Leonard Nimoy Talks STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Appearance, STAR WARS VII And More

Leonard Nimoy Talks STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Appearance, STAR WARS VII And More

Nimoy recalls being asked to make a cameo in Star Trek Into Darkness as Spock Prime, as well as passing on Star Trek: Generations. He also touches on whether or not he'd don the Spock ears again in the future and if he'd be up for a role in Star Wars Episode VII.

By PaulRom - Jun 04, 2013 07:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Trek
Source: Star Trek



In an interview with the official Star Trek website, original Spock Leonard Nimoy talked about being approached by director J.J. Abrams to make a cameo in Star Trek Into Darkness, where he reprises his role as Spock Prime from the 2009 film. He compared this cameo to the one he turned down in 1994's Star Trek: Generations, which he said could have easily been filled by anyone other than Spock. Nimoy also comments on whether or not he's officially done with playing Spock, saying that he's a big fan of Abrams and will "take the call" for another movie if given. Finally, he comments on potentially joining Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII, which he says would be "great" despite the fact that he's a key figure in the Star Trek franchise. For the full interview with Nimoy, click the source link below.

On Being Asked To Make A Cameo In Star Trek Into Darkness And Why He Passed On Star Trek: Generations:
"He [J.J. Abrams] just said, “Would you come in for a couple of days and do me a favor.” ... This cameo in Star Trek Into Darkness was about the Spock character. The cameo in Generations was not about the Spock character. It was just somebody named Spock saying some lines that had nothing to do with Spock. It wasn’t about the character at all. The character was just being used to say some lines that needed to be said about the exposition of the story. I suggested to them that they could take those lines and give them to other members of the cast and no one would know the difference. And that’s exactly what they did. So that indicates to you how clear it was that it wasn’t about Spock. It was about something else. So I just let it go. There was no need for me to be there. This story lent itself to the idea that Spock would contact me to ask for information."


On Whether Or Not He's Officially Finished Playing Spock:
"Wow… That’s impossible to answer. I don’t know. I don’t know what J.J. is going to do. I consider him a very good friend. I think he’s done a great thing for Star Trek. I’m very grateful to him. We all owe him a lot. When someone comes along like he has done and picks it up and elevates it, we should be grateful. So when J.J. calls me, I take the call."


On The Possibility Of Reuniting With J.J. Abrams For Disney's Star Wars: Episode VII:
"Oooh. Ooooh, wouldn’t that be fun. I would love to. I think it would work wonderfully. I think it would work just great. I think it would be a great idea, and somebody ought to tell him that."
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mrHJK
mrHJK - 6/4/2013, 7:57 AM
He's right about Generations; they gave his lines to Scotty. But then DeForrest Kelley said the same thing and all of a sudden Checkov became a doctor.

mrHJK
mrHJK - 6/4/2013, 7:58 AM
Also, no to Nimoy in Star Wars. I mostly want new, unknowns.

Fun fact for those of you who don't know. Nimoy voices the main villain in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep,and Mark Hamill is the wise old master of the heroes.
christophergross
christophergross - 6/4/2013, 7:58 AM
I could see him as an old Jedi in a hologram giving advice to Luke or another Jedi. maybe as Kaja Sinis or Aenon Jurtis perhaps?
CrowPirate1
CrowPirate1 - 6/4/2013, 8:05 AM
Since they already brought Kirk back to life in Darkness, they don't have to make a new movie extending that storyline. But.... knowing Shatner's hovering.... The Search for Kirk!! the new Star Trek 3.. They go in search of the displacement to pull him out before he was killed by that bad crossover movie. lol
beane2099
beane2099 - 6/4/2013, 8:13 AM
@ niklander I friggen love that meme

