Don't Cry for Me, Trekkies: Leonard Nimoy Says Goodbye to Fans

By Jayme Rutledge Tue., Oct. 4 2011 at 2:44 PM

Categories: Nerdery, Pop Culture

Alexander Flores

Dallas Comic Con 2011

So long, Mr. Spock.

Actor Leonard Nimoy has appeared at his final Star Trek convention. Nimoy announced his departure at Star Trek's 45th anniversary celebration in Chicago over the weekend, says the Chicago Sun Times. Nimoy, revered by the Trekkie tribe as the original Spock, was the highlight of the sold-out anniversary event.

As Trek fans mourn lost opportunity, should we assume this means Nimoy is leaving the convention circuit altogether? If so, fans in North Texas had their last chance to meet Nimoy at Dallas Comic Con in May at the Irving Convention Center.

All photos by Alexander Flores

Nimoy, always the gracious celebrity, did the usual convention thing: signed autographs, posed for pictures and sat down for a chat with fans about what he knows best. That would be Star Trek, in case you were wondering. The long line for an autograph was a testament to his long-lasting popularity as the face of the franchise.

For decades, Nimoy has gamely embraced the iconic role as the pointy-eared, emotionally repressed half-Vulcan counterpart to Captain Kirk. But at 80, Nimoy has certainly earned his retirement from glad-handing at countless conventions, lucrative though they may be (at DCC, he charged $75 for an autograph and $65 for a photo).

Nimoy seems to be filling his new-found free time producing fine art photography (check out Secret Selves) and making film appearances in Transformers and other flicks. Fingers are crossed for another Nimoy cameo in J.J. Abrams' next neo-Star Trek installment. Nimoy bid adieu to fans in Chicago with -- what else? -- the four-fingered Vulcan salute.