TV Guide interview about Star Trek and Fringe. Scanned by Spoiler TV

Paramount Pictures Leonard Nimoy reprises a familiar role in the latest film version of “Star Trek.”

Leonard Nimoy is an author whose poetry collections include “A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life,” a photographer whose monographs include “Shekhina” and the director of seven films including “Three Men and a Baby.” He has also appeared on such television shows as “Mission: Impossible” and “In Search of…”

Oh, what the heck. Leonard Nimoy is Spock. Played him in three seasons of the original “Star Trek” television series as well as six feature films, including “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” both of which he directed. He can also be seen reprising his role as Spock — or is that Spock Prime? — in the newly released “Star Trek” film directed by J. J. Abrams.

We spoke with Mr. Nimoy earlier this morning about “Star Trek,” his famous role and an early encounter he had with the president. (more)

Monsters of the Movies. An Interview with Leonard Nimoy at My Star Trek Scrapbook

Daily Dragon Online
September 6th, 2009
Debbie Yutko.

Daily Dragon (DD): You have published two collections of your photographs, The Full Body Project and Shekhina. What aspect of photography interests you most?

Leonard Nimoy (LN): I use it to express ideas. [It’s] all conceptual. I develop an idea that I want to express and explore, then I go with the camera. I don’t work with cameras as a hobby. I work with cameras when I’m ready to develop an idea.

DD: What future projects do you have in mind?

LN: Right now I’m working on Secrets [The Secret Selves Project], which will be very interesting to the Dragon*Con people because it is about hidden or fantasy or personal lives. I have done portraits of a number of people who come to me to be photographed as their other selves. […] These are people who have some other kind of personal secrets to themselves. There will be an exhibition of this work next July in Massachusetts at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams Massachusetts, including a video of my conversations with these people. (more)

Plus Model Magazine
September 1st, 2009
By Jennifer Jonassen

You may not know it but Leonard Nimoy (best known as Spock on the classic TV show Star Trek) is (among many other things) a brilliant photographer. A couple of years ago he set out on a special project, which focused exclusively on female nudes. What is so special about that you ask? Well he specifically set out to capture images of women who were larger than what we are accustomed to seeing on the pages of magazines. What resulted is the revolutionary book titled: "The Full Body Project." There are 50 images all in all, of brave and beautiful women who challenge the popular notion of what beauty is. It is empowering to see these magnificent creatures completely naked and dancing joyfully, with complete abandon and absolute confidence.

[Jennifer] Tell us about your experience as a photographer. (more)

Blastr

And what about the alternate William Bell, or maybe there isn't an alternate?

Nimoy: Well, that's what I'm talking about. The alternate William Bell. On the side that William Bell is on now, there was an alternate William Bell. And we'll find out what his story is all about in this episode. Am I clear about that? (Laughs.) Or am I definitely trying to confuse you? What am I trying to do here? I'm not trying to confuse. I'm doing the best I can. Fringe is a very complicated show, which is one of the things that makes it so successful. It's intriguing, constantly intriguing. There's no question you can answer in any definitive way that doesn't lead to another question. (Laughs.) So that's where we are. We're having a good time. ... (more)

Jewish Journal
December 4, 2003
By Naomi Pfefferman

(...) After Nimoy left home at 18 to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, his knowledge of the mamaloshen helped him land roles with visiting Yiddish theater troupes. One highlight was meeting legendary star Maurice Schwartz: "I had an appointment to audition for him at a theater on La Cienega, and as I was waiting for him to acknowledge me I heard his wife say, in Yiddish, 'He looks like the gentile in 'It's Hard to be a Jew,'" Nimoy recalled with gusto. "She didn't know I spoke the language, and I thought, 'This is going to be a snap.'" (more)

Jewish Journal
October 31, 2002
By Joe Berkofsky

Naked women covered in ... tallitot and tefillin? The black-and-white photographs in "Shekhina" (Umbrage Editions, $39.95) a new book by Leonard Nimoy -- a.k.a. "Star Trek's" Mr. Spock -- have ignited a debate in the Jewish community over art and censorship. (more)

Did you know?

- that it took Leonard Nimoy eight years to do Shekhina?

- that he was in New York on the day of September 11th?

"LN: We were in New York in our apartment. My wife had the TV set on, she yelled out, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center"! We both went to the set and watched the second plane hit the second building."

- that Spock's trademark lift of the eyebrow came out of the spur of the moment?

Q: Mr. Nimoy, was it hard to learn to lift one eyebrow in that manner?
trekkieat9

LN: It came very naturally. It wasn't something I set out or planned to do. It was something that I did as a natural reaction to something DeForest Kelley said to me one day.

- that the Vulcan greeting is the only thing he took from his ethnic background to incorporate into Star Trek?

Q: I was wondering if you put anything else besides the hand greeting from Judaism into Vulcan culture or Star Trek in general.
Shira

LN: No, the answer is no.

- that he was disappointed in the animated Star Trek?

Q: Were you approached in doing Star Trek: The Animated Series? What did you think of the storylines and working with the original cast again?
kirk1701a

LN: That was an interesting project. I was, frankly, disappointed. I think because the animation could not capture the chemistry between the cast members we had on the TV series.

- that there is a role he regretted he did not take?

Q: Have you ever been offered a role that you turned down and regretted doing so?
joannx

LN: I was offered the role of "Dracula" in the original Broadway production some years ago. Frank Langella took the job and when I saw the production I decided that I had made a mistake.

For more of the 2003 chat transcript go to STRARTREK.com.

L.A. Weekly
Steven Leigh Morris
Published on October 14, 2009

On October 17, the Company of Angels is throwing a bash to celebrate its 50th-anniversary season. To mark the occasion, the company is honoring Culture Clash, Robert Ellenstein and Leonard Nimoy.

Mr. Spock? What could he have to do with Company of Angels? Even Nimoy was a little surprised. “They must have dug my name out of the archives,” he says, from his Westwood office. It turns out Nimoy directed Company of Angels’ first production, in 1961, and worked through the byzantine and impenetrable city bureaucracy in order to secure permits to run what’s now the city’s oldest operating theater. (more)

Trek Movie
By Anthony Pascale
April 27, 2009

Excerpts from Press Conference 3: Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban

Question (asked by TrekMovie): As a follow-up for Leonard, what did you think of Karl’s performance and its similarity to that of DeForest?

