how many star trek movies did leonard nimoy direct

Movies Directed By Leonard Nimoy

List of all movies directed by Leonard Nimoy, listed alphabetically. These popular films directed by Leonard Nimoy include trailers of the movies when available. This collection includes some of the best movies directed by Leonard Nimoy, so use the list to find some movies you haven't already seen. From Leonard Nimoy's studio films to Leonard Nimoy's independent films, this Leonard Nimoy filmography includes movies from all genres.

The list you're viewing is made up of movies like Three Men and a Baby and Funny About Love.

Leonard Nimoy has had the pleasure of working with tremendous talent, including Matt Damon and Orson Welles .

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Leonard Nimoy

Birth Name: Leonard Simon Nimoy

Birth Place: Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Profession Actor, director, producer, author, photographer

Subject (person only)

Screenwriter, executive producer.

Sort by Year - Latest Movies and TV Shows With Leonard Nimoy

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1. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024) Episode: Kobayashi (2022)

TV-Y7 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

As Gwyn struggles to find her role aboard the USS Protostar, Dal tests his leadership skills in the newly discovered holodeck.

Director: Alan Wan | Stars: Rylee Alazraqui , Dee Bradley Baker , Brett Gray , Angus Imrie

2. The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek (2021–2022) Episode: The Stars Above (2022)

60 min | Documentary, History

From the series regulars and recurring roles down to the folks who just did guest spots, thousands of actors have brought the characters of STAR TREK to life. Hear them tell what it's like on their side of the camera lens.

Director: Brian Volk-Weiss | Stars: Vaughn Armstrong , Robert Beltran , Brannon Braga , Ronny Cox

3. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–2024)

A group of enslaved teenagers steal a derelict Starfleet vessel to escape and explore the galaxy.

Stars: Rylee Alazraqui , Dee Bradley Baker , Brett Gray , Angus Imrie

Votes: 5,518

4. The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek (2021–2022)

46 min | Documentary, History

Chronicles rare and fascinating details of how "Star Trek" began, where it's been, and how it's going where no television series has gone before.

Stars: Gates McFadden , Larry Nemecek , Marc Cushman , John Tenuto

5. Emily @ the Edge of Chaos (2021)

61 min | Documentary

Emily @ the Edge of Chaos interweaves Emily Levine's live performance with animation, appearances by scientists, and animated characters.

Director: Wendy Apple | Stars: Richard Blackburn , Victor Bumbalo , Paul Dooley , Peter Elbling

6. Hollywood Insider (2018– ) Episode: Queerbaiting: Our Life Is Not Yours to Profit From - An Anaylsis (2021)

Director: Pritan Ambroase | Stars: Jensen Ackles , Steve Carell , Chris Evans , Martin Freeman

7. Fame-ish (2020)

Not Rated | 94 min | Comedy

A washed-up voice director succumbs to the pitfalls of small-time celebrity at an anime convention.

Director: Jeff Nimoy | Stars: Lex Lang , Nikki Boyer , Brian Donovan , Jeff Nimoy

8. Hollywood Insider (2018– )

A show focused on substance and meaningful entertainment while staying away from gossip and scandal.

Stars: Pritan Ambroase , Leonardo DiCaprio , Tom Holland , Margot Robbie

Votes: 1,411

9. My Brother Vincent (2018)

Documentary

The enigma of Vincent Van Gogh 125 years after his death is explored through an extraordinary contemporary play which was was first written and performed by the late actor Leonard Nimoy in ... See full summary  »

Director: Stephane Gauger | Stars: Leonard Nimoy , Jean-Michel Richaud

10. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (2017 Video Game)

E10+ | Action, Adventure, Family

A high-definition remake of "Kingdom Hearts" material, including new content.

Directors: Tetsuya Nomura , Tai Yasue | Stars: Isabela Merced , Hayden Panettiere , Haley Joel Osment , Willa Holland

11. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (2017 Video Game)

A re-release of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix on the Playstation 4.

Directors: Tetsuya Nomura , Tai Yasue | Stars: Haley Joel Osment , Hayden Panettiere , David Gallagher , Billy Zane

12. Star Trek Beyond (2016)

PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.

Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Karl Urban , Zoe Saldana

Votes: 258,122 | Gross: $158.85M

13. 50 Years of Star Trek (2016 TV Movie)

84 min | Documentary, Sci-Fi

This documentary celebrates the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, providing interviews with cast and crew members about the series' legacy, as well as the last filmed interview with Leonard Nimoy.

Director: Ian Roumain | Stars: J.J. Abrams , Mark A. Altman , John Barrowman , Robert Beltran

14. Roddenberry's Trek (2016)

75 min | Documentary, Sci-Fi

Feature-length documentary exploring the genesis of Star Trek through the personal insight of its creator, Gene Roddenberry, told through his recollections and those of the cast-members and crew of the original TV series.

Director: James Forsher | Stars: Gene Roddenberry , Nichelle Nichols , George Takei , Leonard Nimoy

15. Spoof Trek IV: The Parody Home (2015)

PG | 21 min | Short, Comedy, Sci-Fi

A space probe visits Earth and threatens to destroy it unless it hears the song of a humpback whale. Since they are extinct, the Enterprise crew travels back in time to find some.

Director: George O'Connor | Star: George O'Connor

16. Tranquil Voyage: To the Memory of Leonard Nemoy (2015 Video)

Short, Sci-Fi

A video and orchestral composition written under the impression of Leonard Nimoy's death. An actor many grew up with, and who had always provided great fascination. Now, sadly, his personal voyage has ended.

17. Millennium Come (2015)

68 min | History, Music, Sci-Fi

Director: Val Gameiro | Stars: Frank West , Natalie Makenna , Richard C. Jones , Garry Peters

18. Egg Cetera (2015– )

10 min | Comedy

Short, eccentric reviews of chocolate eggs and similar products by a mysterious and weird character named The Egg Collector.

Stars: Mykola Yeriomin , Ilya Sinelnikov , Mykola Rudenko , Hermann The Refridgerator

19. The Simpsons (1989– ) Episode: The Princess Guide (2015)

TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Comedy

Moe falls in love with a Nigerian princess whose father is working out a uranium deal with Mr. Burns.

Directors: Mike B. Anderson , Timothy Bailey | Stars: Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith

Votes: 1,083

20. King of the Nerds (2013–2015) Episode: Invasion of the Nerd Snatchers (2015)

TV-14 | 42 min | Game-Show, Reality-TV

With $100,000 looming and the title of King of the Nerds drawing nigh, the remaining Nerds find themselves thwarted by an Alien Queen - with one observant Nerd finding a key stratagem in ... See full summary  »

Stars: Jonathan Adler , Curtis Armstrong , Robert Carradine , Raychelle Keeling

21. The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004– ) Episode: Seaman (2015)

TV-MA | 17 min | Action, Comedy

The Nerd talks about a game on the Sega Dreamcast, the final Sega home console, and while he doesn't have much beef with it, he gets to review a crappy Dreamcast game. Simply known as "... See full summary  »

Director: James Rolfe | Star: James Rolfe

22. Egg Cetera (2015– ) Episode: Lounge Hobo Square Eggs (2015)

6 min | Comedy

A short review on rip-off "Sponge Bob" chocolate eggs and a sudden surprise for the construction toys (a-la Lego) fans a the new series approaches for a back door pilot episode.

Director: Mykola Yeriomin | Stars: Mykola Yeriomin , Ilya Sinelnikov , Mykola Rudenko

23. RetroBlasting (2012– ) Episode: The Search for Spock: A Tribute to Leonard Nimoy (2015)

4 min | Documentary, History

Stars: Michael D. French , Melinda Mock , Leonard Nimoy

24. Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff (2014 Video Game)

M | Adventure, Comedy

Family Guy (1998) is cancelled again, and FOX assembles the citizens of Quahog to explain why, only to discover the Giant Chicken is responsible, which results in him and Peter fighting, leading to a mass destruction of Quahog, which players must rebuild.

Stars: Seth MacFarlane , Alex Borstein , Seth Green , Mila Kunis

25. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix (2014 Video Game)

After the events of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix (2013), a boy named Roxas wakes up in Twilight Town trying to make it through his last days of summer vacation when he finds out that his dreams are actually Sora's memories and he must return them to him.

