George Takei: Leonard Nimoy invented the Spock pinch

George Takei, who played Sulu in Star Trek, has paid tribute to his friend and co-star, Leonard Nimoy, who has died at 83, describing him as a “very creative actor”.

Takei, who starred with Nimoy in both the original Star Trek series and the feature films, “created a singular character. It was his own creativity, not what was written in the script, that defined so much of Spock”.

He also revealed that it was Nimoy himself who invented the Spock pinch.

“The script actually had him knocking out an adversary with a punch. He said, ‘No, this is not Spock. Why would he expend all that energy when it can be done much more logically?'

"He invented that Spock pinch on the set."

This clip is from Up All Night on Saturday 28 February 2015.