Leonard Nimoy: Anthony in answer to your question, I think that the dialog for Spock and McCoy in this movie is the most idiosyncratic, because those characters do speak idiosyncratically. There is a certain kind of language they use and certain kind of sentence structure that apply to those two characters more than the others. So I think you would recognize them more in these performances which I think are excellent. (more)

Jewish Journal
October 18, 2002

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle dropped actor Leonard Nimoy from its Oct. 23 fundraiser because of images in his book of photographs. The cover for Nimoy's book, "Shekhina," shows a woman wearing tefillin and her right breast visible through a translucent garment. The work is entirely "reverential," Nimoy told The Associated Press. "It's a photographic essay on the subject of the Shekhina, which is the feminine presence of God, the feminine aspect of divinity."

Federation director Barry Goren told The Seattle Times that he dropped the former star of "Star Trek" after receiving "some expressions of concern." He added that he had little choice. "If you were running a charity fundraising dinner and there were going to be images of naked women or naked women with Jewish ritual objects draped on them, that might be offensive to some folks," he said.

Jewish Journal
March 7, 2008
By Josh Richman

(...) His last "Trek" movie was 1991's "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"; four more have been made since. Nimoy said he was drawn to this next one by the energy and reputation of director/producer J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Alias," "Mission Impossible III"), "a really special guy with a wonderful script and a great production.... He's the real deal."

"And I feel I owe it to 'Star Trek'; it's been a big, positive factor in my life," he added. "I do think this is a very serious chance for the entire franchise to become reinvigorated." (more)

Starlog
October 09 & October 10, 2009
Allan Dart

Part 1

“Several things attracted me to the role: [FRINGE creators] J.J. Abrams, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman, whom I worked with on the STAR TREK movie,” Nimoy begins. “I admire their talent and the work that they do. The series is at the very least intriguing. My character was somewhat of a blank slate, but we began talking about it and I was attracted to the opportunity to build an interesting and unpredictable character. I’m enjoying it a lot. William Bell is sort of a ‘master of the universe’—a brilliant man, a very wealthy man, very powerful. We’ll find out more about him in future episodes.” (more)

Part 2

Although Bell was mentioned throughout FRINGE’s first season, he was only seen that one time and remains a mysterious figure. “I’ve had some wonderful and creative conversations with [creators] J.J. Abrams, Bob Orci, Alex Kurtzman, the writers and showrunner Jeff Pinkner to try to create from scratch a character who has never been seen before, who has only been referred to,” Nimoy says. “There are certain things that were given, which is that he’s a powerful figure, very wealthy and obviously an intelligent man with a scientific background.

“But in terms of characteristics, we started from scratch, and in ‘Momentum Deferred’ more of those characteristics will be evident. It’s great fun to be building the character from scratch—with certain givens. There’s so much to be developed in terms of the way he talks, the way he walks, his idiosyncrasies, his tastes… Is he difficult? Is he gruff? Is he charming? Is he a nice guy? What are his real intentions? All of these things are great exploration for an actor. (more)

Los Angeles Times
October 8, 2009
Andrew Hanson

Normally, I watch “Fringe” like anyone else. Thursday night, I sit on my couch, give my TiVo a little head start so I can fast forward through commercials, and enjoy the episode, furiously scribbling notes onto a small notebook the whole time. That’s how everyone watches, right? (more)

Leonard Nimoy—famous for portraying the Spock character in the Star Trek universe—did not set out to photograph naked fat women. He got lucky.

A talented and passionate photographer who built his own darkroom out of found parts as a teen, Nimoy has been creating black-and-white art photography since the early 1970s. As Houston Museum of Fine Arts photography curator Anne Wilkes Tucker explains, Nimoy’s work explores deep themes such as “his Jewish heritage, a concern for human dignity and the concept of Shekhina, a Talmudic term for the manifestation of God on earth.” Shekhina is the title of Nimoy’s first book of photographs.

His most recent book of fine art photographs is called The Full Body Project, an exploration of proud fat women. Although I am not one of Nimoy’s models, I too am a proud fat women; this project resonates with in a very personal way. (more)

The New York Times
May 13, 2007
By Abyy Ellin

“People ask me all the time,” Mr. Nimoy said, carrying saucers of coffee and tea into his art-filled living room off Central Park West. He placed them next to galleys of his forthcoming photography book, which sat near a copy of “Carnal Knowing: Female Nakedness and Religious Meaning in the Christian West,” by Margaret R. Miles, and a folder of news clippings on obesity. (more)

SciFi Wire
April 28, 2009
By Patrick Lee

What was your first sort of feeling when you saw yourself as Spock again for the first time?

Nimoy: Well, it was gradual, you know, because it doesn't take place in a moment. It's gradual, because the first thing they have to do, they call you up and they say, "OK, it's time to go out and make a cast of your ears." And so that's the first step. They put plaster on the ears ... to create the mold. And then you come back and look at the molding of the sculpture that they've done to create the ear tips. And then you come back when the first pair are ready, and you try them on, and you say, "Well, they should be a little bit more of this and a little bit less of that." And you gradually have to refine it. ... It's not like dropping ... a couple of eggs in the pot and boiling them. It takes time to work it out. But eventually you get to a point where you say, "Well, that looks—now we look like we can walk out and get in front of a camera." (more)

Hossli.com
March 27th, 2008
By Peter Hossli

Leonard Nimoy became famous playing Spock, the first officer on the Starship Enterprise, in the science fiction television series “Star Trek”. Today, Nimoy works as a photographer. His latest book is called “The Full Body Project” and features his photographs of large naked women.

Leonard Nimoy: Begin!

You seem a bit tense, even though you declared you were going into retirement three years ago. Now you’re already 76 years old. Why do you still work?
Nimoy: Oh, Peter, why do we eat? To live, to be alive. I enjoy my life. I like to work. I like to be productive. I like to explore and to learn. (more)

Blend Television
August 10, 2009
By David Wharton

Leonard Nimoy is probably as close to an elder statesman as sci-fi fans have these days, so it’s been quite a joy to see him having a career resurgence of late in the Star Trek relaunch and in FOX’s Fringe. He returns to that show tonight in the role of the mysterious William Bell, and we’ve got the full transcript of his interview from earlier this week. (more)

William Shatner, Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath meet Leonard Nimoy for an interview for their book. (more)

Artinfo
May 29, 2006
By Robert Ayers

Leonard, Susan, tell me, when did you start collecting art?

[Susan Nimoy] It was 1987.

[Leonard Nimoy] Nineteen years. My, how time flies …

Leonard, you’re a professional photographer. Do you bring your photographer’s eye to selecting the work you buy?

[LN] You must understand that Susan is the one with the real eye for contemporary art. I enjoy the art very much, but I’m not the person who finds it usually. Once in a while I’ll find a piece that I’m enamored of and we’ll discuss it, because we must agree, the two of us, on any piece that we buy. But Susan really leads the way.

