Before They Were Stars (2-for-1 Special): Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan Playing Indians

“Star Trek Week” continues on “Before They Were Stars” as we witness two of the original Star Trek cast members playing the unlikely roles of Indians before they found fame on the show. Being a Canuck, James Doohan spent much of his early career doing work on Canadian television. Last of the Mohicans was a Canadian-produced Western TV series starring Lon Chaney Jr. that aired for one season in 1957, and in this episode, you can see an almost unrecognizable Doohan as an Indian chief named Tonkawa. He’s not a particularly convincing Indian (and neither is Lon Chaney Jr., for that matter), but he’s not the only Trek cast member who had to go that route. You can also witness Leonard Nimoy playing an Indian named John Walking Fox on this episode of Gunsmoke, which was made only a few months before Star Trek went on the air. And, yes, even William Shatner has played an Indian at one point in his career!