Meeting the Original Star Trek Cast

The original Star Trek series first aired in 1966. It has appeared in various re-generations and reboots on television and motion picture. As endearing as all the characters have been–and the actors who portrayed them–there remains something very special about that original series and cast.

I have been fortunate to meet the entire cast from the original series, except for DeForrest Kelley (Dr. Leonard McCoy), as well as the most of the cast from all the other Star Trek shows. I produced over 50 Star Trek science fiction conventions during the mid-1990s and was blessed to work with many of the original cast during that time.

Here are some memories of these amazing original series individuals:

William Shatner – Despite his reputation, I found Shatner to be an incredibly kind man that understood the significance of the role he played and how it has affected people all around the world. I met him in the 1980s, and again at Two Captains Con in New York City in the early 1990s. While Shatner never did an appearance at our conventions (he’s appearance fee was too high for our budget), he was never rude in our negotiations. In person, I found him to be quite conversational and well-read on many different subjects.

Leonard Nimoy – I met Leonard Nimoy twice and he remains the only Star Trek actor that was rude in both meetings. Spock was such a central character in the Star Trek universe. It is difficult to think of the actor as less generous with fans, but he often was. He was all business, all the time.

Jimmy Doohan – I was fortunate to work with Jimmy many, many times. He was one of my favorite original cast members both to watch on stage and to have as a guest at my events. He loved all Star Trek fans and went out of his way to make sure any interaction was memorable. I remember Jimmy involved in a prolonged discussion with a fan at a celebrity charity dinner we hosted. Their subject: warp power and warp engine restarts. Of course, Jimmy was making it up on the fly, but the fan loved it and I could tell Jimmy did as well.

Nichelle Nichols – Nichelle is such a lovely lady and an equally incredible singer. I met her many times at conventions, and was fortunate to work with her once at one of our events. I always saw her engaging with fans, signing autographs, and answering questions with the biggest smile on her face. If someone wanted to talk about NASA and the US space program, Nichelle was all-ears until she was dragged from the conversation. She is the best ambassador that NASA ever had.

George Takei – George is still one of my favorite celebrities. He is such an incredible human being, a fountain of information and energy. We enjoyed many down-time hours together visiting and talking politics–a mutual interest, albeit from opposing points of view at the time. George was always very magnanimous in helping any charity our event was supporting.

Walter Koenig – Walter was one of the first Star Trek cast members that I was privileged to meet. He was very accommodating to any event appearance we suggested, and often made himself available as an emergency guest replacement at our events. Walter is very soft-spoken, with a quiet intellect.

Grace Lee Whitney and Majel Barrett Roddenberry were wonderful ladies. Grace Lee was so very helpful in connecting me with the other cast members. I loved her behind the scenes stories. I never worked with Majel as a guest, but I spoke with her frequently for Star Trek merchandising. She was always very generous in donating items for any charity auction we hosted.

The passing of time has taken some of these Star Trek titans from us. Their memories–and their incredible contribution to generations of fans–survives them. As do my memories of meeting and working with them.