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Aside from the "Vulcan Salute", have Nimoy & Shatner's Jewish heritage had any significant influence on Star Trek?


I have heard many times that the Vulcan "Live-long-and-prosper" hand gesture was created by Leonard Nimoy based upon the hebrew letter "shin", as used in Jewish ceremonies.


William Shatner is also Jewish.


Did this shared background of the two most prominent actors on the show (sorry, George Takei!) have any other influences on the show, aside from the salute (limited to the original television series)?



Answer



Aside from the shin gesture, nothing distinct, although Nimoy claims judaism shaped his influences on his character. The show's creator made it clear that he wanted the show to be non-religious.



Although Roddenberry was raised as a Southern Baptist, he instead considered himself a humanist and agnostic. He saw religion as the cause of many wars and human suffering. Brannon Braga has said that Roddenberry made it known to the writers of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation that religion and mystical thinking were not to be included, and that in Roddenberry's vision of Earth's future, everyone was an atheist and better for it. However, Roddenberry was clearly not punctilious in this regard, and some religious references exist in various episodes of both series under his watch.




He didn't keep the show completely clear of it, though. For example, from "Who Mourns For Adonais?"


Kirk says: "Scotty doesn't believe in gods" and also "Man has no need for gods. 
We find the one quite sufficient".

And, as another example, the chapel [a curious permanent area on the ship for non-religious crew] from "Balance of Terror": enter image description here


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