Spock, Star Trek & Aviation

Sad to see the passing of actor Leonard Nimoy, famous for his role as Spock in the iconic Sci-fi show Star Trek. I grew up watching Star Trek, dreaming of one day adventuring into space, visiting new planets and meeting aliens. When I was 12 years-old I wrote to NASA, asking them what I needed to do to become an astronaut. Within a few weeks I got a letter back explaining I needed to either become a scientist or a pilot. I chose the pilot route and got my pilot's licence at 17 years-old, before my drivers licence. However, since the year I was born (1969) only 12 men have ever walked on the moon and the space program was not advancing as I thought it would. I thought that having gone from the first flight of the Wright Brothers in 1903 to walking on the moon for the first time in 1969 (66 years), by the time I would be in my forties I'd Captain of a starship like the Enterprise, or at least off to Mars...

I met a few real astronauts and found quite boring what they did on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, so I directed my energy into being a pilot. This profession allowed me to fly, travel and meet different people and cultures.

Not many people know that Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek was a former pilot. He flew combat missions in the Pacific Theatre with the "Bomber Barons" of the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group, of the Thirteenth Air Force and on August 2, 1943, Roddenberry was piloting a B-17E Flying Fortress named the "Yankee Doodle," from Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, when mechanical failure caused it to crash on take-off. In total, he flew eighty-nine missions for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal before being honourably discharged at the rank of captain in July 1945.While working on Star Trek, Roddenberry would spend much of his spare time at California's Monterey Peninsula Airport with a group of aviation enthusiasts who flew World War II fighters.

After the military, Roddenberry worked as a commercial pilot for Pan American World Airways, qualifying for the Lockheed L-049 Constellation. He received a Civil Aeronautics commendation for his rescue efforts following the June 1947 crash of Pan Am Flight 121 ("Clipper Eclipse") in the Syrian desert near Mayadine while on a flight to Istanbul from Karachi.[15] While based out of Miami, Roddenberry enrolled in three writing classes at the University of Miami, from which he withdrew with passing grades following his transfer to New York City in November 1945. During his New York-area sojourn, the Roddenberrys lived in Jamaica, Queens, and River Edge, New Jersey. He briefly continued his education, taking four writing courses offered by the Columbia University School of General Studies.

Then in 1966 the first Star Trek Series hit the small screen and followed with another 2 seasons. It has been a show that has greatly influenced my life, including my first book, Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude: How to Fly Out of the Cube & Gain Your Freedom & my Podcast Show Living Outside the Cube.

The character of Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) is half human and half Vulcan. Humans are emotional people, while Vulcans are very rational/logical. I have always resonated with this character as being half Italian (emotional) and half British (logical) and very interested in aliens.

Spock came up with some very interesting quotes in a number of the Star Trek Movies:

• “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1982
• “Live long and prosper.” - First spoken in Star Trek:The Original Series, season 2, episode 1 (“Amok Time,” 1968)
• “When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” - Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, 1991
• “Without followers, evil cannot spread.” - Star Trek:The Original Series, season 3, episode 5, (“And the Children Shall Lead,” 1968)
• “Insufficient facts always invite danger.” - Star Trek:The Original Series, season 1, episode 24 (“Space Seed,” 1968)
• “Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them.” - Star Trek,:The Original Series, season 2, episode 24 (“The Ultimate Computer,” 1968)
• “May I say that I have not thoroughly enjoyed serving with humans? I find their illogic and foolish emotions a constant irritant.” - Star Trek: The Original Series, season 3, episode 7 (“Day of the Dove,” 1968)

• "It is curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want."- Star Trek: The Original Series, season 2, episode 26 ("Errand of Mercy," 1967)

  The most famous of these being the Vulcan salute: "Live Long and Prosper." The Vulcan greeting and the finger-separating hand gesture that accompanies it first appeared in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series, during an episode titled “Amok Time.” Spock himself (actor Leonard Nimoy) has made no secret of the fact that the gesture and phrase were his idea, and that he based them on Orthodox Jewish blessings he remembered from his childhood. In the Jewish blessing, the position of the fingers forms the Hebrew letter “Shin,” which represents the name “Shaddai” (Almighty God). Nimoy put his own spin on the traditional gesture by holding up just one hand (instead of both) and changing up the verbal blessing slightly.

The quote "Insufficient facts always invite danger" is a truth you can see when analysing many aircraft accidents, where pilots have taken action BEFORE gathering all the information and consequently crashed.

Has Star Trek influenced you into a career in aviation?

May we all live long & prosper!

Fabrizio Poli is an Aviation Analyst & Managing Partner of Boutique Aviation Company Tyrus Wings. He is also an accomplished Airline Transport Pilot having flown both private Jets and for the airlines. Fabrizio is also a bestselling author and inspirational speaker. You can tune in weekly to Fabrizio's business Podcast Living Outside the Cube.Fabrizio can be reached on:
Email: [email protected] Mobile: +44 7722 350 017