Most hilarious were the comments on startrekauction.blogspot about the "Star Trek IV Spock Whale tank Swimwear" and Sickbay costume. Be kind in your judgement, he's a guy.

Star Trek I

(Paramount, 1979) Signature crème colored sleeveless robe of rubberized fabric geometric emblems with hook-and-eye belt attachment at the sides. Worn by Leonard Nimoy as “Mr. Spock” during the opening sequences of the film on planet Vulcan. Exhibits studio soiling and distress and bears the internal Western Costume Co. label handwritten, “Spock Nimoy.”

Source costume pic 1 and description: icollector.com, Source costume pic 2 : trekspace.org

The Spock TMP costume is totally overpriced.  A $ 30-40,000 bid is just not realistic.  Profiles started this last auction with the overpriced "Roberta Lincoln" and "Lenore Karridian" costumes in their last auction, both of which had absurd $ 20,000 opening bids and neither of which sold.  This costume is cool, but a $ 15,000 costume max.  And more like $ 10,000.   So how do they get $ 30,000?    It is far from iconic and I will say if you spend $ 30,000 on this you are nuts.

The two big fails, were, as predicted, the Spock costume from TMP (no bids) and the Shuttlepod (no bids).  You didn't have to be a genius to know that the TMP Spock Robe was worth maybe $ 15,000 TOPS and that this one would never hit the $ 30,000 reserve. 

 

The Spock Sickbay Costume at $ 2,9820 was a shocker. Yes, it is a key scene in ST: TMP, but still, it isn't a Starfleet uniform, so I think it is a bit much.

A new record for an item on the It's a Wrap auctions was set when the Spock Space Suit from Star Trek: TMP sold for $ 10,100.03. This is almost $ 4,000 more than the Captain Kirk Commando uniform from Star Trek V that sold for $ 6,253 two weeks ago. The down side was if you read the description carefully, there was a hole cut in the helmet. This also may have been re-used by Paul Winfield in Star Trek II. Of course that one had a handle in the front, and this one does not. Also, I really hate that it has no boots. I would get some repros for sure.

And best of all is the fantastic Spock Space Suit from that movie. It looks great, but sadly does not have the boots. This item is a gem and someone will have a great piece of movie history in their home. This will certainly set a record for these auctions. I find it hard to believe it will go less than $8,000 and could easily hit $10,000 

The Star Trek: TMP Spock Class D uniform at $6,100.03 was the top costume of the week. There was no uniform insignia and no shoulder strips. This may have been because this jumpsuit was used at the end of the movie under their field jackets. You never see anything but the collar and legs of this uniform. So, for this to go so high I think is a bit much.

The Spock class D uniform went high, going for $ 7,810. A month ago, one of these went for $ 6,100. The costume,from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, certainly is recognizable and unique because of the Mandarin collar.

The Spock Class A Starfleet Uniform is at $ 3,750 and will go higher. What should be noted is that the shirt is NOT Nimoy's. Cool none the less, but I wouldn't pay high as I like having a costume that is 100% the actor's.

 

Star Trek IV

At $ 1,713, the Spock headband from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was a pretty good deal. At Christies, this sold for $ 4,560 with buyer's premium. Pretty iconic and something that is easy to display. 

An original Spock headband from The Voyage Home - $1999 shipped (or best offer) in the US. Comes with shown display stand and a COA from It's a Wrap who got the item directly from Paramount. The second pic shows the inside of the headband - the folds are stitched closed through the center of the piece but the ends are not so they "flare out" as shown. 

The Star Trek IV Spock Whale tank Swimwear went for $ 2,092. Strong for a swimsuit, but important none the less and such a great scene in Star Trek IV.

The top item of the week was the Spock "Mindmeld" costume from Star Trek IV. Basically his underwear, it went for a RIDICULOUS $ 4,550. This one totally boggles my mind. Someone must love that movie a lot to pay that for this costume.

Worst Buy of the week: Spock's "Mindmeld Costume" at $ 4,550. Basically glorified underwear! Give me a break!

The Spock Whale Mind Meld Costume we have seen before, and obviously there were a bunch of these.  Star Trek: IV Spock Whale Mind Meld Costume at $ 1,575

The Star Trek IV Spock Whale Tank Costume at $ 2,927 was a popular item and certainly very memorable. Not out of line price wise. Will be a cool conversation piece on display.

