Before Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy Appeared In A Clint Eastwood Western Series

Gene Roddenberry originally pitched "Star Trek" to studios as a "Space Western." More specifically, he famously touted his idea for the sci-fi series as "'Wagon Train' to the stars." It was just as well, then, that Spock actor Leonard Nimoy had appeared on "Wagon Train" four times, and more generally had a prolific background in TV Westerns. By the time "Star Trek" debuted on NBC in 1966, Nimoy had guest-starred in "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "The Virginian," and even shared the screen with a young Clint Eastwood in "Rawhide."

In 1961, "Rawhide" had been airing on CBS for two years. Eastwood was yet to join Sergio Leone in rewriting the rules of filmmaking with "A Fistful of Dollars," and was, at that time, an up-and-coming TV star with a charmingly idiosyncratic way of delivering lines through gritted teeth. On "Rawhide," he played ramrod Rowdy Yates opposite Eric Fleming as trail boss Gil Favor, leader of a cattle drive from Texas to Sedalia, Missouri. As the show went on, Rowdy became the star and, by the final season, took over as trail boss. But in 1961, Eastwood and Fleming were on roughly equal footing.

At this point, they welcomed Nimoy. The actor played a bloodthirsty, ambitious Native American named Anko, who at one point nearly put an end to Rowdy Yates. It was a notable role for Nimoy, who often portrayed Native Americans (despite having no such ancestry) but didn't typically play characters with such a penchant for violence.

Prior to "Star Trek," Leonard Nimoy guest-starred on a Western series that still doesn't get its due: "Tombstone Territory." As with many of his guest roles at the time, his character was something of a victim who needed protecting after being wrongfully accused of stealing horses. When the future Spock actor appeared on "Rawhide," though, he was out for blood — specifically that of ramrod Rowdy Yates and scout Pete Nolan (Sheb Wooley).

"Rawhide" Season 3, Episode 27, "Incident Before Black Pass," sees the Kiowas take Rowdy and Pete. It seems the tribe's chief, the sickly White Eyes (Zachary Scott), previously managed to escape from an army prison. Now the army is hunting him down. As is an aging rancher named Cal Stone (Robert Armstrong), who's out for revenge on White Eyes for having led a raid that disfigured his wife.

White Eyes knows the army sees him as an "enemy of the white man" and will not look for him "among white men." So, he uses Rowdy and Pete as bargaining chips with Gil Favor. The chief asks Favor to hide him from the army in return for Rowdy and Pete's release. Meanwhile, Nimoy's Anko — who's next in line to take over after White Eyes' death — is not a patient man. In fact, he's itching to slice Rowdy's throat. Instead, he indulges his need for violence by eventually leading his people against the white man. It all culminates in a knife fight between Favor and Anko as Rowdy and Pete's lives hang in the balance.

Interestingly enough, "Incident Before Black Pass" also featured Arthur Batanides, who later played USS Enterprise geologist D'Amato in the "Star Trek" episode "That Which Survives." In his "Rawhide" appearance, Batanides played Gypsy, a member of Gil Favor's crew who pulls a car that portends Rowdy Yates' and Pete Nolan's deaths. In his "Star Trek" episode, Batanides' D'Amato dies after being touched by the projection of a woman named Losira (Lee Meriwether).

Nimoy and Batanides weren't the only "Star Trek" actors to appear on "Rawhide," either. DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy on "Star Trek," appeared as Slate Prell in the 1959 episode "Incident at Barker Springs," and Michael Ansara, who had multiple guest spots on various "Star Trek" series, played Joseph in the 1963 episode "Incident of Iron Bull."

Meanwhile, Nimoy would appear in several more classic Western TV shows before making his "Star Trek" debut. "The Virginian," "Gunsmoke," "Death Valley Days," and "A Man Called Shenandoah" all featured the actor before the launch of his best-known show. When he finally teamed up with Gene Roddenberry, both had extensive Western experience, with the latter having penned four episodes of "Boots and Saddles," 24 episodes of "Have Gun – Will Travel," and a story for "The Virginian."