Spock, “The Blessing,” and Martin Luther King
by
Rabbi Sholomo Ben Levy
The death of Leonard Nimoy evoked a torrent of fond memories, Trek trivia, and a few astonishing facts that we should appreciate even if we were not fans of this science fiction genre. It was always obvious the Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, used the series to project his philosophy of what humans might become in some distant future. He dreamed of a time in which people would transcend all racial, ethnic, and national divisions. It was a near utopian vision in which poverty was eradicated, war was eliminated on earth, and class distinctions were relics of our ancient past. What is not as widely known is how Leonard Nimoy’s upbringing as an Orthodox Jew and Dr. Marin Luther King’s meeting with Nichelle Nichols—the African American woman who played Lieutenant Uhura—contributed to the creation of a fantasy that we hope will become an alternate reality.
Leonard Nimoy played the part of Spock, the only alien on this diverse crew of people exploring the universe. According to the script, Spock was from the planet Vulcan; a hot world where the inhabitants were once ruled by their violent passions. His species evolve to a higher plane of existence by suppressing their emotions and living by a strict code of reason and logic. Vulcans were physically and technologically superior to humans. Though completely Vulcan in appearance, Spock’s mother was human; therefore, it took extraordinary discipline for Spock to control the primitive urges that lie beneath his rational demeanor. In real life, Nimoy was born in 1931 and raised in Boston by Orthodox Jews who emigrated to the United States from the Ukraine. While Jews before Holocaust experienced a great deal of social alienation in United States and in Europe, Nimoy relished in the opportunity that acting gave him to play different roles and assume different identities on the stage and on the screen.
In 1967, during the second season of Star Trek, the cast was filming an episode called “Amok Time” in which Spock visited his home planet. The writers and designers developed very elaborate costumes and creative rituals for the people of Vulcan. Yet, when Nimoy asked director, Joseph Pevney “How do Vulcans great each other?” Pevney had no idea. Nimoy suggested a unique hand gesture that he observed in the synagogue when men performed a prayer called the ברכת כהנים “Priestly Blessing.” It is part of a prayer that the congregation recites while standing and is thus called the “Amidah.” The relevant passage is taken from the Torah and says: “May God bless you and keep you safe. May God turn His face toward you and be gracious unto you. May God turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace.” (Numbers 6:23-27). This is one of the most ancient of prayers. It was given by God to the Levites who would bestow it upon the Israelites from the walls of King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. In biblical times the most sacred name of God was used in this benediction. Today Jews are forbidden from using that name which is referred to as the Tetragrammaton (four letters). In addition, the men who perform this ritual remove their shoes, cover their heads with a tallit, which partially conceals their hands, the fingers of which are joined together in a shape that resembles the Hebrew letter ש, which is the first letter of one of the divine names (Shaddai) and the first letter of the word “Shekhina,” which refers to the divine presence among us. In many congregations those being blessed in this manner are supposed to have their eyes closed in concentration and their arms open to receive the blessings as they respond “May it be His will.” Apparently, young Nimoy was peaking and what he saw of this sacred ritual made a profound impact on him. Later in life, after the “Vulcan greeting” had been popular among Trekkies, Nimoy fondly remarked, “I wonder if they know that they are actually blessing each other.”
Nichelle Nichols explained in several interviews that when she arrived in Hollywood for her interview, the script she was asked to read was for the character of Spock. Roddenberry was so impressed by her talent that he invited her to join the cast. Nichols was politically conscious and socially aware. She was carrying a book by Robert Ruark entitled Uhuru, A Novel of Africa Today (1962). The Swahili word for freedom is Uhuru. Behind the scenes, Nichols helped the writers to develop her character of Uhura. This highly educated communications officer was the daughter of an African ambassador and an accomplished scientist. She was not going to be the maid or the cook of this spaceship. After the first season of Star Trek, Nichols informed Roddenberry that she was going to leave the show in order to pursue an acting career on Broadway in New York. Nichols was a talented singer who performed with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Star Trek did not provide her many opportunities to display her musical talents—with the notable exception of an episode in 1968 where she was forced to entertain aliens and then engaged in the first interracial kiss on T.V. with a very willing William Shatner, Captain Kirk.
At a fundraising dinner for the NAACP, Nichols met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was thrilled to meet her. He told her how much he and his family loved the Star Trek program. When Nichols informed Dr. King that she was leaving the show she said, “the smile of his face disappeared.” Dr. King told her that Black people need to see positive role models—people who look like her and excel in science and mathematics. At a time when the most common roles for Black actors were as servants or criminals, the specter of an intelligent Black woman as an officer on a sophisticated spaceship was seen as a sign of what was possible in the future. Dr. King helped Nichols to understand how important her role was. After this conversation, Nichols called Roddenberry to announce that she was returning to Start Trek.