star trek gesture meaning

What Is Spock's Star Trek Hand Sign Called & What Does It Mean?

There is no more iconic hand gesture in pop culture than the split-fingered greeting used by Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and other Vulcans in "Star Trek." Usually accompanied by the phrase, "Live long, and prosper," the gesture requires splitting one's fingers between the middle and ring finger while extending the thumb, with the palm facing forward. But while many fans have seen it used throughout "Star Trek," many don't know its name, let alone its origins.

Spock's gesture is known as the Vulcan Salute. It was first seen in the episode "Amok Time," the episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series" in which Spock returns to Vulcan to compete in a mating ritual. Though not originally in the script for that episode, Nimoy felt it would be a good way to add more depth to Vulcan culture. "I suggested to the director that there should be some Vulcan thing that Vulcans do when they greet," Nimoy said in an Archive of American Television interview preserved by FoundationINTERVIEWS on YouTube. It was one of many aspects of Vulcan culture improvised by the actor . But the star clarified that the episode's writer, science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, had come up with the phrase, "Live long, and prosper."

So, that's what the Vulcan Salute means within the universe of "Star Trek." But for Leonard Nimoy, it had a far more profound personal meaning rooted in his Jewish upbringing.

Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan Salute took inspiration from an ancient Jewish tradition

Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on "Star Trek: The Original Series" and elsewhere, was raised in a Jewish household in Boston, Massachusetts, as the child of Ukrainian immigrants. His parents were observant, particularly his father, who brought his son along to High Holiday services at their local Orthodox synagogue. There, Nimoy witnessed a ritual that would go on to inform his Vulcan Salute.

Synagogue services on major holidays include the Priestly Blessing. Members of the priestly class of Kohanim — in the most simple terms, those with last names like Cohen and derivations thereof — bless the congregation by lifting their hands with the split-fingered gesture. The difference is that, in performing the Priestly Blessing, both hands are raised.

Crucially, members of the congregation are instructed to avert their gaze while the Blessing is recited, as the priests are said to be channeling the divine presence. Congregants often cover their faces with a tallis, a ritual shawl worn during prayer. But young Nimoy was much too curious to remain under the veil, so he would peer out at the Kohanim from under his father's tallis.

As noted on the Star Trek website, Nimoy wrote, "There were a group of five or six men facing the congregation and chanting in passionate shouts of a Hebrew benediction ... My dad said, 'Don't look.' ... I peeked. And when I saw the split-fingered gesture of these men ... I was entranced. I learned to do it because it seemed so magical. It was probably 25 years later that I introduced that gesture as a Vulcan greeting in 'Star Trek' and it has resonated with fans around the world ever since. It gives me great pleasure since it is, after all, a blessing."

Give Me a Sign: The Stories Behind 5 Hand Gestures

By rob lammle | jan 19, 2023, 10:28 am est.

So much can be said with a hand gesture. Here are the stories behind gestures you might use every day, and some you might not.

1. the vulcan salute, 2. the shaka sign, 3. the corna, 4. the pledge of allegiance, 5. the high five.

We all know it, even if we can't all do it. The Vulcan Salute, made famous by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek , has become a cultural icon recognized even by those who have never been to a sci-fi convention. And while the gesture is meant to be from another planet, its inspiration is anything but alien.

When Nimoy was a child, he witnessed a Jewish ritual called the "kohane blessing," which uses a hand sign meant to resemble the Hebrew letter "shin," which symbolizes the Hebrew word for "Shaddai," meaning "Almighty (God)." (Got that?) It's made by splitting the hand down the middle—holding the index and middle fingers together, the ring and pinky fingers together—and then the thumb pressed firmly against the side of the hand. The Orthodox priest giving the blessing holds both hands out in front of him in these strange configurations, palms down. When Nimoy was developing a greeting to be used between Vulcans, he remembered the sign and adapted it, using only one hand held up, and pulling his thumb away from the rest of the hand.

Nimoy had no problem doing the salute, but not all Trek actors have been so lucky.

William Shatner had to have his fingers tied together with fishing line whenever Captain Kirk needed to use the sign. Even the latest pointy-eared Vulcan, actor Zachary Quinto, who played a younger Mr. Spock in the recent blockbuster film, had to have his fingers stuck together with the skin-safe superglue used by hospitals as a replacement for traditional stitches.

The oldest origin story goes back to the days when Spanish sailors first landed on the Hawaiian Islands. Unable to speak the native tongue, but trying to be friendly, the Spaniards offered to share a drink by mimicking a bottle with their hand with the gesture and tilting back their head. This became such a common greeting that the natives simply believed that's how the Spanish said hello, so they started using the sign whenever the two groups encountered one another.

Another theory, from the mid-20th Century, claims the sign was inspired by the wave of a beloved local named Hamana Kalili, who'd lost the middle fingers on one hand. There are multiple theories as to how he lost his fingers: there was a shark attack, they were blown off while using dynamite to catch fish, or perhaps the digits were lost in an accident while working on a sugar plantation. But no one knows for sure anymore.

As if the origin of the gesture isn't mysterious enough, the word Shaka isn't even Hawaiian. However, most people agree the name goes back to a local used car salesman, Lippy Espinda, who would throw up the sign at the end of popular TV commercials during the 1960s and 70s, and say, "Shacka, brah!" ("Shocker, bro!")

During his Inauguration Parade, Barack Obama threw the Shaka Sign to greet Honolulu's Punahou School marching band.

If you're in Italy or Spain and you flash this sign towards a man, you might get beaten up. In this culture, the symbol represents the horns of one of nature's most virile animals, the bull. The bull in this case is usually meant to symbolize the guy sleeping with the man's wife behind his back. The sign can also be interpreted with the cuckold as the bull, who has been symbolically castrated by his wife. Either way it's bound to make him see red.

However, turn your palm down and point the extended fingers at someone who doesn't like you, and you're simply guarding yourself from the Evil Eye. In ancient times, bulls were often seen as protective deities, so turning the bull's horns against an enemy was a way of keeping the curse at bay.

On a similar note, in South America, if you have the horn sign held up and twist it back and forth, it's known as "lagarto" or Lizard Gesture. Similar to the old superstition "Knock on wood," it's thought that by doing this you can protect yourself from any bad mojo that might occur after someone utters the taboo word "culebra," or snake.

Of course the corna is also used by fans of the University of Texas, where they call it the "Hook 'Em Horns." Created in 1955 by student Harley Clark, the sign represents the school's mascot, a Texas longhorn steer named Bevo, and his impressive 72" horns. Being a

Texas native

former Governor of Texas, though not a UT alumni, President George W. Bush and his family were known for flashing the Hook 'Em Horns during appearances in the Lone Star State.

But there's another group of fans who use the corna, too "“ fans of heavy metal music. The gesture in metal goes back to occultist band Coven, a group heavily inspired by counter culture figures like renowned Satanist Anton LaVey, who used the corna as a sign of the Devil. However, it was Ronnie James Dio, lead singer for Black Sabbath in the late-1970s, that really made the sign take hold in the genre. He borrowed the gesture from his superstitious Italian grandmother who used it to ward off evil. He felt the sign's pagan origins fit perfectly with the subject matter of the band's music.

Chances are, when you were saying the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary school, you placed your hand over your heart in a sign of adoration for Old Glory. But if you were in school before World War II, you probably used an entirely different gesture to address the flag—the Bellamy Salute.

However, as the years went by, parts of the Bellamy Salute fell out of use, while others evolved. First, the military salute was abandoned, leaving only the straight arm presentation of the flag. But then the palm went from facing up, to sideways, and by the 1940s, it faced down. This last version became a problem as America entered World War II, because it so closely resembled the stiff-armed salute of dictators Mussolini and Hitler. The hand over the heart gesture was suggested as a viable alternative and President Franklin Roosevelt signed it into law in 1942 as part of the Flag Code, making it the official gesture for the Pledge of Allegiance we all know today.

While no one can say for sure where the high five came from, some believe the first one was exchanged between Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker, baseball players for the L.A. Dodgers, after a home run in 1977. But there is one man who claims he knows the origin of the high five, because he says he's the guy who invented it.

Lamont Sleets, Jr. says he adopted the high five from a salute his father exchanged with old Army buddies from the 5th Infantry regiment, nicknamed "The Five." To say hello, the men would stick their hand straight up in the air, spread their fingers wide, and call out "Five!" Anytime he saw the Five greeting, Sleets Jr. would say "Hi, Five!" to the visiting veteran and slapped the upraised hand with his own. Sleets Jr. went on to become one of the top basketball players at Murray State University in the late-1970s and he brought his odd salutation with him. It became popular with his teammates, and as the team traveled the country to play other schools, Sleets says the gesture caught on.

To celebrate this infamous hand gesture, students at the University of Virginia created "National High Five Day," which takes place on the third Thursday in April (yesterday). * * * * * * Have a favorite fun hand gesture we didn't mention? Is there one you've always wondered where it came from? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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The history behind Leonard Nimoy’s Vulcan salute

Leonard Nimoy’s passing at the age of 83 is prompting a flood of reminiscences about the actor, artist, and poet best known for his portrayal of the half-human/half-Vulcan Spock on the television series and movies Star Trek .

