Today Leonard Nimoy, most famous for playing Spock in the original Star Trek television series and its many spin-offs and films, passed away. His performance in that role will not be fading from our cultural memory anytime soon and rightly so.
The appeal of the Spock character has much to do with the conflict of his lineage, born to a Human mother and Vulcan father. Vulcans pride themselves on their devotion to logic, stoically disregarding their emotions. In Spock we see the conflict common to all of us. Made in the divine image, each human being is imbued with reason. However, due to the Fall our reason and appetitive desires are in conflict with each. We are as St. Paul describes in his letter to the Romans: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
Spock embodied what St. Paul and the Christian and Classical tradition point to. In classical Christian and Ancient thought it is not feeling per se that is wrong, but feeling that is unguided by reason. We see Spock grapple with this issue, that “logic” and “emotion” as they were commonly characterized in the series are not necessarily opposed but must work together in concert.
Gene Roddenberry was an atheist and humanist so it is unlikely this is exactly what he had in mind when creating the character. It is a testament to Roddenberry’s creativity, and Nimoy’s acting ability that Star Trek was able to channel this perennial struggle of what it means to be human. Spock, while only half a man, embodied that conflict we all feel in ourselves. We cannot be purely “logical” or “emotional” but the two parts of our nature must be reconciled if we hope to “live long and prosper” in this life and the next.
Comment by chake on February 28, 2015 at 11:28 pm
I don’t agree the fall caused a loss of reason. Logic and science and religion are not in conflict.
The supposed conflicts popularized in the media are simply due to a lack of understanding for which each side must bare some responsibility. Remember when the sun revolved around the Earth. We argue like angry grade school kids not having the ability to express ourselves fully or the maturity, read that open mindedness, to see another point of view.
The fall was simply man exercising his God given free will in ways which were against God’s will. To me it makes sense that God would not want to accept into his domain, his house, or be reunited with those who did not love him of their own free will.
Comment by ithakavi on March 1, 2015 at 3:18 pm
If I read one more shallow pop-culture analysis of original sin and faith vs. reason written by one more twenty-something “deep thinker” I’m going to vomit. And all in four paragraphs. How grotesque.
Comment by MarcoPolo on March 1, 2015 at 6:33 pm
Very nice article!
In spite of how differently, people perceived Spock, it seems, they always came away learning something about themselves.
I never thought we’d be admiring an Actor for such deep philosophical thought…but here we are! And that’s what we’re doing!
Again, nice article!
Comment by Max Friedman on March 6, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Much of Spock’s thoughts and words were Old Testament esp. his “Live long and prosper” greeting and hand sign (from the Rosh Hashonah and/or Yom Kippur ceremony of the Cohens (Kohanim, priestly class of Jews responsible for protecting the Jewish sanctuary/ark).
The genius of Roddenbery was to mix in many of the best policies and thoughts of religions with both politics and personal identify. Spock could have been a Buddhist because of his going off for a time for solitary meditation/contemplation, or a Taoist, etc.
The Left hates “Star Trek” because it was pro-American, esp. the episode “The Omega Glory”, and its embodiment of responsibility and self-sacrifice, “The Doomsday Machine”, as well as for its voicing of the best policies of organized religions.
Roddenberry made the first Star Trek crew a little United Nations but America-based, using actors and actresses of varying backgrounds whose own lives reflected the history and successes of American society. George Takei was a Japanese-American child who was forced to live in a relocation camps during WW2. Nichelle Nichol was the first black woman in a leading role in a Sci-Fi show, as well as being involved in the first white/black kissing scene on television (Roddenberry struck a serious blow for tolerance in that scene). Walter Koenig, as a Russian, (he is Jewish), added another element into the crew, as did the great presence of James Doohan (a Canadian and WW 2 D-Day veteran).
Shatner is Canadian and Jewish too.
The fact that “Star Trek” only lasted three years on TV was a testament to the fact that the powers-to-be had no idea on how powerful a statement on freedom and Americanism the show actually was. The fact that it had 6 followup movies, and now a couple more, plus spin-offs, revealed how powerful the ideas in SciFi movies and shows are, as well as how entertaining they are.
Some SciFi writers were very religious; others were secularists or atheists, but in the end, religious issues and thoughts can be found in many of their best stories. I think one story was called “The million names of God” or something like that, subtitled, “The night the stars went out”. If that wasn’t religion-based, then nothing was.
Spock was a symbol of many things to many people, but basically Nimoy was a very nice and educated person, as well as a very accomplished, professional actor and speaker. All this is his legacy which anyone who follows SciFi will always remember.
Comment by MarcoPolo on March 6, 2015 at 11:20 pm
You say, “the Left hates Star Trek”? Wait! What?!
I loved every episode that I watched! (Lefty here!)
I very much applaud the description you gave above, in describing the skills and diversities of the crew and their respective roles. Very honest and accurate.
I guess I should have suspected long ago, that one day we all would be referring back to Network Television for fables and folly. And I think it noble, that Spock was all that he was, in spite of his obvious indifference to humans.
That we also reference Seinfeld occasionally, doesn’t mean we can’t hold Star Trek to appropriate reverence.
Comment by Max Friedman on March 6, 2015 at 11:36 pm
You sound too sane and human to be a real Lefty. Maybe you are one of those rare liberals who actually don’t hate people and are willing to discuss issues with intelligence and humor. I hope so. Therefore, as an act of friendship, I have put you on the “Endangered Species List – Liberal”. Sorry there are so few people there but extinction is a real threat to the good liberals ( I knew Hubert Humphrey and Gov/Mayor Theodore McKeldin (Maryland/Baltimore).. Being overtaken by mutant liberals now known as Leftoids from Hell (Just listen to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, then tell me that they are “normal” and “sane”. More like “Young Frankenstein’s” “A.B. Normal and insane.
“Live long and vote often” (Oops, I thought you lived in Chicago). Never mind the voting thingy.
Comment by MarcoPolo on March 7, 2015 at 9:46 am
Thank you for that distinction.
Although my response doesn’t add to this threads topic, I had to acknowledge your compliment.
I wish we had more Liberals like Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern, and fewer like Reid and Pelosi.
For the record, I don’t HATE anybody! Especially over something like Religion or Politics. Life is too short, and I simply can’t see wasting energy in the process.
Comment by Jason P Taggart on March 1, 2015 at 9:27 pm
Spock in many ways embodied the Stoic qualities set forth in the classic poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. Old Kipling has fallen on hard times, since for the left he embodies “colonialism,” but “If” used to be commonly included in school textbooks, also read a high school graduations. It perfectly captures Stoicism, although it also meshes pretty well with the Christian worldview. Of course, the closing line “You’ll be a man, my son!” is so un-PC.