5 Star Trek: The Original Series Actors Who Appeared On The Virginian

Before they joined the crew of the USS Enterprise and boldly went where no man had gone before, there were a handful of "Star Trek: The Original Series" cast members who were getting gritty in the Old West — and in some cases, slinging pistols — on one of television's best Westerns.

While many original "Star Trek" cast members appeared in "Gunsmoke," there were just as many who turned up in another seminal Western: "The Virginian" — TV's very first 90-minute color Western. Airing from 1962 to 1971, the series was set in late-1890s-era Wyoming Territory and centered around the titular Virginian: The mysterious foreman of Shiloh Ranch played by James Drury. Because of its movie-length runtime, the series always had a revolving door of guest stars to keep up with the demand of it sprawling storylines. So, if you were an actor in Hollywood during the 1960s, odds are you likely passed through Medicine Bow at least once.

Before beaming up to the bridge of the USS Enterprise, several key "Trek" actors all appeared in the classic TV Western. Even after "Star Trek" ended in 1969, "The Virginian" was still going strong, and they managed to nab Walter Koenig for a romp in the Wild West, as well as Shatner for a second go-around. 

A year before he assumed command as Captain James T. Kirk, William Shatner already made a name for himself on Broadway and appeared in a string of guest-starring roles on TV shows like "The Twilight Zone" and "The Fugitive." Another one of those roles was a memorable guest appearance on "The Virginian," playing a charismatic wanderer named Luke Milford. In the Season 4 episode "The Claim," ranch hand Trampas (Doug McClure) quits his post at Shiloh Ranch after his old vagabond pal, Luke, rides into town and convinces him to abandon life on the ranch to chase quick riches in Deadwood.

The two partner up with an eccentric prospector, played by beloved character actor Strother Martin, who claims to have struck gold. However, it turns out the news is too good to be true when the team realizes the gold claim sits on Native American lands, plunging them straight into serious danger. With Shatner's undeniable screen presence on full display throughout the episode, it's no wonder they jumped on the opportunity to bring him back after his "Star Trek" obligations ended. Shatner returned for the Season 8 episode titled "Black Jade," where he played an entirely different character named Henry Swann.

Before he became known to Trekkies as First Officer Spock, Leonard Nimoy was one of busiest actors in Hollywood, with a string of notable guest-starring gigs that included "Perry Mason," "Bonanza," and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." His three visits to "The Virginian" saw him taking on different dramatic roles across multiple seasons, including "Man of Violence," where he played the gun-toting gold robber, Wismer. His next episode, however, featured a co-star who also shared some connective tissue with "Star Trek."

Nimoy made another splash in the Season 3 episode, "Showdown," playing Ben Frome alongside Michael Ansara, who would later play the Klingon commander, Kang. In the episode, the Virginian travels to Arizona to finalize a cattle purchase, only to find himself trapped in the middle of an escalating town feud. Nimoy and Ansara play sibling lawmen who warn the Virginian against making a deal with a local rancher. His third and final appearance in the series came in a Season 4 episode, "Show Me a Hero," where he played Keith Bentley, a resident caught up in a conflict that threatens to strip the town of its lucrative gambling rights.

DeForest Kelley was no stranger to the Western genre. Long before he ever muttered his recurring "I'm a doctor, not a ..." catchphrase as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, he was already considered to be Western royalty. Kelley built much of his pre-"Star Trek" career playing gunslingers across big-screen features like "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," and Western television series such as "Bonanza" and "Rawhide" just to name a few. He first appeared in "The Virginian" Season 1 episode, "Duel at Shiloh," playing Ben Tully, a ruthless Texas cowhand.

But it's the Season 2 episode, "Man of Violence," that really stands out. Kelley shared the screen with fellow future crewmate Leonard Nimoy, giving audiences a sneak peak at two "Star Trek" legends working on the same show years before their outer space journeys began. In the episode, Kelley played a drunken cavalry doctor turned hero named Lt. Beldon. There's even a scene where he treats a wounded outlaw played by Nimoy.

James Doohan, better known as USS Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, was a versatile character actor who popped up in multiple roles on network television, including a pair of appearances on "The Virginian" between 1963 and 1965.

In the Season 1 episode "The Man Who Couldn't Die," Doohan plays George Mitchell, an office employee at a railway engineering firm in San Francisco. Mitchell finds himself at the center of a bizarre mystery when he greets Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb) at the office door, only to later deny ever meeting him or witnessing a confrontation inside after a gun goes off. Doohan returned for Season 4's "Letter of the Law" as James Francis O'Banion, a local involved in a legal dispute after a murder charge threatens to tear a small town apart.

Walter Koenig, better known as Ensign Pavel Chekov, made his trip to Shiloh Ranch after "Star Trek" wrapped its original NBC run. In the Season 9 episode "Crooked Corner" — which aired during the show's final season, retitled as "The Men From Shiloh" — Koenig played Paul Erlich, a young German immigrant living in Wyoming Territory. The story centers on new series regular Roy Tate (Lee Majors), who is enlisted to assist a community of German settlers.

As mysterious threats, blackmails, and rising tensions terrorize the enclave, the group considers hiring a gunslinger to protect their homes, pulling Tate right in the middle of the conflict. The episode features an impressive ensemble cast alongside Koenig and Majors, including Susan Strasberg, Kurt Kasznar, and fellow future "Star Trek" actor Brock Peters (who later played Admiral Cartwright in "Star Trek IV" and "VI," as well as Joseph Sisko on "Deep Space Nine").