Directors: Tetsuya Nomura , Tai Yasue | Stars: Haley Joel Osment , David Gallagher , Hayden Panettiere , Jesse McCartney

26. To Be Takei (2014)

Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary, Biography

A look at the many roles played by eclectic actor/activist George Takei , whose wit, humor and grace have helped him to become an internationally beloved figure and Internet phenomenon with 7-million Facebook fans and counting.

Director: Jennifer M. Kroot | Stars: George Takei , Brad Takei , Walter Koenig , William Shatner

Votes: 1,570 | Gross: $0.05M

27. Leonard Nimoy's Boston (2014 TV Movie)

29 min | Documentary

Actor Leonard Nimoy (most well-known for his role as 'Spock' on the science-fiction series Star Trek) returns to his native city of Boston for a sentimental journey. Accompanied by his ... See full summary  »

Director: Adam Nimoy | Stars: Bruce Guarino , Adam Nimoy , Dora Nimoy , Leonard Nimoy

28. The Evolution of Stem Cell Research (2014)

90 min | Documentary

In a place invisible to the naked eye, lies the cornerstone of human life.

Director: Mark Davis | Stars: Leonard Nimoy , Ron Reagan , Tony Perkins , Elaine Fuchs

29. An Epix Exclusive Conversation with Leonard Nimoy (2014 TV Short)

TV-PG | 12 min | Documentary, Short, Biography

In this exclusive conversation with Leonard Nimoy, the legendary actor reveals insights about the character Mr. Spock, his role in the original Star Trek TV series, and the movies that followed.

Director: Scott Colthorp | Star: Leonard Nimoy

30. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Chris Pine , Zachary Quinto , Zoe Saldana , Benedict Cumberbatch

Votes: 496,662 | Gross: $228.78M

31. King of the Nerds (2013–2015)

A game show where competitors span the full nerd spectrum to come together to face challenges that will test their intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop-culture prowess.

Stars: Curtis Armstrong , Robert Carradine , Mindy Robinson , Xander Jeanneret

Votes: 1,608

32. The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers (2013)

Not Rated | 115 min | Documentary

Based on the best- selling book by Ambassador Yehuda Avner, The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers takes the audience inside the offices of Israel's Prime Ministers through the eyes of an ... See full summary  »

Director: Richard Trank | Stars: Sandra Bullock , Robert Cait , Michael Douglas , Leonard Nimoy

33. Paul Mazursky's: It's All Crap (2013)

Short, Comedy

Director: Jeff Kanew | Stars: Mel Brooks , Ron Clark , Richard Donner , Paul Mazursky

34. Star Trek Into Darkness: Mr. Spock and Mr. Spock (2013 Video)

4 min | Documentary, Short

Stars: J.J. Abrams , Leonard Nimoy , Zachary Quinto

35. The Real Story (2002–2013) Episode: Star Trek (2013)

TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary, History

Imagine a "Star Trek" where Mr. Spock is the lieutenant of SS Yorktown, and he has a tail. Leonard Nimoy and others tell the Real Story.

Director: Phil Stebbing | Stars: Mark Bazeley , Corey Johnson , Anthony Atala , David Batchelor

36. The Culture Show (2004–2015) Episode: The Magic Tricks of JJ Abrams: A Culture Show Special (2013)

Documentary, News, Talk-Show

Director: Lesley Smith | Stars: Mark Kermode , J.J. Abrams , Leonard Nimoy , Nichelle Nichols

37. Adventures in Zambezia (2012)

G | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A young high-spirited falcon journeys to the famed bird city of Zambezia.

Director: Wayne Thornley | Stars: Leonard Nimoy , Jeremy Suarez , Abigail Breslin , Jeff Goldblum

Votes: 7,605

38. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (2012 Video Game)

King Mickey and Yen Sid prepare for an impending threat by putting Sora and Riku through the Mark of Mastery exam.

Director: Tetsuya Nomura | Stars: Haley Joel Osment , David Gallagher , Ben Diskin , Richard Epcar

Votes: 1,030

39. Hava Nagila (2012)

Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary, Comedy, History

A documentary on the history, mystery, and meaning of the ubiquitous Jewish standard that follows the around-the-world journey of the song from Ukraine to Youtube. of the song "Hava Nagila."

Director: Roberta Grossman | Stars: Harry Belafonte , Regina Spektor , Glen Campbell , Leonard Nimoy

Votes: 279 | Gross: $0.37M

40. RetroBlasting (2012– )

Documentary, History

Classic toys and related media are examined.

Stars: Michael D. French , Melinda Mock , Joe Demmons , Gary Mitchel

41. Fringe (2008–2013) Episode: Letters of Transit (2012)

TV-14 | 43 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

In the future, the Observers rule and humans that survived the purge serve them. There are still a small number of people fighting for the resistance, and one of them has discovered one of ... See full summary  »

Director: Joe Chappelle | Stars: Anna Torv , Joshua Jackson , Lance Reddick , Blair Brown

Votes: 2,942

42. Fringe (2008–2013) Episode: Brave New World: Part 1 (2012)

TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

A mysterious Fringe event, causing people to spontaneously combust, forces Walter to revisit his painful past while the Fringe team faces off against David Robert Jones to save the world - or worlds.

Votes: 1,990

43. Fringe (2008–2013) Episode: Brave New World: Part 2 (2012)

In the Season Four finale, the Fringe team is pushed to their breaking point as they desperately attempt to prevent a catastrophic event threatening the lives of everyone.

Votes: 2,185

44. The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019) Episode: The Transporter Malfunction (2012)

TV-PG | 21 min | Comedy, Romance

Raj gets quite a surprise when he asks his parents to set him up on a date. Penny buys Leonard and Sheldon a pair of Star Trek keepsake collectibles.

Director: Mark Cendrowski | Stars: Johnny Galecki , Jim Parsons , Kaley Cuoco , Simon Helberg

Votes: 3,743

45. The Daily Show (1996– ) Episode: Michael Steele (2012)

TV-14 | 21 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show

Former RNC Chair and political analyst Michael Steele joins Jon in Tampa for the RNC.

Director: Chuck O'Neil | Stars: Jon Stewart , Leonard Nimoy , John Oliver , Michael Steele

46. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

PG-13 | 154 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Shia LaBeouf , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley , Tyrese Gibson , Josh Duhamel

Votes: 431,349 | Gross: $352.39M

47. Bruno Mars: The Lazy Song (Alternate Version) (2011 Music Video)

4 min | Music

The alternate video features Leonard Nimoy, who "enjoys the lazy life". During the music video Nimoy, who wears a robe and slippers all day, is seen "wandering around the neighborhood and ... See full summary  »

Director: Nez | Stars: Philip Lawrence , Bruno Mars , Leonard Nimoy , Arthur Richardson

48. The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards (2011 TV Special)

We open with a pre-recorded bit, in which Jane Lynch sits down with the faux-President of Television, Leonard Nimoy, who tells her that men find her woman-ish and women find her man-ish. (... See full synopsis  »

Directors: Joe DeMaio , Kabir Akhtar , Troy Miller | Stars: Jane Lynch , Akon , James Arness , Will Arnett

49. Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories (2011 Video)

13 min | Short, Sci-Fi

Stars: Bill Blackburn , James Doohan , DeForest Kelley , Mark Lenard

50. Fringe (2008–2013) Episode: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (2011)

TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

With the latest estimate that the team has only one day to save Olivia's consciousness, Walter leads a group on an LSD trip into Olivia's mind.

Votes: 2,522

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Leonard Nimoy Agreed To Return For Star Trek III Under One Condition

Leonard Nimoy had a love/hate with his role as Spock in the "Star Trek" franchise. When his autobiography "I Am Not Spock" was published in 1975, he was trying to make clear that Spock wasn't his sole identity. "The last year of 'Star Trek' [the series], the writing deteriorated badly," Nimoy said in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation . "I was so glad when it was over. I really was unhappy in that final season, but sad, sad because I knew what it could be if it was well-written and well-produced, and it wasn't." When the plan for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was being developed, all of Nimoy's old feelings of worry and disappointment came back, thanks in part to what was viewed as a lackluster script.

"I was not enamored with the first movie. I thought it was really not 'Star Trek,' it was something else. They were trying to do something else with 'Star Trek,'" he told John Blackstone in a 2005 interview . "And we did it and I thought, Well, that's done, we did the 'Star Trek' movie. And of course it didn't quite work out that way, we were just beginning."

