Here’s today’s flashback: From teen magazine FaVE in the 1960’s, Nimoy explains how Spock was a teenage outcast, and addresses the stigma of being bi-racial. A good lesson in self worth! (And a great gesture by Nimoy) I bet a lot of kids appreciated this.
That’s very gracious of Mr. Nimoy! Yes, the example that Spock sets has not been lost on any of us who are different, which is one reason why this character is so beloved and has endured so long. Part of it was how the character was conceived of by Roddenberry and written by Fontana and others, of course, but part of it was the grace and dignity with which Mr. Nimoy played him. Huge thanks to everyone who had a hand in bringing Mr. Spock to life.
And thanks to Therese, once again, for digging out such fascinating information from the past!
Hey Corylea, Yeah, Spock was, in a way, the ultimate outcast, from both of his inherited species, but he’d prove time and again that he could live up to and beyond expectations. Not to mention terminally cool!
Thanks for your feedback, although I have to admit, I’ve finished posting my original (3) scrapbooks here, still looking for the 4th, and now I’m just cruising the net and eBay for old stuff!
Great article. A bit heavy on platitudes early on, but I love the last four paragraphs which are purely about Spock!
Hi Norman, I know what you mean,yet it still holds up all these years later. I suppose a teen reading this for the first time may not have heard those platitudes before. I wonder if that kid ever read this and how they turned out? Any kid with insecurities about being popular and accepted could benefit from this, it’s very reassuring and even empowering.
I admit, when I started watching Trek regularly @ 11 or 12, the Spock character did help me face my own insecurities too. I think it’s safe to say that a lot of shy, insecure kids connected with Spock and Trek for just that reason. Nimoy is very fatherly and caring here, something every adolescent should hear from their parents. And I like how the article ends too.
No wonder Leonard played Spock so well. He understood him.