Mr. Spock's Vulcan Greeting - The sci-fi series STAR TREK/NBC/1966-69 introduced an alien character named Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) who was the Science Officer onboard the starship USS Enterprise. On his home planet of Vulcan, they had a special greeting. It consisted of a right  hand raised (palm facing away) with ring finger and middle finger spread to form a "V" shape. The first person to speak said "Peace and long life" and the other responded "Live long and prosper." Both hand gesture and phrase were used for greeting as well as parting company. The Vulcan greeting first appeared on the episode No. 44 "Journey to Babel" which introduced Spock's parents, Sarek (Mark Lenard) and Amanda, (Jane Wyatt). "Live Long and Prosper" were also the final words spoken by Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) before he died from radiation exposure in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). When the Vulcans made initial contact with the human race in the motion picture First Contact (1996) the words "Live Long and Prosper" were the first words spoken as they exited their spacecraft. TRIVIA NOTE: The idea for the Vulcan hand sign on the series was contributed by Leonard Nimoy. The gesture (based on the Hebrew letter "Chim") dates back thousands of years as a special sign used by Hebrew priests during their religious ceremonies. See also  - SIGNOFFS: - "Sarek's Farewell"