Many will remember him performing his trademark four-finger Vulcan salute, which the actor actually created himself:

Nimoy drew on his orthodox Jewish upbringing to invent the iconic hand gesture, and he wrote about the process of finding it in his memoir, I am Spock :

For what would soon become known as the Vulcan salute, I borrowed a hand symbol from Orthodox Judaism. During the High Holiday services, the Kohanim (who are the priests) bless those in attendance. As they do, they extend the palms of both hands over the congregation, with thumbs outstretched and the middle and ring fingers parted so that each hand forms two vees. This gesture symbolizes the Hebrew letter shin, the first letter in the word Shaddai, `Lord.’ … So it was that, when I searched my imagination for an appropriate gesture to represent the peace-loving Vulcans, the Kohanim’s symbol of blessing came to mind.

In a chat with the Baltimore Sun in 2000, Nimoy explained how he got the idea:

In the blessing, the Kohanim (a high priest of a Hebrew tribe) makes the gesture with both hands, and it struck me as a very magical and mystical moment. I taught myself how to do it without even knowing what it meant, and later I inserted it into “Star Trek.” There was a scene in one episode that needed something. People were seeing other members of the Vulcan race for the first time, and I thought it called for a special gesture.

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How did the Vulcan salute originate in ‘Star Trek?’

The V-shaped Vulcan salute was first introduced in “ Amok Time ” — an Original Series episode beloved by Star Trek fans. In it, Spock undergoes Pon Farr (the Vulcan urge to mate) and must return to his home planet to be married. On Vulcan, he meets T’Pau , a powerful Vulcan politician who will officiate the ceremony.

Leonard Nimoy , the actor who played Spock, wanted to come up with a special greeting infused with hidden meaning during the scene. As a boy, he had attended a Synagogue and was fascinated with the rituals performed there.

“There were a group of five or six men facing the congregation and chanting… My Dad said, ‘Don’t look.’ I learned later that it is believed that during this prayer the feminine aspect of God comes into the temple to bless the congregation. The light from this Deity could be very damaging. So we are told to protect ourselves by closing our eyes. I peeked. And when I saw the split-fingered gesture of these men… I was entranced. I learned to do it simply because it seemed so magical. It was 25 years later that I introduced that gesture as a Vulcan greeting in Star Trek and it has resonated with fans around the world ever since.”

Nimoy decided that a form of words should go with the hand gesture. The original Hebrew blessing was “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” Theodore Sturgeon, writer of “Amok Time,” quickly improvised a short line of dialogue that has since gone down in history — “Live long and prosper.”

A challenge for some

Now both the gesture and the words have become one of the most iconic parts of Trek lore, imitated by Trekkies the world over. But not everyone can perform the salute as effortlessly as Nimoy could. Co-star William Shatner reportedly has great difficulty performing the salute. In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , a scene called for him to make the legendary hand gesture, and eagle-eyed fans have since spotted a near-invisible fishing line holding two of the actor’s fingers together.

Another actor who had trouble was Zachary Quinto, who played Spock in the Kelvin timeline films. On the set of Star Trek (2009), the crew was frantically searching for a method to allow Quinto to perform the gesture until someone came to the rescue with a tube of skin-protective super-glue .

Regardless of how difficult it is for some, the Vulcan salute remains an enduring part of Leonard Nimoy’s legacy.

Denis Villeneuve attends the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Gala at The Canadian Broadcasting Centre

Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Truly Pleased Leonard Nimoy

I f one visits the legendary Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California (now called the TCL Chinese), one can see the handprints of the cast and creator of "Star Trek." On the event of the franchise's 25th anniversary in 1991, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, George Takei, James Doohan, and DeForest Kelley all put their handprints on the cement next to their respective signatures. According to a story Takei told at a "Star Trek" convention (that this author personally attended), the cast were instructed to sign their names but not to put their hands in the cement. Takei, hating the restriction, plopped in his handprint anyway, and his fellow cast members immediately followed suit.

Leonard Nimoy, as visiting Trekkies will see, slapped his hand into the cement with his middle and ring fingers parted and his thumb out, arranged in the traditional Vulcan salute seen so often throughout "Star Trek."

That salute first appeared in the "Star Trek" episode "Amok Time" (September 15, 1967) and was accompanied by a notable Vulcan slogan, "Live long and prosper," initially penned by teleplay writer Theodore Sturgeon. In a 1968 interview with the New York Times , Nimoy noted that he was allowed to invent a lot of the idiosyncrasies of the Vulcan species, saying that they would be hand- and gesture-oriented. Nimoy couldn't have predicted how immensely popular "Star Trek" would become, nor that so many other actors would play Vulcans -- and adopt his salute -- in the years that followed.

An insightful 2015 article in the Washington Post quoted Nimoy as having invented the salute as an expression of his Jewish heritage. The hand shape, he said, was meant to evoke a particular letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Read more: The Main Star Trek Captains Ranked Worst To Best

The Divine Hug

One can see the Vulcan salute in all manner of Judaica. The website Chabad.org explains the gesture of Priestly Blessing in detail:

"The Hebrew term for the Priestly Blessing, administered by the descendants of Aaron, is Birkat Kohanim , also known as Nesi'at Kapayim , the 'lifting of the hands,' because of the priests' uplifted hands, through which the divine blessings flow. Performed in the synagogue, the Priestly Blessing is one of the most spiritually uplifting moments in Jewish life, as the entire congregation is embraced in a 'divine hug.'"

Two open hands pushed away from the body form a diamond shape, allowing the Divine through.

In a 2013 interview, Nimoy said that his fingers, when in the Vulcan salute, resemble the letter shin, the first letter in Shalom, in Shaddai (one of the many names of God), and also in Shekhinah , part of a kabbalistic veneration of divine feminine energies, but a word that had several meanings overall. Nimoy recalled reciting Shekhinah prayers as a child, and it was from those days in temple that he was inspired to form the Vulcan hand salute. The Post cited a StarTrek.com interview wherein Nimoy recalled its function, saying, "The light from this Deity could be very damaging. So we are told to protect ourselves by closing our eyes." He continued:

"They get their tallits over their heads, and they start this chanting. And my father said to me, 'Don't look'. At first he obliged, but what he could hear intrigued him. I thought, 'Something major is happening here.' So I peeked. And I saw them with their hands stuck out from beneath the tallit like this."

There it was.

Trek Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Nimoy recalled wanting to invent something notable for the scene in "Amok Time" when Spock was on screen with other Vulcans for the first time. He didn't necessarily brainstorm the above prayers but clearly took inspiration from them. It was a simple gesture he invented on set. Surprisingly, it stuck. It helped that Trekkies watching at home could recreate it in an instant. Nimoy added:

"Boy, that just took off. It just touched a magic chord. [...] [M]ost people to this day still don't know [the history] [...] People don't realize they're blessing each other with this!"

When you flash a "Live long and prosper" salute, you are actually evoking divine energies. Trekkies may be passing winking pop culture references to one another on the floor of "Star Trek" conventions, but they are also giving each other holy blessings. There's something beautiful about that. When President Obama -- a self-professed Trekkie -- met Nichelle Nichols in 2012, they posed for a picture wherein both flashed the salute. Talk about cultural penetration. As far as I have been able to determine, Obama is the only president to have given a Vulcan salute.

Of course, the salute has become so common in "Star Trek" that it can be thrown around without any sense of nobility or wonderment. In an episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," Ensign Becket Mariner (Tawny Newsome) waggles Vulcan salutes sarcastically around in front of her mother, being generally caustic and dismissive. Any "sacred" qualities attached to the gesture have apparently been prodded and mocked by the young hotshot.

Read the original article on /Film .

How Leonard Nimoy's Roots Inspired The Vulcan Salute

The Vulcan salute is instantly recognizable to most people, even if they're not "Star Trek" fans, consisting of an open palm with the pinky and ring fingers pressed together on one side of the "V," with the middle and pointer making up the other side, the thumb extended on its own. According to a 2012 entry from the official Star Trek blog , the gesture was first performed by the character of Mr. Spock, played by actor Leonard Nimoy, on the episode "Amok Time," which premiered on television in 1967. The episode takes place on the planet Vulcan, where Spock uses the gesture to greet fellow Vulcan T'Pau, played by Celia Lovesky, probably little knowing the importance the gesture would have to "Star Trek" lore and pop culture history in general.

Nimoy explained in 2012 that he had come up with his character's gesture himself: "The idea came when I saw the way Joe [director Joseph Pevney] was staging the scene. He had me approach T'Pau and I felt a greeting gesture was called for. So I suggested it to Joe, who accepted it immediately. Gene [Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek"] was not involved." Nimoy noted in his 1995 autobiography "I Am Spock," quoted by the website Quartz in 2015 on the occasion of Nimoy's death at the age of 83, that he had adapted the symbol from Orthodox Judaism, specifically a hand symbol the Konahim, or priests, make as they bless the congregation during High Holiday services "with thumbs outstretched and the middle and ring fingers parted so that each hand forms two vees."

The Vulcan salute copies an Orthodox Jewish gesture with special meaning

Nimoy wrote for the Star Trek blog that he had grown up in Boston's West End neighborhood, which was home to a large number of immigrants. He attended a local Orthodox Jewish synagogue with his family. They were particularly observant of the Jewish High Holidays. His father once instructed young Nimoy not to look at the priests as they prepared to say the benediction that included the gesture, as "it is believed that during this prayer, the 'Shekhina,' the feminine aspect of God comes into the temple to bless the congregation" and the accompanying light could be damaging. Some people traditionally close their eyes to protect them. Nimoy secretly peeked and recalled that upon seeing "the split-fingered gesture of these men ... I was entranced. I learned to do it simply because it seemed so magical." Around 25 years later he introduced a version of the hand sign as the Vulcan salute, accompanied with its own blessing: "Live long and prosper."

