Author: Leonard Nimoy
Rating: 3/5
A memoir(?) about Nimoy’s experiences with Star Trek and the stuff that happened after.
Spoilers ahead.
Since this was a non-fiction book, I won’t be going through the usual plot and pacing, characters and writing style.
I had very mixed feelings about this book and was tempted to DNF it after the first few chapters. I guess I was expecting more behind-the-scenes stuff related to Star Trek: The Original Series and while the beginning did touch on that, something about the writing didn’t strike a chord with me. However, the more I read, the more I appreciated Leonard Nimoy and all the work he had done over his career. I wish I had gotten the chance to meet him. Or be a part of the movement that petitioned for the show to continue. Or be a part of the generation who received personal hand-written notes from him. (There was actually a lot of drama about the fanmail–Nimoy got so much that the company was unwilling to pay for any charges.) Star Trek: TOS has a really special place in my heart and Mr. Spock is definitely my favourite character from the show.
It’s amazing just how much we, as consumers, don’t know about the production and development of a TV show. There were so many little tidbits that caught me off-guard. I really enjoyed reading about the making of Spock’s ears. Essentially, they couldn’t get the ears right and Nimoy really didn’t want to go on television with shabby ears. Gene Roddenberry told him that if the next set of ears produced didn’t look right, he’d write in a scene where Spock got an “ear job” which I found hilarious.
I can’t imagine Mr. Spock without those characteristic ears!
It was also fascinating to understand where Nimoy drew inspiration from for Mr. Spock. For instance, the slightly hunched shoulders and stone face were inspired by Harry Belafonte. Nimoy wanted every one of Spock’s movements to carry weight. And he was really effective at it! Whenever Mr. Spock raised an eyebrow, I KNEW shit was going down.
Also, the Vulcan neck pinch was Nimoy’s invention! I had no idea! I loved how he had tried it on William Shatner to show the director and it was all because Nimoy felt the writers had made Mr. Spock into a more Western character (they wanted him to hit someone with the butt of his phaser). Nimoy was actually really involved with the scripts and stuff. He included some of the feedback he sent to writers and I was surprised by how insightful his comments and critiques were. (Also, all of Nimoy’s favourite episodes were mine too for exactly the same reasons! That was really nice to read.)
The common thread running through most (if not all) chapters was drawing a line between Leonard Nimoy and Mr. Spock. Nimoy became so enwrapped in Mr. Spock’s identity that it was hard to differentiate where he ended and Spock began. I guess it also sucks when people recognise you only as the character you played rather than the person you were. It must be tough even though it does mean you are an icon. I don’t know if I’d make that trade-off: have a place in pop culture for the cost of my own identity. It doesn’t seem fair. I’ve definitely been guilty of wanting actors to be like their characters so when Nimoy wrote about his struggles with that, I felt so bad for perpetuating that behaviour. At the end of the day, you’ve got to accept that those characters are fictional and the actors who played them have their own personalities and lives.
I never thought about the toll it would take on someone to play a rather emotionless character on a show. I guess it’s a bit easier for a film because you don’t have a LOT of filming compared to TV shows…right? Nor is it necessarily long-term. It reminded me of this interview I read with Ben Platt where even after finishing the role of Evan Hansen, he had become so absorbed by the musical that he continued hunching his shoulders forward and fidgeting with his fingers. By then, it had become such a large part of his life that he could no longer separate himself from it. I think even his posture was affected or something–I can’t remember fully.
Nimoy discussed how Star Trek would, at times, get so overwhelming that he would have all this pent up emotion that would burst at random intervals. He even referenced Naked Place.
Ugh, this scene gets me EVERY TIME.
I can’t believe Nimoy’s experience was SO intense! I mean, I can believe it but I just never thought about it from their POV. I guess I always thought they (the actors) would always be having the time of their lives. All the BTS from HSM:TM:TS and “Newsies” makes me think it was all fun and games but with, you know, some difficulties with the memorising and acting and stuff. I guess people really only just project their best selves on camera even if the camera isn’t for the official screen.
I’ve always thought Mr. Spock was the most attractive of the three (Kirk and McCoy being the other two). So, it was really surprising to read that none of the directors or writers intended it to be that way. They were surprised by how much Mr. Spock appealed to females. And that’s why they wrote in Nurse Chapel–so women would feel like they were being represented on screen.
One of my favourite parts of the book was the exchange between Leonard Nimoy and Isaac Asimov. Like, my first reaction was literally: HOLY SHIT, LEONARD NIMOY GOT TO TALK TO ISAAC ASIMOV??? AND ASIMOV IS HILARIOUS “MY DAUGHTER ASSAULTED ME WHEN I DIDN’T ASK FOR AN AUTOGRAPH.”
The stuff when legends MEET!
So, I definitely think superior intelligence plays a huge role in Spock’s appeal to women. I agree with Asimov too though that his imperviousness to women is REALLY attractive. Also, Asimov’s article is a DELIGHT to read.
I was also glad that Nimoy addressed the sexism on the show. What really bothered me (and my mother) while watching TOS was how women were always wearing skimpy outfits and served as a romantic interest for Kirk. Like, yeah, Kirk was attractive but I find it really hard to believe that literally every woman in the universe wanted him that way. Come on! Nimoy agreed that they could have done a lot more to improve the show’s portrayal of women. He made a good point that most of the showrunners were males. I’m sure if there had been more women on the staff, the female characters would have been better developed. Seriously, watching many of the episodes was like reading posts on r/menwritingwomen.
Nimoy had interesting thoughts on what it meant to be an actor. He was keen on selecting acting roles that allowed him to expand his repertoire. That’s why he terminated his contract with Mission: Impossible early. Though he could have made a LOT of money, Nimoy didn’t like how repetitive the job felt. Now, I don’t know just how true this was. After all, Nimoy did write the book and he could have twisted a few facts and feelings here and there. Let’s just say it was true. I admired how adamant he was about honing his skills rather than racking in as much money as possible.
In the vast majority of cases, the actor, Iike most artists, must work for the satisfaction of knowing that his or her work has improved with the passage of time. This knowledge won’t pay the rent, but it does help feed the soul.
In my case, I had reached the point in my career where I could support my family on my income as an actor and an acting teacher.
Though Nimoy was exceptional and did have a very successful acting career, I loved what he wrote about improvement being the only metric most artists have. It’s exactly how I feel about my writing. I feel like my writing career most likely won’t really take off the way Becky Albertalli or Leigh Bardugo’s did because I’m just not that talented. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t bother me but I comfort myself with the fact that I’ll most likely see improvement the more I write. That puts a positive spin on the unfortunate reality of the situation.
This book was fun to read and I’m still ambivalent about the rating. There were definitely parts that dragged and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the conversations between Mr. Spock and Nimoy. But it was interesting to read what things were like on the other side of Star Trek and the things that came after.
Earnestly Eccentric 