Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy Nearly Denied Fans One Of The Franchise's Greatest Moments

"I have — and always shall be — your friend," says a spluttering Spock (Leonard Nimoy) through glass in his final moments with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." It's arguably not just one of the greatest moments in Trekkie history, but one of the most emotional scenes in all of geekdom, even if it's not the best "Star Trek" film according to Rotten Tomatoes. 

It's the turning point in the franchise, "The Empire Strikes Back" gut punch equal to seeing Han Solo get frozen in carbonite. Could you even consider it not being part of Starfleet history? Well, if Leonard Nimoy had his way initially, we might not have seen it at all. According to Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman's "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years," Nimoy was reluctant to go on a second cinematic run with the Enterprise. 

His issue stemmed from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," the first big-screen outing for Kirk and his crew in 1979. "[At the time] I really was adamant that I would not work on 'Star Trek II' because I had been so frustrated with the other and I was feeling very negative about the whole thing," confessed Nimoy. As it turned out, the one story beat that would bring Nimoy back in those unmistakable pointy ears was if he could be killed off in them. 

According to screenwriter Jack B. Sowards, the death of Spock was a desperate attempt to get Nimoy on the project, ignoring the potential kickback that would come with it. As for the Starfleet officer in question, he was just concerned as to where it would happen in the film. 

"Leonard's comeback was, 'Where does it come in the picture?'" Sowards recalled. "Harve looked at me and said, 'Where does it come in the picture?' And I said, 'Right up front. Right in the very beginning.'" This was the clincher that ensured Spock would return, if only to get killed off. While certainly a gamble, Sowards gradually warmed to the idea, deeming it a fitting exit for Nimoy. 

However, even after this, the legendary Vulcan returned in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," along with appearances in other "Star Trek" shows and films from then on. Years later, and it still stands as a highlight in "Star Trek" history. It was also a moment that J.J. Abrams would regret about "Star Trek: Into Darkness" sequel. Either way, we should be grateful it even happened because, in hindsight, without this pivotal moment, "Star Trek" would be, frankly, illogical.