Before Star Trek, William Shatner Had A Brief Role On This Forgotten Western Series
William Shatner's breakthrough didn't come until he made his debut as Captain James T. Kirk on "Star Trek: The Original Series" in 1966. But the actor had actually amassed a considerable filmography prior to that and made appearances on numerous TV shows, including his famous 1963 "Twilight Zone" episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (which came with a side of intense sleep deprivation). Before that, though, the actor showed up in a two-part arc on a short-lived and overlooked Western series titled "Outlaws." There, he played a man on the run from the law, a common archetype that Shatner revisited in other TV Westerns of the 1960s.
If the 1970s were when the Western truly died, then the '60s was a long and impressively-heaved final breath. At least, that is, in terms of TV, where the airwaves were so saturated by oaters that sometimes it seems like a wonder we remember much else from the decade's broadcast schedule. Their ranks included "Rawhide," "The Virginian," "Bonanza," "Wagon Train," "Big Valley," "The Loner," and of course, the gold standard that was "Gunsmoke," which featured an array of soon-to-be stars facing off against James Arness' U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon.
"Outlaws" was a much less popular TV Western, but it nonetheless hosted its share of similarly esteemed up-and-comers. The series debuted in 1960, five years after the original "Gunsmoke" radio show was adapted for the small screen. Like that monolithic CBS series, "Outlaws" featured a guest appearance from Shatner, who had almost died filming his "Gunsmoke" episode in 1966. Thankfully, no such real-world peril befell the actor during his 1960 appearance on "Outlaws." There, the man who would be Kirk played criminal Wayne Gorham in a two-parter that, with its 90-minute total runtime, essentially played like a TV movie.
William Shatner played an outlaw in Outlaws
"Outlaws" lasted nowhere near the 20 years that "Gunsmoke" racked up (not counting the "Gunsmoke" TV movies). But it did showcase some impressive talent during its two years on NBC. The series focused on lawmen on the late-19th century American frontier as they hunted down the titular criminals. Season 1 was based in the Oklahoma Territory, where United States Marshal Frank Caine (Barton MacLane) and his deputies Will Foreman (Don Collier) and Heck Martin (Jock Gaynor) meted out justice against all manner of wrongdoer.
As such, you might think the series should have been called "Lawmen." But each episode actually told its story from the perspective of the outlaws themselves, allowing the writers to explore the criminals' motivations rather than merely showcasing the heroism of the Marshals. That is, until the show completely abandoned that approach in its second season. Before that happened, however, William Shatner appeared in season 1, episodes 7 and 8, titled "Starfall" parts 1 and 2.
Airing in November and December of 1960, these episodes saw Shatner play Wayne Gorham, one of four men on the run for their involvement in a range war in the Oklahoma Territory. The territorial government offers the quartet amnesty in return for them agreeing to a ceasefire, but there's one man who doesn't want them to receive any such leniency: rancher Clay Fisher (David White). During the range war, the four outlaws had faced off against Fisher, who became determined to force them into violating the terms of the amnesty in order to ensure the law continued to pursue them. In the second of the two episodes, the former outlaws find themselves struggling to secure jobs, so two of them decide to rob the bank, leading them right into Fisher's trap.
Wiliam Shatner's turn on Outlaws has become as overlooked as the show itself
"Outlaws" lasted only two seasons before it was canceled in 1962. The season 2 change-up did little to revive the show's dwindling ratings, so NBC pulled the plug, though writing for a third season had already gotten underway. Ever since, the show has become somewhat overshadowed by the more popular TV Westerns of the time, but it arguably shouldn't have been. Aside from cinematographer William Margulies earning an Emmy nomination for his work on season 1 (he lost to "The Twilight Zone" director of photography George T. Clemens) "Outlaws" hosted an impressive array of soon-to-be stars, including Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman, and Alan Hale Jr. (who later went to extreme lengths to land his role on "Gilligan's Island). Heck, even the dog from "Old Yeller" showed up at one point.
As such, Shatner was among esteemed company with this early role, which, like the show itself, isn't quite as well-remembered as his near-death experience on "Gunsmoke." Though it would be another six years before he truly broke through with "Star Trek," by the time "Outlaws" went off the air in 1962, he was already showing up in the police procedural "Naked City" and starring in the Roger Corman drama "The Intruder." Shatner was also a year away from what would be his second and most memorable appearance on "The Twilight Zone" (on which several "Star Trek" actors guest-starred). Clearly, then, big things were on the horizon for the young star — though, he'd have to shoot guest spots on two other TV Westerns ("The Virginian" and, of course, "Gunsmoke") before his career truly took off.