10 Actors Who Returned To Save Dying Movie Franchises

If Star Wars is the biggest franchise set in space, then Star Trek comes in a close second. With multiple TV spinoffs and no less than 13 film adaptations, the franchise has taken us to the final frontier and beyond. While there have been many iconic characters along the way, Leonard Nimoy’s Spock was always the character the fans were most endeared with.

After the brief three year run of the original cult TV series, Star Trek made its way to the big screen for the first time in 1979’s Motion Picture, which was a box office success in spite of mediocre reviews. Nimoy featured in five more Trek movies including the brilliant Wrath of Khan, before eventually bowing out.

With the New Generation cast taking over the film franchise, the product gradually dropped in quality, with 2002’s Nemesis a real low point. It would take seven years for the film series to be rebooted, and while Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto were likeable leads as young incarnations of Kirk and Spock, a dose of old school Trek was definitely desired by the fans.

Leonard Nimoy’s presence added much gravitas to the new venture, while also providing a perfect amount of nostalgia, without overshadowing the new story arc. The older Spock's conversations with a younger Kirk were a perfect link between classic and new series and the movie's highlight. Nimoy once more made a cameo in Into Darkness, but his real life death meant his presence was sorely missed in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.