‘Mr Spock’ pays emotional tribute to the real Mr Spock

Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto paid a poignant tribute to Leonard Nimoy on Friday as cast members gathered in Hollywood to celebrate the film legend’s life at a special fan event.

Nimoy, who played half-human, half-Vulcan science officer Mr Spock in the iconic sci-fi television and film series over more than four decades, died in Los Angeles in February 2015 at the age of 83. Quinto, who plays Spock in the rebooted trilogy, told an audience of several hundred fans at the Paramount Pictures lot that Star Trek would not have had such longevity without the actor’s contribution.

“In a way I feel like he’s almost more a part of this film than he was of the other two. We were all so cognisant of his absence,” the 38-year-old Pennsylvanian said when asked about filming the upcoming Star Trek Beyond.

“But I think, in the face of that, we all held him in our hearts so much more fully... On this film, everybody showed up to work in the spirit of celebrating his life and his indelible contribution to this franchise.”

Quinto’s tribute came during a 50th anniversary celebration and discussion with fellow cast members Chris Pine and Karl Urban, as well as director Justin Lin and producer J.J. Abrams.

Paramount staged a ceremony after the session to name the road outside Stage 31 — where much of the original 1966 series was filmed — “Leonard Nimoy Way.”

The studio used the event to premiere the first detailed trailer for Beyond, which shows the USS Enterprise spaceship being ripped apart by a new alien threat. Lin announced that the movie would debut at San Diego Comic-Con on July 20, two days ahead of its US release.