Anyways, they also asked Nimoy to direct Generations but he had problems with the script that couldn't be resolved in the time frame they wanted to make the movie in. The opening of that movie was just strange: Kirk, Scotty and Chekhov. ... ok then. You knew it was going to be downhill from there.
animeex
animeex - 6/4/2013, 8:15 AM
He is a great Spock and does a great job in Trek always, but I agree to keep all Trekkies away from Star Wars. I think all you will do is make fans hate it and you won't make the money you want. his is a fear of all Star Wars fans is mixing anything to do with the two together. SlaveMasterFlexXx nailed it.
Facade
Facade - 6/4/2013, 8:20 AM
Great movie...nice surprise cameo!
beane2099
beane2099 - 6/4/2013, 8:22 AM
I'm sorry but people who knock JJ's trek need to really think hard on what Trek had declined to under the previous administration. His movies aren't better than Nicholas Meyer's (and Leonard Nimoy's) films but they're a damn sight better than Berman's trek films. Berman's personal hand in the finale of Enterprise is the single worst episode of Trek (and I'm including Voyager in that count) and his inadvertant middle finger to Trek fans (I'm sure he thought the episode was going to be good). And that was really a shame given what an awesome job Manny Cotto had done improving that show.
polarkyle
polarkyle - 6/4/2013, 8:27 AM
Now if only they could get the rest of the original cast to appear then that would be awesome
pintoman
pintoman - 6/4/2013, 8:27 AM
Sorry Leonard, I disagree.
pintoman
pintoman - 6/4/2013, 8:40 AM
Trek didn't really "decline". It had just ran it's course and needed a longer break. Or rather, the exploring new worlds on a ship had ran it's course.

If you wanted to create a new Star Trek franchise it should have been set in the future of TNG. No holds barred. No restrictions. No complaints. New designs, whatever.

Another good option is to set stories in the Trek universe using canon but not on a starship. Again, the starship scenario had run it's course. There's just no way any new Trek film or TV series can top the best episodes of TOS or TNG.

If for some reason you want to still go down the starship route, or use existing characters, you have to add freshness some other way. A new younger cast is inevitable so you have to change pacing, designs, music. etc. Pissing off a certain percentage of people. This is the JJ route. There were other (better) options.
smeg4brains
smeg4brains - 6/4/2013, 8:42 AM
@fettastic Nope, Star Trek is set in the future, Star Wars is set A Long Time Ago...
DrRockso
DrRockso - 6/4/2013, 9:02 AM
I love LOVE Leonard Nimoy
Logan5
Logan5 - 6/4/2013, 9:28 AM
^^^

:-D
Zuriel
Zuriel - 6/4/2013, 9:34 AM
They actually had to fight Gene Roddenberry to keep an Enterprise in the Next Generation. He felt, even by that point, that the Federation's technology had grown past the use of ships and that they should be able to just beam from planet to planet. The other show creators argued that the Enterprise was an essential character of it's own and won the debate.

But consider that when you have complaints about the Transwarp technology in the new Trek!

Still think Kahn was a joke.
AC1
AC1 - 6/4/2013, 9:35 AM
@yingyangpalms I wouldn't go that far, in saying JJ Abrams' films have as little depth as the Transformers, GI Joe, A-Team or Hangover franchises.

I mean, in the first, you at least have the themes of getting past personal differences and learning that people can accomplish more if they work together than if they're alone, conquering your fears, the conflict of Spock's Vulcan heritage versus his humanity and also of isolation or loneliness (Spock becoming a member of an endangered species following the destruction of Vulcan), and coming to terms with loss (Spock losing Vulcan and his mother, Kirk losing his father) and becoming stronger for the experience. Plus, the two films (particularly the first one) follow similar plot points to the original Star Wars trilogy, so any depth the original Star Wars had is also present in these Star Trek movies.

[SPOILERS] The second presents something of a commentary on current society's views on terrorism through the Khan, particularly if you think of how the character's race has changed since his last appearance which presents the notion that race isn't important or shouldn't be a focal point when someone does something bad, plus through the character of Admiral Marcus, his role as a puppet master for most of the plot, and also his position at the top of Starfleet, can even be seen to parallel some conspiracy theories about terrorism wherein people believe that terrorist acts were set up by the government in order to provoke a war (such as conspiracy theories of US Presidents orchestrating terrorist attacks, or colluding with terrorist organisations, to attack their own country in order to provoke a public response that favours war).

Then, in both films, you have the theme of destiny, both how it stays the same (e.g. despite the timeline changing, the Enterprise ends up with the same crew by the end, they encounter characters they've already encountered in the other reality, even fighting villains they've previously fought, Kirk and Spock becoming friends) and how it can change (circumstances of meetings can change, the new Spock seems to embrace or fall to his humanity more than the original probably due to the loss of his home planet, Spock and Kirk hated each other at first, etc.).

I'm not saying they're deep by any means, even for blockbuster movies, but give them credit where it's due, because they're not purely superficial, one dimensional films. If anything, they hearken back a couple of decades to those blockbusters, the classic blockbusters, like the original Star Wars or Indiana Jones or even the first Superman movie.
AC1
AC1 - 6/4/2013, 9:39 AM
Anyway, out of the two new Star Trek films (tried to watch a few of the older ones, found them quite uninteresting, didn't see what all the fuss was about, thought Wrath of Khan was alright but I'm still not sure why it gets so much praise, save for Khan himself, and I thought new Khan was better in Into Darkness) I think the first one has the best overall story but the second one is on a par purely because of the acting, the villain, and a few story elements.
Jolt17
Jolt17 - 6/4/2013, 10:13 AM
Sadly, that was a pointless fan-service cameo.
jerryblake
jerryblake - 6/4/2013, 10:14 AM
I'm so disappointed with ST:ID.