 

Star Trek V

The Spock Camping costume was very nice (all that was needed was Spock's rocket boots!) and went for $ 3,405. The same bidder won the McCoy Commando costume at $ 3,363 (and the Sybok robes!). I happen to know that this bidder has both the Kirk and Spock Commando costumes already and is something of a Star Trek V geek! Well, there had to be ONE is the entire galaxy! :-)

Star Trek: V Spock Camping Outfit at $ 4,225 was the best costume this week, but probably a bit high. We have seen a bunch of these and though this is the only one to have the Vulcan iconography on the shirt underneath, it is still a lot for a civilian costume. But a very cool jacket and very recognizable.

The Commando Spock went for $ 2,550 which was a steal! This is an important costume and used through most of Star Trek V. I can't believe it went so low.

The Star Trek V Spock Commando costume was a bit high at $ 3,050 I felt as the undershirt wasn't Spock's, and there were no rank or even boots. There have been a bunch of these, so I don't think they are too special, but none the less it is a Spock and so very cool for the new owner.

The Spock Commando costume is similar to the Kirk, though this is an actual Nimoy costume. It has a belt, though no rank pins or boots. Note that it was used in the turbolift shaft scene where Spock uses the rocket boots, so it has a hole in the back of the sweater.

 

Star Trek VI

One of the most well known costumes up for auction is Leonard Nimoy’s Vulcan Robe and Tunic costume from the Undiscovered Country. We don't see many Spock costumes, and this is a nice piece, though incomplete.

 

 

Star Trek '09

Ambassador Spock's gray leather parka and gloves as he is marooned on Delta Vega by Captain Nero in "Star Trek" (Paramount Pictures, 2009) and worn by Leonard Nimoy.

 

 

 

Sources: The Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Blog and Star Trek Auction Listings

Look at the details on the pointed ears. Amazing! Source: mrssylargray

For better or worse, here are two costumes that didn’t end up in the hands of a fan-girl but a serious prop collector. More costumes and props here.

Update Sep. 2012

If I read that sign at the end of the store’s page right, the costume is still available?

Star Trek At The Smithsonian - Leonard Nimoy Toga from “Plato’s Stepchildren” 

From February, 1992 through January, 1993; a major exhibition of Star Trek: The Original Series props, costumes and model miniatures was held at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. This exhibition was part of the 25th Anniversary celebration of TOS, and attracted over 880,000 visitors during its 11 month engagement. It was the first time that the Smithsonian had honored a fictional as opposed to scientific achievement; and, to this day, represents the largest and most significant collection of Original Series screen used memorabilia ever to be assembled for public display.

Post number 39 in this series on Star Trek at the Smithsonian focuses on a toga worn by Leonard Nimoy in the 3rd season episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” (first airdate: Nov. 22, 1968). 

(…)

The initial article on this historic Air and Space exhibition featured a rare 26 min video prepared especially for the event in which the Original Series Cast and Crew discussed the appeal and relevance of Star Trek. It can be seen at http://startrekpropauthority.blogspot.com/2009/05/special-1992-smithsonian-video-with.html

Source: Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Authority

Penny for LN’s thoughts when he first saw the costume design…

One of the best analyses of Spock I've ever read (besides the one from Isaac Asimov on the sex appeal of our favorite Vulcan) again comes from Mr. Nimoy himself and was written by him for the magazine The Humanist in 1976. Here he again details not only what makes Spock a good scientist as a scientist, but one we would desperately wish and hope for. A scientist we can trust in his ethics.

In that same piece he also writes about the surreal experiences of having his make-up test filmed on the sound stage of I Love Lucy and how it already helped him form part of Spock's attitudes towards humanity, the interplay between actor and character, being contacted by "metaphysical" organizations telling him he was chosen to prepare humanity in the role of Spock for the future and more.

Boston

'Wall of Fame' at the Skywalk Observatory at the Prudential Center in Boston. Because of the timing of my trip, on the day of Mr. Nimoy's birthday, I was already in Philadelphia, where I found a sweet little shop, where I got a cupcake to celebrate the day in Mr. Nimoy's honor.

