In a recent exclusive interview with StarTrek.com, Leonard Nemoy was asked whether he would be interested in playing Spock in Star Wars Episode VII.
If J.J. Abrams rings you and says, “Come be in Star Wars,” what would you say?
NIMOY: Oooh. Ooooh, wouldn’t that be fun. I would love to.
You don’t think the galaxy would implode if Spock played a role in Star Wars?
NIMOY: No, no. I think it would work wonderfully. I think it would work just great. I think it would be a great idea, and somebody ought to tell him that.
For my part, I think this is a terrible idea even if it’s just a pie in the sky question at a Trekker interview. Thinking of the actual possibility of it, this runs a real risk of taking Star Wars fans out of the wonderful suspended disbelief that George Lucas has created in exchange for cheap parlor tricks and cross marketing opportunities. It smacks of bad marketing and I’d go so far as to say toes the lines of jealousy between the franchises.
Star Trek is a wonderful science fiction franchise with fun filled adventure and melodramatic characters that make us smile. In comparison, Star Wars is far more like a fantasy with wizards, demons and monsters. Just having space scenes and Star in the title is not enough to make these stories congruent. Personally, I was already displeased that Spock was kept around for the reboot. Sure I love Leonard Nimoy, but the new cast is great, JJ’s directing is great and the franchise can stand on its own two feet without the comfort of an older friendly face. I highly doubt that ticket sales really increase that much by having Spock on screen for less than 10 minutes. And I certainly see no value add to having Spock in Star Wars.
Just my two cents.