First one was really cool, but the second one ... big letdown.
I knew something was wrong, after watching only 20 first minutes of the movie.

The introduction was good, but besides Spock reporting on Kirk later in the movie, it got nothing to do with the actual plot.
Then Pike met his faith, Scotty left (only to show up later to save the day, btw: Pegg was annoying in this one), they where fighting in one place for almost an hour ...

Spock was wasted, Chekov was wasted even more (his accent was funny in first movie ... i was begging him to stop talking in this one), Old Spock cameo was ridiculous (no sense at all).

At the end of the day they beat the shit out of Khan, only to hibernate him again and not use his blood ... like forever.
"Hey, i have the cure for all diseases in the world ... what should I do with it ... ? " Oh, nevermind.

There was some good acting (Cumberbatch, Pine, Saldana, Weller, Cho), decent effects (nothing mind blowing).

Cinematography was pure. Lot's of gray, everything looked so bland ("get the London look :)

Music was underwhelming.


Such a disappointment.

Overall 4/10.



Not sure if I wanna wait for third Star Trek movie :(
Brady1138
Brady1138 - 6/4/2013, 11:05 AM
I really wish they would stop asking everyone and their mom if they want to be in Star Wars. It means nothing.
Alvahnomicron
Alvahnomicron - 6/4/2013, 11:05 AM
Into Darkness was fine.

Guess what, we're never going to get, "Wrath of Khan". EVER. AGAIN. You can blame 'Sesame Street', 'The Electric Company', and every other "quick and flashy vignette-type" show that kids have grown up with from the 70s on. We have been conditioned to have collective ADD, and modern audiences(most, but not all) can't deal with the long, drawn-out talky stuff any more.

As an alternate universe story, this was a solid story. I enjoy the displacements of events, and how the Nerada's intrusion into the Prime timeline continues to effect events.

The juxtaposition of Spock into Khan's nemesis was a great idea, and to see THIS Kirk sacrifice himself as he FINALLY comes to know what the Kobayashi Maru means, was extremely satisfying. I love that in the "goodbye separated by the transparent aluminum door", Spock comments on Kirks ultimate sacrifice, to which Kirk responds, something to the tune of, "I just did what you would of done". And, while Zachary Quinto's; "KHAAAAAAAAN!!!" doesn't carry the gravitas of Shatner's, I would argue that it shouldn't. Different circumstances, and all that.

So much more, but, I don't wanna make it a novel. I WILL wrap it up by saying that I LOVED the new WARP OUT trails.
AustinFan4Life
AustinFan4Life - 6/4/2013, 11:35 AM
polarkyle - 6/4/2013, 8:27 AM

Now if only they could get the rest of the original cast to appear then that would be awesome
------------------

James Doohan(Scotty) & DeForest Kelley(McCoy) are both dead, physically impossible for them to appear.
Alvahnomicron
Alvahnomicron - 6/4/2013, 12:05 PM
Thanks, @wavehunter.
MediaMan
MediaMan - 6/4/2013, 12:36 PM
STID was horrible, no surprise there.

Nimoy in SW VII? Absolutely not.
Shatner in SW VII? Absolutely.
iam8bit
iam8bit - 6/4/2013, 3:42 PM
I didn't know he was a Star Wars fan. I'm a Star Wars purist and even I think Nimoy would do great in Episode VII.

Such a legend!
eleven59
eleven59 - 6/4/2013, 4:50 PM
Well vulcans are related to elves and the jedi/sith so I could see it work...
AUSSYACE
AUSSYACE - 6/4/2013, 7:29 PM
Just leave the poor fella alone...
GoodbyeApollo
GoodbyeApollo - 6/5/2013, 4:53 AM
STID isn't horrible. That's a point of view which you stuck with.


And Nimoy is a good actor so a role SW, why not? But a key role like a Jedi Master, nah, wouldn't work. Be like R2D2 making a cameo in a Star Trek film, oh wait...
CrowPirate1
CrowPirate1 - 6/10/2013, 6:09 AM
I still think they will bring Shatner into it, somehow.
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