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The neck pinch itself ( referred to in scripts as ' FSNP ', or ' Famous Spock Neck Pinch ') was created by Leonard Nimoy, who objected to a scene in one early episode that required Spock to knock a guard unconscious by hitting him over the head.

Nimoy thought that such overt violence was uncharacteristic of the strictly-logical Spock, and suggested the neck pinch as a less-emotional alternative.