Writer Lindsay Traves explored the history of the Vulcan salute for the Star Trek blog in 2019 in honor of Jewish History Month. Rabbi Howard Morrison of Toronto's Beth Emeth Synagogue explained that the gesture, made with both hands with thumbs connected, forms the Hebrew letter Shin, which is the first letter of Shaddai, one of the names for God in the Torah. The gesture didn't come easily to all "Star Trek" actors; per the IMDb , Celia Lovsky had to have her fingers taped together in order for T'Pau to return Spock's greeting.

Star Trek: When the Vulcan Salute First Appeared (and What It Means)

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Aside from the pointed ears, Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute may be his most iconic feature. The gesture has become synonymous with Star Trek , to the point where fans use it as a standard greeting and subsequent sci-fi efforts like Mork and Mindy satirized it. There are even plans to build a statue honoring the salute in Nimoy’s hometown of Boston. And yet, it was a late addition to the original series , and only came about because Leonard Nimoy had a moment of inspiration.

Nimoy first used the salute in Season 2, Episode 1, “Amok Time,” as a means to express greeting. It was conceived of on the spot during rehearsals, and while Gene Roddenberry subsequently attempted to claim credit for its invention, Nimoy has since recounted its origins in ancient Jewish tradition. He didn’t know that it was going to become a part of Star Trek when he used it, but considering its significance, the connection is quite fitting.

RELATED: Star Trek's Longest Running Series, Revealed

"Amok Time" Defined the Vulcans

“Amok Time” is widely cited as a foundational moment for the cultural development of the Vulcans. Spock is overcome by the effects of pon farr, and must return to his homeworld before it kills him. It was fans’ first opportunity to see Spock’s culture directly, and the character’s popularity turned many of its tropes into accepted Vulcan traits. According to Nimoy, he simply wished to use an appropriately alien hand gesture to greet T’Pau who, as a judge and official over the proceedings, merited proper respect.

The salute had no significance beyond the immediate needs of the scene, but its ease of use meant that Nimoy could repeat it as a kind of shorthand -- along with the trademark “live long and prosper” -- anytime it felt appropriate. Fans began to emulate it for the same reasons, and soon it became an essential part of Star Trek. Adding further intrigue was the fact that some people struggle to make the gesture, with slight mechanical differences in individual hands making it more difficult. In preparing to take on the role of Spock in J.J. Abrams' reboot, Zachary Quinto even confessed difficulty in making the salute, requiring practice for him to perfect it. That odd quirk lent the salute an instant mystique that played into Mr. Spock’s identity perfectly.

RELATED: Star Trek: There's a Good Reason 'The Man Trap' Was the Series' First Episode

The Vulcan Salute Stems from a Jewish Ritual

The gesture itself comes from a blessing in the Jewish faith, made daily to the congregation. The Kohanim priests connect their thumbs and make the sign with both of their hands, which forms the Hebrew letter “shin”, the first letter used in a name for God. Its use as a blessing makes an ideal match for the Vulcans’ benevolence and wisdom and roots their overall spirituality in an actual religious tradition.

The particular circumstances under which Nimoy first saw the symbol bear mentioning as well. According to the actor's account on StarTrek.com , his father told him not to look as the priests conducted the blessing (the congregation should be contemplating God instead of watching the priests.) Nimoy says that he looked anyway, and saw the priests making the sign. It felt magical to him, and he learned how to do it because of his fascination with the gesture. Star Trek inadvertently amplified that fascination and made it a key component in one of the franchises’ most beloved species.

KEEP READING: Picard: Patrick Stewart, John De Lancie Tease Q's Star Trek Return

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Emoji dictionary

🖖 vulcan salute emoji.

[ vuhl -k uh n s uh - loot ih- moh -jee ]

What does 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji mean?

Live long and prosper, friends! If you ever need to spread the love to your geekier friends, then flash a 🖖.

The Vulcan salute emoji, 🖖, is perfect for showing your Star Trek cred or sci-fi pride more generally.

Related words

Where does 🖖 vulcan salute emoji come from.

pink background with Vulcan salute emoji on it

The Vulcan Salute emoji is officially called the raised hand with part between middle and ring fingers emoji. And, that’s exactly what the emoji shows across platforms. Its default hue is yellow, but skin-tone modifiers allow users to change color. It joined emoji keyboards under Unicode 7.0 in 2014.

The emoji commonly goes by the Vulcan salute because the gesture was popularized by Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who used it as a greeting in the sci-fi franchise, Star Trek . Nimoy first used the gesture in the 1967 TV episode “Amok Time,” in which Spock comes into contact with other members of his Vulcan race.

Nimoy wanted the Vulcans to have a way of greeting one another similar to human hand gestures. In an interview with New York Times , Nimoy said that his Vulcan salute was inspired by a gesture that he witnessed during a Jewish religious service when he was a boy. Jewish priests perform the actual religious gesture with both hands to form the Hebrew letter shin , ש.

The greeting Live long and prosper! has also accompanied the Vulcan salute ever since its debut in “Amok Time,” also inspired by Jewish scripture, with Deuteronomy 5:33 being the most cited inspiration for the phrase.

The Vulcan salute went memetic almost immediately after Nimoy’s first usage of the gesture. According to Nimoy, mere weeks after “Amok Time” aired, people were already using the gesture to greet him everywhere he went. The gesture was first popular among Star Trek fans but the gesture’s similarity to the popular V-shaped peace hand gesture (✌️), both in finger placement and good-willed intent, helped it catch on outside that community.

The Vulcan salute was popular long before the rise of social media, so it comes as no surprise that the emoji version took off right away after Unicode added it on June 16, 2014.

🖖 — Kim Ahlström (@Kimtaro) June 16, 2014

Prior to that day, users had to make due with typographical substitutes.

@pruet \V/_ Vulcan salute — Keng ☂ (@kengggg) November 14, 2007

Examples of 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji

Who uses 🖖 vulcan salute emoji.

The Vulcan salute emoji is used anytime someone wants to flash the greeting and good wishes. It can be Star Trek fans …

Happy Birthday to our Trekkie Girl Carole! Have a trektastic day! 🖖 🍸🍾 — Trekkie Girls (@TrekkieGirls) October 17, 2016

Live long & prosper. Trekkie and proud 🖖 pic.twitter.com/omklaAa5ak — Lola Dreambomb (@Lola_Dreambomb) July 22, 2016

… or your non-Trekkie but self- avowed nerd friends. In this vein, the emoji can suggest anything “geeky” or “far out.”

Happy birthday nerd. May you live long and prosper 🖖 in Jesus name. God bless you homie @J_Anowa — Bruce Wayne💰💵 (@Bizzle025) July 16, 2018

embrace the martian 🖖 — Genius (@Genius) July 17, 2018

The Vulcan salute emoji is also commonly used when tweeting about (or to) actors that appeared in Star Trek.

Happy 78th Birthday to Patrick Stewart …🖖 pic.twitter.com/bgA4gsL0Bg — Phil Murphy (@crashtesterX) July 13, 2018

George Takei knows the score. 🖖 https://t.co/qInzV1IRsH — Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) June 24, 2016

William Shatner is in Lowell today 🖖 — V. Arun (@A_Venugopal_97) June 11, 2015

While the Vulcan salute emoji is widely used when discussing anything Star Trek related, such as old episodes or new films, it can also mark content dealing with science fiction works in general.

🤔 Like anyone could possibly just rank their favorite all-time episode @StarTrek ?!? Ridiculous! #TrekRanks 🖖📊 https://t.co/KYzfPRXacD — TrekRanks Podcast 🖖📊 (@TrekRanks) July 24, 2018

For all who love Sci-Fi movies that really fuck with your head and concept of reality/time, watch 'Arrival' .. great movie, still confused as tits 10/10 wont sleep tn 👍🖖 — MariJane (@mariman777) July 25, 2018

This is not meant to be a formal definition of 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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Vulcan salute

A Vulcan salute ( Star Trek: First Contact )

The Vulcan salute was a hand gesture used by Vulcans . It involved holding the palm of one hand outwards while placing the fingers in a "V" shaped by separating the middle and ring fingers, while keeping the others together, with the thumb extended.

