-dollar notes to look like Spock. After the death of Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy in 2015, there was an increase in that practice.[113][114] See also[edit]

Star Trek
Star Trek portal Fictional characters portal

Notes[edit]

^ a b c d e f g Okuda, Mike; Okuda, Denise; Mirek, Debbie (1999). The Star Trek
Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-53609-5. ^ a b Weeks, Adam (July 25, 2007). " Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto Is Spock". Moviehole.net. ^ a b Mike Johnson and Tim Jones (writers), David Messina (artist) (2009). Star Trek: Countdown. IDW Publishing. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-60010-420-6. ^ a b Orci, Roberto; Kurtzman, Alex; Abrams, J.J. (April 7, 2009). Star Trek
Star Trek (Motion picture). Paramount Pictures. ^ a b Pascale, Anthony (December 11, 2008). "EXCLUSIVE: Bob Orci Explains How The New Star Trek
Star Trek Movie Fits With Trek Canon (and Real Science)". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved August 17, 2016. ^ Loughery, David; Shatner, William; Bennett, Harve (June 9, 1989). Star Trek
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Motion picture). Paramount Pictures. ^ a b Sturgeon, Theodore (September 15, 1967). "Amok Time". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 2. Episode 1. NBC. ^ a b Fontana, D.C. (November 17, 1967). "Journey to Babel". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 2. Episode 10. NBC. ^ a b DeCandido, Keith (June 23, 2015). " Star Trek
Star Trek The Original Series: "The Menagerie" Parts 1 & 2". Tor.com. Retrieved August 17, 2016. ^ Roddenberry, Gene (November 27, 1988). "The Cage". Star Trek: The Original Series. NBC. ^ DeCandido, Keith (March 11, 2015). " Star Trek
Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"". Tor.com. Retrieved August 17, 2016. ^ Peeples, Samuel A. (September 22, 1966). "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 3. NBC. ^ Cushman & Osborne 2013, p. 176. ^ Matheson, Richard (October 6, 1966). "The Enemy Within". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 5. NBC. ^ Spies, Adrian (October 27, 1966). "Miri". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 8. NBC. ^ Bar-David, S. (November 3, 1966). "Dagger of the Mind". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 9. NBC. ^ Schneider, Paul (December 15, 1966). "Balance of Terror". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 14. NBC. ^ Crawford, Oliver; Bar-David, S. (January 5, 1967). "The Galileo Seven". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 16. NBC. ^ Fontana, D.C.; Butler, Nathan (March 2, 1967). "This Side of Paradise". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 24. NBC. ^ Coon, Gene (March 9, 1967). "The Devil in the Dark". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 25. NBC. ^ Coon, Gene (March 23, 1967). "Errand of Mercy". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 26. NBC. ^ Ellison, Harlan (April 6, 1967). "The City on the Edge of Forever". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 1. Episode 27. NBC. ^ Lucas, John Meredyth (September 29, 1967). "The Changeling". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 2. Episode 1. NBC. ^ Bixby, Jerome (October 6, 1967). "Mirror, Mirror". Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 2. Episode 4. NBC. ^ a b Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens 1998, p. 119. ^ Nemecek 2003, p. 127. ^ a b c Burr, Ty (May 5, 2009). "Star Trek". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 6, 2009. ^ Jensen, Jeff (October 18, 2008). "'Star Trek': New Movie, New Vision". Entertainment Weekly. p. 4. Retrieved January 21, 2009. ^ Abrams, J.J. (Director) (2009). Star Trek
Star Trek (Film). United States: Paramount Pictures. ^ a b Cushman & Osborne 2013, p. 49. ^ Roddenberry & Whitfield 1991, p. 33. ^ Cushman & Osborne 2013, p. 50. ^ Cushman & Osborne 2013, p. 52. ^ Dillard 1994, p. 6. ^ Cushman & Osborne 2013, pp. 23–24. ^ Asherman 1988, pp. 230–231. ^ a b Cushman & Osborne 2013, p. 54. ^ Roddenberry & Whitfield 1991, p. 100. ^ Roddenberry & Whitfield 1991, pp. 108–109. ^ a b Roddenberry & Whitfield 1991, p. 110. ^ Dillard 1994, p. 15. ^ Diehl, Digby (August 25, 1968). "Girls All Want To Touch The Ears". The New York Times. p. 173. Retrieved June 30, 2016. (Subscription required (help)). ^ Solow & Justman 1996, p. 235. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, p. 39. ^ Solow & Justman 1996, p. 236. ^ Solow & Justman 1996, p. 239. ^ Solow & Justman 1996, p. 319. ^ Solow & Justman 1996, pp. 320–321. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, p. 53. ^ Solow & Justman 1996, p. 237. ^ Nicols 1994, p. 188. ^ Nicols 1994, p. 194. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, pp. 83–84. ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (December 31, 2010). "Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for a Star Trek
Star Trek movie in 1976–1977". io9. Retrieved July 1, 2016. ^ Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens 1997, p. 28. ^ Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens 1997, p. 78. ^ Nicols 1994, p. 179. ^ Rioux 2005, p. 243. ^ Rioux 2005, p. 248. ^ a b Boucher, Geoff (June 12, 2010). " Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy riffs on William Shatner, George Lucas and … Jimi Hendrix?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 1, 2016. ^ Dillard 1994, p. 80. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, p. 123. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, p. 131. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, p. 139. ^ Gross & Altman 1993, p. 231. ^ Nemecek 2003, p. 309. ^ Nemecek 2003, p. 310. ^ a b Fischer, Paul. " Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy & Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto Spock
