Len LaCara

@LenLaCara

East-side commuters to downtown Rochester: Did you notice an extraterrestrial sighting?

A likeness of Mr. Spock from the original Star Trek series appeared Thursday on the Averill Avenue bridge over Interstate 490 and was clearly visible to westbound motorists.

The Spock pictured, of course, is the one created by Leonard Nimoy, who died last year at age 83. No offense to Zachary Quinto, who currently plays the Vulcan first officer of the USS Enterprise.

Spock's visage appeared on the 50th anniversary of the airing of the first Star Trek episode — "The Man Trap" — on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966. That would have appeared locally on WROC Channel 8, which was the NBC affiliate at the time.

Was the timing on purpose, or just a coincidence? Speculation would be illogical. But there is this Instagram post from Mike Dellaria that suggests a clear violation of the Prime Directive:

Do you have some insights to share on this discovery? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page.

It's only fitting that Spock would pay a visit to Rochester. After all, the Star Trek theme was composed by Eastman School of Music graduate Alexander Courage.

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Update: Dellaria says he was responsible for Spock's appearance Thursday. Here's Kevin Oklobzija's interview with him.

LLACARA@Gannett.com

Happy 50th birthday to TV's classic 'Star Trek'