It was a good week for Leonard Nimoy fans in Boston. First, we had a May 14 showing of the Nimoy-directed Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) as part of the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s (Brookline) “Science on Screen” series, and then we had Nimoy himself today (May 19) as the Commencement speaker for the Boston University College of Fine Arts.
The film programmer at the Coolidge warned the audience that the 35mm print they were about to see was a bit “gnarly.” And sure, the print’s quality was rough in spots, but that other definition of “gnarly” (like cool, as we used to say in the 1980s), would be more appropriate. Star Trek IV is still a joy to watch, and is filled with the characteristic wit and optimism that were the core of the original series.
This movie brought back a lot of personal memories—I saw it in a theatre with my Mom in St. Albans, VT back in ‘86. I was 7. Perhaps all these year later I too am gnarly—hopefully in a good way.
I always felt pretty close to Spock because he reminds me a lot of my Dad—a “logical” person with a creative side. Another nice childhood memory I have is routinely watching the the original Star Trek TV series in syndication along with my Dad and my brother.
It was amazing—and beyond words—to see Nimoy in person this morning. His speech drew upon elements of his experiences growing up in Boston’s West End, formerly home to many first and second generation immigrant families like his own. It was apparent that he had gotten to where he is through hard work and perseverance, and that he has certainly written about over the years, that he is and is not Spock.
I loved having Spock as a commencement speaker! Check out logens awesome blogpost about it!
