How did Leonard Nimoy come up with his iconic Star Trek phrase

92 years ago today, Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame was born.

Today would’ve been the 92nd birthday of Star Trek icon, Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy is most known for his iconic portrayal of Spock in the first Star Trek series in 1966, later in the animated series, and the subsequent film series. He’d appear in the Next Generation two-parter “Unification” as Spock, and one month later would take his last turn with his pointy ears in the final Original Series film; The Undiscovered Country.

He’d later return to the franchise 18 years later, appearing in the 2009 film, Star Trek, and then its 2012 sequel; Into Darkness. He would pass away before Star Trek: Beyond would finish filming and his death was acknowledged by those who worked on the film.

Nimoy’s impact on Trek stretched decades, far longer than most, and his passing hit many in the Star Trek community hard. It wasn’t just his acting or the way he brought Spock to life, it was the fact that his fingerprints were all over his character.

So much of who Spock was, and by extension the Vulcans, was due to Nimoy. In fact, the most famous thing about the Vulcans, namely the Vulcan hand gesture, was created by Nimoy himself.

Leonard Nimoy used a Hebrew hand signal for the Vulcan hand salute

In an interview, Nimoy revealed that the Vulcan hand salute was inspired and partially borrowed by a Hebrew prayer gesture. It’s slightly different, as the hand gesture was used with both hands, and the Vulcan hand salute is only one.

Considering how important the Vulcan hand gesture is to Trek fans as a whole, it’s pretty fascinating to know that not only did Nimoy create it, but that he took it from his religious teachings.