KGW Vault: Leonard Nimoy talks Spock, Star Trek in 1967

Actor Leonard Nimoy who portrayed the now-famous Spock talks with KGW about his new role. The first episode of Star Trek aired on September 8, 1967. Nimoy explains that Spock is a man born of alien and human descent who has complete control over his emotions; a unique look at a character beloved by millions now.

[@andrewwells6844]

If he only knew then how iconic his role would be in the history of television

[@Libertyjack1]

He lived long enough to get the idea

[@virginiaconnor8350]

RIP, Leonard!

[@KRYPTOS_K5]

In fact he wrote a book of himself in his relation with personage Spock (I believe it was in the beginning of 70s) called I am not Spock. He was a upset about the people's "confusion" about him and his character. I believe he made up his mind on the contrary direction when fame and money just arrive for him in the 80s. Brasil

[@daymenleo6895]

@@Libertyjack1 oh don't blame the man for thinking Nimoy died in the 70s 80s

[@semperfi818]

​@@KRYPTOS_K5 Indeed Mr. Nimoy did: _I Am Not Spock_ (1975) was the first volume of his autobiography, in fact, followed exactly two decades later by the second and final volume, titled -- of course -- _I Am Spock_ (1995).

[@nighthawk0077]

Could not think of a better Spock. This is prime Nimoy. Wonderful interview, thanks for the memories!

[@georgehenderson7783]

Zachary Quinto in the JJ Abrams reboots did great too, but of course Nimoy will always be Spock.

[@mikeballew8385]

What a class act. Such a smart, engaging man. And I venture to say, he made the world a better place for his having been here, if only for opening up the doorways of imagination for so many.

[@1977TA]

Leornard was a class act. His knowledge of the science of Star Trek was flawless. It seems he took playing the role of a science officer very seriously. I would go further and suggest he was in character during this interview.

[@SnoopyDoofie]

"Is beaming down painful?" - The innocence of interviwers back then.

[@crichter1724]

@SnoopyDoo ... I got a chuckle out of his explanation to her of the beaming technology. She acted as if it was a real thing to beam somewhere and he responded to her as if it was, too. So he was messing with her & us just a little bit. lol 😊

[@nkt1]

@@crichter1724 I think Nimoy initially thought she was asking if such a process *would* be painful. Then, from her follow-up questions, it wasn’t clear if she thought there was some stunt work involved, or thought that they really were teleporting, or was teasing him by pretending to think that they were.

[@user-iy6rm6pm4j]

"Having your molecules scattered? Nah!"

[@Robert08010]

And he didn't even raise an eye brow at that question!! So polite!

[@mikeluvrs]

Even now he seems to talk like Spock. with a sense of humor

[@marmac83]

he's dead...

[@nukesean]

@@marmac83 Pretty sure he means, “Even now, in this interview…”

[@NeilPeelParanormalPeepShow]

He explains it very much in a Spock like manner. He understands his character background very well. He understands the science of the show and manages to explain it in layman's terms, ie, beaming down like TV signals from a studio to a home.

[@thompentax2985]

Thank you for sharing. That was COOL. I was lucky enough to see Leonard Nimoy at a few Star Trek conventions. He was a very dynamic individual and extremely entertaining. He is missed. Rest in peace Mr. Spock.

[@4KindnessGal]

Have you ever noticed how often there are comments with people saying that they miss Leonard Nimoy? Look at several videos about him a just take a minute to notice just how incredibly often that people say that they miss him.

[@Vipre-]

Great interviewer, she really seemed interested in the topic and the guest rather than playing to an audience.

[@tayzer22]

Mr. Spock and Capt. Kirk. Two of my role models from childhood and beyond. :)

[@dojagoat]

what about Bones?

[@princeeverlove]

Such eloquence and polite demeanor...Oh how wonderful it was when We were more elegant and gracious as a Nation👨🏻✌🏻

[@gdawg614]

Too true. couldn't have said it better myself.

[@paultoensing3126]

Except to the Vietnamese….

[@4KindnessGal]

I agree. The whole world is such a different place.

[@4KindnessGal]

@@paultoensing3126What do you mean by that? Did you understand the comment?

[@princeeverlove]

@@4KindnessGal Take courage...We will again be a humble and gracious Nation...but not until we learn some very hard Lessons...

[@NebulaStudios1]

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting him and hearing him speak at some the original conventions. Those were the days. Definitely one of my most important role models is Spock, and even Nimoy himself with things like his photography and dedication to his craft.

[@WestonRuter]

I like that she says "Star TREK" and not "STAR Trek" like we do now (syllable stress changing). For her it wasn't a thing yet. She was thinking "star" was modifying the trek rather than "startrek" which we know all about now.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Some of her questions took an unexpected left turn and I love it! "Is it painful to beam down?"

[@4KindnessGal]

I know. She asked like it was a real experience. He answered it really well too.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@4KindnessGalExactly. He could have responded with something like, "What? Are you kidding me?" but he answered respectfully.

[@4KindnessGal]

@@JustWasted3HoursHere Believe it or not, I picked up on that.

[@r.t.aegean3236]

Many thanks for posting this interview. A very rare look at Leonard Nimoy and his insights on the character of "Spock". LLAP.

[@aliceharper707]

This is an amazing interview I never saw before!

[@craskpillord]

This is so cool, this is history right here. I miss Leonard so much.

[@4KindnessGal]

We all do. 😢

[@ness8802]

Amazing to see and also sad 😔 Omg I've lived my entire life since this interview .

