The 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series is fast-approaching, and there are numerous ways to celebrate the Enterprise and its crew. Spock fans, in particular, will appreciate the upcoming documentary For the Love of Spock, which explores the lives of both the iconic character and the actor who played him, Leonard Nimoy.
Gravitas Ventures released a clip from the documentary today, and it shares the touching story behind the documentary. First conceived of by Nimoy’s son, Adam, it was a project both father and son were working on prior to Leonard’s death in February 2015. Planned as a look at Spock, the documentary then shifted gears and expanded its focus to include Nimoy himself.
Nimoy and Spock’s legacies are evident right off the bat. The clip opens with a scene from an episode of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory in which Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons) tells the gang about For the Love of Spock and explains its premise: “It’s about Mr. Spock and his impact on our culture,” says Sheldon.
The very fact that characters on a hit sitcom, now 50 years later, are known to be fans of Star Trek shows just how big of a cultural phenomenon the series — and subsequent franchise — has become. Parsons speaks to its influence in the documentary, so it is not just his fictional character who loves Spock. Fittingly, The Big Bang Theory honored Nimoy after his death, and later, got Adam to make a cameo on the show.
Footage from interviews with Adam also appear in the For the Love of Spock clip. He discusses his father’s excitement about the project and how his death influenced the project.
“It became clear that the film needed to include his life as well as the life of Mr. Spock, and that in turn led me on a journey of self-discovery about my relationship with my father,” he says.
In addition to Adam’s insight, the documentary includes contributions from big names in the Star Trek franchise, such as William Shatner, George Takei, J.J. Abrams, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, and Simon Pegg. For the Love of Spock hits theaters and on demand on September 9.
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