C8 is broadcasting Star Trek Into Darkness, the second installment in the intergalactic saga directed by J.J Abrams, this evening. But it is also the last film in which Leonard Nimoy starred before his death in 2015.
On February 27, 2015, cinema said goodbye to one of its gods. Leonard Nimoy, unforgettable Spock in the Star Trek series and films, died at the age of 83, leaving behind bereaved fans. And his very latest film is a symbol in itself since it is Star Trek Into Darkness, second opus of the trilogy released in 2013. Nimoy lent his traits once again to Commander Spock, in a scene that has given the Trekkies chills: Zachary Quinto, a young iteration of the Vulcan, contacts his older alter ego from an alternative reality, played by Nimoy, to ask him questions about Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). Star Trek: Unlimited, released in 2016, will then pay tribute to him in a scene where Spock (Quinto) learns of the ambassador's death.
If fans were moved by the appearance of their favorite actor in the new Star Trek films, Nimoy was touched by one of his playing partners: Karl Urban. The latter had indeed shared this touching anecdote during a panel in 2017:
" After the shooting [de Star Trek en 2009], when the film was released, William Shatner held a charity gala and many of us went there, as did Leonard and his wife Susan, the actor recalls. I was walking when I heard: 'Hey Karl.' I turned around, it was Susan. She holds me back and says, 'Karl, I just wanted you to know, when Leonard watched the movie the other night, when you appeared on the screen, he cried Urban plays Doctor McCoy, the role played by Nimoy DeForest's former friend Kelley in the original series. He died in 1999 before he could find out about Karl Urban's performance.
For the little story
Leonard Nimoy agreed to star in the J.J. Abrams film on the sole condition that he could find iced coffee, his favorite drink, on the film set. What the director did, of course.