Q & A with Leonard "Spock" Nimoy: he describes his first meeting with President Obama the Trekkie

[ClarkUSA]

President Obama has drawn not-infrequent comparisons to the Spock character. Do you see any similarities there?

I've met him twice. The first time was a couple years ago, very early on when he had just announced his candidacy. He was in Los Angeles, speaking at a luncheon we were invited to. There was a very small crowd - minuscule compared to the crowd that he gathered later - at a private home in Los Angeles. And we were standing on the back patio, waiting for him. And he came through the house, saw me and immediately put his hand up in the Vulcan gesture. He said, "They told me you were here." We had a wonderful brief conversation and I said, "It would be logical if you would become president."

Read more here. I didn't know Nimoy was an Obama supporter from early on. Figures. :D

[Tikki]

1. And I believe Captain Picard said "Make it so"...

and so it is..


Tikki
ps nice article BTW...Thanx

[ClarkUSA]

2. Did he? You're joking, right?

[Tikki]

5. Yeah, but it would have been awesome....

Tikki

[ClarkUSA]

8. lol! Totally.

:)

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

3. Cool!

Well, nerdy, but cool.

It can be frustrating when one of our favorite celebrities starts spewing Republic™ Party talking points or throwing their weight behind some dipshit campaign of intolerance and pride of ignorance.

So we should be extra-happy when the stars come out in support of our president.

And it's also nice to know that President Obama is a Star Trek fan. Though many say he'd be a Vulcan, I think it makes him more Human.

[ClarkUSA]

4. Yeah, I'm glad Nimoy isn't some knuckle-dragging teabagger in real life.

Not only is he a great human, President Obama is the coolest-looking and acting nerd in the world. Michelle's not bad, either.

[Catshrink]

16. A Muslin Vulcan born in Kenya

to a Kenyan father and a Vulcan mother. Double alien. We are so screwn.

[roguevalley]

27. Leonard has been a liberal for years.

[Blue_In_AK]

30. That's what I said below.

Leonard Nimoy ROCKS.

[roguevalley]

33. he does doesn't he? :-D I am going to see the movie tonight.

Vulcan emoticon: [:-|

[customerserviceguy]

9. Like Spock is a hybrid of Human and Vulcan

so Barack Obama is a combination of black Africa and white heartland America.

The similarities are indeed striking.

[lunatica]

11. Thank you for reminding people that Obama is Half white!!

I never forget that fact. He's a true representative of the what the modern American is. He's really part of that melting pot truism.

[HopeOverFear]

6. "It would be logical if you would become president"

awesome.

[FailureToCommunicate]

7. First Contact! Hope Nimoy blessed Obama in his Spock voice: "Live long and prosper!"

[progressoid]

10. Somebody did a photoshop for us...

[LLStarks]

21. Tuvok? Is that you?

[ContinentalOp]

25. That is truly frightenting. -nt-

[Clio the Leo]

12. Sometimes the President....

.... is a goober.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

17. AHH HAAAA HAAA HAA!! I love this pic!!

What a goober!! Love that smart goofy nerd-ball! :loveya:

I don't see why comedians are having a hard time making Obama jokes! The thing is, they have to let go of the aggressive angry snarky criticism paradigm, and go for the kind of humor seen at "Roasts", where the jokes express respect and admiration, and make fun of the likeable nerdyisms and goofy idiosyncrasies.

David Allen Grier did the most hilarious shtick on Chocolate News, advising Obama on his clothes. God, it was a scream and a half! (search YouTube for it)

[nxylas]

18. The Onion has latched onto the nerd thing

See their story about President Obama being distant and withdrawn since the Battlestar Galactica series finale.

[myrna minx]

32. That article was hilarious!

:rofl:

[ClarkUSA]

28. That is a really bad Photoshopped pic.

:rofl:

[Politicalboi]

13. It's only logical

[mwb970]

14. I'm enjoying Nimoy on DVD as Paris in Season 4 of "Mission: Impossible".

Martin Landau and Barbara Bain were great, but Nimoy really hits the sweet spot with this character. He is the real deal.

[HamdenRice]

15. Didn't they work together on this-->

episode?



Actually it's nice that Nimoy no longer is troubled by being reminded of his Spok character. I was a rabid Trekker in the 70s and the gossip was that he hated it when people gave the hand signal or said live long and prosper.

The Alan Rickman character in Galaxy Quest was based largely on Nimoy's alleged distaste for his character back in the bad old days before the first Trek movie.

Apparently they all came to terms with the series and characters and don't mind it any more.

[iamthebandfanman]

20. well hes gotten older

and im sure the possibility for acting roles has gotten less...

usually people only care because they dont want to be type casted when they try to find a job outside of the series...
its hard to move on to other works when you create such a memorable character...

im sure hes been forced to come to terms with his legend status as the character, and heck obviously hes decided to embrace it...

rightfully so.

he should be proud of his work on star trek, he was very active in creating the movies after all...

[tabasco]

19. That's far out.

Nimoy is cool.

[FailureToCommunicate]

22. I got to spend an afternoon with Gene Roddenberry years ago at a conference

(World Future Society). I was running the media area and didn't expect he would hang out there. But he had offered to let us screen a "blooper" reel from the original series and I said great. But then very cloak and dagger like he
let me know that he was not going to just leave it with me. So he stayed. I was so star struck I didn't even think at the time of WHY he wouldn't leave it! Roddenberry's philosophy of meet and greet and LEARN if encountering Aliens instead of shooting first was
an important departure for popular sentiment in the middle of the Cold War, and certainly influenced many many young minds to at least consider a more peaceful diplomatic approach. Phasers (only) on stun. Thanks, Gene, for everything you made us question. Thanks also for all the cool futuristic gadgets now commonplace that debuted on Star Trek!

[jazzjunkysue]

23. I remember how Trek opened my mind and imagination back in my teens.

The show was never about aliens: It was always about us, and our shortcomings, and our lack of discipline and responsibility.

As a species, we're too self involved, and too near sighted and short sighted. But the idea that we are supposed to evolve, and that's our greatest strength stayed with me.

I think alot of people transcended cultural programming because of the lessons Gene Roddenberry taught us. He's one of my personal prophets. Along with Dr. Seuss, of course.

[ContinentalOp]

24. That's so awesome! -nt-

[Occam Bandage]

26. Fascinating. nt

[Blue_In_AK]

29. I believe Leonard Nimoy has always been a progressive.

It's logical that he would be. :) I remember hearing him speak at an antiwar rally in Golden Gate Park in 1969 or '70. I admired him then for speaking out. He's one of us.

[lolamio]

31. That is so cool! Thank you for posting this - just forwarded it to my Trekkie husband! n/t