Who Was Gene Roddenberry’s Shocking First Choice for Spock?

The original Star Trek television series, which aired from 1966-69, stands as a cornerstone of science fiction and popular culture, with its stars setting an incredibly high bar for future Trek actors. For many, the very mention of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock conjures images of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Their on-screen chemistry, along with DeForest Kelley‘s perfectly cantankerous Dr. McCoy, formed a central trio whose interactions – the captain’s bold leadership, Spock’s cool logic, and McCoy’s passionate humanism – became a hallmark of the show. It’s difficult for most long-time fans to imagine anyone else embodying these legendary roles.

STAR TREK, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, in Season 1 episode #26, 'The Devil In the Dark,' March 7, 1967.

Paramount/Courtesy: Everett Collection

However, during the crucial casting phase of the original Star Trek, Nimoy, who would immortalize the half-Vulcan, half-human science officer, was not initially Gene Roddenberry‘s primary candidate for Mr. Spock. The creator of Star Trek apparently had his sights set on a very different, and rather unexpected, actor: George Lindsey. Yes, the same George Lindsey beloved by millions as Goober Pyle from Mayberry, North Carolina, on The Andy Griffith Show.

ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, George Lindsey as Goober, Season 5, 1964-1965

Everett Collection

The revelation might cause a double-take, and understandably so. Goober Pyle, with his folksy charm and down-to-earth demeanor, would seem worlds away from the cool, analytical, and stoic Mr. Spock.

However, one must consider the television landscape of the mid-1960s and remember that The Andy Griffith Show was one of the most popular programs on air. Following Jim Nabors‘ departure as Gomer Pyle (who went on to star in his own spinoff, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.), George’s Goober gained significantly more screen time and had become a familiar and beloved face in many American households. Roddenberry, in his quest for talent, was likely aware of George’s visibility and perhaps saw an underlying versatility that wasn’t immediately apparent from his most famous role.

HEE HAW, from left: George Lindsey, Ernest Borgnine, 1986 episode, 1969-1993,

George Lindsey and Ernest Borgnine in a 1986 episode of ‘Hee Haw’ © TNN/courtesy Everett Collection

For those who find this piece of Star Trek trivia a bit hard to swallow, corroboration comes from an unlikely source: Ernie, the autobiography of acclaimed actor Ernest Borgnine. Ernest, a close friend of George Lindsey’s, recounted in his book that George told him that he had been remarkably close to trading his Mayberry gas station for the bridge of the Starship Enterprise but, ultimately, turned down the prospect of a five-year mission exploring strange new worlds.

It’s also worth mentioning that, while George may have been Gene Roddenberry’s first choice to play Mr. Spock, he wasn’t the only actor that was considered. Apparently, Martin Landau also passed on the role. In a 1986 Starlog magazine interview, Martin said he turned down the role of Spock because “I did not want to be saddled with the role of a character without feeling. I would have become a newscaster.”

Another fantastic actor, Michael Dunn, actually showed up and auditioned for the role. It’s fair to say that if he had got the part, much like George, he would’ve been a dramatically different version of Mr. Spock than the one that we came to know and love.