[SN] We’re still on a learning curve. We had to educate ourselves. Our initial response to contemporary art was not informed; it was an instinctual feeling. But since we’ve been doing it for 19 years, our collecting has become more and more sophisticated, and we’ve come to understand what contemporary art is about: It’s more about ideas and concepts than it is about pretty pictures. Now we aim to collect with our hearts and not with our ears, which is a very important aspect of good judgment. (more)

QUESTION: Leonard, obviously this Star Trek takes place in an alternate timeline. And the younger Spock is very different from your Spock. I mean, he's much more emotional, much more human. He has the relationship with the girl.

LEONARD NIMOY: He does, doesn't he? Yeah. Yeah. I noticed that, yeah. [LAUGHTER]

QUESTION: How did you feel when you first read that script? Were you resistant to that, because it's quite a significant character shift.

LEONARD NIMOY: You know, I'll tell you. I was bemused by it when I read it in the script. I was amazed by it when I saw it on screen. I thought it was incredible. (more)

Digital Movie
August 16th, 2005
By Christian Bartsch

Als Leonard Nimoy während der Opening Ceremony zur FEDCON XIV die Bühne betritt, tobt der Saal. Tausende Menschen spenden Standing Ovations, während Nimoy es sichtlich genießt, und die Freude der Anwesenden teilt. Es dauert eine ganze Weile, bis sich die Masse beruhigt hat und sie applaudiert erneut wie wild, als Nimoy die Menge begrüßt: "Der Großvater von "Star Trek" ist hier..." (more)

The New York Times
October 30, 1988
Aljean Harmetz

Leonard Nimoy tries to suffocate his joy, to stuff his happiness back into his chest as if it were a quilt being crammed into a bag too small to hold it. It is unseemly that at the age of 57 he should be so happy. And this exotic feeling, coming as it does after years of being dutiful and earnest and, above all, serious, is built on pain.

Five months ago he woke up in the middle of the night in a hotel room in Toronto, startled awake by his own tears. ''It's about loss,'' he wrote on a pad next to the bed. The three words became a blueprint to the movie he was directing - ''The Good Mother.'' In the movie, opening in New York on Friday and based on Sue Miller's novel of the same name, Diane Keaton steps into the uncharted waters of sexual passion. What she risks losing because of the man with whom she falls in love is custody of the 6-year-old daughter who is the center of her life.

''It's about loss'' was an even better blueprint to Mr. Nimoy's life. In December 1986, he walked out on his wife of 33 years. In 1987, his father died. His mother drifted softly into death six months later. In 12 months, he had lost what he calls ''my base,'' his guiltily played roles of husband in a marriage that had turned stale and son to the immigrant parents he could never satisfy. (more)

Los Angeles Times
October 10, 2008
By Geoff Boucher

The "news" here was a judge approving Nimoy's contract with Jack Broder Productions -- the approval was needed since, by 1952 legal standards, a 20-year-old was considered a minor. After the jump, you can find a portion of the article, which actually uses the word "logically" (Vulcan foreshadowing!) (more)

Leonard Nimoy Beams Himself Aboard 'Equus' And Out From Under Mr. Spock's Pointy Ears

A People magazine article that deals with Leonard Nimoy's approach to playing the role of Dr. Dysart in Equus and his efforts to revitalize the play after 1.150 performances already gone by. Source: My Star Trek Scrapbook. Page 1, 2, 3,4.

L.A. Weekly
February 06, 2008
By Gendy Alimurung

On a brisk Tuesday night, multihyphenate actor-author-photographer- former-Vulcan-neck-gripper Leonard Nimoy is being interrogated by — no, forgive me, is having a Hammer Conversation at the museum with — science writer Natalie Angier in front of an audience desperately trying not to ask him to say, "Live long and prosper." The thing on people's minds (aside from bad Star Trek jokes) is this: What's with the pictures of the chubby girls? (more)

The Boston Phoenix
November 11, 2009
By Rob Turbovsky

If Leonard Nimoy’s acting work had been limited to that deliriously crazy music video for “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,” he’d probably still be celebrated by a lot of us. Alas, in a career that spans seven decades, Nimoy has achieved a status far beyond accidental cult-kitsch pop-stardom, even if he did direct Three Men and a Baby. (more)

Los Angeles Times
October 30, 2009
By Geoff Boucher

Wander around the home of Leonard Nimoy and you'll find very few mementos from all those years spent roaming the galaxy as Mr. Spock. He kept the last pair of pointy ears he wore on the classic television series, and on one wall of his bright and airy home office, there are two Hirschfeld drawings of the actor in his Starfleet uniform. But that's about it -- no movie posters, no plastic models of the good ship Enterprise, no tribbles on the mantel.

Instead, the walls and shelves reflect the passion of Leonard and Susan Nimoy for contemporary art; in fact, their collection would be envied by many gallery owners. But some of the most interesting pieces are the actor's own photography, and on Halloween night he will be at the Santa Monica Museum of Art for a one-night exhibition of selected pieces from his conceptual project "Who Do You Think You Are?" (more)

Moment
February 2004

Leonard Nimoy, renowned for his portrayal of the Vulcan Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek television series, set aside a highly acclaimed career as an actor and director to pursue the latest segment of his “Jewish journey.” For nearly a decade, Nimoy, now 70, has photographed and developed images of the feminine presence of God, culminating in a book of controversial photographs titled Shekhina. The son of a barber, Nimoy grew up in an Orthodox family in Boston and once thought of pursuing a full-time career as a photographer. The Jewish Museum in New York recently purchased one of his photographs for its permanent collection, and on February 10, 2004, “Shekhina,” a dance based on Nimoy’s photographs will be performed at the Joyce Theater in New York City.

Moment: You are famous for playing an alien—a Vulcan—on Star Trek. Have you ever played a Jew?

