The weather is gray today here in Texas. But, something tells me that it’s gray for all geeks and nerds everywhere. The light of logic and wisdom has dimmed down a bit, because we lost our most beloved Vulcan today. Leonard Nimoy passed away from COPD at his home, and all of the geeks and nerds around the world are heartbroken.
I feel like I’ve lost a second father. Star Trek was so inspiring and amazing to me during my formative years. It helped me grow up and opened my mind to diversity and allowed me to feel like less of a freak because of my wildly overactive imagination. Spock in particular taught me the value of logic and humanity. When I was hurt by bullies or life in general, I often pretended I was Spock until I could get myself to a private place where I could be angry or sad or just feel horrible in peace while I processed whatever had happened to me. I could relate to him as the outsider in the group of cool kids. He made me realize that, even though I was a nerd and and outsider, I could make friends that were amazing and true and worthwhile.
As an adult, I’ve come to respect Mr. Nimoy for more than his role as Spock. He was a writer, a photographer, a voice actor, and so many other things. Talent overflowed from him and inspired hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
I’ll miss him. I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I’ll miss him terribly. He added so much to my life, and the lives of those around me. I can only imagine how much his passing impacts his family, friends, and fellow cast members.