Fans loved watching Kirk and Spock banter but one TV series had the pair at odds! Find out which!
Obviously, many will associate William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy with Kirk and Spock. The pair’s real-life relationship was tricky as it varied from co-stars to friends to being at odds. Reportedly, they were still on rough terms when Nimoy passed away in 2014, and Shatner expressed regret that they never patched things up.
A fun trivia bit is that the pair co-starred in a 1964 episode of the spy series The Man From UNCLE as young agents involved in a mission at an embassy, with Shatner putting on a show of being drunk so Nimoy can get closer to a target.
The pair were reunited for the first Star Trek movie in 1979. But between films, they also found time to reunite on TV, including ads. Yet some Trek fans may forget that Nimoy showed up for another famous Shatner role!
The T.J. Hooker backstory
After Star Trek ended, William Shatner bounced around television, a bit typecast as Kirk. He tried a couple of short-lived shows and guest-starred in scores of others. But it wasn’t until 1982 that Shatner finally found another TV hit in T.J. Hooker.
The ABC drama starred Shatner in the title role as a veteran cop who had been a plainclothes detective. When his partner is killed, Hooker decides to concentrate on street crime and goes back to being a patrolman.
Hooker would train other rookies, mostly Vince Romano (Adrian Zmed) and Stacy Sheridan (a young Heather Locklear). The show was dark at times, with stories involving drug use, bigotry, and more.
Shatner was good in the lead, Hooker a tough cop who could bend the rules but still determined to see justice done. He got into the action scenes, including often hanging on the hood of a racing car (which Shatner parodied in his famous Saturday Night Live appearance).
A running theme was that Hooker would have scores of cops he worked with who found their way into cases. That set up the guest star appearance fans had been expecting as soon as the series premiered.
It was Shatner vs Nimoy
“Vengeance Is Mine” was the 16th episode of Hooker’s second season, airing February 5, 1983, a few months after Wrath of Khan became a hit. In his memoir Up Till Now, Shatner stated that he’d wanted to get Nimoy to guest star on the show, but Nimoy was reluctant. He agreed on the condition that he would also be allowed to direct an episode, which he later did.
The story has Nimoy as Lt. Paul McGuire, one of Hooker’s former partners. The opening scene has Hooker and Romano helping McGuire stop some liquor store thieves.
The writers get the obvious joke out of the way early. When Hooker saves Paul from a gunman, Paul says, “I owe you one,” and Hooker replies, “I said the same thing to you 17 years ago,” a reference to when Star Trek aired.
The cops are returning from the scene when they get a call about a woman having been assaulted. Racing to a garage, Paul is horrified to find the victim is his own daughter, Val (Michelle Tobin). Obviously, both he and Hooker are out to find her attacker.
The cops zero in on Larry Foster (Randy Powell), a sleazy attorney who’d stalked Val. She identifies his voice in a lineup, but Foster uses some legal chicanery to avoid being arrested.He is later caught with evidence found in his home.
But something stinks to Hooker. He confronts Paul on a beach on how Paul planted that evidence and this isn’t the way to go. Paul is upset and it comes to blows between the two friends. Before Hooker can report Paul, his superior easily sees through the frame job and suspends Paul.
Hooker is able to find another victim who can identify Foster. Before he can bring him in, Paul abducts the man at gunpoint with the intention of killing him.
That leads to the big climax of Hooker having to stop his friend from crossing the line. ABC knew this was going to be a big episode, promoting it as “Shatner vs Nimoy,” and the episode had a good ratings win.
The episode is worth a watch as the Nimoy appearance isn’t just a gimmick. He brings good gravitas to Paul, a good cop pushed over the edge by his daughter’s ordeal. The friendship between him and Hooker is believable as Hooker wants to help Paul but won’t cross the line and falsify evidence. The respect between them makes their conflict even harsher and more powerful.
It's a dark tale and both actors do great in it. The clips show how they're enjoying matching up outside of their Trek roles, with Shatner more intense as Nimoy's obsession with justice clouds his reason. The coda is a bit sad, yet some hope at the end and a reminder of their friendship.
It's a great underrated watch, not just for Star Trek fans but those who enjoy both actors. It shows that even outside their iconic roles, Shatner and Nimoy’s bond was amazing and gave us a classic TV show pairing.
TJ Hooker streaming on Tubi.