Nimoy: I was asked to play Morris Meyerson in the television movie A Woman Called Golda and to go to Israel to act in this film. I did some research and read the script and I discovered that Morris Meyerson was a person that I couldn’t identify with, at least I thought not. He was a schlep-along kind of guy, a nice man I’m sure. He and Golda were married in Milwaukee, but she decided that she wanted to go to Palestine for this great new venture to help found a country and he said, I’d rather stay in Milwaukee, and she said, well I’m going to Palestine. He said, OK if you’re going to Palestine, I’ll go to Palestine. But he never was in awe of her mission and she left him behind eventually. I said to the producer, I don’t think I could do a good job here. I don’t think I could find a way to enter this character and he said it’s too bad, because you’d be playing opposite Ingrid Bergman who’s gonna play Golda Meir. Ingrid Bergman. INGRID BERGMAN! With Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, my favorite movie of all time. So I thought. Weeeell, maybe I could find a way to do this. (Laughter) And I went and I met the director there who I discovered later had not wanted me for the role. He thought I was not the right person for this character. He came from London to Israel. I went from Los Angeles to Israel. We met there and we began to work and one day I had a question in a scene we were about to shoot and he blurted out “What’s the difference? You’re wrong for this role anyway. They should have sent me a Jewish actor.’ (Laughter) I think the schlemiel thought that Ingrid Bergman was Jewish. (Laughter) (more)

io9
October 7, 2009
By Lauren Davies

Leonard Nimoy talked to the press this afternoon about his return to Fringe tomorrow as dimension-hopping mogul William Bell. He was pretty tight-lipped about the show, but did tell us what's wrong with today's science fiction on TV. (more)

The Star
August 23, 2009
By Darren Zenko

(...)"With Nimoy's reprising of his signature role in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, sating his Spock-hungry fans, there followed 30 years of mutual affection. In recent years, though, the veteran of countless conventions had been feeling in the Trek fan community a certain lack of energy and excitement, what he calls a "habitual style" of fandom. That's changed, he says, since the release of J. J. Abrams' new Star Trek feature, in which Nimoy's aged Spock encounters his younger counterpart, played by Zachary Quinto." (...) "In Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago I asked how many people there were at a convention for the first time. Half the room raised their hand. We had a lot of repeats in the past; I was surprised to see so many coming for the first time." (more)

Help wanted. Can someone translate this article to English? Please contact me.

EW.com
May 1, 2009
By Dan Snierson

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You worked with J.J. on Trek. Is that how this role came about?
LEONARD NIMOY: Yeah, he called me and said: “We have this character that’s been referred to but never seen.” He gave me some backstory on the guy and sent me some episodes to look at. I think the show’s extremely well done. And there’s enough intrigue about the guy to make it interesting. more

Dreamwatch No. 50
November 1998
Paul Simpson.

How did the idea of Alien Voices come up?

About two years ago, I was contacted by some friends who were doing a revival of the original Orson Welles production of The War of the Worlds. They asked me to do the Welles role, which I did. It was directed by John de Lancie, who is a very good actor/director who played Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation. We had never worked together before and we got on very well. We decided to form this company and took the idea to Simon & Schuster’s audiobook division. They agreed to finance several productions. So we have so far done The Time Machine, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, The Lost World, and The Invisible Man.

Then last November we did a production for the Sci-Fi Channel where, onstage, we did a radio production of The First Men In The Moon, which was televised. What the audience saw was us in a legitimate theatre, with an audience of about a thousand people, doing this on-stage production: actors with scripts in hand, sound effects artists on stage, musicians on stage with us. It was televised live on the Sci-Fi Channel — and we did another production for them of Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. (more)

MovieWeb
May 17th, 2010

People have talked a lot about the fact that William Bell's character had to be scaled back a little bit when you were cast because of your availability. You're not in as many episodes as they were hoping to feature the character. Do you know what some of those things that they were hoping to do with the character that they didn't get to do, or do you feel like there was stuff that didn't get to happen?

Leonard Nimoy: This is actually news to me. I haven't heard this before. I don't think it's accurate. I was asked to do five episodes. I did. So, I don't know where that information is coming from. It's true that, in the first three episodes that I did for them, or even the first four, I would say that my involvement was minimal. In this final one, coming up next week, I'm heavily involved. I don't know of any other plans that they had, or anything about scaling back. I don't think it's accurate. They asked me to do five episodes, and I did.} (more)

Crave Online
May 06, 2009
by Fred Topel

Who would have thought I’d ever get to interview Leonard Nimoy for a Star Trek movie. His last one was before The Next Generation took over. Even J.J. Abrams’ reboot is about the young Spock and Kirk and Enterprise crew, but thanks to his story, the original Spock plays a role. With Nimoy doing the rounds for Trek, I just couldn’t resist…

Crave Online: Mr. Nimoy, In original series episode #34… just kidding.

Leonard Nimoy: [Laughs] Wait a minute, I remember it well. I got it, go ahead.(more)

SciFi Wire
April 27, 2009
Ian Spelling

J.J. Abrams, who directed you in Star Trek, phoned and extended the invitation to guest-star on Fringe. Give us the setup of "There's More Than One of Everything."

Nimoy: It's one scene. It's the final scene of the episode, in which I appear with Olivia, with Anna Torv's character. It's very brief, but I think interesting, entertaining and there's enough given in the scene to whet your appetite, that you'll want to see more of this relationship and what it's all about. You'll want to know what it is he has in mind with Olivia, what he wants or needs her for, why he wants to see her, what their past history is about and where they're going together. What are they planning to do? What are his intentions? All of that is yet to come, and I think there's going to be some very interesting storytelling. (more)

SciFi Wire
November 19, 2009
By Fred Topel

"In the episode that's going to air that I recently filmed, there's some more information about what happened between William Bell and Walter, which I think will be useful," Nimoy told reporters Monday at the Trek DVD/Blu-ray launch party in Los Angeles.

Nimoy said it was great finally to share screen time with Noble. "I did, I did," Nimoy said. "He's wonderful. I mean, he's got a handle on that character, and he does it brilliantly."

And that will be that for William Bell, at least for now, Nimoy said: His current deal for Fringe guest spots is complete. "We agreed that I would do three episodes," he said. "I have filmed three. Two have been on the air. One will be airing sometime in the near future, and that's the extent of my commitment so far. I think the work that I did served a very important purpose, which was to explain the alternate side and what the major problem could potentially be." (more)

SciFi Wire
October '09

Leonard Nimoy may have made his final appearance as Spock in the Star Trek reboot. He says he doesn't think the series needs him anymore. As plans for a sequel develop, Nimoy does not expect to be involved.

"I frankly, frankly doubt that I will be called upon again," Nimoy said in a conference call on Oct. 7 while promoting his appearance on Fringe. "I think I was useful in his last film to help bridge between the original characters, the original actors, and the new cast. They have a wonderful new cast in place, and I'm sure they'll move ahead with them."

Nimoy also joked about the new moniker, Spock Prime, meaning he is the Spock from the original timeline but clearly different from the Spock that Zachary Quinto will grow to be.

"That's right, I'm in the prime of my life, right," Nimoy laughed.

