in Search of... Spock — FACT TREK

[Maurice]

Just put out our latest bit o' Fact Trekking here (link)...

Leonard Nimoy is so firmly associated with the character of Mr. Spock that it’s difficult to imagine anyone else originating the role. This remains so even in the wake of Zachary Quinto and Ethan Peck’s interpretations of the character, both of which are fine, but Nimoy was Spock, the breakout character who put Star Trek on the map.

But was the part written for Nimoy or not?

Over the years, a number of names have been floated as the “first choice” to play the character of Mr. Spock. But were Goober Pyle, Rollin Hand, Miguelito Quixote Loveless, Nyota Uhura, or McCoy, Leonard H. ever actually considered for the part? In this piece we explore the truth behind these stories.

 

[Christopher]

Some surprising names on that Coughlin casting memo for Spock. Of those I recognize, a couple seem to be in the wheelhouse, like Kevin Hagen... but Robert Ellenstein? Elisha Cook? Dabbs Greer?

 

[Maurice]

Some surprising names on that Coughlin casting memo for Spock. Of those I recognize, a couple seem to be in the wheelhouse, like Kevin Hagen... but Robert Ellenstein? Elisha Cook? Dabbs Greer?

Keep in mind that Spock was pretty unformed at that point, so there wasn't much to base the casting on, other than the few names Roddenberry floated.

 

[J.T.B.]

Some surprising names on that Coughlin casting memo for Spock. Of those I recognize, a couple seem to be in the wheelhouse, like Kevin Hagen... but Robert Ellenstein? Elisha Cook? Dabbs Greer?

Some alternate history implications for Little House on the Prairie, for sure.

 

[Rhodo]

Let's be real, Robin Hughes would have made a dreamy Vulcan, even if he didn't end up as Spock.

 

[M'Sharak]

Some surprising names on that Coughlin casting memo for Spock. Of those I recognize, a couple seem to be in the wheelhouse, like Kevin Hagen... but Robert Ellenstein? Elisha Cook? Dabbs Greer?

I wasn't immediately able to put faces with all of the names on that list, but nearly all turned out to be familiar. Some of them could certainly have taken the character of Spock in a different direction than the one we saw, and a few of those would have been quite interesting to see.

I am curious as to why you would find Ellenstein to be a questionable candidate? What other roles of his from that period were you looking at?

 

[Christopher]

I am curious as to why you would find Ellenstein to be a questionable candidate? What other roles of his from that period were you looking at?

In that period, he was in his 40s and bald, just a very different physical type than Spock turned out to be. He was more a character actor than a leading-man type, like a number of names on that list (as Maurice said, it was before there was a clear idea of what kind of character Spock would be). Plus it's weird to see his name in that context when I'm used to thinking of him as the Federation President in The Voyage Home.

 

[Maurice]

Let's be real, Robin Hughes would have made a dreamy Vulcan, even if he didn't end up as Spock.

I think his role in The Twlight Zone episode "The Howling Man" makes plain why Coughlin included him.

(@Harvey)

 

[Rhodo]

I think his role in The Twlight Zone episode "The Howling Man" makes plain why Coughlin included him.

I'll have to check this out!!

 

[GNDN18]

I'll have to check this out!!

It’s a hoot. If you can find a copy of Marc Scott Zicree’s Twilight Zone Companion, it has a lot of information about the lighting and makeup techniques that brought a crackerjack script by Charles Beaumont to life.

 

[diankra]

Keep in mind that Spock was pretty unformed at that point, so there wasn't much to base the casting on, other than the few names Roddenberry floated.

Yep, the Spock they were casting didn't yet have a number of the charactistics we know feel integral to him; the cool logical demeanour, precise speech... all were developed by Nimoy, writers and directors over the early episodes. At casting the only given was that Spock was the alien on the bridge.

 

[Steve Zodiac]

Interesting. I'd heard the Martin Landau rumor for a long time, but this seems to put the kibosh on that. Nimoy's tall, gaunt, physical presence was important to the character, as well as his sonorous voice. They clearly got the best man for the job.

 

[flandry84]

Read anything about Landau’s antics on Space1999 and then imagine both him and Shatner on the same set!

 

[Kamdan]

Was Nimoy really lactose intolerant?

 

[Ssosmcin]

Interesting. I'd heard the Martin Landau rumor for a long time, but this seems to put the kibosh on that.

Well, fans who read this will know Laudau is BS'ing, but everyone else who reads things like the Me-TV blog posts or random Star Trek Trivia books or articles will be saying he was the first choice until well after we're all in the ground.

 

[alchemist]

Well, fans who read this will know Laudau is BS'ing, but everyone else who reads things like the Me-TV blog posts or random Star Trek Trivia books or articles will be saying he was the first choice until well after we're all in the ground.

Landau was somewhat consistent over the years. Check here for an interview he did in 2002 and here for an interview he did in 2006. You'll need to wait a bit for him to get to it though.

 

[GNDN18]

You'll need to wait a bit for him to get to it though.

Martin Landau. His acceptance speech was the only one cut off by the orchestra.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Some alternate history implications for Little House on the Prairie, for sure.

If you're referring to Kevin Hagen, perhaps. One thing's certain, if he had taken the Spock role,its likely he would not have been cast in the semi-recurring role of Inspector Kobick on Land of the Giants, a series with its 1st season produced at the same time as Star Trek's third.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Well, fans who read this will know Laudau is BS'ing...

We know that Roddenberry often used to sidle up to actors he liked and tell them he was "writing a part just for you" in the next thing he was working on. I also heard stories - direct from Grace Lee Whitney - about when Landau and his wife, Barbara Bain, worked next door to the "Star Trek" soundstages, making "Mission: Impossible". They used to drop in all the time. They loved chatting with the cast and playing with the SF props. They actively sought science fiction roles for themselves and eventually succeeded in getting co-leads in "Space: 1999".

I am sure when Leonard Nimoy was making noise about whether to continue in Trek's third season, that Roddenberry tried to call his bluff. He reminded him that they already had molds of the ears of Mark Lenard and Lawrence Montaigne (both had played two Vulcanoids each already) and Martin Landau was ready to leap from "Mission: Impossible" if a SF project emerged. I am betting that this is when Landau and Roddenberry had their discussion, if it happened.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

He reminded him that they already had molds of the ears of Mark Lenard and Lawrence Montaigne (both had played two Vulcanoids each already) and Martin Landau was ready to leap from "Mission: Impossible" if a SF project emerged. I am betting that this is when Landau and Roddenberry had their discussion, if it happened.

I'd say at least some Vulcanoid guests got Spock's ears, including T'Pring and T'Pring age 7. Making molds was time they didn't have.