Spock Star Trek Interview". Girl.com.au. Archived from the original on November 19, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2016. ^ Anthony Pascale (April 14, 2008). "Grand Slam XVI: Two Spocks Rock The House". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved April 15, 2008. ^ "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy Talks Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness". StarTrek.com. May 30, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2016. ^ "Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek's Mr Spock, dies at 83". BBC News. February 27, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2016. ^ Wilson, Sean (June 13, 2016). "Why Star Trek
Star Trek Beyond promises to honour the memory of Leonard Nimoy". Cineworld. Retrieved July 3, 2016. ^ Heffernan, Virginia (2015-02-27). "Known as Spock, but He Explored Other Worlds". The New York Times. pp. A1. Retrieved 28 February 2015. ^ Kleiner, Dick (June 17, 1982). "Still Spock
Spock after all these years: Nimoy really loves the Trekkies". Williamson Daily News. Retrieved April 3, 2011. ^ Burr, Ty (2015-02-27). "Leonard Nimoy, 83; was TV's iconic Mr. Spock". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 1 March 2015. ^ Shult, Doug (July 3, 1972). "Cult Fans, Reruns Give 'Star Trek' an Out of This World Popularity". Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2011. ^ a b c Diehl, Digby (1968-08-25). "Girls All Want To Touch The Ears". The New York Times. p. 173. Retrieved 27 February 2015. ^ Nimoy, Leonard (1995). I Am Spock. Hyperion. pp. 79–80. ISBN 0786861827. ^ @TheRealNimoy (2011-02-11). "The only time I ever appeared in public as Spock. Medford, Oregon
Medford, Oregon Pear Blossom Festival. 1967 ? LLAP twitpic.com/3yr7hk" (Tweet). Retrieved 2015-08-25 – via Twitter. ^ "Rumors of Cancelation Stirs 'Star Trek' Fans to Protest". Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. February 8, 1968. pp. 7B. Retrieved April 29, 2011. ^ Michaels, Marguerite (December 10, 1978). "A Visit to Star Trek's Movie Launch". Parade. Retrieved May 2, 2011. [dead link] ^ Epstein, Leonora (2013-03-11). "Spock's Advice To A Teenage Girl Will Make You Cry". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 1 March 2015. ^ Kleiner, Dick (December 4, 1967). "Mr. Spock's Trek To Stardom". Warsaw Times-Union. Warsaw, Indiana. Newspaper Enterprise Association. p. 7. Retrieved May 7, 2011. ^ "Women Spaced Out Over Leonard Nimoy". The Pittsburgh Press. 1977-03-09. pp. A–25. Retrieved 2 March 2015. ^ Whitfield, Stephen E.; Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry (September 1968). The Making of Star Trek. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-27638-4. ^ Asteroid named after discoverer's cat named after Mr. Spock. ^ Angier, Natalie (February 28, 2011). "Natalie Portman, Oscar Winner, Was Also a Precocious Scientist". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2012. ^ "Bravo > 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2006. ^ K. Thor Jensen (November 20, 2008). "Top 50 TV Characters: We list the fifty greatest characters in television history". Top 50 TV Characters. UGO. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2009. ^ Shatner, William (2008). Up Till Now: The Autobiography. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-37265-1. ^ "Adam Nimoy's 'For The Love Of Spock' To Premiere At Tribeca Film Festival". Retrieved March 27, 2016. ^ "'Star Trek' fans accept Spock
Spock death". The Montreal Gazette. UPI. May 10, 1982. Retrieved April 4, 2011. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1982). "Review: Star Trek
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 13, 2008. ^ Arnold, Gary (June 4, 1982). "Cashing in on the Spock
Spock market; 'Star Trek II' shows little enterprise". The Washington Post. p. D1. ^ White, James. "The 25 Greatest Star Trek
Star Trek Movie Moments". Retrieved July 29, 2015. ^ Collura, Scott. "Top 10 Star Trek
Star Trek Movie Moments". IGN. Retrieved April 3, 2011. ^ Stevens, Dana (May 6, 2009). "Go See Star Trek". Slate.com. Retrieved May 7, 2009. ^ Owen Gleiberman (May 9, 2009). "Why Spock
Spock rocks". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2009. ^ Author (September 28, 1958). "Bob Budiansky in Interrogative Forum". Rustingcarcass.yuku.com. Retrieved April 6, 2011. [permanent dead link] ^ Greenwald, Marilyn S.; Joseph Bernt (2000). The big chill: investigative reporting in the current media environment. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 125. ^ Robinson v. Crown Cork & Seal, Supreme Court of Texas No. 06-0714 (2008). online.wsj.com i.e. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2015 ^ "Rare 'Trek,' 'Star Wars' and 'Who' props up for auction (pictures) – page 4 – CNET". CNET. Retrieved 2015-08-30. ^ "Top 40 Reasons Why We Love Star Trek". Retrieved April 13, 2009. ^ Wilkins, Alasdair (December 26, 2011). "Ten plotlines you'll find in science fiction – over and over again". io9. Gawker Media. Retrieved December 29, 2011. ^ "Better Know a District – New York's 25th – Dan Maffei". The Colbert Report. Season 5. April 7, 2009. Comedy Central. ^ Miguel Farah (9 June 2002). " Spock's Beard
Spock's Beard Frequently Asked Questions List". Retrieved September 23, 2012. ^ "Star Trek: Phase II About". Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. ^ Pascale, Anthony (November 18, 2008). "FanMade: Phase II Announces "Blood and Fire" Release + Casts a New Spock". Trekmovie.com. Retrieved February 3, 2009. ^ Bender, Kelli (6 February 2017). "Beam Me Up, Kitty! It's Star Trek with Cats". People.com. Time Inc.
Time Inc. Retrieved 25 February 2018. ^ Clyde (20 February 2018). " Star Trek
Star Trek For Cats". Cat Wisdom 101. catwisdom101.com. Retrieved 25 February 2018. ^ Nevin, Will (2 March 2017). "The serious absurdity (and purrfection) of Jenny Parks
Jenny Parks and ' Star Trek
Star Trek Cats'". OregonLive.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved 23 February 2018. ^ I iz Cat (February 2017). "Cats have replaced the Star Trek
Star Trek cast in new epic adventure series". I iz Cat. iizcat.com. Retrieved 25 February 2018. ^ Bank spokesman says writing on bills 'inappropriate', BBC, 3 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015. ^ Canada: 'Spocking' $5 notes not illegal, but illogical, usatoday.com, 4 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.

