Not Logical

Before I even knew what science fiction was, I was a fan of Mr. Spock.  Before I was obsessed with Jedi, Time Lords and Hobbits, I saw this man with pointy ears and I thought that he was hands down the star of the Star Trek.  That other, stockier guy in the yellow shirt, who was always over-acting had not yet caught my imagination the way the pointy-eared alien called a Vulcan did.  It wasn't just his look either, it was that he seemed so... well... alien, without really looking that much different.  Sure there were the ears and the general pointy-ness and that severe hairline, but what really grabbed me was the other-ness of a being who valued logic above all else.
There was something prophetic about the contrast of Spock and Kirk, Kirk was really the center of attention to be sure, but Spock somehow stole the show, by pointing out the basic flaws in Kirk's all too human emotional responses and decisions.  Even as a kid, when I still had very little idea what the word illogical meant, there was something about that basic drama and contrast.  In large part that was made more powerful by the personal gravitas of Leonard Nimoy, who has now left us and our illogical human world.
Nimoy was not your traditional leading man, he was sort of long and dour looking and had this sort of authoritative tone that made you feel like you were being lectured to by the Principal, but yet, for Spock, for a Vulcan (technically a half Vulcan), he was absolutely perfect.  You see how he defined an entire imaginary species in the fact that every actor who has played a Vulcan in the rather expansive Star Trek universe has essentially mimicked his manner and demeanor, right down to the raising of a pointy eyebrow.
Defining an entire imaginary species is no small feat for an actor, especially since the original series was all too short-lived.  If it wasn't for the peculiar survival of Star Trek most of us would probably only know Nimoy as a narrator and a voice on commercials. His voice was really his talent, not so much his looks, and that, in and of itself, in a world of show business that needs people to be pretty, is also a triumph for Nimoy.
It would be illogical for us to mourn a man who lived to the prosperous old age of 83, but somehow I know our terrestrial existence is going to be a little bit less sensible without him in it.

Peace be upon you Leonard.