To everyone's surprise, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" ended up making over $80 million, which guaranteed another film (via Box Office Mojo ). When the producers suggested a Spock death scene for the next film, Nimoy was delighted, assuming it would be the last film. But when " The Wrath of Khan " breathed new life into the franchise, Nimoy used its popularity to his advantage before agreeing to resurrect Spock for the next movie.

Leonard Nimoy would only return to the third film if he could also direct it

"They called me in for a meeting and said 'we'd like to know if you'd like to be involved in another "Star Trek" movie,' and I said 'yes, I'd like to direct it.' And that's how that started," Leonard Nimoy told the Television Academy Foundation . In his second autobiography "I Am Spock," Nimoy admitted that he made the bargain that he'd only return for the third film if he could direct it, because he wanted a challenge. He and William Shatner had both asked — and been turned down — to direct episodes of the "Star Trek" series, so he felt certain this was the leverage he needed.

"Star Trek III: The Search For Spock" is much more of a group effort than the first two films, which was exactly what Nimoy was going for. "I think I was influenced by my experience on 'Mission: Impossible,' where each character had a specific job to complete in any given adventure," Nimoy wrote in "I Am Spock," via StarTrek.com . "We worked, very consciously, to define special moments for each of the Enterprise bridge crew." And it worked, lending a camaraderie and unity among all the characters that was largely absent from the first two films.

"The Search for Spock" was well-received, and Nimoy went on to direct "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." Nimoy directing also had another effect — paving the way for William Shatner to direct the next film, " Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ," and countless other actors on the many series that were to come.

Leonard Nimoy Directs The Search for Spock

In 1984, Leonard Nimoy had directed a few television episodes, but never a motion picture. Yet the actor who gained fame playing Spock on Star Trek and its first two feature films was — if you’ll pardon the pun — a logical choice for directing The Search for Spock .

Ralph Winter, an associate producer of the third Star Trek film, told Enterprise Incidents in 1985 ( My Star Trek Scrapbook has the full interview ) that Nimoy was primarily selected because of his familiarity with the material.

Moreover, “I think it was bound to spark interest at the box office,” he said, “getting one of the cast of the family of Star Trek to be involved creatively in putting the show together.”

I think it turned out very nicely and Leonard knows about Vulcans and mysticism and everything that is involved with that little culture on film. Leonard knew about that and wanted to bring to life a lot of things that had been glossed over or never really developed before.

Not a one-take director

Charles Correll, director of photography, remembered Nimoy as a “casual director” in an interview with Cinefantastique that was published in June 1987.

He trusted me and he was very explicit about what he wanted. He let the cast do what they were used to.

Nimoy’s style wasn’t to drill the actors, but rather to shoot the same scene several times and pick the version he liked best.

He is not a one-take director. He had a tendency to do it a few times, maybe six, and print them. He does the same scene the same way and chooses the best.

Ending on Vulcan

Nimoy recalled in an interview with Starlog ( My Star Trek Scrapbook has the whole thing ) that there was some trepidation on the part of the executives. They weren’t sure about the story ending on Vulcan.

“I felt very, very strongly about that final sequence,” said Nimoy. “I wanted to end the film by bringing Spock to Vulcan and going through the ritual.”

Not being so familiar with Star Trek , the executives didn’t understand what that sequence would mean to the audience. They were worried about it and tried to convince me to substitute a different ending. They wanted to end with the dramatic escape from the Genesis Planet, getting Kirk and Spock on board the Klingon Bird of Prey, reviving Spock in the sickbay, doing a little tag scene and going home.

Nimoy argued — “vehemently” — against the notion and got his way. “I didn’t discuss the film with them again until I showed them my first cut.”

Classic tragedy

Reception to Nimoy’s directing abilities was largely positive, although some fans were appalled by the death of Kirk’s son and — perhaps more so — the destruction of the Enterprise .

Nimoy defended both decisions in the same Starlog interview.

He explained that the death of David Marcus had its roots in classic tragedy. It is the vengeance of fate wreaked upon the flawed character who created the problem. David had to pay the price for the pain and suffering he inflicted — internationally or not — by putting the Genesis device into operation prematurely.

The demise of the Enterprise was equally justifiable, according to Nimoy. “We didn’t destroy the Enterprise for cheap or inflammatory reasons, but because therein lay drama.”

As Nicholas Meyer said about killing Spock in Star Trek II , “We’re not playing games here. This isn’t a red herring, like they do on TV. Spock is really dead.” Destroying the Enterprise was the same.

Perhaps more than Nimoy could have imagined at that point. Just like Spock returned from the dead, so would the Enterprise , at the end of the next movie.

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Leonard Nimoy: a life in clips

The actor best remembered for playing Mr Spock on Star Trek enjoyed a varied career that took in directing, film work and television

Leonard Nimoy, actor who played Mr Spock on Star Trek, dies aged 83 To a Star Trek fan like me, Leonard Nimoy meant everything Leonard Nimoy obituary

Though discouraged by his parents, Leonard Nimoy always wanted to be an actor. He tried his hand in the theatre growing up in Boston and had his first major role at 17 in a version of Clifford Odets’s Awake and Sing. After a series of bit parts in movies, Nimoy landed his first starring role, as the title character in Kid Monk Baroni, a film about a gang member who becomes a boxer to get off the streets. The film, in its entirety, is available on YouTube.

The movie was not a major success, Nimoy’s subsequent fame being the only notable thing about it. After that disappointment, he took on small parts both in films and on television, appearing in film serials like Zombies of the Stratosphere (he was one of the zombies, which were really Martians) and classic TV shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Dragnet (twice), and Perry Mason. It wasn’t until 1966 when Nimoy got his big break playing Mr Spock, a very logical Vulcan who had a hard time fitting in with his human shipmates on the USS Enterprise. Here is he explaining how he is immune to cuteness on the show’s famous episode The Trouble with Tribbles.

Nimoy was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for all three seasons of Star Trek . When it ended in 1969, Nimoy joined the cast of spy drama Mission: Impossible in its fourth season. Nimoy played The Great Paris, a retired magician who was a master of disguise, could speak any language, and was great with accents. As you can see from this clip, his accents weren’t always as spectacular as advertised.

As well as his acting, Nimoy was celebrated for his deep, gravelly voice and he provided the voiceover or narration for many projects. From 1976 until 1982 he was the host and narrator of the pseudo-documentary series In Search Of … where cameras would go looking for things like Bigfoot, the Holy Grail and Jesse James.

Thanks to Star Trek, Nimoy could never duck his link to science-fiction and its very dedicated fan base, nor did he seem to want to. His filmography is peppered with gigs that involve aliens, time travel, multiple dimensions, and all sorts of things involving space. In 1978 he played one of the titular villains in a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Donald Sutherland.

Nimoy could never escape the gravitation pull of Mr Spock on his career. In 1979 Star Trek: the Motion Picture tried to capture the final frontier of the movies and, while a commercial success, was a critical flop. In 1982, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan fared much better both with fans and critics and the franchise was hot once again, though Spock sacrifices himself at the end of the second film to save the rest of the ship from the villain Khan. William Shatner parlayed his returned relevance into a starring role in TJ Hooker. Nimoy stopped by to guest-star in an episode and famously punched his once and future co-star on the mouth. It’s a pretty fake-looking punch.

Star Trek returned to the movies in 1984 with The Search for Spock where we find out that Spock is not dead – just missing. The film was well regarded and critics praised its pace and the dedication of the actors. This was especially meaningful for Nimoy, who directed. He was behind the camera once again for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where the crew of the Enterprise has to go back in time to 1986 to save some humpback whales.

Though the Star Trek movie franchise limped on for two more sequels in 1989 and 1991, they were the product of the law of diminishing returns. Nimoy, however, had a new career as a director to fall back on, not only with the Star Trek movies he helmed but also the 1987 smash hit Three Men and a Baby , something entirely outside of his sci-fi wheelhouse.

Nimoy stopped doing major work on either side of the camera in the mid-90s, instead doing voiceover work in animated movies or the narration on documentaries, including four years as the voice of the series Ancient Mysteries. Nimoy was mostly living the retired life but he would pop up here and there for a guest spot, most notably for a recurring role on Fox’s cult favorite show Fringe. When JJ Abrams rebooted the Star Trek franchise in 2009, Nimoy was the only original cast member to return, playing his former character in a time-bending twist that saw the old Spock meeting the new Spock, played by Zachary Quinto.

