Spock, you will be missed

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Spock live long and prosper
Spock live long and prosper

News of the death of Leonard Nimoy, who is best known simply as Spock, on the original series Star Trek sent a shock wave of sadness around the world.  One of the few consolations of his death we have is that he died at the ripe age of 83 years old, but his legacy will be eternal as a pop culture icon.

Although I must confess that I am not a hardcore Trekkie fan, but growing up watching Star Trek many episodes, I consider myself to be just a fan for life.  It’s hard to say which of the two characters on Star Trek I like more, Captain James T. Kirk, aka William Shatner or Spock as they are like yin and yang, both different and special in their own rights, but inseparable.

Yet there was something about Spock that we all like despite his seemingly emotionless demeanor.  Maybe it’s because as Spock he would be considered a nerd in our world, but he is still a cool nerd. His screen presence as a tall, strong, stoic character is not that Earthly, but devotion to his Captain, the crew, the Enterprise and the mission “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” are things that we admired about him.

However, it is only when Spock is released from his regular inhibitions when Spock was able to feel love can we truly understand and relate to him.  Two episodes that stood out “This Side of Paradise” with Leila Kalomi and “All Our Yesterdays” with Zarabeth where Spock was at his most venerable self, we find that Spock is only human after all.

In addition, Spock also made us want to space travel, the allure of trying to explore and find new life on distant planets without fear of people eating aliens.  This is evident by the many candidates of people who want to go to Mars despite it being a one-way ticket.  We should only count our blessings should we happen to find a Spock on a distant planet and maybe we will someday.

But for now, Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock rest in peace my friend, you have shown us how to live long and prosper.