"I've been a photography hobbyist since I was a teenager," Nimoy told fans about his latest creative energies. "The book I published last fall, SHEKHINA, took eight years to put together."

The book is a collection of female figures that explore the Jewish idea of the "Shekhina," or female image of God. Nimoy says the photographs invite a spiritual experience.

"I enjoy women and the female figure has been a great subject for art for many centuries," he said. "This particular book goes beyond the female figure; it's a book about mystic spirituality."

Although the actor says he has no illusions that the powers that be will invite him to appear in future STAR TREK productions, the franchise can inevitably continue with imagination and creativity.

"Well, I think they've done a remarkable job of keeping it alive over the last 12-13 years since I was involved," he said, referencing 1991's STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. "I can't really say whether or not it has run its course. It's very possible that with enough imagination and talent they could find a way to keep it going a lot longer."

No online chat would be complete without asking some "favorites" of the guest, and Nimoy was happy to offer his most memorable Spock line from the original series.

"It was a line in 'Amok Time' that I thought was very interesting, it was something like, 'You may find that wanting is more pleasurable than having. It is not logical, but it is often so.'"

You can read much more from Leonard Nimoy in the complete chat transcript. You can also purchase Nimoy's book SHEKHINA from any of the following merchants and help support TrekWeb:

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See also LeonardNimoyPhotography.com for more information.