A Boston-born son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Leonard Nimoy played one of the most iconic TV characters of all time, the ever-logical half-Vulcan Mr. Spock on “Star Trek.”
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the television series, the recently released documentary “For the Love of Spock” celebrates the sci-fi character’s impact on pop culture while honoring Nimoy’s life and career. More personally, it’s also a candid account of an increasingly strained relationship within a family, as only a son can tell it.
“I was fulfilling a mitzvah to honor my father, and that was very important to me,” filmmaker Adam Nimoy told the Journal. “The film is not a tell-all or exposé. It’s an homage, but it doesn’t sugarcoat. We had bitter disagreements. There are times when I thought, ‘I never want to speak to this guy again.’ In fact, we were estranged for a long time. But he was a mensch. And what he accomplished in life was phenomenal.”
Anticipating the “Star Trek” anniversary, Nimoy asked his father about making a documentary in November 2014. “He was interested right away in doing it. But we didn’t know how fast the clock was ticking,” he said. Leonard Nimoy, a longtime smoker who had quit, died in February 2015 of chronic lung disease. “The damage was done,” Adam said.
The younger Nimoy proceeded nevertheless, poring through what he calls “a voluminous amount of material” from “Star Trek” TV episodes and feature films, and his father’s other projects, photographs and interviews, including archival and newly shot footage with celebrities from the “Star Trek” world and elsewhere. The $662,000 raised via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign paid for licensing video clips, music usage and other costs.
The film also highlights Leonard Nimoy’s career in theater, voicing documentaries and as the author of two autobiographies, the first of which upset fans who misinterpreted its title, “I Am Not Spock,” as disrespect and a desire to distance himself from the character.
“He insisted on the title, and apologized for it his entire career. ‘Star Trek’ fans were angry. They didn’t lay off him till the first feature film,” Adam said. “It was difficult for him. But if you read the book, it’s nothing but reverential for Spock and the opportunities Spock brought him. He’s always said that if he had one character to play again, it would be Spock.”
Adam told the Journal that his father chose the title simply to make the distinction that he is more than a character. (His second autobiography was titled “I Am Spock.”)
 and drugs (Adam), the two eventually stopped speaking.</p>
<p>
“But we also had a lot of persistence and passion in figuring out ways to reconnect with each other and make the relationship work, which is the third story in the movie,” Adam said</p>
<p>
A 12-step recovery program at Beit T’Shuvah was a big part of what brought them back together. “In the last year or two of his life, we were spending a lot of time at Shabbat services there. It was a wonderful bonding experience.”</p>
<p>
A graduate of UC Berkeley and Loyola Law School, the filmmaker became an entertainment lawyer, but wasn’t satisfied. Encouraged and aided by his father, he segued to directing TV shows, including an “Outer Limits” episode starring Leonard. “There’s nepotism in Hollywood and I think people should use it. But if you don’t have ability or a craft, it will be very difficult for you to succeed,” Adam emphasized.</p>
<p>
As it turns out, two of Adam’s grown children followed him into entertainment. Son Jonah, 24, is a musician, and daughter Madeleine, 26, is an executive at Paramount Television. </p>
<p>
The West Los Angeles resident has taught at the New York Film Academy in Burbank since 2004, but is now on leave while he promotes “For the Love of Spock.” After he finishes traveling to promote the film internationally, he hopes to get started on his next documentary, about NASA’s mission to Mars, and return to the classroom. </p>
<p>
Nimoy has an enviable collection of very rare Spock memorabilia that includes a couple of pairs of pointy ears, “Star Trek” scripts with notes scribbled by his father in the margins, and many photographs, including a Polaroid from a wardrobe test for the first pilot episode. </p>
<p>
But the film may be his most valuable keepsake. He said he made it for people “to get to know Spock and the man behind Spock, how Spock was created and why he resonates, but also [to show] my dad as an artist and a human, to pay tribute to him and honor him, and tell the truth, which wasn’t always pretty, without detracting from how people feel about him. It’s a fine line,” Nimoy acknowledged. </p>
<p>
“Families are complicated. Everybody’s got <em>mishegoss</em>,” he said. “But as my father said, and I tried to touch on in the film, it’s important to keep the family together, even with conflict. It trumps everything.”</p>
<p>
<em>“For the Love of Spock” is available on Video on Demand. A benefit event with dinner and screening will be held Oct. 23 at Beit T’Shuvah.</em><em> Visit <u><a href=)
“>www.beittshuvah.org for details.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.