Still, the original Spock's appearance in Star Trek meant more than just passing the torch. Longtime trekkers choked back tears as Spock Prime confessed his friendship to young Kirk. Even though the Quinto, Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, etc. cast is now established as the Enterprise crew, no one would object to another appearance by Spock Prime.

"I don't see, at the moment, why they would need me in the next film, although if they called me, I'd be happy to have a conversation about it," Nimoy said. "My understanding is they're working on a script right now. I expect there's going to be some time before they really know exactly who they need and what they need."

Los Angeles Times
October 27, 2009
By Geoff Boucher

Leonard Nimoy, who was coaxed out of retirement for "Star Trek" and then lingered in order to portray the mysterious William Bell on "Fringe," says it may be the logical time to say farewell to acting for good -- especially since the Bell role hasn't been a compelling one for him. (more)

Toronto Sun
April 19, 2010
Kevin Williamson

Just when he thinks he’s out, they beam him back in.

How else to describe Leonard Nimoy’s enduring, at times conflicted relationship with Star Trek, the franchise that’s defined his career for more than four decades — regardless of how many times he swore it off or believed it was finished?

“Countless times, I thought it was done,” he admits on the phone from Los Angeles.

But this time, says the 79-year-old actor-director-photographer, there are no more possibilities. Spock, his pointy-eared alter-ego, will live long and prosper. But it will be without Nimoy. (more)

SF Universe
October 8, 2009
By Cynthia

Yesterday, the marvelous Mr. Leonard Nimoy spent part of his afternoon with a group of reporters to talk about his role in tonight’s episode of Fringe. But since he couldn’t reveal too many details about the mysterious William Bell, we got him to talk about other things like the state of science fiction on TV, the difference in TV production from Star Trek to now and his love of photography.

As someone who’s watched Star Trek most of her life, it was a real thrill to talk with an actor whose voice carries so many memories. He was warm and thoughtful but the best part was his laugh, a sound he let loose right after he was asked the first question. I wish I had a tape of it to play for you, but you’ll just have to imagine that deep, vibrato as he chuckled over a question I’m sure he’s been asked many times. (more)

The Seattle Times
March 11, 2010
By Marian Liu

Q: Do you think "Star Trek" was robbed at Oscars?

A: It's sad that "Star Trek" has been so unrecognized over so many years. I was delighted that at least it won a makeup award. ... I think that I'm correct in saying that that's the first Academy Award that "Star Trek" has ever won. ... There've been some wonderful achievements in technology, in special effects, photography and story, ... but "Avatar" was an enormous accomplishment as a motion picture and still it did not win best director or best film. (more)

IGN TV
October 7, 2009
Ramsey Isler

US, October 7, 2009 - In the this week's new episode of Fringe, "Momentum Deferred", Leonard Nimoy makes his much anticipated return as the mysterious, dimension-hopping William Bell. IGN TV joined in on a conference call with the veteran actor who talked about his role on Fringe, his impressive longevity in the industry, and his love of photography.

Nimoy was notably upbeat, jovial, witty, and lightning quick with his responses to a wide variety of questions. You wouldn't think that the man on the other end of the line was 78 years old. He laughed out loud when asked if he had any reservations about taking on another show with such a fanatic following, and said that he didn't mind because show runners J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman were people he enjoyed working with, and he jumped at the opportunity to play a "character with a blank slate. To try to create from scratch a character who had never been seen before, and only been referred to...it's great exploration for an actor."

Nimoy couldn't reveal much about the upcoming episode that brings the Fringe series back to where last season's finale left off. But he had much praise for everyone involved in the production of the episode. He gave many kudos to Anna Torv's work as Olivia Dunham, calling her "very interesting to watch, and very competent." He also lauded the work of the writers and directors and the work of the special effects teams. "In tomorrow's episode there are things that I wouldn't know how to do," he said. "I directed two Star Trek movies, and I don't know how they're doing some of these things on a television budget."

Crave Online
Oct 12, 2009
by Fred Topel

Who would have thought I’d ever get to interview Leonard Nimoy, let alone twice in one year. The big coup was getting him for Star Trek, and to talk about Spock no less. Now he’s also recurring on Fringe, as the elusive William Bell. Last week showed the first of many returns as Olivia flashed back to her meeting with Bell in the twin towers of an alternate New York. Nimoy shared his thoughts on Fringe and sci-fi, and we can only look forward (more)

COMINGSOON.net
November 17, 2009
By Heather Newgen

Leonard Nimoy recently said he feels the future of "Star Trek" no longer needs him, so when we talked to the actor at the Star Trek DVD/Blu-ray release party at the historic Griffith Observatory in LA, we asked him why. (more)

USA Today
Feb 01, 2010
By Mike Snider

It's a pleasure to speak with you again. Tell us about the part you play in the game.
Nimoy: I spent some time in front of a microphone doing voice work for them. I am essentially a tour guide or narrator. I don't do the Spock character. I'm an omniscient voice that tells the player what is going on (and) what to do next, 'Congratulations, you've just done this or that,' 'Now try this' or 'Think about that' or 'Make a left turn or a right turn if you want to do such and such' or so forth. (more)

Sci Fi Wire
April 27, 2009
By Patrick Lee

I think also they were speaking kind of about the pace of the film.

Nimoy: Yeah, that too, yeah. No question about it. Look, when you're on a smaller budget, you tend to stay on certain scenes longer, you tend to stay on dialogue scenes longer with the actors. You tend to stay in less sets. This picture has more sets, more action, larger [more] ships, larger experiences, larger adventures, because the appetite of the filmmakers is larger and they were given a larger budget to do it with. I think it's a wonderful movie. ... It's a very exciting film. ... (more)

Brimingham News
February 03, 2009
By Alec Harvey

Nimoy says photography complements his other artistic side.

"I just fell in love with the whole idea of creating an image," he says. "It's quite different from what an actor does. An actor produces something that you can't hold in your hand." (more)

LA Weekly
Oct. 2, 2009
By Steven Leigh Morris

Leonard Nimoy (right) in a 1953 production of Sholom Aleichem's It's Hard to Be a Jew at Hollywood's Civic Theatre, then located on La Cienega Boulevard north of the Coronet Theatre. The director, Maurice Schwartz, appeared in the production's 1920 New York premiere for the Yiddish Art Theatre. Photo courtesy of Leonard Nimoy

On October 17, the Company of Angels is throwing a bash celebrating its 50th anniversary season. To mark the occasion, the company is honoring Culture Clash, Robert Ellenstein and Leonard Nimoy. And what does the original Mr. Spock have to do with Company of Angels? Even Nimoy was a little surprised. "They must have dug my name out of the archives," he told me this morning at his Westwood office. (more)

Zap2it
October 7, 2008
By Leah Sydney

The Dish Rag asked Nimoy if he'd attended the wedding of his "Trek" costar George Takei (a.k.a. Lieutenant Sulu) to his longtime life partner, Brad Altman, and how he felt about Prop 8.

