OFF - Live long and prosper

People pass away every day. Some of them touch us, and others do not. Today's news that Leonard Nimoy (you probably know him as Spock) passed away hits me. It isn't just because he is well known; nor is it just because he was hit with lung cancer.

The reason this hits me is because my time staring at Spock on so many screens reminds me of my family, my youth, his fame and, dammit, lung cancer.

In my youth I was not a sports fan. I was a Star Trek fan. My father, my brother and I watched The Original Series together religiously. We went to the movies when it opened. When The Next Generation started we watched it together as well. Our bond over Starfleet was in many ways similar to father/son relationships over baseball, football, soccer or other sports.

Other actors from ST:TOS left us, but Nimoy's Spock was a lot like my dad. Spock was so very rational, science oriented, often distant, and when that hard face became soft it was truly special. Nimoy passing away reminds me of special times with my dad.

Leonard leaving Earth reminds me of skipping high school to see Undiscovered Country and of going to a convention with Patrick Stewart of The Next Generation. The franchise has been such a strong part of my life. Nimoy, Shatner, Roddenberry helped create a whole genre of space opera that played out on TV and in movies.

We stood on your shoulders, and wouldn’t have had a galaxy to explore if you hadn’t been there, first. Thank you, Leonard, Rest in peace.

— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) February 27, 2015

The entirety of Star Trek helps us look to the sky, to inspire discovery and to think that all thinkers deserve respect. It was idealistic and full of hope.

Nimoy's passing also reminds me of losses due to lung cancer. I did not want that reminder.

I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) January 30, 2014

Please stop now. I want you to live long and prosper.

Nimoy was so much more than just Spock. He was a stellar actor and a creator across mediums.

I will be sharing my poetry. Today's is, "You and I have Learned," which is in my book, These Words Are for You. LLAP pic.twitter.com/CsHAtmtDnz

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 22, 2015

This is not a powerful think piece. It's just the words that come to mind when I find out that someone who I "knew" through art is gone. Tonight I'm going to call my dad. We'll talk about Star Trek and Spock and Nimoy and why we don't talk often enough. It's funny, you can't talked to loved ones often enough, you just need to talk.

This is your weekly off-topic post. There is no flavor discussion to inspire you.