2.1 Appearances
2.2.1 Origins
2.2.2 Serialization
2.2.3 Influence and other usage
2.3 External links

A statuette of Surak performing a version of the Vulcan salute

The salute was part of both Vulcan greetings and farewells. The formal phrase associated with the salute in both cases was " Live long and prosper. " ( Star Trek: First Contact ; TOS : " Amok Time ")

When parties took their leave of each other, one party could use the phrase " Peace and long life " and would receive " Live long and prosper " as a reply. ( TOS : " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ", " The Savage Curtain "; Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ; TNG : " Sarek ", " Unification I "; Star Trek Beyond ) Alternately, each party could simply state to the other " Live long and prosper, (name). " ( TOS : " Amok Time "; Star Trek: Voyager various episodes)

In the Vulcan language , " Live long and prosper " was pronounced " Dif-tor heh smusma. " ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

In diplomatic situations, the greeting used was " I/We (depending on situation) come to serve, " possibly prefaced by the statement of the initiators' name. The response was " Your service honors us. " ( TOS : " Journey to Babel "; TNG : " Data's Day ", " Sarek ", " Unification I ")

In 2151 , a statuette of Surak performing the Vulcan salute with both hands was displayed aboard the Vahklas , a Vulcan ship. Unlike other Vulcan salutes, Surak's hands were not held upright. ( ENT : " Fusion ")

In February 2152 , Vulcan Ambassador V'Lar wished Sub-Commander T'Pol goodbye with the phrase " Live long and prosper. " T'Pol, however, bowed in response. ( ENT : " Fallen Hero ")

Spock shows McCoy how to do the salute

Several Humans greeted Vulcans with the hand gesture, including Captain Jonathan Archer in 2154 ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ") and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2368 . ( TNG : " Unification I ") T'Pol taught Trip Tucker the salute when she took him to Vulcan to meet her mother , T'Les . ( ENT : " Home ") Zefram Cochrane tried and failed to perform it in 2063 , during First Contact ; he settled on a handshake instead. ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Michael Burnham learned the salute from her brother, Spock, as a child. ( DIS : " Perpetual Infinity ") When Leonard McCoy attempted to perform the salute, he said it hurt worse than having to wear his dress uniform . ( TOS : " Journey to Babel ") The saying was quite well-known among those in Starfleet – in 2375 , trapped in the Delta Flyer under layers of rock, two minutes before the air would run out, Tuvok told Tom Paris , " In accepting the inevitable, one finds peace, " to which Paris responded that, if this was another Vulcan axiom, he would stick to " Live long and prosper. " Fortunately, Paris had barely finished the sentence when he was interrupted by the sound of USS Voyager 's phaser drills breaking through the rock , and those on board the Delta Flyer were safely beamed back to the ship. ( VOY : " Once Upon a Time ")

As a practical joke , Tom Paris and Harry Kim once reprogrammed Tuvok's security console so that it said, " Live long and prosper " whenever he accessed the internal sensors . They also reprogrammed his replicator the same way. ( VOY : " Revulsion ")

Ensigns Beckett Mariner and Brad Boimler occasionally used the gesture as a sarcastic jest with each other, or with other people. This is done by performing the gesture, then swinging that arm up and down by the elbow. ( LD : " Moist Vessel ", " Terminal Provocations ")

In 2383 , Dal R'El mistook the gesure for a high five when a hologram of Spock saluted him after he took Kobayashi Maru test multiple times. ( PRO : " Kobayashi ")

In 2384 , the crew of the USS Protostar encountered the Enderprizians : a species whose knowledge of Starfleet was outdated, incomplete, and often incorrect. They performed an erroneous interpretation of the Vulcan salute, which was made by separating the pinky and pointer fingers from the middle amd ring fingers – the latter two being kept together – and saying "Live logs and proper." Upon seeing Dal perform the correct gesture, however, Huur'A followed suit. ( PRO : " All the World's a Stage ")

Captain Archer performing a Vulcan salute (ENT: "Kir'Shara")

In 2258 , in the alternate reality brought about by Nero 's incursion, Ambassador Spock , after speaking with a younger version of himself , made the hand gesture but said, " Good luck, " as he felt it would be "oddly self-serving" to say the usual phrase to his younger counterpart. ( Star Trek )

In 2263 of the alternate reality, the Vulcan salute was exchanged between the Spock who was indigenous to that universe and a pair of Vulcan messengers who had brought him news that Ambassador Spock was dead . Spock used the salute to bid farewell to the Vulcan pair on Starbase Yorktown , both Spock and his Vulcan visitors saying " Live long and prosper " to each other before the messengers walked away. ( Star Trek Beyond )

In the mirror universe , the first Vulcan to step on Terran soil used the traditional greeting before being shot by Zefram Cochrane , after he failed to duplicate the gesture. ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ") Thereafter, in the mirror universe, it was not safe, even behind closed doors , for Vulcans to perform the Vulcan salute, for fear that they might be seen by a Terran . ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

" Amok Time "
" Journey to Babel " (only gestured)
" Assignment: Earth " (only said)
" The Enterprise Incident " (only gestured)
" Is There in Truth No Beauty? "
" The Savage Curtain "
TAS : " Yesteryear "
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (only gestured)
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek Into Darkness (only gestured)
Star Trek Beyond
" Conspiracy " (only gestured)
" Data's Day " (only gestured)
" Unification I "
" Unification II "
" Revulsion "
" Year of Hell, Part II "
" In the Flesh "
" Once Upon a Time " (only said)
" Counterpoint "
" Gravity "
" Riddles " (only said)
" Live Fast and Prosper "
" Shattered "
" Homestead "
" Fallen Hero " (only said)
" Home " (only gestured)
" The Forge "
" Kir'Shara "
" In a Mirror, Darkly "
" In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II " (only gestured)
" Battle at the Binary Stars "
" The War Without, The War Within " (only gestured)
" Light and Shadows " (only gestured)
" If Memory Serves " (only gestured)
" Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 " (only gestured)
" Unification III "
" Terra Firma, Part 2 " (only gestured)
" Choose to Live "
ST : " Ephraim and Dot "
" Moist Vessel "
" Terminal Provocations " (only gestured)
" Much Ado About Boimler " (only gestured)
" wej Duj "
" Trusted Sources " (only gestured)
" The Stars At Night " (only gestured)
" Kobayashi "
" All the World's a Stage " (only gestured)
" Spock Amok " (only gestured)
" All Those Who Wander "
" Those Old Scientists "

Background information [ ]

Origins [ ].

The Vulcan salute was devised by Leonard Nimoy , based on a gesture made by various Jewish denominations, including Orthodox and Conservative. In TV Land's The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catchphrases , William Shatner described the salute as a benediction, comparing it to the Sign of the Cross . The gesture actually forms the Hebrew letter "Shin" and represents the honorific title "Shaddai", which means "Almighty (God)." The hand gesture is traditionally used by the Kohanim (Hebrew "priests"), Jews of priestly descent, during a blessing ceremony performed during the prayer service of certain Jewish holy days. The Jewish blessing is done with both hands, with arms extended upward at roughly a forty-five-degree angle, rather than one hand held upright as in the Vulcan salute. Nimoy learned the gesture, which takes practice to do, from visiting his grandfather's synagogue as a child. In the video William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy: The Twenty-Five Year Mission , Nimoy stated, " It took me years of diligent practice and self-denial to be able to do that. " [1]

The Vulcan salute wasn't originally in the script of " Amok Time ", which called for Spock to walk up to T'Pau followed by them simply exchanging brief greetings. Leonard Nimoy thought this might be a good chance to bring something unique to the Vulcan people. When he spoke to the episode's director, Nimoy suggested – citing examples of other gestures conveying greetings, such as handshakes, salutes, and bows – that perhaps Vulcans would greet each other with the Jewish gesture he remembered from his childhood, and the director agreed to try it. However, the actress playing T'Pau, Celia Lovsky , initially couldn't perform the salute, presenting a problem for the production personnel. They solved it by using a simple camera trick where her hands were below camera frame while she used one of her hands to get the other hand in the proper position. The salute was established from then on. According to an interview with Leonard Nimoy, the line " live long and prosper " was written by Theodore Sturgeon (the author of "Amok Time"). [2]

Serialization [ ]

William Shatner was unable to do the Vulcan salute. When Kirk (as played by Shatner) performs the salute in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , it appears that fishing line holds two of his fingers together. In the video William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy: The Twenty-Five Year Mission , Shatner joked that the reason he couldn't do it was because, in Leonard Nimoy's words, it took "years of diligent practice and self-denial." During a June 2009 appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien , Shatner demonstrated his inability to perform the salute, to which O'Brien responded with a perfect salute of his own.

A sign of the M-9 language

As an in-joke , one of the gestures of the M-9 sign language is similar to the Vulcan salute. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia )

The first Vulcan to fail to perform the salute on screen was Sarek in TNG : " Unification I ", being terminally ill.

In the writers' second draft script of ENT : " Breaking the Ice ", Sub-Commander T'Pol and Captain Vanik exchanged Vulcan salutes, unaccompanied by any of the traditional Vulcan greetings. However, they don't exchange the salute (and their initial meeting is not shown) in the final version of that episode.

In the script of the 2009 film Star Trek , the Vulcan salute was described as "legendary". [3]

Influence and other usage [ ]

Armin Shimerman devised a Ferengi gesture inspired by the Vulcan hand salute. " I know that the Vulcan hand sign is universally recognized, " he commented. " I thought, 'Let's see if we can find something like that to do.' " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 647)

Molly Hagan developed a Vorta greeting for Eris that was ultimately not used. She commented: " I immediately began working on a physical gesture that would indicate when I was using my telekinesis . I thought it could become the defining gesture of my people, like the Vulcan 'Live Long and proper' hand gesture . So, I came up with a motion where both my hands looked like they were taking energy in from my body before I pulsed it back out through my hands. It reminded me of something I saw Bruce Lee do. It never got used because a) they had great special effects and didn’t need me to do any gestures to sell 'my powers' and b) they were concerned that any future Vorta may not be able to replicate it. I was beyond disappointed ." [4]

The Filipino greeting "Mabuhay" can also be roughly translated as "live long and prosper" (it literally means "Live", but the expression is meant to convey a wish for someone to have a long and prosperous life in order to truly "live"). [5]

In Act 5, Scene 3, line 42, of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo says to Balthasar, " Live, and be prosperous, and farwell good fellow. " [6]

It was proposed, accepted, and published in Version 7 of the Unicode Standard as Unicode Character U+1F596 (🖖 "RAISED HAND WITH PART BETWEEN MIDDLE AND RING FINGERS"). [7] [8]

A physician addressed a closed-door meeting of the US House Democratic caucus on 10 March 2020 where he "lightheartedly suggested" that people could employ the "live long and prosper sign" as a way to forgo handshakes and other physical forms of greeting during the outbreak of COVID-19. [9] [10]

On a 2022 episode of Who Do You Think You Are? , Zachary Quinto was surprised to see that his maternal great-grandfather P.J. McArdle had used the phrase May it live long and prosper in a letter published in the Official Organ of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers in 1899 . [11]

External links [ ]

Vulcan salute at Wikipedia
Vulcan salute at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan salute – a 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.
Names of God in Judaism at Wikipedia shows a clear illustration of the Judaic origin of the Vulcan salute
1 Daniels (Crewman)

Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Truly Pleased Leonard Nimoy

If one visits the legendary Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California (now called the TCL Chinese), one can see the handprints of the cast and creator of "Star Trek." On the event of the franchise's 25th anniversary in 1991, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, William Shatner, George Takei, James Doohan, and DeForest Kelley all put their handprints on the cement next to their respective signatures. According to a story Takei told at a "Star Trek" convention (that this author personally attended), the cast were instructed to sign their names but not to put their hands in the cement. Takei, hating the restriction, plopped in his handprint anyway, and his fellow cast members immediately followed suit.