Philadelphia

Two famous names found in Philadelphia. With "Moriarty" being undercover running a pub, I see the need for a U.S. adaption of Sherlock Holmes. And now we also know where "William Bell" went after disintegrating on Fringe ;) The historical mark for a William Bell of Philadelphia is located in front of the Liberty Bell Center. Mr. Nimoy, in a number of tweets, has voiced his concerns for the job market in the U.S. From visiting Boston, one wouldn't guess that the economy is in trouble. The opposite was true for Philadelphia, where a noticeable amount of "For Lease" signs were hanging in shop windows.

Washington D.C.

On to Washington. Of course I went to see the model of the original Enterprise from Star Trek at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Once being displayed hanging from the ceiling, it is now located in the basement of the gift shop. First, I didn't know whether to take it as an insult as a fan, but the new setup does allow one to have a close up look from all angles. While in the gift shop there was twice as much Star Wars merchandize than Star Trek, at the Newseum TOS has not been forgotten.

While in Washington I met Grace, who was a wealth of information about her hometown and what to do and not do. If they say no food or drink in Washington subways, they mean it! But who, really, would put carpet in their subway cars??? On March 29th after enjoying a very good dinner at a Thai restaurant, we sat down with a bottle of wine and savored The Big Bang episode that guest starred Leonard Nimoy voice acting the Spock action figure that talks to Sheldon in his dreams. That's me and Grace and in the second photo Grace modeling her LN signed Spock shirt. (Sorry for me looking weird in the photos. I always think I look weird in photos and even more weird when smiling. You, Grace, and Bonnie, come out so much better in the pictures.)

Burlington N.C.

After lots of power sightseeing and the blisters to show for it, helping Bonnie sort through mounds of LN pictures was a welcome change. And wow, did I see photos I've never seen before, and I have been around fandom for quite a while. Some of those she has shared with us on Beyond Spock and I can't thank her enough for that. Three more of those I've put above this post.

Dear Bonnie and Grace, many thanks for your hospitality and making this trip memorable. After just writing mails all this time it was such a pleasure meeting you both in person and I wish you well with both your projects.

The actor, Benedict Cumberbatch, who portraits Sherlock Holmes in the hit BBC series was announced to be playing a part in the next Star Trek movie currently filming at Paramount. He is rumored to play the villain and today in the comments at TrekMovie I read that some even conjecture he might play a Vulcan from a remark made by Zachary Quinto. Since J.J. Abrams is coy about even calling the part in the movie a villain, there is much room for speculation. Whatever the case may be, both franchises have already been tied in the past by director and Holmes fan Nicholas Meyer in The Undiscovered Country where he has Spock citing Sherlock Holmes. The favor was returned only recently in a dialog in Sherlock's second season episode, The Hounds of Baskerville. Watson calls Sherlock "Spock" after Sherlock lectures him on the messy effects of emotions and the necessity to divorce himself from them to function adequately. Fans of Mr. Nimoy of course already know there is one more connection left to mention, since he, too, tried his hand at playing Sherlock Holmes in the past on stage.

The text on the picture taken to promote the play in 1976 reads, "Leonard Nimoy and Alan Sues, appearing at the Shubert in 'Sherlock Holmes', temporarily man the State Street Council Information booth at the NE Corner of State and Madison..... a crowed of fans lines up for autographs and fingerprints provided by the stars...."

"Leonard Nimoy as 'Sherlock Holmes' comforts his ally and dear friend Doctor Watson in a dramatic moment in the international hit coming to the stage of the Shubert [Theater] for a limited [engagement] beginning Tuesday, May 11. Doctor Watson is played by Ronald Bishop."

The music video, Color Me In, is here.