"We got an invite and sent George and Brad an e-mail and told them unfortunately we had to be in New York that day –- but we sent them our best wishes," said Nimoy. (more)

William Shatner seems perfectly content spoofing his iconic status in Priceline commercials, but for Leonard Nimoy, life after "Star Trek" has been a more solemn existence. The man who would rather you not call him Spock has, for decades now, immersed himself in music, poetry and fine art. His new book "The Full Body Project," is an arresting collection of black-and-white nude photographs featuring full-bodied women who stare into the camera, practically daring us to judge them. (Article offline as to Dec. 2009 at the source, please go here for more.)

Trek Movie
October 8, 2009
By TrekMovie.com Staff

Question: I was wondering, did you have any reservations on taking another role with the potential of such a fanatic following?

Nimoy: I love this question. I can’t help but laugh because you’re absolutely right. It’s an interesting set of circumstances. What attracted me to it was several things. J.J. Abrams, Bob Orci, and Alex Kurtzman, who I worked with on the Star Trek movie, I admire their talent and the work that they do. The series is at the very least to say intriguing. The character was somewhat of a blank slate, but we began talking about it and, therefore, attracted because there’s an opportunity to build an interesting and unpredictable character. I’m enjoying it a lot. (more)

I am sitting in Leonard Nimoy's Manhattan living room discussing naked women. Not just any naked women, but Mr. Spock's naked women. Nimoy's naked women. "I Am Not Spock" was the title of Nimoy's first autobiography. "I Am Spock," the title of his second. This on-again, off-again Vulcan science officer has a new book out-- a collection of his photographs of nudes. more

Ocregister
April 20, 2005
Tyler Green

Bloomberg News talked to Leonard and Susan Nimoy about their engagement in, and giving to, the art community and other charitable causes.

"Q. You've given to Los Angeles organizations for years, but only recently have your names been affiliated with your gifts. Why?

Susan Nimoy: Leonard comes from a very orthodox Jewish tradition, which says the highest level of giving is anonymous. So for a long, longtime we insisted that our giving be under the radar screen - which had a lot of benefits, I might add. Nobody knew we were doing it. The phone didn't ring as much and we didn't get as much mail.

Q. So what turned you toward being public about your giving?

Leonard Nimoy: I began to realize that some of my giving was initiated because I'd heard of someone else doing this or that or the other thing. So if that's the case, if I'm responding to hearing about other people doing things, then wouldn't it make sense for us to do the same thing and to bring out some other people?

Susan Nimoy: When we gave to the Griffith Observatory, I read a little blurb in the L.A. Times that said the observatory was reaching completion on a $63 million renovation and expansion. They had raised $43 million under our radar screen. After we gave our gift for the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater, their phones rang off the hook with all these "Star Trek" fans. They gave money like mad."

(Article offline as to Dec. 2009 at the source, please go here for more.)

Jewish Journal
June 2, 2005
By Naomi Pfefferman

In a recent Tel Aviv seminar, Leonard Nimoy -- famous as "Star Trek's" logical Mr. Spock -- described the Vulcan way he behaved while playing Golda Meir's husband in a 1982 TV movie.

"I had a question and the director blurted, 'It doesn't make any difference, you're wrong for this part anyway,'" the 74-year-old actor-director said. "But I just walked away, let it fizzle out and went back to work."

Nimoy -- who was Emmy nominated for that role -- was back in Israel as part of the Jewish Federation's Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership film master class program. During his five-day trip, he conducted two "Inside the Actor's Studio"-style seminars for student actors and directors. (more)

IGN
October 8, 2009
Christopher Monfette

In an interview reported by IGN Leonard Nimoy doubts he'll get a call again:

"My understanding is they're working on a script right now," said Nimoy. "I expect there's going to be some time before they really know exactly who they need and what they need. I frankly, frankly doubt that I will be called upon again. I think I was useful in his last film to help bridge between the original characters, the original actors, and the new cast. They have a wonderful new cast in place, and I'm sure they'll move ahead with them. I don't see, at the moment, why they would need me in the next film, although, if they called me, I'd be happy to have a conversation about it."

When asked about his reaction to having been included in the J.J. Abrams reboot, Nimoy replied, "It gave me a sense of validation after all these years. I had been out of it for some time, as you're probably aware. There were several Star Trek series in which I was not involved and Star Trek movies in which I was not involved. This was a re-validation of the work that I had done, the work that we had done on the original Star Trek…I had a great time working on the movie. I think they did a brilliant job, and I think the audience response shows that that was the case and has reinvigorated the franchise." (more)

The Wrap
May 14, 2010
By Brent Lang

Spock will live long and prosper, but as alter ego Leonard Nimoy made clear on a Fox conference call to promote his guest spot on "Fringe," he won't be the one wearing the pointy ears. He's ready to cede the role to Zachary Quinto.

Nimoy stuck to his guns, restating again and again that this time he plans to keep his promise to retire.

"I've been doing this for 60 years," Nimoy said. "I had decided not to do any more acting, but I was called back to do 'Star Trek,' which I though was a wonderful way to introduce a new actor to play Spock." (more)

Wired
October 7, 2009
Hugh Hart

When Leonard Nimoy returns to sci-fi series Fringe Thursday in the role of genius mogul William Bell, fans can expect to get a baby-step closer to understanding the man behind a global conspiracy that has driven the series’ back story from the beginning.

During a Wednesday conference call, Nimoy promised an intense scene with FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (played by Anna Torv) in the upcoming show, which airs Thursday at 9 p.m. EST on Fox.

“We will learn a lot more about their relationship and we will be told what William Bell’s intentions are, although we’re not sure that everything he says is accurate,” said the Star Trek veteran.

Nimoy (pictured) made his debut as Bell in the Season 1 Fringe finale, which hinted at an alternate universe riddled with “soft spots” enabling Agent Dunham and her associate Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) to straddle the time-space continuum.

Nimoy’s take? “You’d have to ask Stephen Hawking,” he said. “I’m not a scientist and can’t tell you if there’s a soft spot through which you can slip into an alternate world, but I think Fringe deals with that question in an intriguing way.”

On the Star Trek front, Nimoy said he felt his contributions to the original series were “validated” by appearing in last summer’s reboot, powered not coincidentally by Fringe co-creators J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

However, the 78-year-old actor does not expect to reprise Spock Prime in future installments. “I frankly doubt that I will be called upon again,” he said. “I was useful in this last film to bridge between the original actors and the new cast but I don’t see why they would need me in the next film.”

