Star Trek‘s actors, over many different decades, TV shows, movies, and more, have made their mark in special and unique ways. But for two of the biggest Star Trek names, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, their collaboration served them both amazingly in the sci-fi universe.
The relationship between the two in the cast is probably the most iconic dynamic from the franchise and went on to have several incarnations across the Star Trek timeline, such as Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto’s turns in the Star Trek movies.
In an interview before his passing, Nimoy even revealed that Shatner made one of the best Star Trek characters, Spock, better. Here’s why Nimoy felt Shatner made a difference.
Nimoy told Television Academy his scene partner was “Energy personified. A ball of energy. Constantly looking, digging, searching… let’s try this, that. Extremely energetic.”
This gave Nimoy: “a place to exist as Spock, much more than I ever would have had with, with all due respect, Jeff Hunter, who was the original Captain Pike.” He continued, “Jeff Hunter played Pike as a thoughtful, much more introverted person, and my tendency when I was in a scene with him was to try to provide energy. I thought, if he’s playing introspective and I’m playing introspective, you’ve got [what] maybe could be a dull scene.”
“Bill Shatner provided all the energy he needed [for] the scene. I could be more reflective and more reactive. And I think it helped me in developing a Spock character, a lot.”
Now, go see our list of the best Star Trek captains ranked, and find out how Leonard Nimoy created Star Trek’s Vulcan salute from childhood memory. Meanwhile, find out our picks for the best TV series ever and what new movies are coming soon.