Well, if you borrow, borrow from the best. (And the BBC, via YouTube, wouldn't even let me upload that clip where Watson calls Sherlock "Spock." Hrmpf.) There is another basic appeal to the character of Sherlock he shares with Spock, as viewers wait for those special moments where his humanity would peak through. And when it does, at the moment you realize that Sherlock is crying, it shatters your heart into a thousand tiny little pieces. But there the similarities end, as Sherlock describes himself as a highly functioning sociopath and elsewhere has been compared to Dr. House. Sherlock definitely has a sadistic streak in him. The way he delivers the deathblow to the convict through a grammar lesson in the opening scene of The Great Game is cruel and he leaves the scene with a satisfied smirk on his lips. There is a promise, though, that Sherlock is redeemable that is offered through the presence of John Watson who becomes his link to humanity and moral compass. Like Kirk and Spock, Sherlock and John only become more than the sum of their parts through the other's friendship. Sherlock, the man who didn't give a shit about what others think of him, has learned to care. It would be easy to say that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one when Sherlock has to face suicide in The Reichenbach Falls, but that's not the case. Of the three targets identified by Moriarty as Sherlock's friends, only John really matters. To ensure his survival, Sherlock has be cruel to him and for probably the first time in Sherlock's life, cruelty does not bring pleasure but pain. It's essential that John believes in Sherlock's death and Sherlock knows exactly what it would do to him.

All comparisons aside, in the cobination of character traits, manerisms, composure and the actor's talents behind it, a truely unique character was created. As someone posted on Tumblr, " Benedict Cumberbatch is our generation's Leonard Nimoy, his Sherlock is our Mr. Spock."

One last bit of trivia before I end, Benedict Cumberbatch has been playing Vincent van Gogh in a British docu-drama Van Gogh - Painted with Words.

Take it with a grain of salt...

I've been seeing some of those banners/buttons lately on the Internet and it seemed as good a time as any to dig up the interview below dating back to 1968. While the tone is schmaltzy, drippingly so, it offers a peek into the political past when the idea that show business people could aspire to become Presidents was something that society had just begun to mull over. The article also offers a bit of information that I haven't much come across elsewhere. Common lore has it that Mr. Nimoy was hired by Gene Roddenberry to play Spock after appearing in an episode of The Lieutenant that Roddenberry produced at the time. But here it is suggested that he was at least also cast on the strength of his portrayal in Death Watch and, see the article below this one, Dr. Kildare. While the shoe fit, Mr. Nimoy being cast as Spock was no fairy tale. The producers of Star Trek did do their homework.

Leonard Nimoy for President

During that period of intense struggle, Leonard found that few people knew he even existed. Agents paid no heed; acting jobs were few and far between. "But I always had work of some sort," Leonard said. "I worked as a cab driver, dishwasher and at whatever else happened to be available at the time. But for the true artist, this is a kind of slow death. Anything is when he yearns to create and doesn't have the opportunity to do so."

There was an exception -- Death Watch, that controversial Jean Genet film which was directed by Leonard's good friend, Vic Morrow, and in which he starred with Michael Forest Paul and Mazurki [sic.]. Speaking of that film, he exclaimed, "I had seen it with Vic years before as a play in the Los Angeles area. It got under our skin. We couldn't forget it. We knew we would never be satisfied until we did it as a motion picture."

Which involved more sacrifice, more scrimping, more bouts with hunger as he worked feverishly with Vic to raise the cost of the production which has been reported at $125,000, chicken-feed in today's inflated film market, but a fortune when you had as little money as the two of them did at that time. [Earlier in the article his yearly income was given at $2000 to $3000] But made it was, and in the end, Death Watch will earn them a rather healthy profit quite apart from the other very substantial benefits it brought Leonard.

"The producers of Star Trek saw it at a screening one evening," he said, "and a few days later I received a call, from their assistant director, asking that I report for a test at my earliest convenience."

Even back then in 1968 he had an insight that would hold true for the rest of his life because people to this day would assign qualities belonging to the famous character he played to the actor himself.

As evidenced by this inadvertent phrase in an UK Daily Mail article about Patterns of Force being first show on free TV in Germany in 2011.

I've been showcasing quite a few tabloid stories from the late 60's and all concerned emphasized on the Nimoy's being poor as church mice and often close enough to starvation before being saved by Star Trek (see the above one for a particular heart-wrenching rendition) in keeping with the fairy tale trope and it's modern cousin, the rags to riches story. It took an Australian magazine to put it right in 1969.

Mr. Spock's among the stars now - but it was an 18-year trek

"It was terribly sudden," the man with the pointed ears recalls. "First the mail came pouring in, then the phone calls from New York publishing houses, flustered editors of fan magazines saying, "people want us to write about you, but we don't know a thing about you. You aren't even in our files. Who are you?"