As for his Dr. Bell character, Nimoy shoots another episode in two weeks but cautioned that future Fringeappearances have yet to be firmed up. Meanwhile, the actor will be preparing an exhibition of photographs to be staged next year at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

“I think of myself as an ocean liner going full speed for a long distance,” Nimoy said. “When the captain pulls the throttle all the way back to stop, the ship doesn’t stop immediately, does it? It has its own momentum and keeps on going.”

The Calgary Herald
March 22, 2010
By Volmers

"I don’t see it happening," says Nimoy, in an interview from his home in Los Angeles. "I’m comfortable. I’m not glad, I’m not sad. I feel like I’ve had a great ride with the character. . . we started making Star Trek pilots in 1964. I’ve been involved in Star Trek for 44, 45 years. It’s been a wonderful ride for me and it’s been great for my family. We got to do some very interesting work outside of Star Trek because of Star Trek and I’m very satisfied."

(...)

Currently, the actor can be seen in the recurring role of the mysterious Dr. William Bell in Abrams’ trippy, sci-fi series Fringe. While Nimoy praises the show and his character, he admits he did it largely as favour to Abrams. So will it be his final role?

"I certainly hope so," he says with a laugh. "I’ve been doing it long enough, so I hope so. I’ve had a great, great run and I have no unfulfilled dreams or aspirations." (more)

Jewish Journal
November 2, 2006
By Naomi Pfefferman

Leonard Nimoy -- best known as "Star Trek's" logical Mr. Spock -- wants the Griffith Observatory to go where no observatory has gone before. So he became one of the staunchest advocates of the landmark's mammoth renovation and expansion project, along with his wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, donating $1 million toward its new Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater. The auditorium, housed in a circular drum clad in perforated metal panels, is so elegantly futuristic it could serve as a set for the planned "Star Trek XI" film, which will not involve Nimoy. (more)

The News Tribune
March 12, 2010
By Craig Sailor

He became a science-fiction character so iconic that even a new president’s demeanor has been compared to him. And yet Leonard Nimoy, the original Spock from “Star Trek,” is not ready to retire. He’s just going to be giving those famous pointy ears a rest. (more)

The Artblog
May 30, 2010
By Corey Armpriester

Corey Armpriester -You picked up the camera at age fourteen, Why did light take a hold on you at that time?
Leonard Nimoy – Magic. Expose the film to light and process it in the dark. Capture an image and make a product. Hold it in your hand. Hang it on the wall. Give it as a gift.

CA -You had you’re first photographic exhibition in 1973, what did you reveal about yourself in that show?
LN -I was searching. Exploring. Experimenting. Looking for a visual identity. (more)

Jewish Journal
June 23, 2005
By Tom Tugend

"This unique group of classical artists from the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), and their equally skilled colleagues from the Arab musical tradition, reflect the best of multicultural Israel today," said actor Leonard Nimoy, who with his wife, Susan, is sponsoring the series. (more)

MyNorthWest
March 11, 2010
By Heather Bosch

When he joined the cast of Star Trek in the mid 60's. He says the setting was science-fiction action but it was the great stories that kept the series alive.

"That's why it's lasted so long. It's not just about ships, and chasing, and guns, and explosions. I mean we have our share of that, but there's also some very interesting ideas behind all of the episodes and they're good stories.

Calgary Herald
April 21, 2010
By Eric Volmers

Yes, in the eyes of many, Nimoy will always be Mr. Spock. But the actor says he is comfortable that the franchise is far from over with the new cast.

"I think the fans have been very receptive," he says. "I think the fans get it, that this could mean future Star Trek (films). Look, Jimmy Doohan (the original Scotty) is gone, DeForest Kelley (the original Dr. McCoy) is gone, Bill Shatner and I are in our late 70s. It's time. If we want Star Trek to continue, I think this is a great way for it to happen." (more)

CBC News
January 25, 2010

"I'm looking forward to making a root connection to Vulcan," said Nimoy, adding he wants to "shake some hands" and "make some friends" during his visit.

Nimoy said he no longer feels rooted to the neighborhood he grew up and began his acting career in.

"I grew up in the city of Boston in a neighborhood I felt very connected to," Nimoy told CBC News on Sunday from his home in Los Angeles, Calif. "The neighborhood was subsequently torn down and replaced by many expensive high-rise condominiums. When I go back there I feel rootless." (more)

DVR Playground
May 10, 2010
By theTVaddict.com

Will the upcoming two part finale resolve the story?
There will be a major confrontation between the two characters. The last time I was here, I was performing brain surgery on Walter. But now we will see them spend some time together in a dramatic situation where we will get some more information about their relationship, the past, how they felt about each other, what they were doing, what they were trying to do and how it affected the universes… both universes. Both Walter and William have some stuff to work out, particularly with regards to their feelings about one another. In fact, there’s a moment I’ll tell you about where they start to get into it and Olivia says, “Hey, work that out some other time.” It’s a terrific moment. (more)

Sometimes it's uncanny how some of Leonard Nimoy's and Spock's experiences parallel each other... like family - Sarek in Spock's case - withholding approval, or the experience of being alienated from one's surroundings and being maligned for it that comes from being different. This and much more is talked about in Stars of David by Abigail Pogrebin. (more)

Entertainment Daily
May 8, 2009
By Derrik J. Lang

‘Star Trek’ legend Leonard Nimoy ‘comfortable’ with mysterious new ‘Fringe’ role; Spock, too

LOS ANGELES — Outside of Leonard Nimoy’s Bel Air home, workers are busy constructing a new driveway, replacing flagstone with sleek cement as part of an ongoing conversion from Mediterranean to modern. Though the 78-year-old actor is also undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts, he isn’t paving over his past. (more)

Los Angeles Times
October 30, 2009
By Scott Sandell

Over at the Hero Complex blog, Geoff Boucher talks with Leonard Nimoy about his lifelong passion for photography, which is coming into focus Saturday night at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

Nimoy, an avid art collector along with his wife, Susan, is unveiling his latest project, called "Who Do You Think You Are?," at a Halloween fundraiser the couple is hosting for the museum. The event will include installations by Miriam Wosk, music by DJ Eddie Ruscha (son of Ed) and a prize drawing.