Nimoy returned to the role of Spock one more time in 2013 for Star Trek: Into Darkness where he advised his former self how to deal with Khan, the villain that killed Spock in a movie 30 years earlier. Though he played many different roles, big and small, over his varied career, its only fitting that Nimoy ended his career in the one role that defined him as an actor.

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• Star Trek (Culture)
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More on this story

Leonard Nimoy, actor who played Mr Spock on Star Trek, dies aged 83

Leonard Nimoy – a life in pictures

'Live long and prosper:' Star Trek fans say goodbye to Leonard Nimoy

How Leonard Nimoy grew to love Spock as much as we did

To a Star Trek fan like me, Leonard Nimoy meant everything

Leonard Nimoy: one of the best Simpsons cameos ever

Leonard Nimoy's other achievement: Three Men and a Baby

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How leonard nimoy was convinced to join the first ‘star trek’ movie.

Jeffrey Katzenberg flew across the country to entreat the actor, who did not care for 'Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry, to appear in the 1979 movie.

By Kim Masters

Kim Masters

Editor-at-Large

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Star Trek The Motion Picture Still - H 2015

The original script for the first Star Trek movie did not include Mr. Spock.

The project was conceived as what would have then been the most expensive television project ever, with a budget of $3.2 million. When that vision died, Paramount — which had watched other studios feast on Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind — decided to make a movie instead.

With a planned $18 million budget, the studio courted director Robert Wise ( West Side Story ), who took the job not because he loved the old television series but because his wife and father-in-law were fans. Based on their comments on the script, he told the top film executives at Paramount, Michael Eisner and a young Jeffrey Katzenberg , that Spock was essential.

But there was a big problem. Leonard Nimoy did not care at all for Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry , who had engaged him and then dropped him from another project without explanation. And he was suing Paramount for using his likeness on merchandise without his permission. When his agent called about the movie, Nimoy told him, “If you ever call me again about Star Trek , you’re fired.”

At the time, the actor was in New York appearing onstage in Equus . Katzenberg called and said he’d like to come see the play. Flattered that Katzenberg would fly across the country for that purpose, Nimoy agreed to meet with him.

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Leonard nimoy, the man who gave 'star trek' its heart.

Backstage two days later, Katzenberg pressed Nimoy to have coffee with him. In three more meetings over the following days, Katzenberg listened to Nimoy’s grievances about Roddenberry and Paramount. Katzenberg suggested that Nimoy could do the film while the litigation was pending, but Nimoy replied, “I just can’t do that. I’m sorry.”

Within a couple of weeks, Paramount settled the lawsuit. Nimoy received a check from the studio at 5 p.m. and a copy of the Star Trek script an hour later. By 7 p.m., Paramount rang to set up a meeting.

The troubles were far from over. Nimoy hated Roddenberry’s ideas, for one thing. But he realized that if he quit, he’d be answering questions for years to come about being the only holdout in the Star Trek movie. “How could I answer those questions?” he said later. “I didn’t like the script? I hated Gene? I was angry at the studio? I would be carrying that negative shit around with me for the next five years at least.” He resolved to be the creative conscience of the film.

Production started before the script was set. As the project fell weeks behind schedule, Nimoy and William Shatner devised a workable third act as Roddenberry was pushed aside. The budget climbed from $18 million to $45 million — staggering for the time. For Katzenberg, the ordeal almost derailed his career. (He briefly quit or was fired before Eisner brought him back.) The buzz on the movie was so negative that theaters tried to get out of playing it. But Paramount held them to their contracts so they would be forced to meet guarantees that the studio believed would offset inevitable losses from the movie. To everyone’s surprise, the film was a $82 million hit and with its sequels and spinoffs, became Paramount’s biggest franchise.

When Nimoy wanted to make his directorial debut on the third film in the series, Eisner was reluctant to entrust him with this now-valuable property. Nimoy was clear: Eisner needed a director, and he needed Spock — both problems that Nimoy could solve. “You and I are having a very important meeting,” he told Eisner. “This might be the last time we ever speak to each other. We’re either going to start working together on something, or we’re literally down to the final moments of our relationship!”

The result was another hit  — and Nimoy went on to direct the fourth Star Trek movie and other hits, including the 1987 smash 3 Men and a Baby . By then running the Disney studio, Eisner and Katzenberg were no longer in the Star Trek business, but they had been wise to keep Nimoy in the fold.

This article has been adapted from a section of Kim Masters’ book, Keys to the Kingdom: The Rise of Michael Eisner and the Fall of Everybody Else.

The Epic Disney Blow-Up of 1994: Eisner, Katzenberg and Ovitz 20 Years Later

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Here’s How Much Each Star Trek Movie Made at the Box Office Upon Release

Star Trek is one of the most lucrative franchises of all time. Let's look at each film's box office numbers.

Star Trek is a fascinating franchise. Originating as a television series that was canceled after three seasons, it quickly grew into a cult classic when it hit syndication, inspiring some of the first fan conventions. The series then made the leap to the big screen and is one of the most successful film franchises based on a television series. The film series has been both a continuation of the original series, a spin-off for Star Trek: The Next Generation , and a reboot.

There is a perception that Star Trek has never been mainstream, and it is certainly more "geeky" than other pop culture properties. Yet the box office results of the Star Trek franchise show that the franchise, for most of its history, was able to captivate mainstream audiences, even those who had never watched an episode of the television series.

The film series has had its ups and downs, and while it was never the box office sensation that Star Wars was, it was and still is popular. While fans wait for news on Star Trek 4 , here is how much every Star Trek film made at the worldwide box office adjusted for inflation.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) - $595,630,333

Star trek: the motion picture.

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Star Trek: The Motion Picture premiered in 1979, 10 years after Star Trek: The Original Series was canceled. The movie originated as a new series titled Star Trek: Phase II before being upgraded to a feature film following the box office success of Star Wars . With Academy Award-winning director Robert Wise at the helm, the movie follows James Kirk, now an admiral, assuming command of the recently refitted Starship USS Enterprise to lead a mission to save the planet and determine the origins of a new cosmic threat that they soon will discover have ties to Earth. The movie was highly anticipated, but it also had many problems behind the scenes and did not even have test screenings due to the film being edited to the last minute.

A Disappointing Box Office Hit

At the time of its release, Star Trek: The Motion Picture set a box office record for the highest opening weekend gross , making $11.9 million in its first three days, beating the record set by Superman: The Movie , which opened the previous year. The movie was the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 1979, and it sold more tickets than any other Star Trek film until 2009's Star Trek . Adjusted for inflation, the movie's worldwide gross would be $595 million. Despite all that, Paramount Pictures saw the movie as a disappointment compared to expectations and marketing costs.

The movie's massive opening weekend was offset by the fact that it was the most expensive movie at the time, with a budget of $44 million. The movie received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. It did make enough money to warrant a sequel, but it was clear they would need to go back to the drawing board. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - $308,074,930

Star trek 2: the wrath of khan.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan looked to get the franchise back on track, with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry having less creative control than he did on the previous film. The movie brought back Ricardo Montalbán as Khan from The Original Series episode "Space Seed", with the movie acting as a continuation of that episode.

Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise must stop Khan from gaining control of the Genesis device, a machine that can restore or destroy planets. While Kirk defeats his former enemy, it comes at great cost as Spock sacrifices himself to save the crew. This moment shocked fans and helped make the movie a must-see. The Wrath of Khan still influences the franchise to this day.

Star Trek Truly Returns

Much like Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan broke the opening weekend box office record when it opened in theaters on June 4, 1982, grossing $14 million over the three-day weekend. The film ended its run with $78 million domestically and $96 million worldwide. Adjusted for inflation, that is $308 million worldwide.

Despite bringing in less money than Star Trek: The Motion Picture , due to the fact that The Wrath of Khan cost less to make, it was a more profitable film as Wrath of Khan had a budget of $12 million, a cost it made back in its opening weekend and was almost four times less expensive than Star Trek: The Motion Picture . It also received stronger critical reviews from fans and critics alike, with the movie still considered the best Star Trek film yet. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) - $259,849,489

Star trek iii: the search for spock.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock looked to undo the bold ending of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . While this certainly would anger fans today, what helped was the fact that Leonard Nimoy stepped into the director's chair and was the man who guided the resurrection of his popular character.

