There was some truth in Bill Shatner’s infamous SNL sketch in which he dismissed Star Trek as ‘an episodic TV show we did for a lark for a few years.’ But Leonard Nimoy knew almost immediately the appeal and impact of the Spock character which went beyond the white hat-black hat simplicity of the medium and eventually Shatner himself admitted the same.
Star Trek (and Star Wars) have been credited with turning science fiction into science reality by inspiring legions of tech-minded individuals who took the fictional Vulcan philosophy of ‘logic above all else’ seriously.
Gene Roddenberry should be credited for devising the ‘insider who is really an outsider’ character but that was a mere outline. Nimoy grasped the opportunity with both hands, and by refusing to insult the intelligence of the audience he won their undying loyalty (politicians take note).
Spock/Nimoy is on the Mt Rushmore of 20th Century television AND film through the intensity and complexity of his performance. No mean feat.
...and stage. I saw him play the lead in Equus on Broadway, and he was superb.
If that's true, why are so many of these types Democrats?