Hundreds of thousands of fans mourned Leonard Nimoy's passing last week, first and foremost among them Star Trek fans. Nimoy, famous for his portrayal of the Vulcan Spock in the Star Trek television series and movies, was a sci-fi icon thanks to the show's success.
It's only fitting then that those Star Trek fans pay their respects to the icon they helped create. Though they couldn't attend Nimoy's funeral, hundreds of players of the game Star Trek Online held a ceremony of their own, as detailed in this Reddit post.
The fans traveled to planet Vulcan in the game, home of Nimoy's Spock, and silently paid tribute to the late actor by gathering near a fountain. Around a thousand players attended the event after hearing the sad news.
It's heartwarming stuff, and now Star Trek Online developer Cryptic Studios is planning on building a permanent memorial to honor Nimoy as well. Steve Ricossa, an executive producer on Star Trek Online, announced the memorial in a post on the Star Trek Online forums.
"I want to once again express my heartfelt condolences to the friends, family, and fans of Leonard Nimoy. Everyone at Cryptic Studios was saddened to hear of his passing and we want to make sure we never forget the cultural impact of the man or the character he played. To that end, the Star Trek Online team will implement a standing in-game memorial to Spock and Leonard Nimoy this Thursday March 5th with our regular weekly maintenance.
"In this way, we hope to keep his memory as alive in our game as he is in all of our hearts."
Nimoy contributed to the making of Star Trek Online in his own small way -- upon entering a new sector of the Star Trek Online universe, Nimoy's voice chimes in to greet the player. Just as Nimoy's television and film work will live on forever, Nimoy will forever be a part of Star Trek Online through the memorial and his voice.
Nimoy isn't the only late actor to be memorialized in a video game. An in-game tribute to Robin Williams, who committed suicide late last year, can be found in World of Warcraft as a place for players to pay tribute to the comedian.
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