I'm not Spock.
But if I'm not, who is? And if I'm not Spock, who am I?
Leonard Nimoy, I Am Not Spock
In an odd coincidence, this week saw the 80th birthdays of two of science fiction's best known faces: William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
It's impossible to deny that it's been a difficult path for both of these actors:
Star Trek may well be the most frightening cautionary tale in existence in regards to typecasting. No doubt every actor who is offered a part with the potential for the same degree of role identification must take a moment to wonder if they will suffer the same fate as the cast of
Star Trek. And over the years that fate, that astonishing identification with the roles of Kirk and Spock, has been a burden that both Shatner and Nimoy have struggled with, railed against, returned to,
joked about
, profited from, and, I think, ultimately accepted.
But let's have a science fiction moment here. Let's imagine an alternate time line where
Star Trek never happened. Where would these two men be today? Would William Shatner be performing King Lear as his swan song after over fifty years as a fixture on the Shakespearian stage at Stratford in Ontario? Would Leonard Nimoy have pursued his interest in photography to the exclusion of his acting career?
If nothing else, Spock and Kirk gave Nimoy and Shatner an opportunity to leave a mark on our society that very few pop culture figures can match. I think it's fair to say that, thanks to
Star Trek, these two men have probably done more to popularize the exploration of space than all the NASA missions put together.
Bill, Leonard - on behalf of all of us, thank you, and, well, maybe we're all a bit sorry too. But still, thanks.
- Sid
P.S. I strongly recommend I Am Not Spock, Nimoy's 1977 autobiographical examination of his life before, during and after playing the role of Spock on television. There's a sequel entitled I Am Spock which I didn't find to be as interesting, but feel free to read both.
