# Why do so many of my $5 bills have Spock on them instead of Wilfrid Laurier? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871 "2010-02-06T01:19:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![malibu400](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/848f3c/32.png) [@malibu400](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malibu400)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/1 "2010-02-06T01:19:30Z")
Is this a sign that i should live long and prosper or just that a large number of Trekkies who enjoy defacing canadian bills live in my area? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/2 "2010-02-06T01:21:28Z")
Starfleet regulations?! Mark my words. There will be NO PEACE while Kirk lives. Spock travels in time a lot. Maybe it really is him on your fivers. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/3 "2010-02-06T01:24:57Z")
Weird. Everyone knows that Kirk & Scotty are the Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Da\_ICON](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Da\_ICON](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Da_ICON)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/4 "2010-02-06T01:25:54Z")
> [@malibu400](#): > > Is this a sign that i should live long and prosper or just that a large number of Trekkies who enjoy defacing canadian bills live in my area? Where do you live? ---
**Author:** ![malibu400](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/848f3c/32.png) [@malibu400](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malibu400)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/5 "2010-02-06T01:28:37Z")
Vancouver Area in B.C. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/6 "2010-02-06T01:34:11Z")
Kids nowadays! Wilf Laurier looks nothing like Spock. In my day we vandalized $5.00 bills to look like George Jefferson. I bet those kids don’t even know who George Jefferson was. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/7 "2010-02-06T01:36:17Z")
God, how US-centric I am - I was wondering what the hell was wrong with your five dollar bills that they didn’t have Lincoln on them. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Da\_ICON](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Da\_ICON](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Da_ICON)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/8 "2010-02-06T01:44:46Z")
> [@malibu400](#): > > Vancouver Area in B.C. Huh…never seen that in Toronto… ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/9 "2010-02-06T01:46:34Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Weird. Everyone knows that Kirk & Scotty are the Canadians. James T. Kirk, Admiral (Retd.), U.S.P.S.F., was/will be (notionally) born in Riverside, Iowa, in 2233. It is William A. Shatner who was born in Montrel, QC, n 1931. Similarly, Cdr. (Eng.) Montgomery Scott was notionally born in Linlithgow, Scotland, in 2222; Jimmy Doohan was from Vancouver. Sheesh! Next thing, you’ll be telling us that Spock was from Boston, MA, and played Shakespearean roles before joining Starfleet! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/10 "2010-02-06T01:48:13Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Kids nowadays! Wilf Laurier looks nothing like Spock. In my day we vandalized $5.00 bills to look like George Jefferson. I bet those kids don’t even know who George Jefferson was. A descendant of Thomas through the Sally Hemmings connection, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/11 "2010-02-06T01:58:46Z")
> [@malibu400](#): > > Is this a sign that i should live long and prosper or just that a large number of Trekkies who enjoy defacing canadian bills live in my area? I haven’t seen any of these, and I live in Vancouver. It must be the work of the guy at your local Tim’s night shift. Also - Hi, neighbor! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/12 "2010-02-06T02:20:50Z")
I’m in Saskatchewan, and I’ve seen them from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/13 "2010-02-06T02:38:42Z")
I haven’t seen Spock on a five yet. I’ll have to see what Jim has in his wallet when he gets home from curling - maybe before the night is over I _will_ have seen it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/14 "2010-02-06T02:59:48Z")
Winnipegger here (Manitoba). I see them every so often, but not regularly. ---
**Author:** ![malibu400](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/848f3c/32.png) [@malibu400](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malibu400)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/15 "2010-02-06T03:29:21Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > I haven’t seen any of these, and I live in Vancouver. It must be the work of the guy at your local Tim’s night shift. > > Also - Hi, neighbor! Hello to you too, neighbour! I was thinking that too except they don’t look like the same person did them. ---
**Author:** ![malibu400](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/848f3c/32.png) [@malibu400](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malibu400)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/16 "2010-02-06T03:41:33Z")
[http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/770/dsc01101un.jpg](http://img521.imageshack.us/i/dsc01101un.jpg/) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/17 "2010-02-06T03:44:50Z")
> [@malibu400](#): > > [http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/770/dsc01101un.jpg](http://img521.imageshack.us/i/dsc01101un.jpg/) Huh. :dubious: Maybe the artists hope their _money_ will live long and prosper, not you. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/18 "2010-02-06T04:22:47Z")
> [@malibu400](#): > > [http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/770/dsc01101un.jpg](http://img521.imageshack.us/i/dsc01101un.jpg/) Hee hee - that tickles my defacing soul. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/19 "2010-02-06T04:24:00Z")
I haven’t noticed any Spocks on my fives. I’m going to be checking from now on, though. (Victoria, BC) ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871/20 "2010-02-06T05:14:49Z")
Because Spock is awesome. How did it take 20 posts to come up with the right answer to this one? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-of-my-5-bills-have-spock-on-them-instead-of-wilfrid-laurier/527871.md?page=2)