January 6: Mr Spock

Mr Spock's date of birth is (or will be) 6 January 2230. Here are some things you might not know about him.

1. Initially, NBC asked Gene Roddenberry to get rid of the “guy with the pointy ears” because they were worried about his “satanic” appearance.
2. Leonard Nimoy wasn't keen on the pointy ears, either. It took 45 minutes in make up every day to apply them. A producer told him, “‘If, after episode 10 or 12, you’re still unhappy, we’ll have Bones do an ear-job operation.” However, audiences loved Spock's ears, so that never happened. The ears weren't re-usable, either, and still aren't. After one use they'd be thrown away (unless a collector managed to get hold of them).
3. According to Spock’s mother, Amanda Grayson, humans cannot pronounce Spock’s full name, which has never officially been revealed on screen. It is written in the novel Ishmael as “S’chn-T Gai Spock, son of S’chn-T gai Sarek (of Skon and Solkar) of Vulcan.
4. Spock’s fiancée, T’Pring, spurned him at the altar in favour of a more traditional Vulcan.
5. Spock is a vegetarian, as are all Vulcans and Leonard Nimoy himself. He had a soft spot for animals, including his childhood pet, a fanged bear-like creature called a sehlat. Sehlats are highly dangerous creatures. According to scripts, “If you make a wrong move, a sehlat will probably rip your arm off... but Vulcans never make wrong moves. That would be illogical." Spock would only take a life in dire circumstances.
6. Leonard Nimoy wasn't the first choice of actor to play Spock. DeForest Kelley, who went on to play Dr.'Bones' McCoy was offered the role first but turned it down. Adam (Batman) West was considered as well, but he wasn't available. It was even possible that Spock could have been a woman - Nichelle Nichols was considered for the role but was later cast as Lieutenant Uhura. Had Nimoy turned it down, there was a back up plan. Gene Roddenberry had planned to approach Martin Landau.
7. Originally, Spock was going to be a Martian with red skin and a plate in his stomach through which he would absorb food. The red skin was changed when it became apparent Spock's skin would look black on black and white TV, and Rodenberry was advised that the plate in his stomach made him too alien. Writer Samuel A. Peeples suggested that making Spock half human would make the character more interesting. Spock's home planet was changed from Mars to Vulcan because Rodenberry thought humans might actually land on Mars in the near future.
8. Spock did not get on with his father. They fell out and didn't speak for 18 years because Spock decided to join Star Fleet rather than attend the Vulcan Science Academy.
9. Spock was the first Vulcan to enlist in Starfleet.
10. His father's name was Sarek, his grandfather's name was Skon. He has a half brother called Sybok and an adopted sister called Michael Burnham.

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