Things We Saw Today: Zachary Quinto Learns How a Distant Relative of His Is Connected to His Iconic ‘Star Trek’ Role

In the most recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, actor and producer Zachary Quinto (best known for his roles in Star Trek, Heroes, and American Horror Story: Asylum) learned that he and his great-grandfather have a major thing in common. In a worker’s union journal, Quinto’s relative, P.J. McArdle, often penned letters, and in at least one entry in 1899, McArdle signed off with the phrase “live long, and prosper.” This is the same phrase Quinto would forever be associated with, due to taking on the role of the legendary character of Spock in three Star Trek films.

This phrase may have an explosive renaissance in pop culture thanks to Leonard Nimoy’s use of the phrase, alongside the Vulcan salute, in the original 1960s production, but it’s been in use for a longer time. There are versions of the phrase in ancient Eygptian blessings and editions of the Bible. From the 1500s to the 1800s, the phrase can be found in works by Shakespeare, George du Maurier, and non-fiction texts.

The host, historian Edward S. Slavishak, tells Quinto that the line was from a famous Rip Van Winkle play and noted, “so P.J. either saw the stage play, or, even more likely—it was something he heard from his fellow workers.” Regardless of where Ardle got this from, it’s surely something Quinto excitedly told his family and friends. I’m always excited to find out about distant relatives having something in common with me—it makes the world feel a lot less chaotic.

(via Yahoo! News, Image: Paramount)

Here are some other bits of news we saw today:

• Playstation shares a storybook recap ahead of the November release of God of War Ragnarök. (via YouTube)
• First images of Broadway’s The Devil Wear’s Prada musical release. (via Entertainment Weekly)
• Hollywood’s favorite Brown Paper Bag Test connoisseur, Kenya Barris, to remake The Wizard of Oz. (via Deadline.)

• Critics reflect on the ’90s blockbuster. (via Indiewire)
• Lionsgate and Peacock greenlit John Wick prequel series, The Continental. (via press release)
• Dream-like novels you’ll want to read if you enjoyed Gaiman’s The Sandman. (via The Portalist)

What news did you catch today, Mary Suevians?

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