They’re crossing to the final front-ear. The Nimoy family has donated Leonard Nimoy’s original Spock prosthetic ears to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The ears just arrived at the Smithsonian as of this past Saturday.
In celebration of the arrival of the new entry to the museum, the Smithsonian uploaded an unboxing video. The video, which can be viewed below, is hosted by museum curator Margaret Weitekamp. Weitekamp eagerly displays the ear tips that were worn by Nimoy during the production of Star Trek: The Original Series, safely preserved in a display box that Nimoy created himself to display for his family. While the prosthetics do look a little worn from use, they will serve as a piece of history in both space exploration and humanity’s dreams for the future.
Live Long and Prosper…
It's hard to even hear the title Star Trek without thinking of Mr. Spock, the pointy-eared half-Vulcan of the U.S.S. Enterprise, captained by James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Kirk and Spock had a particularly close relationship amongst the crew, traveling all across the galaxy and showing the power of teamwork and allyship between the different races of all planets.
Star Trek, needless to say, was a massive hit among audiences, and not only that, but a cultural phenomenon as well. The show inspired folks who grew up to work for NASA, writers, and engineers. Star Trek ran for a total of three seasons, 79 episodes in total, and has since grown into one of the most adored sci-fi franchises. Throughout the years, the property has expanded into books, film, comics, video games, and more. Currently, there are 11 different television series and 13 movies, and they’re nowhere near done.
With the launch of Paramount+, Star Trek has found a new streaming home and has grown even more ambitious as a franchise. This is especially prevalent in the range that can be found in the current shows airing. Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: Prodigy. The franchise continues to pay tribute to its roots, while branching into new directions for all ages. Soon, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be joining the lineup on Paramount+, which will be a prequel series that will show the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise before Captain Kirk took command. Strange New Worlds will see the return of fan favorites, including Spock, who will be played by Ethan Peck.
Paramount+, along with featuring new and upcoming projects from Star Trek, is also home to the franchise’s full library of past entries for streaming. This includes everything from the movies to the shows. So if you’re new to the franchise and have always wanted to dip your toes into that galaxy, Paramount+ is the place to be. As for Spock’s ears, the prosthetic tips will officially be put on display next year in the “Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery” at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, alongside an 11-foot model of the U.S.S. Enterprise!