Blessing gesture that was the inspiration for the Vulcan salute.

The Vulcan salute is a hand gesture consisting of a raised hand, palm forward with the fingers parted between the middle and ring finger. The salute first appeared on the original Star Trek series in the second season opening episode, "Amok Time". It was devised by Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock. The gesture is famously difficult for most people to do without practice, and actors on the original show reportedly often had to position their fingers off-screen with the other hand, before raising their hand into frame. This stems from the fact that the ring finger lacks a separate muscle apart from the pinkie finger- raising the ring finger alone without assistance from the other hand is impossible for most people. Download high resolution version (800x800, 58 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (800x800, 58 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that Type of gesture be merged into this article or section. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The ring finger on this hand is extended. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... Amok Time is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. ... Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. ... It has been suggested that Tplana-hath be merged into this article or section. ... Spock, commonly called Mr. ...

In his autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy wrote that he based it on the Priestly Blessing performed by a Jewish Priest with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same manner. I Am Not Spock is Leonard Nimoys first autobiography. ... The Priestly Blessing, (in Hebrew: Birkat Kohanim, ברכת כהנים) is a Jewish ceremony and prayer recited during certain specific Jewish services. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The accompanying spoken blessing, Live long and prosper (Dup dor a'az Mubster in Vulcan language as spoken in Star Trek: The Motion Picture) also appeared for the first time in Amok Time, scripted by Theodore Sturgeon [1]. The less-known preceding salutation is "Peace and long life." This format is similar to the Hebrew greeting, "Shalom aleichem" (peace be upon you) and its reply, "Aleichem shalom" (upon you be peace). The phrase was originally "Take it easy" but the writers changed it because they felt it too laid back a phrase. It has been suggested that Tplana-hath be merged into this article or section. ... Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Paramount Pictures, 1979; see also 1979 in film) is the first feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series and is released on Friday, December 7. ... Theodore Sturgeon (February 26, 1918 Staten Island, New York – May 8, 1985) was an American science fiction author. ...

Use outside of Star Trek

• In the 1978 SF sitcom Mork & Mindy, the Vulcan salute was spoofed by the main character Mork (Robin Williams), whose greeting was to open and close his fingers in rapid succession while saying "Na-nu na-nu," which became a popular catchphrase.
• The gesture features in Weird Al Yankovic's "White and Nerdy" music video.
• It appears in an episode of The Colbert Report: in the segment "Word of the Day", after Stephen Colbert drapes a gold necklace saying "Word", in reference to a slang word for agreement, he makes the gesture with both hands, as if he were flashing a gang sign.
• The salute appears in the 2004 movie The Terminal, as an acceptance of a marriage proposal.
• It is a feature of Star Trak Entertainment, a hip hop record label founded by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams.
• The gesture is shown to be a greeting frequently used by Hiro Nakamura, a character on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes.
• It also appears in the episode Fear Her of the British sci-fi show Doctor Who.
• George Takei gave the salute on the NBC's improvisational comedy show Thank God You're Here at the end of one of his sketches entitled "AM Cooking Show."
• On one of animated Leonard Nimoy's appearances on The Simpsons, a reporter interviewing Nimoy closes the interview by giving the Vulcan Salute but mistakenly accompanying it with "May the Force be with you", which is from the wrong franchise.

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Robin McLaurim Williams (born July 21, 1952)[1] is an American actor and comedian. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... Alfred Matthew Weird Al Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, parodist and accordion player. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Colbert Report is an American satirical television program on Comedy Central that stars comedian Stephen Colbert, previously a correspondent for The Daily Show. ... This article is about Stephen Colbert, the actor. ... Look up Agreement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary An agreement may be an agreement in beliefs, rules, practices (policies), or conduct. ... Most gangs have a way of identifying itself to both its members and its rivals. ... The Terminal (2004) is a movie about a man trapped in the JFK International Airport Terminal when he is denied entry into the United States and at the same time cannot return to his native country due to a revolution. ... Star Trak Entertainment is a record label, specializing in hip-hop music, founded by record producers Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams in 2002. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973) is an American producer, singer, rapper, and songwriter. ... Hiro Nakamura is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes who possesses the ability to teleport and manipulate the space-time continuum. ... NBC (a former acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Heroes is an American Emmy Award-nominated [1] science fiction drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. ... Fear Her is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Doctor Who is a long-running award-winning British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The series depicts the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor who explores time and space in his TARDIS time ship with his companions, solving problems and righting wrongs. ... George Hosato Takei (IPA: ) (born April 20, 1937) is an American actor known for his role in the TV series Star Trek, in which he played the helmsman Hikaru Sulu on the USS Enterprise. ... Thank God Youre Here is a Logie Award winning partially improvised comedy television program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on Australian Network Ten on the 5 April 2006, and has currently aired for two seasons. ... Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... There are a number of notable lines in the Star Wars series that have gained currency as catch phrases in the outside world, or are significant within the canon itself. ...

External links

• Vulcan salute article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
• The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute -- a very complete page by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom, with photos and diagrams of how the Salute forms the Hebrew letter Shin, the use of the Blessing Hands gesture on Jewish gravestones and jewelry, etc.

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