Leonard Nimoy Was Proud Of ‘Profound’ Social Impact Of ‘Star Trek’

When the original Star Trek series premiered in the fall of 1966, America was a very different place. Less than three years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and two years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, the country was at a cultural turning point. Star Trek addressed a lot of those issues, many of its episodes serving as alien-world allegories for the problems prevalent on Earth at the time. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s dedication to social progress and justice was one of the things that really impressed Leonard Nimoy, who became famous playing the Vulcan Spock in the original show and the series of films and spinoffs it spawned. When we spoke to Nimoy, prior to his death in 2015, he told us he felt a great deal of pride when it came to Star Trek’s social advocacy over the years. (Click on the media bar below to hear Leonard Nimoy)

Star Trek: The Original Series and its movie spinoffs are all streaming on Paramount+.