10 Star Trek Facts You Probably Didn't Know
6. The Vulcan Salute Is A Real Religious Symbol
When Vulcans give their traditional greeting of "live long and prosper" they raise up their hand in the Vulcan Salute: their fingers parted to make the shape of a V. This unique greeting was not written into the show, but created by Spock actor Leonard Nimoy.
The greeting was based on Nimoy's memories of a service he attended at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. During the priestly blessing, the congregation is not meant to look at the blessing itself. As a young child Nimoy's curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked. He was struck by the distinctive hand sign that mimicked the shape of the letter Shin in Hebrew.
Years later, during the filming of Amok Time, when Spock visits Vulcan, Nimoy felt it was important that there was some formal greeting to give weight to the alien culture. It was from his Jewish roots and his childhood memories that the famous Vulcan salute was born.