Julie Nimoy and William Shatner endorse a proposed statue to honor Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy, who made Spock famous, passed away in February 2015, but his legacy remains

And Leonard Nimoy’s daughter wants to not only honor her father but to remind Bostonians, where a statue has been proposed, to live long and prosper. The 25 foot statue would be in the shape of the Vulcan hand gesture Spock made which he famous.

Leonard Nimoy was born and raised in Boston’s West End, and he undertook his first major role at the age of 17, as Ralphie in an amateur production of Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing. Nimoy would say later that the role “lit a passion” inside him that led him to continue an acting career. From that point onward, he never wanted to do anything else. And he was always proud of his Boston heritage.

In fact, he returned to the city in 2014, along with his son Adam Nimoy, to participate in a half-hour special. In it, the actor reminisced about growing up in the West End as the son of Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine. With such deep roots to Boston, it’s only natural Nimoy’s daughter would support the suggestion to erect the monument in her father’s beloved city.

And William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk alongside Nimoy’s Spock, added his support to the proposal, telling the city of Boston and the governor of Massachusetts that “this needs to happen.”

https://twitter.com/WilliamShatner/status/1322243368567500800

Julie Nimoy said the statue “will be a symbol for peace and tolerance worldwide.”  And while there is no clear indication where the statue would be placed, one news outlet has suggested that a logical choice might be “outside Beacon Hill’s Vilna Shul, where, the ark in the former synagogue features the now familiar gesture from back in the day when it was an ancient Jewish religious symbol – one that congregation leaders made during services.”

Star Trek fans have vocally come on board to express their excitement and approval, with one fan mentioning the Sitges Film Festival that had erected a gigantic Vulcan hand salute in honor of the franchise’s 50th anniversary.  There’s little doubt this would be a fitting tribute to a man whose contributions to Star Trek and the entertainment industry will never be forgotten.