Goodbye, Grace....

And, so close on the heels of losing Leonard, we now say goodbye to another Trek crewmember, Grace Lee Whitney. She passed on May 1st, one month after her 85th birthday. (Read an official announcement article here.) You can find out more about her work and life here; you may be surprised how many other roles she had outside of Trek.)

Initially planned to be a larger part of the show (as evidenced in the publicity photos where she was featured prominently with Shatner and Nimoy), the producers quickly realized that her character put a damper on the romantic dalliances of the Captain and put her in less and less shows. Grace's short and turbulent time as part of the show came to an end when she was unceremoniously let go during the first season (they could have at least written her out in a dramatic way, instead of not addressing it at all). The slide into depression, alchoholism and other kinds of addictions dragged her into a downward spiral that she struggled with for many years. She credited Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelly with helping her get work and help, and she openly professed that turning to Christ gave her strength to change her life. This didn't make her an angel; she was a flawed individual with issues still to be worked out, as all of us who know the Lord are. But it is only through the unmerited favor of God through Christ (which is known as grace) that any of us can find deliverance and peace.

As a believer also, I know that she is now beyond any struggles and is with Him forever. We won't forget you, Grace, and your life touched many people who are also struggling with similar troubles. Your short time on Trek made a big impact on the viewers, and you had many devoted fans who will miss you. Godspeed!

See all my other posts about Grace here.

 Below, a couple of photos of Nimoy and Whitney having some fun on set. The top is a rare photo with Nimoy and Whitney having some fun behind the scenes. And in the next one, Rand seems to be teasing Spock about his ears! She is showing the same fascination with them that many women did. And note in the bottom photo (from the filming of "The Undiscovered Country") how close Leonard's pose is to the one above it!

"Did anyone ever tell you how sexy your ears are, Mr. Spock?"

We miss them both.

Bonus link: Fellow blogger ProvidenceMine has posted her personal tribute to Grace. Read it here.

Goodbye, Leonard.

On February 27th, we lost a friend. And, although I had been preparing myself for it over the last few years, it hurt worse than I thought it would.

(Click on images to view full-size. Once open, you may have to click again to magnify.)

I was on the road going to a dental cleaning appointment when my wife texted me: "Spock just died." Those three words hit me hard, and I immediately pulled over and checked online to confirm the news; hoping that it was a false rumor she had heard. It only took a moment to find out, as word spread rapidly, that Leonard had indeed passed over to the Undiscovered Country after being admitted to the hospital several days earlier for chest pains. A few moments later an old friend and fellow Trekker called and when I picked it up I said "I just heard." We spent a few moments sharing how we felt and the impact that Mr. Nimoy had on our lives.

I'm sure the same thing happened around the country as friends called other fellow fans and commiserated over the news. The bond between Trek fans has always been strong, as over the years we shared our love for the show with others like us, and when we found another of like mind, we connected to them in some fashion; at least I did. We were linked by that shared love of a bright universe where people of all races and creeds lived in harmony and acceptance, and by our love for the characters that inhabited one corner of that universe known as the Enterprise. The extended family we found there was more than just a bunch of crew members; we loved them all. Zooming in on the core of the family, we focused on the Big Three of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Then, when the final image came into view, it was of one person; Spock. He was the one that people remember most when recalling their first exposure to the show. The first thing I ever clipped about the show from a magazine was a photo of Leonard as Spock, which I still have in my first scrapbook. This is most encapsulated by the first time Spock appeared on film in the Trek universe; we saw the ship, then came closer, and as the saucer dipped, we moved through the dome onto the bridge. And moving down beside Captain Pike, there was the one your eyes were instantly drawn to... Spock.

What Spock meant to each one of us individually is something we can only weigh within our own hearts; but to me the main attraction to the character --beyond all the great things about the Vulcan that were exciting and different-- was that in his isolation and loneliness, he reached out and made a friend; Kirk. The friendship between the two was the heart of the show, and further, the friendship and affection that the rest of the bridge crew felt for Spock demonstrated the depth of feeling that could be inspired by one that claimed to have none. All of that is summed up in one affecting image, happening at the very end of "The Search For Spock." I freely admit that when watching the movie I bawled at that moment (and still do, every time), even more than at his funeral scene in the previous film. Whereas that was about the loss, this moment was about the joy of their love for him. And that's something we all felt. I hope that beyond the sadness we feel at Leonard's passing, we can remember and rekindle the joy of that love we felt both for him and for the character that he helped create and bring to life. Click on that image below to enlarge it and see if it doesn't just make you feel good.

Over the weekend as news of Leonard's passing spread, a post that featured an article entitled "Spock: Teenage Outcast" that I had posted in the past went viral for the second time, and we had over 12,000 visitors to this blog. I like to think that the letter he wrote to a young fan struggling with a dual heritage would make a fitting memorial to the man, speaking of his insight, compassion and thoughtfulness. You can read that article below, or visit the original post that also contains many visitor comments about it:

Another older article that highlights the professionalism that Leonard brought to the role, and the price he almost paid to be true to the character, can be found here.

If you have some time and want to reflect on Leonard's media exposure over the years that I have collected, here is a link that collects all the blog posts I have made with the "Nimoy" tag.

Of course, in one way, my wife was wrong when she said "Spock just died." The character of Spock is still as alive as ever, and for as long as we can see him on the episodes and movies, and read about him in our books, he is alive. Leonard Nimoy, the caring and compassionate soul behind the stoic visage, is with us no more. But he will not be forgotten.