Paramount
There have been plenty of timelines explored in the “Star Trek” universe, but had NBC originally had its way, we might’ve ended up in one without its most beloved crew member. Before Captain Kirk became a popular name, and even before we’d been introduced to his predecessor, Captain Pike, Gene Roddenberry was having issues with the network that would become something of a nuisance as the show developed. Besides making the sexist demand of swapping out Majel Barrett from a weapon-ready hero to Nurse Chapel, they also took issue with another Enterprise crew member: first officer, Mr. Spock. Well, more specifically, his pointy ears.
According to Herb Solow, who was the Desilu executive in charge back in 1965, NBC was concerned about the Vulcan character’s alien features, which they felt had devilish connotations. “It was as if they believed that, after Satan had been cast out of the Garden of Eden, he was reincarnated as actor Leonard Nimoy and cast into Star Trek as science officer Spock, a pointed-eared, arched eyebrowed ‘satanic’ Vulcan alien,” he explained (per StarTrek.com).
The worry was that local stations and advertisers who dared to go where no one had gone before would also be scrutinized by religious groups for backing a character who resembled Lucifer. A tough back-and-forth between Roddenberry and NBC ensued, and while the show’s creator thought he’d won the battle, the studio took evasive maneuvers to steer clear of Spock, although they’d come to regret that decision.
NBC made the illogical decision to trim Spock’s ears
Bettmann/Getty Images
After defending his science officer and ensuring that Spock stayed aboard the Enterprise, Roddenberry believed the issue was all done and dusted until promotional materials revealed a major change. “They said, ‘Fine, leave him in, but keep him in the background, will you?'” Recalled Roddenberry (via Smithsonian Magazine). “And then when they put out the sales brochure when we eventually went to series, they carefully rounded Spock’s ears and made him look human so he wouldn’t scare off potential advertisers.”
Accepting that playing nice was the safest route, the great minds behind “Star Trek” chose, according to Solow, “to tell NBC exactly what they needed to hear” and reduce Spock’s presence on the show. They, in fact, stayed the course to keep the ship’s first officer exactly where he was originally planned to be.
The bold move proved to be the smart one. In the first four episodes, Spock was, according to Solow, featured in “varying degrees,” which was more than enough. “By the time the fifth show was ready to air, ‘Spockmania’ had erupted and NBC’s anti-Spock campaign came to a grinding halt. Desilu’s mailroom was bulging with huge sacks of fan mail, most of which was addressed to Mister Spock.” The rest is in the Captain’s Log. Nimoy’s character became an essential part of the franchise, which would endure for decades, with Spock’s death a highlight that proved without a doubt how much of an impact he and his pointy ears had made.