And this was a mere 2 1/2 years ago. Until then, Leonard Nimoy was one of the 1,000 or so Hollywood actors who manage to earn up to $15,000 a year and are quite satisfied with their lot.

"It isn't bad this money," he says from the vantage point of one who by now is assured of at least 20 times that much, "Stories had me as a struggling actor when I got the part. This is not true. I've been doing quite comfortably, averaging $15,000 per year since 1960 or so."

True, when he first came over, 18 years ago he did odd jobs, including operating a taxi cab for three months. But that was early in the game.

Still, he admits that were it not for Mr. Spock he might still be in that comfortable income bracket.

(...)

When Mr. Spock goes, the Enterprise having berthed for good, one Leonard Nimoy,
actor, will go on to new jobs, and do as well if not a lot better.

"Don't forget," he reminds you, "that mine was not type casting. Quite the opposite was the case. It was my ability to play roles worlds apart that convinced Gene Roddenberry that I was his man."

The producer first saw him in the role of a brash movie prompter in an episode of his own The Lieutenant series, and then compared this portrayal to Nimoy in an episode of Dr. Kildare, playing a shy, introspective character.

Surely the teen magazines felt the pressure most acutely and so his name is among those featured on the front cover of Flip's "Groovy Guide to the Stars" in May 1969. But there it doesn't end. He's not just listed among the "Groovy Guys", but within that list that distinguishes the mere groovy guys from the 50 "Super Stars" that have a place reserved for them at the top of the list. The list is sorted alphabetically and so his name shines up among the likes of Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Elvis, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, to pick only a few. (On a side note, William Shatner is not in it, but Walter Koenig is. The producer's rationale for bringing him in seems to have worked.)

Since we've been speaking of fairy tales, no fairy tale can ever be complete without a happy ending as once more demonstrated in the following soppy story that contrasts the state of Leonard Nimoy's marriage to that of William Shatner's. (Just head over to Interviews if you need any more proof. Don't be fooled - while the headlines are lurid, the stories serve to reaffirm the idyll of matrimonial bliss and family.)

When exactly Leonard Nimoy started to feel different about his first wife and when those feelings became oppressive, only he knows. But since unlike a fairy tale his narrative didn't end after Star Trek in 1969, the press smoothly moved on to another, more modern, script that called for more drama. As Mr. Nimoy said once about the media's continued fascination with the difficulty he and William Shatner experienced while filming the original series: if there is no conflict, there is no drama and if there's no drama, there's no story. And so we've been reading about feuds, dissent, and rejection. I'm Not Spock. A gift handed to the press on a silver platter with shockwaves reverberating right up to Star Trek III, where reportedly the studio had doubts about handing him the director's chair for The Search for Spock. Today he can joke about it at conventions. The interviews from the late 70's on focus more on his career and new projects, Star Trek and Spock, with the occasional home story interspersed. Now he's established himself as, and being taken seriously as, a photographer. He has found his true calling at last, happiness in his second marriage, quite life and retirement. J.J. Abrams, one of the hottest producers in Hollywood at the moment, wanted him for his projects. He has come to terms with the vagaries of life. He is called and revered and put on a pedestal as the elder statesman (of Star Trek), imbibed with the wisdom of age and hard won insight. The hero's journey has been completed with grace and style.

How could we not wish for him all of this and more? However, when we read about it, we should take the narrative with a grain of salt. Just follow his example...

Bonnie, who generously has been sharing with us part of her collection and recollections of time spent with Mr. Nimoy, has been featured in an article by the Burlington, N.C., TimesNews.

As someone who had to deal with some 'creative' approaches to Star Trek fandom from the press, too, while being an editor at a prominent German fan newsletter, I can completely relate to what Bonnie told me about how the headline came to be. "Both the reporter and myself," she wrote, "HATED the 'Crazy for Nimoy' heading. The reporter e-mailed me to apologize for it, adding that someone else at the paper put it in and he felt LN and I deserved better. That was nice of him."

And therein lies the dilemma, even in the case that Mr. Nimoy might have liked some of what he saw if he chose to have a peak. The Internet is murky waters and people on the production side of media content have a different angle on seeing their product uploaded to, say, YouTube or any other outlet, than those of us enjoying to have/gain access to it.

