It Took Some Time For Leonard Nimoy To Open Up To Walter Koenig During Star Trek – Looper

In an interview with the Archive of American Television, Walter Koenig, the man who played the original Ensign Pavel Chekov, shared his thoughts regarding his experiences of working with his “Star Trek” co-stars. This included Leonard Nimoy. “Leonard was always quiet, taciturn. Very much, it seemed, internalized,” said Koenig. Despite the strength of Nimoy’s social conscience, it apparently took a good a amount of time for Koenig to realize just how strong it was. 

“He would never make a … show of his loyalty,” Koenig elaborated, “but … if called upon, you could count on him. So that was really nice to know.” Koenig has spoken elsewhere about how this loyalty could often translate into real, concrete action on Nimoy’s part, particularly when issues of right and wrong came up. In a 2014 interview with the Las Vegas Sun, he recalled that when the cast discovered Nichelle Nichols — who played Uhura — was being paid less, it was Nimoy who brought it up with producers and demanded it be rectified. 

Even here, however, Koenig once again mentioned how unapproachable Nimoy could be. Then again, given that he was playing a character renowned for his unflappability, a little bit of reclusiveness probably came in handy.