Nimoy On Working With Quinto

At the Official Creation Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas last month Leonard Nimoy helped Crytpic Studios roll out their new Star Trek Online game and while there he talked to game site Warcry. The interview is now online and it includes some discussion of a particular scene in the new Star Trek movie. [Spoilers]

 

Nimoy on Quinto and their scene together
From the new interview at Warcry:

Warcry: What were your thoughts when you saw Zachary Quinto as the Spock character for the first time?

Leonard Nimoy: It was very moving to me. You know, I’m 77 years old and it’s time for me to move on. If it had been a lesser actor, and I’m not just talking about his looks, his looks are appropriate. A lot of people say he looks just like me, but he’s a very, very good actor, very intelligent. He’s well-trained. He knows his business, his work, he’s very professional. And if it had been a lesser actor it could have been disturbing for me to see the character pass on to somebody who I didn’t think was appropriate. He was a very appropriate actor for it and I’m very pleased that the character passed on to him. I think it’s in good hands.

Warcry: So this is someone that you feel comfortable with as your successor?

Leonard Nimoy: Yeah, I admire his work. I saw some of the footage and I’ve done a scene with him in the movie, which is fascinating – the two of us standing there talking to each other. And I saw some of the other work he did in the picture. He’s very good. So I think the Spock character has a good future.

 This is not the first time Nimoy has spoken about working with Quinto, although he seems to imply they only have one scene together. On stage at the Vegas convention (see TrekMovie story) both he and Quinto also talked about their scene together, noting that Nimoy worked much more with Simon Pegg than with Quinto (backing up that there may only be one ‘two Spocks’ scene). Nimoy also talked about what it was like acting in the scene, saying:

Nimoy: The thing that was difficult for me was my very first day on the movie, we have this complicated and very interesting scene together. And I didn’t feel totally on my ground yet, particularly with this kind of scene. I had never played with another Spock before, it was weird.

In Vegas, Nimoy also spoke to the USA Today about this scene, giving a little more detail:

Nimoy: We actually have a scene together, which is quite special. We meet coincidentally in a time crossover.


Nimoy and Quinto saluting together in Vegas

Abrams Star Trek is big, but STIV was fun
Nimoy has often spoken about how the new Star Trek movie is the biggest and most epic film in the franchise to date, but when asked which film was the most fun to film he thought back to 1986:

Nimoy: For me, filming Star Trek IV was the most fun, because there was humor, because everybody was excited about the script. They liked the script, they liked the idea. It had a thematic reason for existence, the whole idea of dealing with the ecology, the problems of the ecology. The whales were a metaphor for the planet in general. It wasn’t really about saving the whales, it was about saving the planet, and I think the audiences responded to that very well. The work in San Francisco was fun to do. I think, too, the characters for the most part; people like Walter Koenig as Chekov, Nichelle Nichols as Uhura, and George Takei. Everybody had something meaningful to do in the movie and that hadn’t always been the case in the previous films. So we had a good time doing it.

More from Nimoy on Star Trek and Star Trek Online at Warcry.


Nimoy introducing Star Trek Online in Vegas

 

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this is the best news ever

“Time crossover” – now that’s a term I haven’t heard yet…

I am very confident that this film will be “old school Trek”, now that I’ve read this. I can hardly wait for it!

In a word… fascinating.

It’s fairly evident what the ”scope” of the movie involves and that is the unfinished business of ”unification” between the Vulcans and Romulans. It was left ”unfinished” in TNG and Spock was still of the same drive and personality he was portrayed as in ”The Undiscovered Country.” He’s always up to something and it’s almost always going to stir up trouble. In this case his ”heavy-handed” meddling in ”his old age” (Spock’s old age) has finally come full circle and threatens to undo not only his entire life’s work but threatens ”his shipmates” as well. Now he needs ”his own help” to ”fix things.”

Wow, I just can’t waite to see Spock talking to a younger version of himself. Spock is the only character I would trust to talk to himself without damaging the timeline.

6. Spocko stated: “Spock is the only character I would trust to talk to himself without damaging the timeline.”

I’ll definitely agree with that statement. Spock has always been good at keeping secrets.

It would be cool to see young & old Spock finishing each other’s sentences when discussing some scientific phenomena or another. I think I saw that bit in one of DC’s Star Trek comics.

We still don’t know that young Spock knows it’s his older self. I tend to think not.

QUINTOOOOO!!!!!

This is so kool. I wonder if when the older spock sees his Capt and frend james Kirk if he will show any emotion. I mean he knows that kirk did not die on the Enterprise b but on Veridian 3. This would give Spock a chance to see his frend one more time and maybe even say goodbye. That will be a very emotional scene.

THhs sounds awesome!!!! This makes me even more excited about this film.

Kirk will be like, “Why are there two Spocks here?!”

13.

Don’t you mean “Why……. *hand jesture* aretheretwospockshere?