Also, would I have displayed some of the magazine articles that I have? Since some of them give me the urge to apologize to him for digging them out of the gutter again, maybe not. But, they're part of the picture and allow insight into what is involved in getting (suddenly) famous, some of the toll it takes, and how public perception of Mr. Nimoy has changed through the decades.

Last but not least, a very, very big Thank You! to all who have contributed to the success of this page and those of you who have let me know that they've enjoyed what they found here. A little pat on the back now and then always helps one going. To put a face to yours truly, this is me at the convention in London in 2004 (trying very hard not to blink and be caught with eyes half closed), being one of the many people at the photo op. With no idea that I would go online with this page a few years later in 2009.

There is the late Mark Lenard as Spock's father, Sarek, who clicked with the audience. One might have been angry with him because one was on Spock's side as a viewer but Sarek's charm, integrity, and humor won us over in Journey to Babel. He was a character that one would like to see more of. (If only to gain one more shred of information about Spock.) Mark Lenard could carry the mystique that surrounds Vulcans. With him, as with Spock, there was audience knowledge that there was more going on within the characters than one saw on the screen and glimpses of it were kept to treasured moments. Those characters had an inner life that made them interesting, complete, and endearing to the audience. Scrap endearing and even T'Pring and T'Pau would fit the bill.

Sybok's storyline (digging up previously unheard of close relatives often is a device employed by long running soap operas) upset me at first. But he's really grown on me in fan fiction where his existence has enriched the lore.

Moving on to the two other main Vulcan characters. I didn't connect to Tuvok the same I did with the TOS characters. There's nothing wrong with the actor, the ears, or the character, but then Voyager itself is a bit of an acquired taste for me. Modeled after TOS he was supposed to be close to the captain. That didn't really materialize along with some other promises the show didn't keep - at least at first. Trying to define what quality Tim Russ brought to Tuvok I'd say he made him a good sport. If I'm going to rewatch any of the post-TOS series, it would be Voyager and I think I would be looking forward to rediscovering their resident Vulcan.

And then there's Enterprise. Don't get me started about what's wrong with that series. Casting, for once. Doesn't T'Pol scream "fake" from head to toe starting with the wig? A Vulcan quality that the production team on the new Star Trek movie and Zachary Quinto seem to have realized appears to be authenticity. When Entertainment Weekly ran a cover with the new Kirk and Spock on it one of the main points of contention was that the hair on Zachary Quinto looked like a wig. (2) There was a bit of an outcry but Quinto could placate any and all concerns with the assurance that it really was his hair in the film and that the experience actually helped him with the character. (3)

Restraint is another feature that lends itself to their appeal. The problem with T'Pol is that her character was geared from the beginning for excess. Starting with the choice of a former model/actress that filled the costume rather than the space between the ears and the invention of the decontamination chamber for the sole purpose to provide an opportunity for nakedness and groping. (4) She's Vulcan's answer to sex, drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll - or Jazz, as is the case with her. (5) With restraint comes subtlety, a powerful tool that Leonard Nimoy discovered while watching Harry Belafonte perform on stage and that provided him with the key to Spock's mannerisms. (6) At a time where much can be shown and done on TV, subtlety has become a rare commodity. Would Spock have become the object of fantasy and articles about the Vulcan's sexual appeal if it hadn't been for the powerful lure of the hunt of the elusive object? (7) T'Pol, readily available, not only becomes the subject of physical excess but also of emotional melodrama in relation to Trip and Captain Archer which makes her a controversial character. (8) Though, she and Spock actually do have something in common. They both, for different reasons, don't fit into Vulcan society and found Earth/Star Fleet as a means to carve out a niche for themselves. There even is authenticity, tying Jolene Blalock's experience of alienation to her character's background. (9) But while a whole section of society, the adolescents, could find themselves represented in Spock at the time, the same cannot be said for T'Pol. (10) The struggle that could have made her character relevant was exploited for cheap and easy satisfaction in the fan fictionesque treatment of the Trip/T'Pol story arc with Archer thrown in for good measure. (11) In terms of being a good Vulcan, she's a complete failure. But maybe that's the (more thorny) path to appreciation of her character. Starting with Sybok, we have been made aware that Vulcan has its flotsam and maladjusted, too.

