The author of "Amok Time" penned a different fighting style for Spock

The first episode of the second season of Star Trek: The Original Season, "Amok Time," introduced fans to a different side of Spock [Leonard Nimoy]. The almost always in control Vulcan was experiencing emotions he couldn't control all because of the pon farr. It was the time of mating for Vulcans, and Captain Kirk [William Shatner] had no choice but to direct the Enterprise to Vulcan to save his first officer and friend's life. What Kirk didn't expect was to end up in a battle to the death with that same friend.

The writer of the episode, Theodore Sturgeon, in his script, had Spock really riled up to fight, so much so that both D.C. Fontana and Robert Justman had to step in and get some rewrites done because they knew Nimoy would not perform the climatic scene the way the writer envisioned.

According to Thesearethevoyagesbooks.com, Fontana suggested some revisions as she thought Nimoy would "kill himself if he must do scene 62 in which he behaves like a snorting bull." Justman followed that up with his concerns over Sturgeon's idea that Spock would begin acting like King Kong, including beating himself on the chest and shouting out "Kikki-nee-klart!" Justman believed that was the wrong way for Spock to act even if he wasn't himself during the fight.

Fontana and Justman's fortunate interventions kept Nimoy from having to act like a caricature of Spock and a wild animal instead of a logical Vulcan going through a difficult transition. And the fight between Spock and Captain Kirk turned out to be one of the best moments that ever happened between the two friends, especially when Spock thought he'd killed his friend. The ending scene where Spock discovers Kirk is still alive is, to this day, one of the best in Star Trek history.