Oliver Sacks, Trekkie

Neurologist Oliver Sacks, author of Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and An Anthropologist on Mars confesses he was a big Star Trek fan. He certainly brings unusual insight to the series:

I never missed a Star Trek, or very rarely.  I would put off important engagement – I don’t think there was easy recording at that time – and I’d put off important engagements because I needed to be by the television at 8 o’clock, and that was that. On one occasion, I went… when I was inLos Angeles I went to the studio, because I wanted to… and I met Brent Spiner, who was Data.  And I told him he… he was the icon of autistic people everywhere, and I think he looked rather puzzled and he wasn’t quite sure what… what to make of my comment, which was meant to be a high compliment. 

This excerpt comes from a wide-ranging and captivating interview with Sacks posted on Web of Strories.

2 thoughts on “Oliver Sacks, Trekkie

  1. In fact Sachs mentions his love of Star Trek all the way back in An Anthropologist on Mars, where he discusses how much he and Dr. Temple Grandin both relate very strongly to Data. An excerpt from the book including some passages about identification with Spock and Data within the autistic community appeared in the New Yorker prior to the book’s release, which is where I first saw it. If Brent Spiner was puzzled by Dr. Sacks’ comment, he would definitely have understood when he saw the magazine article or the book — and it’s very likely he would have read them.

  2. Oliver Sacks has a new book out titled HALLUCINATIONS. I should get my copy today.

    I’ve got most of his books, having noted him in a Life Magazine article back in 1966 (?) when he was profiled with the calculating twins, who could deal with prime numbers and tell you the day of the week for several thousands years forward and back.

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