Leonard Nimoy wasn’t the first choice: who should have played Spock in Star Trek, actually

When you say Star Trek, inevitably the image of Spock, the Vulcan alien played so well by actor Leonard Nimoy, comes to mind.

Basically, even decades after the release of the original franchise, fans can’t conceive of the Trek universe without Spock and his iconic image. Obviously, this is largely due to the actor who brought him to life.

If Spock had been played by anyone else, absolutely Star Trek would look entirely different today. The best example of this is the Vulcan salute itself, accompanied by the maxim “Live Long and Prosper”, an idea that Leonard Nimoy himself came up with at one point, and which Gene Roddenberry accepted without batting an eyelid.

The actor who turned down the role of Spock in Star Trek: Original Series

If you’re a fan of good movies, you’ve certainly heard of Martin Landau. Well, the actor was supposed to play Spock instead of Leonard Nimoy. A combination of circumstances caused Landau to drop out. Despite the fact that Landau was an accomplished actor by nature, he certainly did the franchise a disservice by giving up the role.

In fact, he would later admit as much, claiming that Leonard Nimoy was by far the best suited to give life to Spock, Captain James T. Kirk’s first officer.

“I knew that if the show came out (ed. Star Trek: Original Series), Spock would be a very effective character,” Martin Landau said. “You have to think about the turmoil of the ’60s. A super-intelligent, sharp-eared creature who thought logic was the way to go. I didn’t want that role. I didn’t want to be associated with the role of a character without feelings,” the late actor said.

“I would make that decision today if I had the chance,” he stressed at the time.