The one actor with the potential to portray a Vulcan character that can reach the general audience again and not just the Star Trek watching segment of the population actually plays Spock, namely Zachary Quinto. But he is convinced that the same merger that fused Spock and Leonard Nimoy together in public imagination will not be happening to him, citing the different status of science fiction since the 1960's, people's shorter attention span, and most importantly, that he didn't create Spock.(12) A feeling echoed in a review from the past of I'm Not Spock where the author says that "Nimoy would be seen and remembered as the 'real' Spock just as many think of Sean Connery as the 'real' James Bond." (13)

Star Trek has often been talked about as a phenomenon. In the vein of Nassim Nicholas Taleb it could also be called a "black swan," a singular, random event that could not have been predicted at its time with profound ramifications. (14) It becomes part of the collective consciousness and is passed on to coming generations as a (cautionary) tale through narrative. There were signs pointing to the event looming on the horizon, but because of people at the time having blind spots, is not recognized and can only be explained after the fact. (15) While looking at his graying beard and thinking how it made him look ten years older, Taleb reflected on the reverence that society bestows on the elderly and realized that this might function to compensate our short term memory. The elderly are repositories for inductive learning (induce a general rule from a set of observed instances), he says, and possess knowledge of rare events. They're sought out for advice. (16) At one time or another all cast members have been asked to explain the phenomenon Star Trek had turned into, the inference being that they had to be experts on the subject by having been part of it. Aside from Taleb having a special room reserved in hell for experts, the blind spot those involved suffer is undeniably in evidence. This remark made by Mr. Nimoy in 1969 about the future of Star Trek falls in the category of famous last words:

Good thing forty years later he heard Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci out when they came proposing a Star Trek movie. Having the movie revolve around William Shatner would screw up continuity was the reason given for his absence, since Kirk would be physically older than when we last saw him die in Generations. Spock on the other hand would have outlived them all, with a life span at least twice that of a human, which would also take care of the need for further cameos by the original actors. But maybe Spock was a good choice for another reason, if the filmmakers wanted to add credibility to their efforts. That reason would have to do with the very different public image represented by the two actors. The respected artist, intellectual, teacher (plus the many other qualities attributed to him in the public eye) against the self-styled clown with a propensity for self-parody (which worked to great advantage in Boston Legal). In addition, within Star Trek, Spock himself was a "black swan", unexpectedly soaring past the ship's captain in popularity within a short time. If you would like to remind your audience of an extraordinary success story, going with the more recognizable and respected icon is not a bad idea in itself. (18/19)

With Zachary Quinto and the others signed on for only three movies so far, compared to the many hours of television and film the original crew did, it looks like Leonard Nimoy still has it right. But far more is involved than just putting the makeup on the right kind of face. It's the individual he helped create and bring together at the right time at the right place that made them both, "iconic". To cite again from the review of I'm not Spock, "Thus, Spock may well have to write that book: I Am Not Nimoy, and Leonard Nimoy may well be remembered as himself more than he thinks."