The movie centers on the crew of the Enterprise looking to bring Spock back from the dead after they discover he left part of his soul inside Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, while a Vulcan named Kurge (Christopher Lloyd) looks to take the secrets of the Genesis device. Kirk is able to resurrect Spock but pays a heavy price as Kurge kills his son, leaving Kirk with a hatred for Vulcans that will carry over into the sixth film.

Star Trek Is Here to Stay

Star Trek: The Search for Spock cost $16 million, which is also what the film made back in its opening weekend to take the number one spot. The movie grossed $76.5 million domestically and $87 million worldwide (adjusted for inflation $259 million), so it did gross less than Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan and cost more, but it was not seen as a disappointment.

The movie did face heavy competition that summer, as it was released the week after Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and a week before Ghostbusters and Gremlins. The film turned a healthy profit due to its low budget and the high demand for Star Trek , which the creators would capitalize on by beginning development on a new series, Star Trek: The Next Generation , which would air in 1987. Stream on Paramount+.

Related: Star Trek Movies in Order: How to Watch Chronologically and by Release Date

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) - $376,581,733

Star trek iv: the voyage home.

Even if one has not seen Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , they most likely know it as "the whale movie." When an alien probe threatens to destroy Earth as it attempts to contact now-extinct humpback whales, the crew of the Enterprise travels to Earth's past to find whales who can answer the probe's call.

In contrast to many of the films in the franchise, there is no villain, and it also takes place in the then contemporary present of 1986. Leonard Nimoy returned to direct the film in what would become one of the biggest films in the franchise.

A Breakout Hit with Non-Fans

The less sci-fi heavy premise, fish-out-of-water comedy angle of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home made it a big hit with audiences, for both hardcore Star Trek fans and even those who never watched the original series or movies . Opening over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend of 1986, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home made $39.6 million in its first five days of release, ending the eight-week run of Crocodile Dundee .

By the sixth week of release, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home sold more tickets than the previous two films and was close to approaching the total of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . By the end of its run, it grossed $109 million domestically, which made it the highest-grossing Star Trek film domestically until 2009's Star Trek . Combine that with an impressive $133 million worldwide total ($376 million adjusted for inflation) against a $21 million budget. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is one of the biggest hits in the franchise and is still beloved by fans today. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) - $175,684,558

Star trek v: the final frontier.

After Nimoy got to direct the previous two Star Trek films, Shatner would only return for a fifth film if he got to direct, so he was given the reigns of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . Inspired by the phenomenon of televangelism at the time, the film focuses on the crew of the Enterprise confronting Spock's half-brother Sybok, looking to contact God at the center of the universe. The film was rushed into production during the 1988 Writer's Strike, which resulted in a mess of a movie that almost killed the franchise .

Disappointment Both Critically and Financially

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is often seen as both the worst entry in the origina l Star Trek films but also in the wider franchise. It opened in the summer of 1989, the poor audience and critical reaction, combined with competition from films like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghostbusters 2, Honey I Shrunk the Kids , and, of course, Tim Burton's Batman , made Star Trek V: The Final Frontier look worse by comparison.

The film had a budget of $30 million and grossed $52 million domestically and $70 million worldwide, which was not only a major fall from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home but also the second and third film. Even with the $175 million adjusted for inflation, it is still a big disappointment. With The Next Generation now on the air and becoming the new face of Star Trek , it was clear the original cast time might be coming to an end, but they wanted to make sure the cast got to go out on a high note. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) - $220,757,522

Star trek vi: the undiscovered country.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country looked to give the crew of The Original Series the final farewell they deserved. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer returned to helm the movie with a story by Leonard Nimoy that looked to be the space version of the Berlin Wall coming down and the end of the Cold War as the Federation and the Klingons, two sworn enemies, finally make peace.

Kirk, blinded by his hatred for the species after one of them killed his son back in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , is easily framed for the murder of the Klingon ambassador, and the film becomes a conspiracy thriller to find the real killer, clear Kirk's name, and assure peach between the Federation and Klingon Empire.

A Fitting Farewell

Released in December 1991, hoping to repeat the same success Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home had during the holiday season, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country had a budget of $27 million and grossed $74 million at the domestic box office with a $96 million worldwide total which is $220 million adjusted for inflation. The movie grossed $18 million in its opening weekend, setting the three-day opening weekend record for the franchise.

Released to tie in with the franchise's 25th anniversary, the movie received a large amount of publicity, which included Leonard Nimoy appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation 's two-part episode "Unification," which aired a month before the film's release. Combined with strong reviews, it was a worthy final installment for the crew of Star Trek: The Original Series , and the stage was set for a new crew: The Next Generation. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Generations (1994) - $247,237,111

Star trek: generations.

Star Trek: Generations saw the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation take over the film franchise. The movie premiered only six months after the last episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired. The film's big hook was the meeting fans had been hoping to see for years: William Shatner's James T. Kirk would meet Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard. The two most famous Captains in the history of Star Trek would finally meet and that was enough of a pitch to sell the movie to audiences and would also kill off Captain Kirk .

Passing the Box Office Torch

Star Trek: Generations got a big marketing push, including being the first movie ever to have an official website to market a feature film. The movie opened number one at the box office with $23.1 million in its opening weekend. The movie grossed $75 million at the domestic box office and $118 million worldwide, which, adjusted for inflation, would be $247 million worldwide.

With a budget of $35 million, the movie was a box office hit and set the stage for The Next Generation cast to have their own Star Trek film series, with the sequel set to be even bigger. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996) - $288,822,500

Star trek: first contact.

Star Trek: First Contact looked to combine the two most popular Star Trek films, The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home , into one movie. It featured a revenge story with The Next Generation 's biggest enemies, The Borg , similar to The Wrath of Khan , bringing back the character of Khan mixed with a time travel story like The Voyage Home .

The crew of The Next Generation travels back in time to stop the Borg from conquering the planet, while Jean-Luc Piccard also confronts his own PTSD from being assimilated by The Borg back in the Next Generation two-part episode "The Best of Both Worlds."

Star Trek Feels Bigger Than Ever

Putting the most popular villain of Star Trek: The Next Generation front and center in the marketing certainly helped as Star Trek: First Contact opened with $30 million and then went on to gross $92 million and a worldwide total of $146 million, which was the best box office for the franchise since Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ten years prior.

Until the release of Star Trek in 2009, it was the highest-grossing Star Trek film at the worldwide box office. With an adjusted worldwide total of $288 million, this certainly painted the picture that The Next Generation cast could go for as many years as the original crew, but sadly, they would face two disappointing sequels that would kill any momentum. S tream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) - $214,348,942

Star trek: insurrection.

Star Trek: Insurrection follows the crew of the USS Enterprise -E as they rebel against Starfleet after they discover a conspiracy with a species known as the Son'a to steal the peaceful Ba'ku's planet. Insurrection is known for having a troubled production, as the movie underwent many rewrites and even major changes following test screenings. While two other Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine and Voyager , were on the air, this was the beginning of the Star Trek franchise beginning to lose audiences.

Audiences Start to Lose Interest

Star Trek: Insurrection was seen as a big stumble. Despite taking the number one spot in its opening weekend with $22.1 million, that was below the opening weekend of Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: First Contact . The film received mixed negative reactions from fans and critics, who felt that the movie felt more like an expensive episode of the television show than a big-screen epic.

The movie did gross $70 million domestically, but that was also the price of its production budget, so this movie needed the $117 million worldwide to be deemed a hit. Unfortunately, things were only about to get worse for Star Trek . Stream on Paramount+.

Related: Star Trek 4: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)-$116,154,849

Star trek: nemesis.

Star Trek: Nemesis saw the Star Trek franchise enter the 21st century in a rough way. The film had a big hook, with a clone of Jean-Luc Picard named Shinzon ( played by a young Tom Hardy ) taking control of the Romulan Empire as he declares war with the Federation and with the original Picard. The movie looked to be the darkest entry in the franchise, with an ending that killed off Data in a manner similar to the death of Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

The Film That Killed The Franchise (For a While)

Star Trek: Nemesis was a box office disaster in many ways. It grossed $18 million in its opening weekend, which was not only lower than the previous three Star Trek films but also the first time a Star Trek movie did not open to number one at the box office as the movie was beaten by the Jennifer Lopez/Matthew McConaughey rom-com, Maid in Manhattan . It grossed $43 million domestically, the lowest-grossing film in the franchise, and that is unadjusted for inflation.

