by Neda Ulaby
Weekend Edition Sunday, June 1, 2008 · When Gene Roddenberry created the TV series Star Trek, the suits at NBC had some advice: "Lose the Martian."
They were talking about Spock.
But Mr. Spock went on to become the most beloved half-alien in network history. In fact he went on to become, well, one of the most fascinating fictional characters on TV.
Fascinating — four syllables and one arched eyebrow — that's Spock, just as much as his pointy Vulcan ears.
The first time actor Leonard Nimoy said the word was in an episode where the crew of the USS Enterprise faced a strange, sinister entity. No matter where the ship turned, the object managed to be in their way. The bridge was on high alert — so Nimoy shouted out his next line with the same energy: "Fascinating!"
"The director, God bless him, said be different from everyone else," Nimoy remembers. So on the next take: "Fascinating," in that cool, collected way.
As you can tell from the title of this blog, I am Vulcan. And mention of Vulcan or Vulcans catches my attention. Spock was my favorite character on the original series.
"Fascinating" is a word I use for the unexpected. "Interesting" shall suffice here. - Spock
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