1.
2.	32. Norman - October 15, 2008 #30 – it looks as if Spock is wearing a wig. whereas Nimoy got his haircut Vulcan Style… 97. bdrcarter - October 15, 2008 Didn’t they use Zack’s real hair? It looks like he’s in one of the TNG-era vulcan wigs. Bummer. http://trekmovie.com/2008/10/15/star-trek-cover-story-in-entertainment-weekly/
3.	And what about the sideburns? Because they look really cool. The sideburns … All of it was mine, all of it was mine. My hair, my eyebrows: Everything that we did in this movie was really mine. I mean, you know, I shaved my eyebrows, I cut my hair into the bowl haircut, and the sideburns were pointy. It was all me. http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/04/star_treks_zachary_quinto_on_h.html
	How was it wearing the ears? Once they were on they were no problem at all. I honestly didn’t even know that they were there. It was getting them on in the morning that could be tedious just because it required me to show up to work two hours before anybody else. But the one thing I didn’t really anticipate through this process was how impactful the physical alterations would be on my personal life. Having no eyebrows and having to shave everyday and having my hair in this sort of horrible bowl style really alienated me from myself and alienated me from other people. I tended to isolate a lot more during the process of this film and I think it actually served my relationship to the character because that kind of alienation is something that he struggles with greatly in his life - particularly in this film. http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/Zachary+Quinto-7172-page2.html
4.	Decontamination chamber sequence see YouTube and http://www.myvideo.de/watch/1306815/Jolene_Blalock_The_sexiest_Star_Trek_Girl_ever
5.	Pa'nar, trellium, mind melds, and emotion see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T'Pol
6.	Nimoy, Leonard, I'm Spock, Century, London, 1995, p. 45-46.
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8.	T’pol is the worst Vulcan in existence. Oo, look at me, I have an eating disorder! Ooo, look at my lovely collagen-filled lips! Ooo, I’m addicted to Trellium-D! Ooo, I was mind-raped! Ooo, I like to explore my emotions! Oo, let’s decontaminate each other in slow motion, Trip! Oo, Trip let’s have sexy Vulcanneuropressure times! Ooo, Archer I don’t want you to die, I love you! Oo, but I love Trip! Oo, Trip I am so jealous of that corporal bitch! Oo, I’m a fucking failure. Seriously, even Spock is more Vulcan than her and he is half human! http://rudeandnotginger.tumblr.com/tagged/T'pol
9.	She said of her childhood: "I was such an awkward-looking child, I've no idea what happened. I didn't have a good childhood because I never could get along with other kids. I was the child that sat in the corner eating lunch by herself. I worked in the library at lunchtime because I had no real friends. I read a lot and educated myself a different way because me and school didn't get along. Even boys were never interested in me. I remember playing kiss-chase in the first and second grade. I would run but no one would ever chase me." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolene_Blalock
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11.	Since fan fiction has become the subject of respectable academic study and knowledge of it wormed it's way into the consciousness on the production end of media content, I believe there is a trend in television to cater to those needs written out in fan generated stories. Enterprise did it very conventionally with Trip/T'Pol and I've been watching a series called Lost Girl that can only be called fan fiction's wet dream put on the screen, while The Big Bang Theory delightfully works the Slash angle.
12.	"When you do Spock, you're just Spock for the rest of your life, right? It’s a part of you for the rest of your life. I don’t think I’m going to be inextricably tied to him for the rest of my life, but that’s because science fiction doesn’t have the same stigmas attached to it now as it did 40 years ago, because people’s attention spans aren’t as stalwart as they were 40 years ago, and it’s also because I know I didn’t create the role. No matter how strongly people respond to my performance, it doesn’t matter, because it wasn’t my brainchild, you know." http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/04/star_treks_zachary_quinto_on_h.html
	Remembering that Star Trek has often been cited as the first Science Fiction show aiming at an adult audience that it took serious, it is no wonder people flocked to it and enshrined it in light of what was available elsewhere. This video I uploaded made "Video of the Day" at Trek Movie. I recommend reading some of the comments there.
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14.	The Black Swan Theory or Theory of Black Swan Events is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept that The event is a surprise (to the observer) and has a major impact. After the fact, the event is rationalized by hindsight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Swan_Theory
15.	"Marketing personnel of the network complained to management that the series' cancellation was premature. New techniques for profiling demographics of the viewing audience later showed that Star Trek had been highly profitable for advertisers, though this news came too late to resume production of the series." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek
16.	Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Der Schwarze Schwan, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag: München, 2010, S.106.
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18.	http://yayeveryday.com/post/3142 http://www.esquire.co.uk/2009/04/the-covers-that-didnt-make-it/
19.	"Nimoy’s presence gives the franchise revival 'a very important sort of approval – there’s a torch being handed off there,' according to Pine, and director J.J. Abrams describes the elder actor’s participation in the film as 'essential to our goal to serve and celebrate the history of ‘Star Trek’ with this story and create something new and exciting. (...) 'This is the first and only time I ever had a filmmaker say, ‘We cannot make this film without you and we won’t make it without you,’” Nimoy said with another one of those startling smiles. “J.J. Abrams said that – that’s a pretty heavy statement. And when you see the film you see how central the character is to the story they’ve told.' Nimoy stands as 'the figure of credibility' for the franchise, as Orci put it, which sounds like an unintended ding on William Shatner, the original Kirk and an actor who publicly lobbied for a role in this new $140-million film." http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2009/05/11/leonard-nimoy-star-trek-fans-can-be-scary/