Haha, anyway @ 11, I don’t think that would be plausible for a number of reasons because of numerous situations where it would corrupt the timeline. Also, no one knows whether or not Picard said anything of Kirk being on Veridian III at the end of Generations, so as far as history is concerned, Kirk still may have died onboard the Enterprise-B.

Well. Spock would not say anything to the younger kirk. But i believe Word got out that Kirk Died on veridian 3 and that Spock and Mccoy and Scotty had to have found out and attended his second Funeral.

I always thought the scene in The Undiscovered Country, where Spock says “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, Valeris, not the end.” showed quite succinctly who Spock matured through time. How interesting would it be if this Two Spock Scene was something down those lines? Could be an interesting way to alter the timeline and reboot the franchise.

“Crossover” is a term used when talking about death. Isn’t it? I wonder if that has any significance here. Anyway, it’s an interesting choice of words to describe time travel. Any thoughts?

Wow…

I mean…

Wow… this movie is going to be incredible!
I cannot wait! Once again, thank you trekmovie.com staff for this!

OK. This still jives with my story synopsis.

Does this mean that Old Spock will be climbing into the Enterprise’s engine-room reactor past Scotty, to save the day again (aka STII?)

Nothing but Respect for those guys, but um….WE KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ number 11….

If I saw a scene like that, that would probably make me cry.

Hell, I can’t wait to see a picture of Leonard Nimoy as Spcok again.

17. I took “crossover” to mean that they cross paths at some point. Nimoy does say this happens “coincidentally”.

# 6
If you consider the Animated Series canon, then Spock has already done that once to his younger self. He has given his eight year old self advice. Either way, it will be interesting to see the Old Spock try to give advice and guidance to his younger yet more mature self in this film. And also give us a trailer already.

I still think that time travel and/or alternate timelines are not involved. The old Spock interacting with the young crew (and the young self) may be a mind, spiritual, metaphysical vulcan voyage of some kind, not necessarily implying that he is really there at that time.

You know, I don’t think that Quinto looks exactly like Spock. He’s got a look all his own, one that fits the character. Nimoy has such unique features, and It would have been impossible to find a dead ringer who could have done the part. The closest person I’ve ever seen to Nimoy looks-wise is Tobias Menzies… but could he have performed Spock? Not as well as Quinto, I’d bet. I think people exaggerate when they say Quinto looks ‘exactly’ like Nimoy.

That first line should read,
‘You know, I don’t think that Quinto looks exactly like NIMOY. ‘

I of course think that he looks like SPOCK, that was the point of my post :)

Mccoy: What in Blazes! There’s 2 of them, Jim!

I just keep getting more, and more excited as I read more news. When will the trailer be out?

Good to hear that from Nimoy himself, very reassuring. But I never had any doubts about Quinto. The new Spock is the aspect of the movie which will most certainly work.

Goddamnit u crazy paramount people…It’s trailer time! :-S

#14 Super super good point! I almost thought Star Trek 12 could be all about Veridian 3 and that at those ends we could get Shatner one last ride as Kirk, but if nobody knows Kirk died on Veridien 3 the Old Spock cannot tell anyone because he doesn’t know. Great point! I love it. If I know anything about Picard, he may not have told anyone about Kirk. Good stuff.

Perhaps this term ‘time crossover’ could mean that the young Spock (Zachary Quinto) is NOT necessarily the younger Spock from his OWN actual ‘timeline’ that our familiar ‘future’ Spock (Leonard Nimoy) ‘interacts’ with….. This ‘new’ TOS bunch might be supposed to be just a TOTALLY ‘alternative’ crew to the one from the TOS series after all, which would account for any and every deviation in design etc.!

This is the trouble with this ‘time travel’ plot, it hurts my brain…. :)

“We meet coincidentally in a time crossover.”

That sounds like the scene in Back to the Future, Part II with the two Docs or Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure where they replay the scene in which they see their future selves.

…Interesting.

17. elmachocombo – September 15, 2008
“Crossover” is a term used when talking about death. Isn’t it?

Your post just knocked the wind out of me! Ive survived one Spock death but Im not strong enough for another, especially one thats final.

its just timetravel – its just timetravel – its just time travel.
***** Im leaving to go to my happy place *****
its just timetravel – its just timetravel – its just time travel.

I wonder if the flux capacitor on Spock’s time machine goes out and he has to get Pegg/Scotty to help him fix it so he can send young Kirk and Spock back to the future to help out their children…

What is the fascination with believing that this new film HAS TO BE an “alternate timeline” or a “reboot” of some kind? Can’t we just accept that this is a new addition to CANON?! I get very tired of hearing the same rhetoric; “This film is a reboot” or “This must be an alternate timeline, because of this and that”.

Everyone involved in the making of the film has said that it is NOT a reboot or an alternate timeline, but a telling of a story from the past about the characters that we already know. How many times do you people have to hear that before you accept it?

