Hundreds Prepare to Live Long and Strain Their Fingers

Hundreds of people will raise one hand and attempt to keep their middle and ring fingers apart at exactly the same time in London on 8 September. Should their fingers cooperate, they could leave the Science Museum holding a Guinness World Record.

The mass Vulcan salute is being organised for Star Trek Day, when fans will gather at the museum in South Kensington to recreate the gesture made famous by Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock. The salute is usually accompanied by the words “live long and prosper”, although prospering may depend on how much preparatory stretching everyone has done.

To perform it properly, participants must raise a hand and separate the middle and ring fingers, forming the distinctive V-shaped gap familiar to generations of Star Trek viewers. The gesture first appeared in an episode of the television series in 1967 and has since become one of the franchise’s most recognisable contributions to popular culture and mildly demanding hand positions.

The organisers are hoping to establish the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous Vulcan salute. There is currently no record in the category, so the assembled fans will not have to defeat a previous army of exceptionally supple-fingered rivals. The attempt must still be verified by an adjudicator before it becomes official.

Glyn Morgan, principal curator at the Science Museum, said: “For 60 years, Star Trek has connected bold storytelling with big questions about science, technology and what might be possible in the future, themes that sit at the heart of the Science Museum.”

The event will also give visitors a final opportunity to experience the museum’s Star Trek Warp Trail, which is included in the event ticket. The trail follows a popular Star Trek Lates event held earlier in the year.

Among its exhibits are chief engineer Scotty’s uniform, worn by Simon Pegg in the 2009 film Star Trek, and Admiral Jean-Luc Picard’s uniform, worn by Sir Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard. That series ran from 2020 to 2023.

The original Star Trek launched in the 1960s, with numerous television series and films following. They include The Next Generation, starring Sir Patrick, as well as Deep Space Nine and Voyager, the latter starring Kate Mulgrew.

For now, the prospective record holders have until 8 September to practise. After the simultaneous salute, an adjudicator will decide whether London’s gathering has successfully created the new Guinness category record. Until then, the logical course is apparently to keep calm, live long and try not to cramp.