Tickets for the costume party start at $350. For $5,000 and up (and one lucky drawing winner), Nimoy will take a portrait of you at the event in the theme of his project, which Boucher explains thusly:

Last year, Nimoy spent two 16-hour days shooting portraits of total strangers in Northampton, Mass., who had answered a public invitation to share a glimpse of their hidden selves. He photographed 95 people and chose 25 of them for the exhibit that will go on display next summer at MASS MoCA.

"The idea was to invite people to reveal their secret selves, the self they wish to be or the self they hide from the world," said Nimoy, 78, who has been an avid photographer since his youth. "There was a measure of bravery in this by everyone involved. I had no idea what to expect. Some of the people walked in with these amazing stories, stories you couldn't anticipate or make up." (more)

German teen magazine interview. (more)

DM: Leonard, when you heard for the very first time that there was a new Star Trek film in the works and they wanted you to play Spock again, was there a part of you that said inside, “No, I’m done with that character?”

LN: There certainly was hesitation because I was very comfortable, after so many years away from it, with the idea that I would not play Spock again. I just didn’t think of myself in terms of doing that role again. But I thought at least as a courtesy I should go and listen to what they had to say. I had a wonderful meeting with JJ Abrams and Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman. My sense of them was very different from the experience that I had had in the previous 12 or 15 years relative to Star Trek. I felt, frankly, that I was a sort of an outsider looking in for many years. My conversation with JJ and the others really gave me the sense that they were looking at Star Trek the way I looked at it from the earlier years on the original series and some of the better films that we did. They were very much in touch with my feelings about what made it work and they were particularly in touch with my feelings on what had moved me and excited me about being Spock. So I thought, “This feels different than the experience that I had been having with Star Trek for some time.” It felt very different. I thought this could be worth looking into. They had not had a script at that point, they were just considering writing something but they made it very clear that they intended to write a script that would importantly involve the Spock character. So they needed some sense that I would at least consider it because if I had said flat, “No” they would have to find a whole new direction. I didn’t say flat “no” and I did say, “I think you guys are interested in the things I am interested in. I will look forward to reading the script.” And that’s the way we left it. (more)

io9
By Meredith Woerner
April 28, 2009

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek takes your familiar crewmembers places they've never been before - including one love story that will forever alter the crew's dynamic. We asked writers Orci and Kurtzman about it.

(...)

But of course Leonard Nimoy felt left out by Young Spock's conquest:

Frankly, I was extremely jealous of his scenes with Zoe Saldana, and I think it's totally unfair that I never got to do that. I will never forgive the writers and the director, for having put me in this position, to have to be watching that, rather than participating. (more)

Salon.com takes a good hard look at what is wrong with Star Trek nowadays. Posted Oct-29-1999. Leonard Nimoy gives his opinion on the Next Generation on page 4 of the 5 part article.

Berman's decision to kill Kirk wasn't merely a pragmatic solution to a nonexistent quandary. After all, why couldn't Paramount make films using both casts, at least until the original crew of the Enterprise started dying off in real life? No, his execution of Kirk symbolized a lack of understanding of what made the show so endearing for so long. You can put any group of people in Starfleet uniforms, but if there is no sense of humor, no sense of purpose, no sense of compassion, then it sure as hell ain't "Star Trek."

"There has definitely been a difference in vision than what we were doing, and that's either for better or worse," says Nimoy, who says he does not watch the new shows because he hasn't the time. "You have to give them credit, because, on the one hand, we only lasted three seasons and were canceled. They lasted 12 years with three different shows. If you put the aggregate years together, that's like 30 years of 'Star Trek.' And they have a right to call it 'Star Trek,' but it has evolved into something different. What it is, I don't know -- I don't watch enough of it to pass judgment.

"I can tell you on a very general level I think we had a certain kind of charm and a currency. I felt we were in touch with the time. Now, times have changed, and maybe it's not as easy to grab hold of a Zeitgeist as it was for us. We were dealing with very strong social movements of the time. By that, I mean the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, overpopulation concerns, the growing awareness of concerns for the planet. We had very rich, fertile territory to plow, and I think we did it very well. I don't know that these people have the same kind of territory to plow, except, 'How are we going to get home this week?' It's not the same, is it?"

Nimoy has never forgiven Berman for the poor handling of Kirk's death -- and for the fact that Braga and Moore, in their original "The Undiscovered Territory" script, had reduced the Spock and McCoy characters to nothing but walk-on parts, another sign of how little these men cared about the original show. Nimoy says he wouldn't have minded so much had he been asked to direct the film before the script was written. Even if the Spock role was to be small, at least as director Nimoy could find some way to give him an identity.

But that wasn't to be.

"I had directed two very successful 'Star Trek' movies, and 'IV,' it's safe to say, is to this day the most successful," Nimoy says. "But the point is, when I was asked to do them, I was brought in first, as the director to make a movie for Paramount Pictures. When Rick Berman announced to me he had been hired as producer to make the next 'Star Trek' movie, I said to him, 'Who's going to direct it?' And he said, 'Well, it would be very exciting to work with you as a director someday,' which I thought was very evasive. Then several months later, after he and his people had done the script, they called me and said, 'We would love to have you direct this movie.'

"Well, this is an entirely different construct than making a movie for Paramount. Now, I'm making a movie for Rick Berman, you see. Well, the script was lousy. I said so: 'This needs major, major work.' They said, 'Well, we don't have time for the kind of changes you're talking about.' So I said goodbye. And then to end it with a fight scene between Kirk and Malcolm McDowell! What's the point?"

Since then, Nimoy has not talked to Paramount about anything related to "Star Trek" -- with one exception: He and business partner John de Lancie (better known as "Next Generation's" Q) have shipped to stores this week an hour-long audio version of their "Spock vs. Q" two-man show, which they've performed at a half-dozen "Star Trek" conventions. Nimoy licenses the character from Paramount; that's the extent of his relationship with the studio.

"Which is a shame," Nimoy says, "since Rick Berman and I used to be friends."

On page 5 of the article he is cited saying that "'De's death is a nail in the coffin' of his ever doing any more 'Trek' films." Little could anyone have imagined in their wildest dreams that neither the Next Generation and the series coming thereafter, nor the passing away of the original actors, could have stopped their brand of Trek to continue to live it's long and prosperous life in 2009.

(Article offline as to Dec. 2009 at the source, please go here for more.)

Tulsa World
June 21, 2009
By Michael Smith

Today's technology won't allow Leonard Nimoy to totally escape from business concerns, even when he's on holiday on a ship cruising around Greek islands.

"Leonard is out at sea but fortunately has Internet (service)," said Gary Hasson, Nimoy's agent, in relaying his client's e-mail answers to a few questions in advance of his appearing on Saturday at the 20th anniversary of Tulsa's Trek Expo. (more)