With just $67 million worldwide, it barely made more than its $60 million budget, which made the movie an outright flop. Facing stiff competition from films like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , Die Another Day, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , and The Santa Clause 2 , Star Trek: Nemesis 's failure kept the franchise off the big screen for seven years. For the series to properly return, it would need to be rebooted. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek (2009) - $557,883,582

Director J.J. Abrams looked to update Star Trek for a modern audience, rebooting the series with new actors taking on the iconic roles of the crew of the Enterprise. The film's script features a clever twist as it is a reboot, but also is a prequel, as it features younger versions of the characters, but also a sequel to The Original Series, as the film's rebooted timeline is kicked off by an older Spock (Leonard Nimoy reprising his role) creating the new timeline by traveling back.

The movie gave Star Trek a summer blockbuster infusion, with big bombastic trailers and state-of-the-art visual effects that looked to give fans the Star Trek of the original series on a budget like never before.

Star Trek Blasts Off Into a New Era

J.J Abrams's Star Trek roared into the summer movie season with a $75 million opening weekend, which was the biggest opening weekend for the franchise but adjusted and unadjusted for inflation. The movie became the highest-grossing entry in the Star Trek film franchise, unadjusted for inflation, with $257 million, which also made it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2009.

Worldwide, it had a total of $385 million ($557 million adjusted for inflation). The film was originally supposed to be released on Christmas 2008 but was delayed to summer 2009, a decision that paid off as the movie looked even better by comparison as it was a blockbuster that got rave critical reviews due to not being impacted by the 2007-2008 writer's strike such as other summer movies that year like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra . Star Trek was back in a big way. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - $622,585,229

Star trek into darkness.

Star Trek Into Darkness was the sequel to 2009's Star Trek . The movie used the rebooted timeline to put a new spin on The Wrath of Khan , featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as this new incarnation of Khan while dropping the new young crew of the Enterprise into a mission that involves a political conspiracy regarding a secret black ops subsection of Starfleet, the Klingon Empire, and a push for war following the events of the destruction of Vulcan.

Like many of J.J. Abrams's films, the movie put a great deal of emphasis on mysteries and secrets, even hiding the fact that Cumberbatch was playing Khan despite fans calling it early on.

A Mixed but Successful Result

Star Trek Into Darkness opened to $84.1 million over its extended four-day opening (it was released on a Thursday as opposed to a Friday). While it grossed less than its predecessor domestically, with $228 million, worldwide, it actually outperformed the previous movie. Star Trek Into Darkness grossed $467 million worldwide, with $238 million coming from foreign markets.

Considering how Star Trek had always been a franchise that never translated well overseas to big box office numbers, this was a big win for Paramount Pictures as, to date, the film is the highest-grossing Star Trek film worldwide. Stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek Beyond (2016) - $444,104,691

Star trek beyond.

Despite being a box office hit, Star Trek Into Darkness was seen as a disappointment for many, and the studio wanted to go in a different direction for the next film, putting the emphasis on new plots and villains to celebrate the franchise's fiftieth anniversary. J.J. Abrams would move on to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens , allowing Justin Lin to step into the director's seat for Star Trek Beyond .

The film looked to be the true big-budget version of an episode of The Original Series that the films had never actually done, with the plot involving the crew of the Enterprise investigating a strange message on a deserted planet only to be stranded by a mysterious villain with ties to the Federation. Split up on the planet, the crew will need to reunite and test the unity of the Federation against a threat that believes unity has made the galaxy weak.

A Disappointing Box Office for a Strong Movie

Despite the Star Trek 50th anniversary push and strong positive reviews, Star Trek: Beyond disappointed at the box office. While it claimed the number one spot in its opening weekend, it grossed $59.3 million, which was well below the $70 million plus opening weekends of Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness . It finished its domestic run with $158 million, $99 million below 2009's Star Trek .

Worldwide, it brought in $343 million (adjusted for inflation $444 million). Star Trek Beyond was just one of many high-profile box office disappointing sequels released in the summer of 2016 , including X-Men: Apocalypse, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Independence Day Resurgence, and Jason Bourne .

While Star Trek Beyond certainly looked better by comparison to them, it was still a major hit to the franchise and one it has not been able to shake as Star Trek 4 has languished in development hell for eight years now, making for the longest gap between Star Trek films in the franchise's history. Stream on Paramount+.

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Published Mar 6, 2016

Remembering Leonard Nimoy

February 27, 2016, was the first anniversary of the passing of Leonard Nimoy. It is possibly a universal reaction to death for those of us left behind to think of the last time we saw a late friend or loved one in person. That last interaction, that last vision, is often a meteor strike to our memory leaving an indelible and permanent mark. The last time we saw Leonard Nimoy in person was during his retirement appearance on October 2, 2011, and the Creation Entertainment’s Official 45th Anniversary Star Trek Convention in Rosemont, Illinois.

Leonard’s final in-person convention appearance began with emotional words from host Adam Malin, who introduced a special tribute video that had been assembled featuring all of the seven main actors of Star Trek (2009) , along with director J.J. Abrams, providing good wishes for Leonard’s retirement from both live convention appearances and acting. The best moment was in reaction to the question, “describe Leonard Nimoy in three words” when Karl Urban, mustering his best Dr. McCoy vibe, used the phrase “green-blooded, hobgoblin” as his answer. The audience roared with laughter because the affectionate joke was as much an emotional thank you to Leonard, to his character of Spock, and to DeForest Kelley - all in the same moment. More emotionally, Karl Urban also thanked Leonard for “over 40 years of absolutely magical work.”

Leonard had begun appearing at conventions during 1973 when he attended a New York City con held February 16th to the 19th that year, a surprise to the audience. When Leonard walked onto the stage for what would be his last in-person appearance almost 40 years later in 2011, there was thunderous applause, to be certain, but also a sense of palpable gratitude for being able to see him again once last time at a convention. Leonard’s family was gathered with him to enjoy the moment.

Leonard began a nearly hour-long presentation in which he shared his life story through words, pictures and even through his poetry. Images of Leonard’s life in the West End of Boston growing up and stories of how, while a cab driver, a conversation with passenger Senator John F. Kennedy provided him with needed inspiration to continue acting during his early days struggling to find work were a few of the highlights.

There was one moment that gave us something to look forward to, despite the focus on the past. Leonard mentioned something very cryptic near the end of his speech, saying that he while he was also retiring from acting, he had some commitments that he made previously, and that we may see him “pop up” again from time to time. We immediately looked at each other and thought the same thing: could that be a hint that Leonard was going to in the next Star Trek film again? We were thrilled to eventually see that with Leonard’s important cameo in Star Trek Into Darkness he was indeed trying to telegraph a message to fans that October day that endings are never really such a thing: there are always possibilities.

When the time arrived for Leonard to leave, he did so with grace and quietly, while fans in the sold-out room held up a sign that said what everyone was feeling, “We love you Leonard.” Creation Entertainment had made a cake in Leonard’s honor, and in a kind gesture, Leonard asked that the cake be shared with the audience of fans as he signed autographs.

To be certain, Leonard Nimoy wasn’t done giving to the world despite that retirement appearance. He would eventually share his struggles with COPD during his retirement, even making fans like us his honorary grandchildren on Twitter if they promised never to smoke or to quit. He made priceless, funny commercials with Zachary Quinto and humorous music video appearances for family members. A man so talented and unique as Leonard Nimoy could never truly retire. He cared too much about the world and the people in it to not continue having effects.

But, that October, 2011, day would be the last time most fans would get a chance to see Leonard in person, not on Skype or a movie screen. It was a special day during which we got to thank him for all that he gave us; and he got to thank fans for supporting his visions and artistry. It is the moment we first think of whenever we think of Leonard Nimoy now. An intimate gathering with 2,000 friends and the man who brought us all together. We more than miss you Leonard. As the sign we all held up in 2011 said, “We love you.”

Maria Jose and John Tenuto are both sociology professors at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, specializing in popular culture and subculture studies. The Tenutos have conducted extensive research on the history of Star Trek, and have presented at venues such as Creation Conventions and the St. Louis Science Center. They have written for the official Star Trek Magazine and their extensive collection of Star Trek items has been featured in SFX Magazine. Their theory about the “20-Year Nostalgia Cycle” and research on Star Trek fans has been featured on WGN News, BBC Radio, and in the documentary The Force Among Us. They recently researched all known paperwork from the making of the classic episode "Space Seed" and are excited to be sharing some previously unreported information about Khan's first adventure with fellow fans. Contact the Tenutos at [email protected] or [email protected].

