actor leonard nimoy made television history when he transformed the kohen priestly blessing sign into the iconic star trek vulcan greeting. the sign, an open hand with the two fingers on each side forming a “v”, combined with the words “live long and prosper”, capped his artistry to create a moment that audiences at large could experience what it must have felt like in antiquity. unlike the show’s human greetings, nimoy’s vulcan creation offered a brief moment of peace to the small screen. the blessing’s gravity is not surprising as one of the earliest ancient hebrew writing found on any artifact contained this priestly blessing; valued words with valued emotion.
there is one particular episode in which mr. nimoy also captured another element of his jewish roots. as mr. spock, in the original series episode journey to babel, he tackles a ten commandments’ issue. in the show, he confronted perhaps the scariest thing one could encounter in outer space- his parents.
while not considered the one of the top series episodes, journey to babel, mr. nimoy’s performance was brilliant as he struggles emotionlessly through a values and morals challenge; honoring one’s parents can be difficult.
his character, mr. spock, confronts the parents he left behind to pursue his career. despite his decorated service and being considered the “best officer” in star fleet, spock’s father views him as a failure for rejecting a career with the vulcan science academy. in contrast, spock is confronted with his loving and emotional filled human mother. she wishes only that her half human- half vulcan son can repair his relationship with his vulcan father.
at the episode’s onset, spock is rudely treated by his father, a vulcan ambassador. spock’s father makes it abundantly as to his displeasure over his son. despite that, mr. nimoy’s spock, in vulcan fashion, remains emotionless and professional. he never expressed any offense to his father’s mistreatment.
the episode takes a dramatic turn in which spock’s father comes down with a heart problem requiring a blood transfusion. mr. spock is the only suitable blood type. he cannot, however, donate enough blood for the operation to move forward. due to the difficulty, spock, on his own initiative, researches alternatives to increase blood availability and finds a solution of taking a drug to stimulate blood generation. this solution is both experimental and could cause serious damage to the individual taking the drug. spock, to save his father, volunteers to do so despite the risks. during this process, spock, while emotionless, is seen diligently working to save his dispassionate father.
the episode takes a twist when captain kirk is severely injured and must relinquish his command. spock, the first officer, must take over as captain. with the ship in crisis, spock withdraws the plan to be the blood donor and thus condemns his father to likely death. his decision then leads to a confrontation with his mother. despite acting with logic, spock is met with an emotional outburst by his mother punctuated by a violent slap on his face. despite the shocking blow, spock remained emotionless.
in the end, captain kirk feigns good health to relieve spock of the captain’s duties. this enables spock to donate the needed blood which saves his father’s life. after the surgery is completed under dire and dramatic circumstances, the father and son, while both are recovering, appear to finally have made amends. for a vulcan-related story, a happy ending would appear to be the logical thing to occur.
mr. nimoy’s acting beautifully illustrates the tensions that parents and children. children, to become independent, make decisions which, at times, can cause rifts. these actions, however, despite being upsetting, may in fact be done with honorable intentions. they pursued their passion and doing it admirably. had spock’s father taken a step back from his disappointment, he would have found a son he could be proud of; a son that brought him honor and respect. in contrast, despite this angst, mr. nimoy’s character remained emotionless toward his father’s provocation. instead, he displayed his devotion to his father by his efforts and willingness to sacrifice.
in sum, journey to babel captures the universal struggles that families confront with the commandment to honor one’s parents.
be well!!
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