[@mkatakm]

An unforgettable historical character. Thanks for sharing this piece of history.

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

The original Spock is still the best! The other 2 new actors did notable work in a similar (but different enough) style. The character is well loved.

[@georgehenderson7783]

Nimoy talks about the Vulcans as if they actually existed and makes you feel they did too.

[@matambale]

Thank you very much for posting this.

[@buddybates3247]

The only control in emotions we NEED today are over Greed and Power that's running rampant. Love Peace first ✌💖

[@milatric]

I love Leonard ♥️

[@CoreyChambersLA]

Awesome historic interview.

[@ApeLikeCreature]

Leonard is fantastic. Great interview here, thank you!

[@Devo4969]

Thank you for posting! This is amazing to watch today. One of the greats!

[@Ta_nuz]

Absolutely love Nimoy.❤

[@user-iy6rm6pm4j]

Amazing that in 1967, he had to clarify what she meant by 'beaming down.' Today, 'beaming down' is total Americana, everybody knows what it means.

[@JerryNixon]

These questions are as lovely as the answers. 🖖

[@NeilBulk]

Can you update the description? You state, "The first episode of Star Trek aired on September 8, 1967." The first episode, "The Man Trap," aired on September 8, 1966.

[@warwickwestonwrigful]

Though Spock was the Co-start of Star Trek, most people beleive that he was the real star and Kirk was the Co-star. For me Spock was the real star.

[@Justin_Beaver564]

Spock was Gene Roddenberry's personification of the Enlightenment. In a lot of ways he was the intended star of the show.

[@SammEater]

To be fair, I think both work really well precisely because of their differences, a show solely focused on Spock or Kirk would not have worked well, it is precisely their interactions along with Bones that makes the show so great to watch.

[@rodhanson7112]

R.i.p LEONARD Nimoy YOU WERE A GREAT ACTOR in STAR TREK with William SHATNER As captain Kirk AND LENORD Nimoy WAS Mr SPOCK AND William SHATNER HAD A TV SHOW CALLED believe it OR NOT AND it WAS A GREAT ONE 😊

[@whereman1199]

Great interview, thxs for sharing...

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

My favourite space guy ! 😊

[@basilrose]

What a wonderful interview! #LLAP 🖖💞

[@jaddison1112]

I remember very well watching the very first episode Of "Star Trek" when I was 16. I was immediately a huge fan and Spock was so different than any Sci-Fi character I had ever seen before, he "fascinated" me !

[@MikesOrganicVideos]

This is great. A real treat. Thanks for sharing.

[@howardX81]

There is Only one Spock and he can't be replaced!

[@LifeLuvWe]

Live on Spok with hope peace & love ole soul

[@Lucia-du5to]

His voice 🥰🥰

[@OmegaWolf747]

What a sweet man. RIP

[@nelsoncarvalho7826]

Nice vídeo. He was a great actor.

[@david2284180]

What a gem

[@ted5567]

My heroe of childhood.

[@magicsinglez]

10 million thumbs up.

[@cristianocastagno9680]

And then in 2022 we get to know that the whole of Star Trek was to seed the Collective Human Consciousness of the authentic presence of the Galactic Federation that we discover exists in reality ! What a twist in the plot !!

[@jaminova_1969]

I Grock Spock!

[@EtakehOh]

Anyone know what the name of the interviewer is? I like her style.

[@ArmyJames]

Baba Wawa.

[@ClausB252]

Church Lady

[@standing0]

Fascinating.

[@rosemphamilton9817]

The way she said "Star...Trek" was just odd.

[@Petra44YT]

Fascinating. 🙂

[@tintinismybelgian]

🤔

[@skeller61]

5:01 Interesting that Nimoy says they can’t go faster than warp 8, which he states is 8x the speed of light. Seeing as the nearest star from the earth is over 4 light years away (6 months of their emergency warp 8 speed). If they have a five year mission, they’d spend 1/10 of that just getting to our nearest neighbor. Interesting, but not fascinating…

[@truthinbottle99]

He didn't say the ship COULDN'T go faster than warp 8...he said they try to avoid going faster than warp 8 because of the stress/strain it would put on the ship.

[@skeller61]

@@truthinbottle99 My point is that if each warp is 1x the speed of light, as they state, I would still take them over two weeks to get to our nearest star. At that rate of speed, I don’t think they’d have the range of adventures shown in the three seasons of Star Trek, in their five year journey. Also, if the Enterprise is stressing at warp 8, I don’t think sustained 100 warp is in the equation.

[@yayo0]

Nimoy got it wrong, it's the cube of itself. So warp speed would be 512x the speed of light, and warp 1 would be 1x the speed of light.

[@skeller61]

That’s all I was saying, that Nimoy’s math didn’t make sense. I mean, if you’re going to have a spaceship go faster than the speed of light (the crew seems to do OK with standing around while the g-forces involved would crush them), you might as well make it a speed that can actually get somewhere.

[@barose1]

🥰😍

[@RC-fu6hg]

🖖

[@MishaSims]

🥰

[@scottconlon5124]

Cool

[@walmartynotc]

If you know, you know

[@haczabim]

5:20 was she serious?

[@tintinismybelgian]

His human ears are uncanny.

[@rconger384]

Bridle your passions

[@zitherzon2121]

Morning vodka drinking chain smoker. They say. (Not very logical.)

[@lafayettemoreira4423]

Looking filipino, Nimoy not Pinoy, but in fact an ucrainian jew. Would you believe?

[@donsaxon1948]

He looks weird without the pointed ears