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William Shatner Is Wrong About His Regret for Kirk's Death Scene

• Star Trek: Generations aimed to honor the franchise's past while paving the way for the future, bringing iconic characters together.
• William Shatner's regret over Captain Kirk's death scene stems from his final line portrayal, not the decision to include it.
• Star Trek: Generations marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, providing fans with more time with their hero.

Thirty years ago, Star Trek was ready to boldly go from Star Trek: The Original Series era of movies to make Star Trek: The Next Generation into the next film franchise. Still, in order to bring along the people who supported the six previous installments, they wanted to honor the past while paving the way for the future. The most significant moment was when William Shatner returned as Captain James T. Kirk just to die in 1994's Star Trek: Generations. The film didn't quite stick the landing for fans or, it seems, Shatner himself.

After the success of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , many in the veteran cast were reluctant to return, especially since it was going to end their characters' stories for good. Similarly, the new cast almost wanted to ensure Generations was their movie, while still being gracious hosts and stewards of the Star Trek legacy. Both DeForrest Kelly and Leonard Nimoy (who was offered the role of director) passed on the film because they felt it diminished their characters' legacy to cameo-fodder, according to Shatner in The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman. The Kirk actor would also regret the film , but for a much different reason.

Why William Shatner Calls Kirk's Death in Star Trek: Generations His Biggest Regret

William shatner joins leonard nimoy's family in remembering the star trek legend.

When considering producer Rick Berman's relative feature film inexperience and the studio-mandated decision to make it concurrently with The Next Generation's final season, Star Trek: Generations is a much better film than it has any right to be. While promoting the documentary You Can Call Me Bill , William Shatner admits he doesn't regret doing the movie. For what it's worth, the scenes in which Captain Kirk appear are welcome to longtime fans.

The actor's only regret is his final line-reading as Captain Kirk. "In my mind, I failed horribly. I wish that I’d had the backing and the courage to do the things I felt I needed to do," Shatner said in an interview. After helping Captain Picard stop Soren (played by Malcolm McDowell), Kirk is crushed to death under debris. He doesn't go quickly nor does he seem to be in pain. In fact, he talks about how "fun" it was to help Picard "make a difference." Shatner wanted his final line of dialogue, "Oh my," to play with a lifelong explorer's amazement at the threshold to the truly final frontier.

To him, that's not what's there in the take the director used. Shatner thinks Captain Kirk's last words play as fear, and the last thing he wanted for his most iconic character was to send him off that way . While the scene can play that way, at the same time, looking at it as if Kirk is fearful at the moment of his death diminishes the equally nuanced performance by Shatner.

Would William Shatner Want the Chance to Redo Kirk's Death Scene?

How william shatner unearthed star trek: tng's early troubles.

In 2023, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds co-showrunner Akiva Goldsman said he was open to digitally recreating characters for retcon purposes . At the time, he was speaking about completely erasing the death from the Star Trek timeline, but also admitted there was no plan to do so. Still, Goldsman, Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas and other Star Trek fans all felt that Captain Kirk's death was mishandled. However, it had nothing to with William Shatner's performance, but rather the lines and scenes he was given to play. Knowing that he regrets the scene as it is in the film, there may be another option.

The idea of undoing the events of Generations would be a disservice to The Next Generation cast and even Matalas' own Season 3 of Picard . Perhaps there is a way to snatch Kirk out of harm's way at the last second, but it's hard to see how such a retcon would serve Generations ' story or the character's overall arc. However, as George Lucas proved with Star Wars ' Special Editions, just because a movie is decades old doesn't mean it can't be tweaked. William Shatner is preserving himself with interactive AI , though for his family not Hollywood. Still, it means he might be open to using AI and deepfake technology to get one more take of that "Oh my."

If it truly is a regret that eats at William Shatner and his legacy as Captain Kirk, then it should be his choice . If Paramount is willing to spend the money and Shatner is game, he could redo it. Yet, it's not something he must do because Shatner is wrong about Captain Kirk's death coming across as fearful. Taking into account his long history with the character, the way he delivers Kirk's final line is something fans can (and should) debate from now until the real 24th Century.

Fans Who Think Captain Kirk Is Afraid of Death Don't Understand Him

Which star trek captains capture the spirit of jim kirk and william shatner.

Actors are naturally self-critical, and at 93 years old, William Shatner is perhaps more reflective now than he ever was before. He is right that audiences could watch Kirk's death scene in a vacuum and see it as fearful. Yet, anyone who has seen a tenth of his work in Star Trek should know Kirk would not fear death . At worst, the "Oh my" plays as something unexpected . As Bones said in The Search for Spock , Kirk "take[s] death and turn[s] it into a fighting chance to live." As Kirk is recounting to Picard how fun the adventure was for him, perhaps he hadn't yet realized there was no turning this one around.

Yet, Captain Kirk isn't just a space-cowboy getting in and out of scrapes across the galaxy. He is, at his core, an explorer. He isn't as contemplative as Spock nor emotionally attuned as McCoy. The power of his experience doesn't usually hit Kirk until he's in the thick of it. He doesn't overreact, but he does acknowledge the wonder. Knowing this, the "Oh my," doesn't just play as surprise. Like in the Genesis cave or on the planet Sha-Ka-Ree, Kirk discovers that oncoming death isn't a door closing, but opening on an experience unlike any he'd imagined .

Feelings about how Captain Kirk dies aside, Star Trek: Generations gives audiences more time with their hero. The Next Generation never commented on it directly, but the implication was that Kirk was long dead. Generations didn't "kill" Kirk, time did that. The movie brought him back, if only for a short while. The scene in which Kirk explains to Picard why life in the Nexus is not for him is one of the character's best. The movie understands what motivated him in the series and films that preceded it. Yet, it's still not how most fans think Kirk should have met his ultimate fate.

Captain James T. Kirk Should've Died on the Bridge of 'a' USS Enterprise

William shatner's quick thinking saved star trek's interracial kiss milestone.

There was nothing wrong with the decision to film Captain Kirk's death scene nor with William Shatner's performance of it . Still, it is fair to complain about how it happened. Considering the USS Enterprise-D was also destroyed in the film, he should've been in command of the saucer section. Put another way, Kirk should've gone down with the ship saving the lives of a Starfleet crew a century after his time.

If any Star Trek captain deserved a blaze of glory , it's Captain James T. Kirk. In the commentary track with Moore and Braga, the two writers discussed countless versions of the final sequence, with Moore saying he didn't "even know where this bridge stuff came from." Still, both he and Braga wanted Kirk's final line to be "It was fun," as commentary on the entire Star Trek adventure. "Oh my," was Shatner's line. In The Fifty-Year Mission both Moore and Braga admit they would've liked more time to work on the story.

Production schedules and budgets were largely in command of where characters appeared and what they did. It would've also been difficult to logically divine a reason for Kirk to stay on the bridge of the saucer section while everyone else escaped. It would've been awesome to watch, but it may not have made much sense. As it stands, in Generations , Kirk dies saving billions of lives after first almost dying saving the lives of a ship of refugees and the newly-minted USS Enterprise-B. Was it a "good death?" Maybe not. But it was a heroic one just the same.

Star Trek is not real-life with fantastic technologies like transporters or warp drive. Yet, what makes it so enduring is that the relationships at the stories' cores feel as real as any other fiction. Both Kirk's death and William Shatner's regret provide a unique layer of authenticity to that scene . Death doesn't give people a second take, even larger-than-life figures. Sometimes seemingly small acts have a huge impact and an even bigger cost.

Star Trek: Generations is available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, digital and streams on HBO Max.

Star Trek: Generations

With the help of long presumed dead Captain Kirk, Captain Picard must stop a deranged scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix.

Director David Carson

Release Date November 18, 1994

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Marina Sirtis, Alan Ruck, James Doohan, Gates McFadden, Malcolm McDowell

Writers Rick Berman, Gene Roddenberry, Ronald D. Moore

Runtime 1 Hour 58 Minutes

Main Genre Science Fiction

Genres Mystery, Action, Science Fiction, Adventure

Production Company Paramount Pictures

Star Trek's Nazi Portrayal Got A Season 2 Episode Banned In Germany For Decades

In the "Star Trek" episode "Patterns of Force" (February 16, 1968), Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) visit the pre-warp planet of Ekos to find out what happened to John Gill (David Brian), an old history professor of Kirk's. Ekos, they find, has been culturally contaminated by Gill, as he taught them all about Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and the Ekosians have rearranged their society to match. They wear Nazi uniforms, praise John Gill as their Führer, and plan to exterminate their peaceful neighbor planet Zeon. The Zeon characters have names like Izak and Abrom. 