That salute first appeared in the "Star Trek" episode "Amok Time" (September 15, 1967) and was accompanied by a notable Vulcan slogan, "Live long and prosper," initially penned by teleplay writer Theodore Sturgeon. In a 1968 interview with the New York Times , Nimoy noted that he was allowed to invent a lot of the idiosyncrasies of the Vulcan species, saying that they would be hand- and gesture-oriented. Nimoy couldn't have predicted how immensely popular "Star Trek" would become, nor that so many other actors would play Vulcans — and adopt his salute — in the years that followed.

The divine hug

One can see the Vulcan salute in all manner of Judaica. The website Chabad.org explains the gesture of Priestly Blessing in detail:

"The Hebrew term for the Priestly Blessing, administered by the descendants of Aaron, is Birkat Kohanim , also known as Nesi'at Kapayim , the 'lifting of the hands,' because of the priests' uplifted hands, through which the divine blessings flow. Performed in the synagogue, the Priestly Blessing is one of the most spiritually uplifting moments in Jewish life, as the entire congregation is embraced in a 'divine hug.'"

Two open hands pushed away from the body form a diamond shape, allowing the Divine through.

"They get their tallits over their heads, and they start this chanting. And my father said to me, 'Don't look'. At first he obliged, but what he could hear intrigued him. I thought, 'Something major is happening here.' So I peeked. And I saw them with their hands stuck out from beneath the tallit like this."

There it was.

Trek yourself before you wreck yourself

"Boy, that just took off. It just touched a magic chord. [...] [M]ost people to this day still don't know [the history] [...] People don't realize they're blessing each other with this!"

When you flash a "Live long and prosper" salute, you are actually evoking divine energies. Trekkies may be passing winking pop culture references to one another on the floor of "Star Trek" conventions, but they are also giving each other holy blessings. There's something beautiful about that. When President Obama — a self-professed Trekkie — met Nichelle Nichols in 2012, they posed for a picture wherein both flashed the salute. Talk about cultural penetration. As far as I have been able to determine, Obama is the only president to have given a Vulcan salute.

Give Me a Sign: The Stories Behind Hand Gestures

1 So much can be said with a hand gesture. Here are the stories behind gestures you might use every day, and some you might not.

THE VULCAN SALUTE

2 We all know it, even if we can't all do it. The Vulcan Salute, made famous by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek , has become a cultural icon recognized even by those who have never been to a sci-fi convention. And while the gesture is meant to be from another planet, its inspiration is anything but alien.

3 When Nimoy was a child, he witnessed a Jewish ritual called the "kohane blessing," which uses a hand sign meant to resemble the Hebrew letter "shin," which symbolizes the Hebrew word for "Shaddai," meaning "Almighty (God)." It's made by splitting the hand down the middle—holding the index and middle fingers together, the ring and pinky fingers together—and then the thumb pressed firmly against the side of the hand. The Orthodox priest giving the blessing holds both hands out in front of him in these strange configurations, palms down. When Nimoy was developing a greeting to be used between Vulcans, he remembered the sign and adapted it, using only one hand held up, and pulling his thumb away from the rest of the hand.

4 Nimoy had no problem doing the salute, but not all Trek actors have been so lucky.

5 William Shatner had to have his fingers tied together with fishing line whenever Captain Kirk needed to use the sign. Even the latest pointy-eared Vulcan, actor Zachary Quinto, who played a younger Mr. Spock in the recent blockbuster film, had to have his fingers stuck together with the skin-safe superglue used by hospitals as a replacement for traditional stitches.

THE SHAKA SIGN

6 Folding your three middle fingers down while holding out your thumb and pinky, then twisting your hand around, is a strange gesture, to say the least. But if you visit Hawaii, you're likely to see it a lot. The gesture, called the Shaka Sign, can be interpreted as "Hello," "Goodbye," "Have a nice day," "Take it easy," "Good luck," or, the most popular definition, "Hang loose." Unfortunately, the sign's history is a bit vague.

7 The oldest origin story goes back to the days when Spanish sailors first landed on the Hawaiian Islands. Unable to speak the native tongue, but trying to be friendly, the Spaniards offered to share a drink by mimicking a bottle with their hand with the gesture and tilting back their head. This became such a common greeting that the natives simply believed that's how the Spanish said hello, so they started using the sign whenever the two groups encountered one another.

8 As if the origin of the gesture isn't mysterious enough, the word "Shaka" isn't even Hawaiian. However, most people agree the name goes back to a local used car salesman, Lippy Espinda, who would throw up the sign at the end of popular TV commercials during the 1960s and 70s, and say, "Shacka, brah!" ("Shocker, bro!")

9 During his Inauguration Parade, Barack Obama threw the Shaka Sign to greet Honolulu's Punahou School marching band.

10 Hand gestures can have multiple meanings. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is the "hand horn," also known as the "corna," where only the pinky and the index finger point up while the other fingers are held in the palm under the thumb.

11 Of course the corna is used by fans of the University of Texas, where they call it the "Hook 'Em Horns." Created in 1955 by student Harley Clark, the sign represents the school's mascot, a Texas longhorn steer named Bevo, and his impressive 72" horns. Being a Texas native and former Governor of Texas, though not a UT alumnus, President George W. Bush and his family were known for flashing the Hook 'Em Horns during appearances in the Lone Star State.

THE HIGH FIVE

12 The roots of the high five go back to the Jazz Era of the early 20th century. Black musicians of the time created numerous ways to say hello, such as "giving some skin," "giving five," and later a series of complicated, interconnected handshake gestures called a "dap." Then, in the late 1970s, college and professional basketball players began raising their arms above their heads and slapping the palms of their hands together, in what would later be dubbed the "high five."

13 While no one can say for sure where the high five came from, some believe the first one was exchanged between Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker, baseball players for the L.A. Dodgers, after a home run in 1977. But there is one man who claims he knows the origin of the high five, because he says he's the guy who invented it.

14 Lamont Sleets, Jr. says he adopted the high five from a salute his father exchanged with old Army buddies from the 5th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Five." To say hello, the men would stick their hand straight up in the air, spread their fingers wide, and call out "Five!" Anytime he saw the Five greeting, Sleets, Jr. would say "Hi, Five!" to the visiting veteran and slapped the upraised hand with his own. Sleets, Jr. went on to become one of the top basketball players at Murray State University in the late 1970s and he brought his odd salutation with him. It became popular with his teammates, and as the team traveled the country to play other schools, Sleets says the gesture caught on.

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Where did Spock get his Vulcan hand sign?

Jun 12, 2020

At a young age, Leonard Nimoy saw a sign that later became his trademark and Vulcan salute of “live long and prosper.” I had read that this hand gesture was based on the compass and the square. But there’s more.

After some research, I discovered that the Vulcan sign used by Mr. Spock had a priestly background. Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the epic series, Star Trek, shared the history behind his famous hand sign. At about 8, Nimoy attended synagogue during the High Holy Days with his parents (Jewish immigrants from Ukraine). While there, he saw the blessing called Birkat Kohanim, performed by the priestly descendants of Aaron — the Kohens or Cohens.

“A group of men at this particular synagogue, the Kohen, members of a priestly tribe, stood up in front of the congregation to bless everyone,” Nimoy remembered. “They were very loud, ecstatic, almost like at a revival meeting, and they were shouting this prayer in Hebrew, ‘May the Lord bless and keep you…’ but I have no idea at the time what they’re saying. My father said ‘Don’t look’ and everybody’s got their heads covered with their prayer shawls or their hands over their eyes. And I see these guys with their heads covered with their shawls but out from underneath they have their hands up. It was chilling, spooky and cool.” Their hands, of course, were stretched out in the gesture that would be the Vulcan salute. “It’s the shape of the letter Shin in Hebrew, which is the first letter in the word Shaddai , a word for God, and shalom , the word for peace. It came back to me years later when we made a “Star Trek” episode “ Amok Time” when Spock returns to his home planet for the first time and we see him interact with Vulcans.” (Los Angeles Times)

The hand sign forms the Hebrew letter Shin, representing God or fire. So, according to tradition, not the compass and the square, but an interesting sign, because if you look closely at when Spock makes the hand gesture, it does form a compass and square (if the thumb is fully extended and depending on how limber your joints are.) In the traditional priestly blessing upon which this was based, it appears that sometimes the fingers form five spaces to create a lattice, and other times the fingers are not divided, or the thumbs form a triangle.

The Priestly Blessing ifound in Numbers 6:24-26 was used by Aaron and his sons for blessing the children of Israel. You might say that this blessing on the people in a congregation is similar to the benediction, or closing prayer in many Christian denominations.

