numerous timelines investigated in the “Star Trek” realm, but had NBC gotten its way initially, we may have found ourselves in one lacking its most cherished crew member. Prior to Captain Kirk becoming a well-known persona, and even before we met his forerunner, Captain Pike, Gene Roddenberry faced challenges with the network that would become a recurring annoyance as the series progressed. In addition to making the outdated request to replace Majel Barrett from a battle-ready protagonist to Nurse Chapel, they also had concerns about another member of the Enterprise crew: first officer, Mr. Spock. More precisely, his pointed ears.
As Herb Solow, the Desilu executive responsible back in 1965, noted, NBC was worried about the Vulcan character’s alien traits, which they believed had devilish implications. “It was almost as if they thought that, after Satan had been expelled from the Garden of Eden, he was reincarnated as actor Leonard Nimoy and cast into Star Trek as science officer Spock, a pointed-eared, arched eyebrowed ‘satanic’ Vulcan alien,” he clarified (per StarTrek.com).
The concern was that local stations and advertisers who ventured into uncharted territory would also face examination by religious organizations for endorsing a character that resembled Lucifer. A challenging exchange between Roddenberry and NBC followed, and while the show’s creator felt victorious in the dispute, the studio took cautious steps to avoid Spock, although later they would come to regret that choice.