There is also a secret resistance that Kirk and Spock can hide out with, and they eventually find a way to confront John Gill. Gill, they find, has been propped up by one of the more zealously Nazi Ekosians, and has been kept in line with drugs. Gill admits that he landed on Ekos finding it to be disorganized and chaotic, and only aimed to put an efficient system into place. Shockingly, Gill came to the conclusion that Nazi Germany was the most efficient government he could think of, and implemented Nazism for practical reasons. I guess Gill was not a very good historian, otherwise he might have remembered ANYTHING ELSE about the Nazis. 

There are a few scenes of Shatner and Nimoy — both Jewish actors — wearing full Nazi regalia. It's a bleak episode to be sure. Actress Valora Noland, who played the resistance fighter Daras, reportedly retired from acting after having to wear a Nazi armband for the part. The Nazi imagery and the sentiment that Nazis were the most efficient system of government ever devised kept "Patterns of Force" off German television for many years. 

Postwar Germany

In Germany, the display of Nazi imagery, the flying of Nazi flags, and the vaunting of Nazi rhetoric are illegal, unless they are being presented in either an artistic or educational context. Indeed, only 11 countries around the world legally allow the display of Nazi images: Canada, Finland, Iran, Japan, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan, Switzerland, and the United States. Germany has also made Holocaust Denial illegal, as did they the wearing of Nazi uniforms and participation in Nazi-themed websites. A portion of their laws called Section 130  has strictly criminalized hate speech, which bans, according to Dateline, "incitement to hatred and insults that assault human dignity against people based on their racial, national, religious, or ethnic background." 

Section 130 was written in the 1870s, but took on new life in the early 1950s to assure that Nazism remain silenced. It wouldn't be until 1994 that Holocaust Denial was banned explicitly. 

"Patterns of Force" may fall in the exception mentioned above for "artistic context," but the makers of the episode — director Vincent McEveety and writer John Meredyth Lucas — mishandled the episode's messaging. "Patterns of Force" may end with the defeat of the Nazi regime, but not before a character explicitly complimented how efficient the Nazi Party was. Dialogue complimenting Nazis was not allowed in Germany under Section 130, and the episode was banned from broadcast. It's the only "Star Trek" episode to have that distinction . 

Indeed, "Patterns" remained banned for many years. When "Star Trek" returned to German TV in the 1970s, "Patterns" was left out of the rotation. The episode wasn't dubbed into German until 1995 and only showed on pay TV in 1996. The first public German broadcast of "Patterns of Force" occurred in 2011. 

The Triumph of the Will

"Patterns of Force" also included film clips of actual Nazi rallies. While Kirk and Spock are investigating John Gill, they find a store of Nazi film reels depicting scenes of Adolf Hitler in his car. These were taken from Leni Riefenstahl's infamous documentary "Triumph of the Will," a widespread piece of Nazi propaganda. "Triumph of the Will" is about the 1934 Nazi congress in Nuremberg, and shows Hitler making speeches and soldiers saluting him. For many years in American film school, "Triumph of the Will" was taught as an example of superior film technique being wielded for immoral means, and the power of media to disseminate political ugliness. Studying the making of Riefenstahl's film may offer young film students some insight. No one ever needs to actually watch it. 

While "Star Trek" doesn't comment on the footage, audiences in 1968 would indeed have seen it as shocking and dark. It had only been 23 years since the end of World War II, and many people still remembered it first-hand. One can see the makers of "Patterns of Force" were trying to offer a critique of Nazism, and how easily a world can fall back into those, well, patterns of force. Fascism, the episode argues, can take hold more easily than you think. 

But "Star Trek" was perhaps too objective, ignoring the terrors of the Holocaust and fliply complimenting Nazi efficiency. It's like that old saw about how fascism "at least gets the trains to run on time." Perhaps the makers of "Patterns of Force" felt that enough time had passed that they could speak objectively about Nazism . Sadly, that involved dressing Jewish actors in Nazi uniforms, and that's a hard image to get around. 

In closing: punch Nazis.

Screen Rant

Replicants in star trek ds9’s blade runner link explained.

Star Trek: DS9 introduced its very own replicant, drawing a link with Blade Runner and revealing Gene Roddenberry and Philip K Dick's similarities.

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine featured its very own replicant, drawing a direct link to the dystopian world of Blade Runner.
• Lt. Commander Data's struggle for individuality mirrors Blade Runner's themes, while O'Brien's replicant in DS9 is hunted like Roy Batty.
• Blade Runner connections extend beyond DS9, with actors and stunt performers bridging the gap between the two beloved sci-fi franchises.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine made a direct link between the Harrison Ford movie Blade Runner and the Star Trek franchise by featuring its very own replicant. Based on Phillip K Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Ridley Scott's 1982 movie was much more dystopian than the utopian science fiction of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek . Intriguingly, an archived lot at Heritage Auctions reveals that Philip K. Dick was in possession of a Star Trek: The Original Series writer's guide , suggesting that Gene Roddenberry had sought to recruit the acclaimed sci-fi author.

Though his positronic brain was based on the work of author Isaac Asimov, the struggles of Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) to be seen as an individual, treads similar thematic ground to Blade Runner and Dicks' original novel. However, the most explicit reference to Ridley Scott's sci-fi movie comes in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 14, "Whispers". The episode, in which Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) returns to Deep Space Nine to find everyone acting strangely, introduced Star Trek 's very first replicant.

Sci-fi author Isaac Asimov was friends with Gene Roddenberry and served as a science consultant on Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Chief O'Brien's 10 Best Star Trek TNG & DS9 Episodes

Star trek: ds9’s link to blade runner’s replicants explained.

The twist ending of "Whispers" reveals that Chief O'Brien has been replaced by a duplicate that genuinely believes that they're the real deal . When writing this episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Paul Coyle decided that he couldn't refer to the O'Brien duplicate as an android because that would draw a link with Brent Spiner's Star Trek character , Data. Paul Coyle further discussed how he approached the O'Brien reveal in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , saying:

" Obviously, this guy wasn't a clone or an android or a robot. So what's left? I used replicant and nobody objected. "

Replicant is obviously a direct nod to Blade Runner , and characters like Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and Pris (Daryl Hannah). Both characters are also synthetic humans that have gained sentience and individuality, but are being hunted by Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard. There's a small echo, or whisper, of Blade Runner in the way that the O'Brien replicant dies in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , seemingly turning himself off, like Rutger Hauer's Roy in Blade Runner .

Another big influence on "Whispers" was the classic Don Siegel movie Invasion of the Bodysnatchers , the remake of which starred Star Trek 's Leonard Nimoy.

Other Links Between Star Trek And Blade Runner

Chief O'Brien's replicant isn't the only link between Star Trek and Blade Runner . The biggest connection is probably Joanna Cassidy, who played Zhora, the exotic dancer that Deckard guns down in Blade Runner . Cassidy later appeared as the Vulcan T'Les in two episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise season 4. T'Les was the mother of Enterprise 's T'Pol (Jolene Blalock), and was also an instructor at the Vulcan Sciences Academy. As well as Joanna Cassidy, a number of stunt performers from Blade Runner have also worked on various Star Trek movies.

For example, Jeff Imada was George Takei's stunt double in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , succeeding Jim Halty, who had doubled for the Sulu actor in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . More recently, Star Trek: Picard's Peyton List voiced the character of Josephine Grant in the animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus , which also featured Stephen Root. A prolific character actor in his own right, Root played Captain K'Vada in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Unification I". All of which proves that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's replicant was the first of many links with Blade Runner .

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

Blade Runner

The original Blade Runner is a sci-fi neo-noir film set in 2019 in a dystopian cyber-punk society. Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard as a Blade Runner for the LAPD, tasked with hunting rogue replicants, genetically engineered humans designed to tackle tasks that human beings cannot. When four replicants go rogue and begin killing humans, Deckard is forced out of retirement to hunt them down and stop them - but the truth isn't as simple as it seems. Deckard will have to reckon with the philosophical dilemma of what makes someone human.