This morning, the world (the sci-fi world in particular) lost a great man. Leonard Nimoy passed away at age 83 at his home in California.
If you've used the Internet or any social media at all today, this is not a surprise. I never met him, but yet I've been crying as if I lost a dear family member. So many others I've interacted with today online have felt the same. It's days like today that restore some of my faith in humanity as a whole. One man has passed away and millions of us have taken to Facebook, Twitter, and other social outlets to share our grief. I've talked today with people I've never met, but we have a common bond - Star Trek.
I was first introduced to Star Trek by my mother, by way of Next Gen. (She actually told me "watch this, it's good TV.") She wasn't much for the Original Series, because she wasn't fond of Kirk, though she did like Mr. Spock. We watched TNG together and some of the movies with the original cast. We would talk about it sometimes and really, Trek was kind of my gateway to sci-fi fandom. My brother & sister also share this love of Trek. We don't always have a lot in common, but we do have that.
My story is one I've seen oft repeated today (though I seem to be unique so far as which parent provided my introduction) as we talk to each other. Grieve. Share memes and quotes and stories. In the gaming community, players of Star Trek Online have been heading to Vulcan to pay their respects. It's a fitting tribute.
To me, and countless others, he will always be Mr. Spock. But he had a long and varied career. He was also an animal lover, poet, photographer, and even helped get Nichelle Nichols equal pay on the series. It seems like he was a truly good man and one regret I have is missing him at Phoenix Comicon in 2011. However, they recorded, so if you'd like to watch it too, you can do so here.
Let us all take care of each other and if your friend who really loves Star Trek seems incredibly sad for awhile, be extra nice to him or her, ok?
LLAP everyone. _\\//