The Priestly Blessing, Birkat Kohanim, is also known as Nesi’at Kapayim, or the “lifting of the hands,” because the priests’ lift their hands, through which the divine blessings flow.

The Kohanim (priests and descendants of Aaron) reach forward with their arms, holding their hands together, thumbs touching, palms-down with their fingers separated, so there are five spaces: One space between the thumbs, a space between the thumb and first finger of each hand, and a space between the second and third finger of each hand. After the Kohanim assemble on the platform, the cantor or prayer leader will prompt them by reciting each word of the blessing, and the Kohanim will repeat that word.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27)

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Live Long and Prosper (Vulcan salute)

Live Long and Prosper is a now-famous hand gesture performed when two Vulcan characters either greet one another or take their leave. The phrase "Live long and prosper" is accompanied by this formal hand gesture. The (lesser known) response is "Peace and long life."

The single canon reference to this action being called a "salute" is in the episode "Journey to Babel", where Dr. McCoy asks Spock, "How does that Vulcan salute go?" Leonard Nimoy also calls this "the Vulcan hand salute" when he talks about it in interviews and documentaries. Fans generally refer to it this way as well. One very early example is this December 1967 reference: "Many thanks, and a Vulcan salute ... for suggesting [this] carbonzine become a fanzine ." [1]

In January 1968, the zine The Crewman's Log #5 had instructions on how to make "the Vulcan Salute" symbol with one's hands; it involved lots of practice and the application of "Scotch Tape" which one left on one's hand all day to "train your fingers."

Vulcan Pronunciation

There are at least three different versions of the Vulcan pronunciation of this phrase in common use:

Dif-tor heh smusma is the version seen on most "official" Star Trek sources such as Memory Alpha ; it was first used in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). [2]
Mene sakkhet ur-seveh is often seen in fanfic, but is not canon for the TV show or films; it has a later origin in Diane Duane 's novel Spock's World (1989).
In the early 1970s, many fans said "Peace and Long Life" as Pastak v'dora lashe . Joan Verba in her book Boldly Writing says these words came from a "joint effort among Michelle Malkin , Joyce Yasner , and Lee Smoire [presumably this was the Lee Smoire who was a long-time member of the Washington Science Fiction Association]."
More ways to say Live long and prosper and understand the IDIC at the Vulcan Language Institute

The Hand Gesture in Canon

Back in the 1960s, hippies who watched Amok Time thought the salute was a variation of the two-fingered peace sign. But we Jews knew better. - Rabbi Yonassan Gershom [3]

The Vulcan salute was performed in canon for the first time in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Amok Time." Celia Lovsky as T'Pau is the first person viewers saw raising her left hand in the now-familiar gesture.

Leonard Nimoy writes in "I Am Not Spock" that he based the hand gesture on the "Priestly Blessing" performed by Jewish Kohanim, the priests of the Hebrew Tribes, with both hands. It represents the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin stands for Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)". The words of the blessing are from Numbers 6:24-26: "May the Lord bless you and keep you," and so on. Nimoy says he was also told that the Shin invokes the Shekinah , the female aspect of God, and it is she who enters the temple and blesses the people, especially on Friday night, as the Sabbath begins.

Live Long and Prosper: Valediction Used by Fans

"Live Long and Prosper" (commonly: "L.L.& P.") is used by some Trek fans as a closing to letters and messages to each other. For example: "See you at the next con! L.L.& P., MPH." Leonard Nimoy signed all of his Twitters with LLAP.

On January 15, 2016, Dr. Philippa Whitford, the Scottish National Party's MP, spoke in the House of Commons supporting the establishment of Britain's first spaceport to be in Scotland. She concluded with the salute and the words "Live long and prosper."

On March 26, 2021, "Leonard Nimoy Day" in Boston, the city's Museum of Science announced plans to enshrine the Vulcan salute as a 20-foot stainless steel sculpture by David Phillips, to stand outside the museum. Nimoy was born in the West End, not far from the museum. [4]

The "live long and prosper' symbol represents a message that my dad believed so strongly in. My dad always loved Boston and he would be honored knowing that the Museum of Science would be the permanent home to this memorial. The sculpture not only depicts one of the world’s most recognized and loved gestures for peace, tolerance, and diversity, but it will also be a beautiful tribute to my dad’s life and legacy. - Julie Nimoy

The Hand Gesture in Fanon

The gesture was named the Ta'al by Margaret Wander Bonanno in Dwellers in the Crucible , and many fans have adopted this name. Diane Duane refers to it as "the parted hand".

Jacqueline Lichtenberg incorporates the gesture in the philosophies expressed in her Kraith series. Here, it is an expression of devotion to Surak's Construct. The thumb held apart from the other fingers represents reverence for privacy: the small finger, IDIC ; the third finger, Nome , meaning All; the middle finger, reverence for life; and the index finger, the doctrine of the Domination of Logic. [5]

The Hand Gesture Portrayed in Fanworks

inside front cover of Energize!

back cover of Plak Tow #6

front cover of Grip #4

inside Menagerie #10, Doug Rice

front cover of Images and Dreams #4

back cover of Saurian Brandy Digest #4

front cover of In a Different Reality #2

cover of Eridani Triad

back cover of Menagerie #11

cover of a convention program

from the back cover of Trexperts #42, Robert Bruce Lloyd

cover of Vootie #1

inside art of The Elder Brother , artist is Nan Lewis , Spock appears to give Christine Chapel some instruction

External Links

Vulcan Salute on Memory Alpha
^ from Plak-Tow #1
^ Vulcan Language on Memory Alpha ; the pronunciation was coined by James Doohan ( Scotty ) as a phrase that could be lip-synced to the spoken words "live long and prosper" in English.
^ Rabbi Yonassan Gershom, Jewish Themes in Star Trek . Lulu, 2010.
^ " Live long in sculpture: 20-foot art planned for Spock symbol ." Associated Press, March 26, 2021
^ Surak's Construct at simegen.com.
Star Trek Concepts

A Field Guide to Alien Greetings

Here's a guide to what to say, and what to expect, when making First Contact.

Illustration of an open mouth and different greetings from Star Trek's alien languages

StarTrek.com

Cosmic diplomacy is a complicated game. First Contact with any new alien species requires a delicate approach — first impressions are important, and when something goes wrong, it can be awkward at best. At worst, a poor First Contact leads to an intergalactic incident! But there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for proper behavior in the company of another species.

Any good Starfleet officer will need to know when to muster up the patience for the Chandrans’ three-day ritual to say “hello,” or when to avoid Hirogen space — they’re more the type to shoot first, and make contact later, if at all.

With that in mind, here’s a field guide on how to greet alien species, and what to expect when they greet you.

Vulcans arrive on Bozeman on April 5, 2063, and offer a friendly greeting with the Vulcan salute as Zefram Cochrane welcomes them in Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact

Vulcans are known for holding logic as a core value, placing it in greater esteem than emotion. That doesn’t mean they’re not gracious, however.

In Star Trek: First Contact , the Vulcans that arrive in Bozeman, Montana greet their human hosts by holding up the Vulcan salute — holding one’s hand up with the middle and ring fingers separated. This gesture is often accompanied by the phrase, “ Live long and prosper ,” which, like the Hawaiian “ Aloha ,” doubles as a farewell.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Honor is king in the Klingon Empire — social niceties are not.

Where a Romulan or Cardassian might employ cordiality as pretext for deception, a Klingon will always let you know where you stand, if not always gently. “Good morning” or “How do you do?” generally don’t apply on Qo’nos. A traditional Klingon greeting is “ nuq’neH ,” which translates to “What do you want?” though the mechanics of it are a little delicate — only ask when being approached, not when approaching.

Aboard the U.S.S. Toronto, Grand Nagus Rom holding the Grand Nagus staff presents a golden bust of Admiral Vassery held by a Hupyrian servant as First Clerk Leeta stands between her and their Ferengi assistant in 'Parth Ferengi's Heart Place'

"Parth Ferengi's Heart Place"

The profit-seeking Ferengi have a hand gesture, not unlike the Vulcans, that they use when greeting other Ferengi. They hold their wrists together, and when in the presence of nobility like the Grand Nagus, also bow in submission. But should one invite you into their home, expect them to say, “ My house is my house ,” to which you would reply, “ As are its contents .”

"Little Green Men"

It’s also helpful to have a universal translator on hand, however, so as not to make the mistake of the 20th Century humans in Deep Space Nine ’s “ Little Green Men ” who confused head-smacking as a method of communication.

"The Collaborator"

In general, greeting a Bajoran is pretty straightforward.

A simple “hello” or “good day” will suffice. But because of their spiritual nature, there are situations that call for more formality. For instance, during the Gratitude Festival, as seen in Deep Space Nine ’s “ Fascination ,” the traditional way to greet a Bajoran is “ peldor joi .” Which would accompany the burning of Bateret leaves and renewal scrolls.

Jadzia Dax, in casual wear, tilts her head with her hands on her hips, knowingly glances at Worf who is in his Starfleet uniform while Quark stands in front of them in casual beach wear holding two horga’hn statues in 'Let He Who is Without Sin...'

"Let He Who Is Without Sin..."

Inhabitants of the “pleasure planet” Risa , a popular vacation destination for members of the Federation, have an Epicurean philosophy that they’re more than happy to share with guests. That hedonistic lifestyle is precisely what makes it so appealing after a lengthy mission in the Alpha Quadrant, and upon arrival on Risa, the Risians will typically greet visitors by saying “ All that is ours is yours. ”

They’re quite generous, and they expect you to enjoy yourself. And for some extra attention, display a horga’hn statue to signal that you’re open to jamaharon .

