Up Till Now: The Autobiography

of the deck, Uhura. Our Russian navigator, Chekov, played by Walter Koenig, did not join the cast until our second season.
    Desilu Studios did not spend a lot of money on the show. Our special effects were primitive. Outer space was a black cloth with holes in it lit from behind. Our technical crew used anything they found lying around that looked interesting and called it something else.
    On September 8, 1966, for the first time we entered “Space: The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds. To seek out newlife and new civilization. To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
    Do you think Francis Scott Key knew he had written America’s national anthem when he jotted down a few words? Do you think Christopher Columbus knew he would soon discover a new world when he sailed? Did Michelangelo know he was going to create one of history’s greatest masterpieces when they told him the Sistine Chapel ceiling needed a paint job? And do you think Gene Rodden-berry knew that the space suit worn by Dr. McCoy in an episode of Star Trek called “The Tholian Web” would one day be auctioned off by Christie’s for $144,000?
    Probably not, at least based on our first reviews. According to Variety, “ Star Trek ...won’t work. Even within its sci-fi frame of reference it was a... dreary mess of confusion...a long hour with hardly any relief from violence, killings, hypnotic stuff, and a distasteful, ugly monster.
    “William Shatner... appears wooden...”
    Well, apparently we’d licked the “too cerebral” problem. And not to be critical of the review, but aren’t monsters supposed to be distasteful and ugly? That’s why they’re called monsters. What kind of monster would be “a tasteful, attractive monster”?
    I wasn’t at all concerned about our reviews. The many excellent reviews I’d received during my career had not made me a star. So what damage could a poor review do to me? But over the next few weeks Leonard Nimoy’s character, the highly logical Vulcan Mr. Spock, began receiving most of the attention. Spock fan clubs were formed. Magazines started writing stories about him and the network sent Roddenberry a memo wondering why Spock wasn’t featured in every story. In other words, the ears had it.
    Wooden? Me, wooden? Not that I took it personally, of course. Or even noticed.
    I’ve often heard it said that acting is not a competitive sport—but never by actors. Believe me, I’ve sometimes thought it might be a good idea at the start of every production to have the actors meet in the middle of the stage to go through the rules with the director: Nostepping on another actor’s lines. No upstaging below the belt. And after you’ve said your lines go to a neutral corner. The truth is that every good actor has an ego. Actors are ambitious people. And every moment center stage can lead to the next job. The day I reported to work on the first episode of Star Trek I was already wondering what would come next. And so was every other member of the cast. I was supposed to be the star but Leonard Nimoy was getting more attention than I was. It bothered me so much that I finally had a discussion about it with Gene Roddenberry. “Don’t be afraid of having other popular and talented people around you,” he said. “They can only enhance your performance. The more you work with these people, the better the show’s going to be.”
    He was absolutely right, and from that day on it never bothered me. Although perhaps when Leonard was nominated for an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor—in three consecutive years—while I was not nominated I did get a little envious. I remember wondering, why is that not happening to me? Here I’ve sacrificed so much and yet someone else is receiving the acclaim. It did bother me. It bothered me a lot.
    . . . Star Trek refrigerator magnets; Federation uniform pins; ladies’ jumpsuits; drawstring bags; backpacks; a briefcase; wooden plaques; various patches . . .
    Eventually Leonard and I would become best friends but at that time we didn’t know each other at all and didn’t really get along. We actually had one pretty loud argument. The process of getting Spock’s ears just right had been difficult and expensive. Finally the head of the makeup department, Freddy Phillips, paid out of his own pocket to get the right pair of ears made. Leonard felt Freddy had prevented Spock from becoming some