Why Leonard Nimoy Turned Down William Shatner's Requests To Star In Boston Legal

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Leonard Nimoy is famous for boldly going where no man has gone before, but he drew the line at a Beantown law firm.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy treated fans to many memorable moments on "Star Trek" — a series that the Writers Guild of America listed as one of the best of all time — but Nimoy had no interest in reuniting with his former co-star on "Boston Legal," which was a spin-off of David E. Kelley's "The Practice." On the show, Shatner played a politically incorrect attorney named Denny Crane, whose claim to fame is that he has never lost a case (or so he thinks). Though a meetup of the men behind Kirk and Spock on one of the great TV spin-offs likely would've delighted fans, Nimoy turned down Shatner's offer to get him a part on the ABC series.

"He asked me if I would do it, and I said no...I said no because I thought it was 'stunty,' and I didn't want to do a stunt thing," Nimoy revealed in an interview with TrekMovie. "Same thing with 'Heroes.' They asked me to do a role in 'Heroes,' as well, and I said no."

Given Nimoy's and Shatner's notoriously rocky relationship, who even knows if a "Boston Legal" guest spot would've ended well? Leonard Nimoy passed away in 2015, and his relationship with William Shatner reportedly ended on a sour note. According to Shatner, the two of them didn't always see eye to eye, and they just happened to be at odds when his fellow "Star Trek" alumnus died.

"We had some disagreements to begin with, and in the end," Shatner recalled in an interview with NBC's "Today" via (Digital Spy). "In between was a brotherhood, and I loved it. I sought to find out why — couldn't. I thought whatever it was would blow over, he'd tell me what it was. I would try to make amends or find some common ground — but he died before that could happen. I miss him."

In the book "Boldly Go: Reflections On A Life of Awe And Wonder," Shatner claimed the feud stemmed from his using footage of Nimoy without his permission while filming "The Captains" documentary. What's more, the men reportedly feuded on "Star Trek" as Shatner was supposedly jealous of his co-star, but Shatner has denied those rumors, alleging that the story was fabricated by George Takei.