"Unification, Part I"

As their adversarial relationship with the Federation of Planets has shown, Romulans tend to have, at best, a skeptical view on outsiders.

That being said, there are formal greetings in Romulan society, as heard in The Next Generation episode “ Unification ,” such as “ Jolan tru ,” which can be translated as “ May your day be filled with peace .” Saying so wouldn’t necessarily smooth out any potential hostilities in the Neutral Zone, by any means, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.

The Children of Tama

"Darmok"

Picard discovered, in “ Darmok ” on The Next Generation , that the Children of Tama, aka Tamarians, would prove complicated, as their interpersonal communication relies on a series of metaphors based on their own mythology and history.

For instance, “ Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra ” signifies cooperation. So be prepared for their fairly complicated hello — " Rai and Jiri at Lungha. Rai of Lowani. Lowani under two moons. Jiri of Ubaya. Ubaya of crossroads, at Lungha. Lungha, her sky gray .”

This is essentially their way of introducing themselves to a new culture. Return the favor by saying, “ Temba, his arms wide ,” (offering a gift) or “ Temba, at rest ,” which is a sign of peace.

"The Tholian Web"

The Enterprise ’s first encounter with the Tholians in “ The Tholian Web ” put them viewscreen-to-viewscreen with a foreign entity that resembled a psychedelic cube with eyes. They’re a crystalline species with six legs that look a bit like a praying mantis with a hard, mineral outer shell.

Upon encountering them, expect to hear a high-pitched series of clicks and chirps, which can be a bit piercing to the ears, but is still modulated through universal translator. Just be honest and forthright in your response; as Loskene says to the Enterprise , “ We do not tolerate deceit .”

"Terra Firma, Part 1"

Terrans are humans, technically, but being from the Mirror Universe, there are some notable differences.

For one, they’re more sensitive to light than humans from our universe. Another, they live in a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog society where hostilities run deep. As such, they have a different set of formalities than the Federation, namely that their greeting to one another is the Roman salute — one arm extended out forward, palm down — accompanied by a hearty cry of, “ Long live the empire! ”

For the sake of not provoking those hostilities when in the Mirror Universe, it’s probably best to return the greeting.

Data stands directly face-to-face with the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact

One-on-one encounters with the Borg don’t really happen. Each member of the Borg Collective is interconnected, part of a hive mind working in unison, and communicating with one is communicating with all of them. However, they have a single-minded mission to assimilate people and technology that will allow them to advance and remain dominant as a society.

There are variations of their standard greeting, though it generally goes something like this, “ We are Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. ” Once they’ve greeted you, however, they intend to assimilate you — they’re upfront about that — so there’s no need for a response! Contact isn’t advised.

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This article was originally published on October 21, 2020.

Jeff Terich (he/him) is a freelance writer from San Diego who writes about pop culture, art, and music. He can be found on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff.

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Uhura Is Getting “Closer And Closer” To Nichelle Nichols In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

Scotty “nailed it” in star trek: strange new worlds season 3, says melissa navia, house of the dragon season 2: showrunner confirms who won the tragic cargyll fight in episode 2.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 introduced a mystery gesture between Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and Lt. La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong), and its meaning is teased by writer Davy Perez. Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among the Lotus Eaters," brought Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the USS Enterprise back to the planet Rigel VII, first seen in Star Trek: The Original Series ' "The Cage." But the gesture of M'Benga rubbing his index finger beneath his eye, and La'an returning the favor as a kind of code, was first seen in Strange New Worlds season 1's premiere, and repeated in the season 2 premiere, "The Broken Circle."

Appearing on The 7th Rule podcast hosted by Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk, Davy Perez, who co-wrote Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4 with Kirsten Beyer, teased the meaning of M'Benga and La'an's secret gesture. Perez didn't want to reveal its true meaning, but he gave some compelling insight. Read his quote below:

I don't know how much I want to reveal about this. I just know it's meaningful... Once we sort of realized that could be part of the story for them, then it sort of informed how they were looking out for each other. Something different got into the subtext of it all.

Related: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 Episode 4 Ending Explained

Will Strange New Worlds Season 2 Reveal The Meaning Of M'Benga & La'an's Mystery Gesture?

Davy Perez not wanting to define Dr. M'Benga and La'an Noonien-Singh's secret gesture in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds indicates that it is something important that could be revealed later in season 2. However, when examining what M'Benga and La'an have in common in their pasts, both are established as veterans of Star Trek: Discovery 's Klingon War . M'Benga, in particular, nurses severe trauma over his role in the war, especially in how Joseph used a form of super-soldier serum to become strong enough to fight and kill Klingons. La'an's role in the Klingon War isn't clear, but the fact that she and M'Benga share the code of rubbing their finger beneath their eye alludes to them knowing each other during the war before both served on the USS Enterprise.

The scars of the Klingon War appear to be something Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 will continue to deal with. More Klingon War veterans aboard the Starship Enterprise include helmsman Lt. Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush). The Klingon War was a devastating conflict that saw millions die, and it's obvious those who survived didn't emerge unscathed. Starfleet doesn't often use hand gestures, which is something the Vulcans are more known for with their "Live long and prosper" greeting and salute. Dr. M'Benga and La'an's finger and eye gesture is clearly meaningful, and hopefully, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 will deepen audiences' understanding of what they endured in the Klingon War.

Source: The 7th Rule

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

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Dear TV writers: Please stop being weird about pronouns

The Acolyte is the latest example of a bizarre trend

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Amandla Stenberg looking vaguely evil over a cliff face in front of water in The Acolyte

In the fourth episode of The Acolyte , Osha (Amandla Stenberg) meets some new Jedi and Jedi-affiliated friends. One of them is a small, otterlike creature named Bazil. Bazil and Pip, Osha’s fussy robot companion, keep sniffing and beeping at each other, interrupting the mission briefing Osha is trying to follow. After, Osha approaches Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) for an awkward exchange all too familiar to queer people watching television in the last few years:

Osha: Who is that? Jecki Lon: That’s Bazil. Osha: Is he [ dramatic pause ]… or they … with us?”

This is the latest example of what I’m going to call the Globby problem , expertly parodied on The Other Two : well-meaning writers and showrunners — some of them queer themselves — trying to awkwardly insert nonbinary or genderqueer representation into their show, usually through the show’s requisite “weirdo” character. The result is, instead, often pretty othering.

In The Acolyte , Osha only asks about Bazil’s pronouns, not those of any of the other people she meets. This reveals more about Osha than I think The Acolyte ’s writers were intending; the exchange implies she is actively othering Bazil and assuming he (yes, it is later revealed Bazil uses he/him pronouns, which makes all of this even sillier) must be gender-variant because he looks odd to her.

I get that the effort is to remind the viewer that not everyone subscribes to a binary of gender expression, and Osha is trying to be open-minded about that. To be clear, I’m not asking for every character to ask every other character about their pronouns when they first meet. That would be extremely boring television! It’s very easy to establish characters’ pronouns by having other characters use those pronouns when speaking about them. This happens all the time. (“This is Bazil, they’ll be helping us on the ground” is the easiest thing in the world to put into a conversation, in a world where Bazil uses they/them pronouns.) But The Acolyte going out of its way to make a show of only asking about the character who looks the most different is quite weird (and unfortunately makes Osha kind of look like a dick). The end result is that no one is happy — toxic Star Wars fans are mad for the usual bigoted reasons, and I’m mad because it’s so thoughtless.

Because it’s not just The Acolyte ! Even Star Trek: Discovery , a show that largely had thoughtful and committed queer representation and characters, stumbled with this during its recently aired final season. As Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) approaches an alien planet, she turns to a crewmate and marvels, full of awe, at how the planet has three genders. Except Captain Burnham’s ship, the Discovery, has (at least) three genders represented on board !!! Within that context, that makes Captain Burnham sound like a captain who, at the very best, forgot she has a nonbinary crew member on board, and at worst doesn’t respect that crew member’s gender identity. There is not a chance that was the intended effect of the Discovery writers room, but that’s the only way to read that line within the context of the show.

These examples clearly seem to be the result of showrunners and writers who mean well and want to be inclusive, but stumble along the way. It ends up othering nonbinary and genderqueer people even more when you consider which characters get placed in that position, and when other characters ask about pronouns. At the end of the day, while broader representation of more genders is good, making a show of asking for pronouns in your television show is not necessarily a net positive. When characters are only doing so to characters who are markedly, visibly different — even straight-up animals, in Bazil’s case — it’s weird! It doesn’t feel like an honest attempt at accurately reflecting gender and its many different variations and contexts, but instead like they’re thinking of representation as a checklist that can be achieved through language alone.

In the case of The Acolyte , it feels like at best an empty gesture and empty pandering toward queer fans, and at worst Disney weaponizing the most toxic fans in the Star Wars fan base to drive conversation by making sure they’re predictably mad about nothing. Personally, I don’t fully buy that latter theory, but I think it is notable that if Disney wanted to design empty gestures that got toxic fans mad without actually being transgressive in any meaningful way, it would look exactly like this scene in The Acolyte.

On the positive side of things, the recent Doctor Who episode “Rogue” is a good example of how to do this naturally. While talking about a former love, Rogue (Jonathan Groff) just says “I lost them” without it being some big performative gesture that he would deign to use an “unconventional” singular pronoun. And hey — maybe the person he was talking about doesn’t use they/them pronouns, and Rogue just didn’t want to be too specific. The important thing is, he said it like a person, not like he just won a GLAAD award for allyship. More shows that want to dip into broader gender representation should give that a shot.

