Star Trek's Gene Roddenberry Met Leonard Nimoy While Working On This Forgotten Crime Drama

"Star Trek" wasn't the first time that creator Gene Roddenberry and actor Leonard Nimoy crossed paths. Just as Nimoy and his "Star Trek" co-star William Shatner worked together on a classic spy series before heading the genre-defining sci-fi show (1966-1969), Nimoy and Roddenberry met while working together on "The Lieutenant" (1963-1964).

Created by Roddenberry, the crime drama followed U.S. Marine Lieutenant William Rice at Camp Pendleton. Nimoy appears in the episode "In the Highest Tradition." He plays the role of a character named Gregg Sanders, a director who wants to make a film based on one of the commanders but runs into creative differences along the way.

"The Lieutenant" ran for 29 episodes, with its cancellation reportedly being triggered because an episode involving a racial dispute caused the military to withdraw its support. But the show was the bridge that led Nimoy to being cast on "Star Trek." During 2014's Salt Lake Comic Con (via YouTube), he revealed that Roddenberry called up his agent after seeing footage he shot for "The Lieutenant." Per Nimoy, Roddenberry said, "I'm developing a pilot for a ... science fiction series called 'Star Trek,' and I have a role in mind for Leonard Nimoy. Could we meet?" Although Nimoy thought they were meeting to set up an audition, Roddenberry offered him the iconic role.

According to Leonard Nimoy during a 1968 interview with The New York Times, Gene Roddenberry also prophesied his role as Mr. Spock in "Star Trek" while they were working on "The Lieutenant." Roddenberry reportedly said about Nimoy, "Some day, I'm going to make a science-fiction series and put pointed ears on that guy."

Nimoy initially took Roddenberry's plan with a "grain of salt." But even after having conversations about playing Mr. Spock happened later on, it still took a bit of convincing. "Playing some monster or freak can be the kiss of death for an actor, and this emotionless guy with pointy ears from another planet didn't appeal to me," he said. After talking things over, however, they agreed that Nimoy wouldn't be a "walking computer who gives the scientific data."

In an interview published in the book "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years," Roddenberry confirmed that Nimoy was always at the front of his mind when developing "Star Trek." He said, "I was struck at the time [of 'The Lieutenant'] with his high Slavic cheekbones and interesting face, and I said to myself, 'If I ever do this science fiction thing, he would make a great alien.'" Given the impact that Nimoy's Mr. Spock has had across the "Star Trek" universe, it's clear Roddenberry was on to something.