Star Trek’s Boss Tried To Make Leonard Nimoy Hate Deep Space Nine

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 47 seconds ago

One of the most complex figures in Star Trek history is Rick Berman, the executive producer who oversaw the Golden Age of the franchise. It’s undeniable that he helped transform Trek into a modern-day cultural phenomenon, building on Gene Roddenberry’s legacy and bringing a new generation of fans into the fold. At the same time, numerous Trek actors and creatives have accused him of intense homophobia that held the otherwise progressive franchise back, and Deep Space Nine star Terry Farrell accused him of rampant misogyny that caused her to ultimately leave the show altogether.

Recently, at the Trek Talks livestream telethon, DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr shared a fairly wild story involving Berman. When Behr and the show’s writers were working on “Trials and Tribble-ations,” which used footage from The Original Series, Berman urged him to call Leonard Nimoy and get the Spock actor’s blessing for the use of his old footage. Berman highly implied this would be a dramatic phone call and that Nimoy would have problems with the idea. Only after discovering how friendly Nimoy was and how much he loved the concept did Behr realize something startling: Berman had set him up and tried to turn him against Star Trek’s best actor.

A Very Logical Phone Call

When Ira Steven Behr told his tale during Trek Talks, it wasn’t immediately clear whether Paramount really would have faced any legal trouble if the Spock actor objected to Deep Space Nine re-using some of his footage from The Original Series episode, “The Trouble With Tribbles.” However, executive producer Rick Berman still thought it wise to seek Leonard Nimoy’s blessing. Behr claims that “Rick had prepared me like it was going to be a very prickly phone call.” Later, he clarified that Berman never played pranks and was obviously deadly serious, saying things like “I’m not making this call. You’re making this call. Don’t be surprised if he tells you to go, you know” before trailing off.

While Behr didn’t fully complete this thought, it sounds like Berman was worried that Nimoy might quote himself from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: “Go to hell.” Nonetheless, the showrunner steeled his nerves and gave the iconic Trek performer a call. When he mentioned the plan to merge Deep Space Nine actors with The Original Series footage, there was a long pause on the other end. Just when Behr thought the call was about to go sideways, Nimoy surprised him with his response: “What took you so long? Absolutely, yes. I’m all for it.”

After Leonard Nimoy gave such an enthusiastic response, Behr began wondering why Rick Berman had thought the call would go so poorly. “Whoa, Rick, what are you setting me up for?”, he thought.  Years later, Behr and Nimoy had a three-hour lunch where they traded old Star Trek tales, and Behr admitted to the other man how that phone call made him nervous and how much he dreaded Nimoy’s response. With the incredulous grace of Mr. Spock himself, Nimoy asked, “Why would you be worried,” and asked Behr what he thought “I was going to give you a hard time about?” Lamely, Behr could simply reply, “Well, that’s what Rick said, he set me up.”

A Secret Star Trek Beef Revealed?

But why did Rick Berman think this call to Nimoy was going to be so intense in the first place? Prolific Star Trek writer and archivist Larry Nemecek was also in attendance at Trek Talks, and he offered a fairly compelling theory. When Paramount began to work on Star Trek: Generations (which was intended to pass the torch from The Original Series to the Next Generation crew), Leonard Nimoy wanted to direct the film. 

After directing Star Trek III: The Search For Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Nimoy seemed like a solid choice. However, Rick Berman had already hired David Carson to direct the new film, and he was apparently worried that this would have ruffled the feathers of the otherwise unflappable Nimoy.

Fortunately, all’s well that ends well. Nimoy wasn’t offended at all, and he gave his full blessing to Deep Space Nine’s “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Later, he helped pass the torch to a new set of actors when he starred in Star Trek (2009). Until his untimely passing, it’s fair to say the Spock actor did everything he could to help Star Trek succeed.

Protecting the legacy of the franchise that made him a household name? It’s only logical, captain!