Oh no…
Oh no…
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9 responses to “Oh no…”
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T’Pau: [returning Spock’s Vulcan salute] Live long and prosper, Spock.
Spock: I shall do neither: I’ve killed my captain and my friend.
–“Amok Time”
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Dr. McCoy: Now, you listen to me, you pointed-eared Vulcan…
Spock: [grabbing McCoy] I don’t like that. I don’t think I ever did, and now I’m sure!
–“All Our Yesterdays”
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Captain Spock: My father says that you have been my friend. You came back for me.
Kirk: You would have done the same for me.
Captain Spock: Why would you do this?
Kirk: Because the needs of the one… outweigh the needs of the many.
Captain Spock: [begins to remember] I have been and ever shall be your friend.
Kirk: Yes. Yes, Spock.
Captain Spock: The ship… out of danger?
Kirk: You saved the ship. You saved us all. Don’t you remember?
Captain Spock: Jim… your name is Jim.
—Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
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Mr. Spock: A Vulcan would face such a loss without tears.
Young Spock: How?
Mr. Spock: By understanding every life comes to an end when time demands it. Loss of life is to be mourned, but only if the life was wasted.
–“Yesteryear” -
So passes a truly great man. He spoke to a part of so many of us… a part that feels alone, misunderstood, vulnerable yet defended. Particularly for those of us isolated by intellect, or simply by a worldview or beliefs different in some way from those around us, he was an icon who somehow managed to be part of his world without bending to it… he painted such a dignified and magnetic picture of a troubled yet amazing individual in a culture which typically dismisses and sneers at intellectualism and emotional reticence. The sheer number and vehemence of his fans speaks to how powerful that portrayal was, and also how prevalent it is in our modern world to feel separate, apart, alone, different, unable to truly connect. I will miss him. Even the terrible singing… he was never afraid to be himself.
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What strikes me is how Spock was always the quiet moral center, the conscience of the crew. It did not need to be thus; dispassionate characters nowadays are usually portrayed as remorseless killers–taking more after T-1000 than Spock. But the things that made Spock Spock also made him the best, most compassionate, most principled member of the crew. Some of that came from Roddenberry. Even more came from the decency and depth of the artist and the man. LLAP.
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