While Leonard Nimoy never made it to space like his fellow Star Trek co-star William Shatner did, it looks like Spock will have his own place at one of the most prestigious museums that has many historical artifacts from astronauts.
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum announced in a blog post that the ear tips that helped Nimoy turn into Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series have officially become a part of their collection.
“These ear tips were made for Nimoy to transform into Mr. Spock in the filming of The Original Series and were taken home from set by the actor, who hand-built a display box to keep them safe,” said Amy Stamm, the museum’s head of social and editorial content. “We are honored that his children Adam and Julie and the Nimoy family have donated his father’s keepsake ears to the National Air and Space Museum.”
“When he finished filming the original Star Trek series in 1969, my father brought home a small memento to commemorate his three years of dedicated work on the original series—a pair of Spock’s Vulcan ears,” Leonard’s son Adam Nimoy shared. “Mounted in a black box, those ears have been in our family for over fifty years as a tribute to Dad’s outstanding performances as Mr. Spock and the inspiration and hope that Star Trek have given to generations of fans all over this planet.
Star Trek fans can see Spock’s ears in person n fall 2022 in the upcoming Kenneth C. Griffin Exploring the Planets Gallery at the museum. Until then, fans can get a better look by checking out an unboxing video of them done by the museum.