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How to Draw the Star Trek Hand Gesture (Vulcan Salute)
Fun Facts About a Famous Star Trek Hand Gesture
What is the origin of the Vulcan hand greeting in “Star Trek”?
Leonard Nimoy Explains the Origins of Mr. Spock's Famous Vulcan
The symbolic origins of the Vulcan 'live long and prosper' hand gesture
Unveiling the Enigmatic Gesture in Strange New Worlds: Insights from

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Star Trek's Almighty Gesture
Live Long and Prosper, Spock and The Babylonian Talmud Traditions

COMMENTS

What Is Spock's Star Trek Hand Sign Called & What Does It Mean?
Spock's gesture is known as the Vulcan Salute. It was first seen in the episode "Amok Time," the episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series" in which Spock returns to Vulcan to compete in a mating ...
Vulcan salute
Vulcan salute. The Vulcan salute is a hand gesture popularized by the 1960s television series Star Trek. It consists of a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger. The gesture was devised by Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy as a salute for the alien Vulcan species ...
Give Me a Sign: The Stories Behind 5 Hand Gestures
4. The Pledge of Allegiance. 5. The High Five. 1. The Vulcan Salute. We all know it, even if we can't all do it. The Vulcan Salute, made famous by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on the original Star ...
The history behind Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan salute
Leonard Nimoy's passing at the age of 83 is prompting a flood of reminiscences about the actor, artist, and poet best known for his portrayal of the half-human/half-Vulcan Spock on the ...
How Did the Vulcan Salute Originate in 'Star Trek?'
In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, a scene called for him to make the legendary hand gesture, and eagle-eyed fans have since spotted a near-invisible fishing line holding two of the actor's ...
Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Truly ...
Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Truly Pleased Leonard Nimoy. If one visits the legendary Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California (now called the TCL Chinese ...
How Leonard Nimoy's Jewish Roots Inspired the Vulcan Salute
In 2012, StarTrek.com caught up with Nimoy to ask about the history behind the gesture and how it came to life on set. Inspired by a gesture he'd seen during a blessing at an orthodox Jewish shul as a boy, Nimoy carried the memory with him until the fateful day filming the scenes on Vulcan in "Amok Time.". "The idea came when I saw the ...
This is Why We 'Live Long and Prosper'
The words in the blessing itself are part of the Amidah, the daily prayers, but the sign we know as the Vulcan salute is only done when the Kohanim are called upon to stand before the congregation and recite them.. The Lord spoke to Moses, "Speak to Aaron and his sons,This is how you bless the people of Israel, say to them,'The Lord will bless you and protect you,the Lord will go kindly and ...
Star Trek's Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Leonard ...
Leonard Nimoy was given a lot of creative freedom when it came to inventing idiosyncrasies of the Vulcan species in "Star Trek.". He was the one who invented the Vulcan salute. A 2015 article ...
Guest Blog: Leonard Nimoy On The Vulcan Salute
By Leonard Nimoy. The Vulcan salute remains one of the classic, defining, iconic gestures in Star Trek. It's been seen repeatedly across the franchise, often accompanied by the words, "Live long and prosper.". Leonard Nimoy - borrowing a page from an ancient Jewish ritual he observed as a boy in his native Boston -- introduced the ...
How Leonard Nimoy's Roots Inspired The Vulcan Salute
The Vulcan salute copies an Orthodox Jewish gesture with special meaning. Nimoy wrote for the Star Trek blog that he had grown up in Boston's West End neighborhood, which was home to a large number of immigrants. He attended a local Orthodox Jewish synagogue with his family. They were particularly observant of the Jewish High Holidays.
Star Trek: When the Vulcan Salute First Appeared (and What It Means)
The Vulcan Salute Stems from a Jewish Ritual. The gesture itself comes from a blessing in the Jewish faith, made daily to the congregation. The Kohanim priests connect their thumbs and make the sign with both of their hands, which forms the Hebrew letter "shin", the first letter used in a name for God. Its use as a blessing makes an ideal ...
Vulcan Salute emoji Meaning
The Vulcan salute went memetic almost immediately after Nimoy's first usage of the gesture. According to Nimoy, mere weeks after "Amok Time" aired, people were already using the gesture to greet him everywhere he went. The gesture was first popular among Star Trek fans but the gesture's similarity to the popular V-shaped peace hand gesture ( ️), both in finger placement and good ...
Vulcan salute
Vulcan salute. A Vulcan salute ( Star Trek: First Contact) For the DIS episode with a similar title, please see "The Vulcan Hello". The Vulcan salute was a hand gesture used by Vulcans. It involved holding the palm of one hand outwards while placing the fingers in a "V" shaped by separating the middle and ring fingers, while keeping the others ...
Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That ...
In an episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," Ensign Becket Mariner (Tawny Newsome) waggles Vulcan salutes sarcastically around in front of her mother, being generally caustic and dismissive. Any ...
Text B: Give Me a Sign: The Stories Behind Hand Gestures
The Vulcan Salute, made famous by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek, has become a cultural icon recognized even by those who have never been to a sci-fi convention. And while the gesture is meant to be from another planet, its inspiration is anything but alien. ... 10 Hand gestures can have multiple meanings. Perhaps one of ...
Where did Spock get his Vulcan hand sign?
I had read that this hand gesture was based on the compass and the square. But there's more. After some research, I discovered that the Vulcan sign used by Mr. Spock had a priestly background. Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the epic series, Star Trek, shared the history behind his famous hand sign. At about 8, Nimoy attended synagogue ...
Live Long and Prosper (Vulcan salute)
The Hand Gesture in Canon. Back in the 1960s, hippies who watched Amok Time thought the salute was a variation of the two-fingered peace sign. But we Jews knew better. - Rabbi Yonassan Gershom. The Vulcan salute was performed in canon for the first time in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Amok Time."
Who Created Strange New Worlds' Mystery Gesture Revealed By Star Trek
M'Benga and La'an's teardrop wiping gesture is obviously important, and its true meaning should shed even further light on their past and relationship in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 streams Thursdays on Paramount+. Exclusive: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cinematographer Benji Bakshi reveals who created ...
A Field Guide to Alien Greetings
In Star Trek: First Contact, the Vulcans that arrive in Bozeman, Montana greet their human hosts by holding up the Vulcan salute — holding one's hand up with the middle and ring fingers separated. This gesture is often accompanied by the phrase, " Live long and prosper ," which, like the Hawaiian " Aloha ," doubles as a farewell.
"It's Meaningful": Strange New Worlds' Mystery Gesture Teased By Star
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 introduced a mystery gesture between Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) and Lt. La'an Noonien Singh (Christina Chong), and its meaning is teased by writer Davy Perez.Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among the Lotus Eaters," brought Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the USS Enterprise back to the planet Rigel VII, first seen in Star ...
The Vulcan Hand Sign: Origins And Meanings
The Vulcan hand sign is a hand gesture popularized by the 1960s television series Star Trek. It consists of a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger.. Roddenberry created the character of Vulcan, who appeared in the Star Trek television series, as a fictitious creation.
what is the gesture they make with their finger under their eye
Strange New worlds : Pike, La'an and Spock enter the sick bay, Pike attempts to introduce La'an and M'benga. M'benga does the gesture La'an returns it. Borken Circle: After La'an asks the female klingon to set up the meeting with the broken circle La'an sees M'benga who does the gesture. La'an doesn't return it.
Dear TV writers: Please stop being weird about pronouns
Star Wars: The Acolyte is the latest example of a bizarre trend: shoehorning they/them pronouns into scripts in excruciatingly awkward ways. Just be normal about it!
The Bear Season 3: Ayo Edebiri Reflects on Surprising Carmy Moment
The Bear star Ayo Edebiri broke down the business relationship between Sydney and Carmy in Season 3. All of the episodes from the latest season are now streaming on Hulu and fans have been waiting.

What Is Spock's Star Trek Hand Sign Called & What Does It Mean?

Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan Salute took inspiration from an ancient Jewish tradition

Give Me a Sign: The Stories Behind 5 Hand Gestures

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How did the Vulcan salute originate in ‘Star Trek?’

A challenge for some

Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Truly Pleased Leonard Nimoy

The Divine Hug

Trek Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

How Leonard Nimoy's Roots Inspired The Vulcan Salute

The Vulcan salute copies an Orthodox Jewish gesture with special meaning

Star Trek: When the Vulcan Salute First Appeared (and What It Means)

Why Does Kathryn Janeway Outrank Jean-Luc Picard?

"Amok Time" Defined the Vulcans

The Vulcan Salute Stems from a Jewish Ritual

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What does 🖖 Vulcan Salute emoji mean?

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Star Trek's Famous Vulcan Salute Has A Deeper Meaning That Truly Pleased Leonard Nimoy

The divine hug

Trek yourself before you wreck yourself

Where did Spock get his Vulcan hand sign?

Live Long and Prosper (Vulcan salute)

Vulcan Pronunciation

The Hand Gesture in Canon

Live Long and Prosper: Valediction Used by Fans

The Hand Gesture in Fanon

The Hand Gesture Portrayed in Fanworks

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A Field Guide to Alien Greetings

The Children of Tama

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Uhura Is Getting “Closer And Closer” To Nichelle Nichols In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3

Will Strange New Worlds Season 2 Reveal The Meaning Of M'Benga & La'an's Mystery Gesture?

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