References[edit]

Asherman, Allan (1988). The Star Trek
Star Trek Interview Book. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-61794-X. Cushman, Marc; Osborn, Susan (2013). These are the Voyages: TOS, Season One. San Diego, CA: Jacobs Brown Press. ISBN 978-0-9892381-1-3. Dillard, J. M. (1994). Star Trek: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" – A History in Pictures. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-51149-1. Gross, Edward; Altman, Mark A. (1993). Captain's Logs: The Complete Trek Voyages. London: Boxtree. ISBN 978-1-85283-899-7. Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6. Nichols, Nichelle (1994). Beyond Uhura. New York: G. P. Putnam's. ISBN 0-3991-3993-1. Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1997). Star Trek: Phase II: The Lost Series (2nd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-56839-9. Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1998). Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Continuing Mission (2nd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-671-02559-5. Rioux, Terry Lee (2005). From Sawdust to Stardust: The Biography of DeForest Kelley. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5762-5. Roddenberry, Gene; Whitfield, Stephen E. (1991). The Making of Star Trek. London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-852-86363-0. Solow, Herbert F.; Justman, Robert H. (1996). Inside Star Trek: The Real Story. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-67189-628-7.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spock.

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Star Trek: The Original Series

Spock
Spock at StarTrek.com Spock
Spock at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek
Star Trek wiki)

v t e

Star Trek: The Original Series

Episodes

Season 1 2 3 The Animated Series

episodes

Films

The Motion Picture The Wrath of Khan The Search for Spock The Voyage Home The Final Frontier The Undiscovered Country

Characters

Christine Chapel Pavel Chekov James T. Kirk Leonard McCoy Janice Rand Montgomery Scott Spock
Spock (Development) Hikaru Sulu Nyota Uhura Number One