—–

Now then, on to the actually intriguing part of this interview, Nimoy’s point about he and Quinto meeting “coincidentally”. As I imagine many others had, I had always assumed that “old Spock” intentionally went back in time in pursuit of “modern” Romulans who were after the TOS crew for some reason. And I had assumed that Spock would intentionally interact with at least his younger self (Since that would be the only person he could trust not to contaminate the timeline) to help save the rest.

However, now it sounds like “old Spock” either a) Didn’t go back in time intentionally, or b) Went back in time intentionally, but never intended on interacting with anyone from his past.

I’m guessing b), because as far as I know, the plot still revolves around time-traveling Romulans, so it only makes sense that “old Spock” would follow them back in time.

But I am intrigued that it seems that Nimoy plays such a small role that he only has one scene with one of the TOS characters. I wonder how that will all work out.

I feel like a big old sissy, but that picture of Nimoy and Quinto doing the mirror-image Vulcan salute always chokes me up a little.

Nimoy has played with another Spock, after a fashion, in the animated episode “Yesteryear.”

#15: “…I believe Word got out that Kirk Died on veridian 3 and that Spock and Mccoy and Scotty had to have found out and attended his second Funeral.”

Unless life expectancy in the future increased 200%, McCoy and Scotty would have already been dead, since Kirk died 78 years after his supposed first death on the Enterprise-B.

#39:
Just remember that Dr Mccoy was on board the Enterprise D for the pilot episode of TNG, and Scotty got caught on a transporter loop which put him well into TNG’s run. While Mccoy was ancient, Scotty looked to still have good years left. At least he would have known about Kirks death on Veridian 3.

until Next Time,
FM!!

I just had a thought. What if the plot meant bringing the old crew FORWARD IN TIME?

Is that ruled out?

It will be really intersting to see Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto together in this movie.

TRAILER!!!!!

I love Nimoy/Quinto news. And that picture with both of them doing the Vulcan hand sign at VegasCon is my destop background. :)

“Nimoy: We actually have a scene together, which is quite special. We meet coincidentally in a time crossover.”

Probably the scene I’m most looking forward too!

#36 Vorus

The point is that despite what ANYONE to do with this Movie’s production says, ‘we people’ can ALL have a CHOICE where so-called onscreen ‘canon’ is concerned. Now that this whole ‘alternative’ timeline stuff has been brought up in the first place about this Movie’s storyline, it DOESN’T need to stop there! We don’t need to accept ANYTHING, but can IMAGINE what we wish. Those, that like J.J.’s version, can happily see it as part ‘official’ Star Trek ‘canon’ if they wish, and others that end up NOT liking it, can happily IMAGINE it as being a DIFFERENT Star Trek ‘canon’ if THEY wish. Which also means that TOS fans that truly dislike TNG (and what came afterwards), can ‘imagine it as being a DIFFERENT ‘canon’ to TOS if they wish, and this can work equally well for any fans of TNG (and what came afterwards) that truly dislike TOS, if they wish….

Some can say ‘tomato’, and some can say ‘tomato’….except that doesn’t work so well when typed…. By the way, the article above states that Nimoy will be interacting with more than one ‘TOS’ character in this, and therefore might have a bigger role than you think. I do however agree with your speculation (b) at this point.

#42 What is it with you?

Interesting. But if the supposed ‘old TOS crew’ are somehow brought FORWARD in time in this thing, then this will REALLY get more confusing than it already ‘seems’ to be!

It depends on how flexible your view of storytelling is. There are lots of cases where stories in TV shows ad films don’t necessarily take place in the exact same ‘universe.’

I mean, Trek is already flexible enough that you can get a bats**t crazy episode like Spock’s Brain existing alongside City on the Edge of Forever. The Cage exists as an anomalous parallel tale to The Menagerie, with lots of bits that were cut in the two-parter that show a different approach to (quire-newly-developed) warp travel and so on! Roddenberry in the early days of TNG was quite happy to contradict TOS if he needed to. Not to mention all different producers have different approaches to the source material.

In The X Files, as a prime example of ‘stretchy’ canon, you can have crazy and hilarious one-off stories like Post-Modern Prometheus or Humbug existing alongside dark arc-related tales such as The Erlenmeyer Flask.

If you just approach Star Trek fromthis point of view, they’re just stories. We know the characters and the writer does a particular thing with them in a particular story. If we’re flexible about ‘canon’ pretty much anything can be accomodated.

Now, can we get Nimoy to guest on “Heroes?”

Sure, it might come off as gimmicky, what with Takei and Nichols already having done so. But who else could play Sylar’s Grandpa?

Hate to disagree with Nimoy, but I don’t think Quinto’s all that. So-so actor. Not even so-so looking. What’s supposedly so special about him?

@Lilaeth, what fun time travel is. The movie was the beez kneez as well as the anklez