20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984)

6. William Shatner Taught Leonard Nimoy Everything He Knew About Directing On The Set Of T.J. Hooker

Star Trek 3 William Shatner
CBS Media Ventures

William Shatner joked his way through most of the behind-the-scenes and interview footage for Star Trek III. In one particular story, he recounted how, after Nimoy had been hired as a director, his friend approached him while he was filming T.J. Hooker, the police procedural that Shatner was starring in at the time.

Nimoy helped to direct one set-piece in the show, which Shatner then joked led to any and all decisions that went into the direction of Star Trek III. There was quite a bit of crossover between T.J. Hooker and Star Trek III, as they were both scheduled to shoot very close to each other.

With his acerbic wit, Shatner bluntly stated on the documentary that, thanks to this moment in the show, he had taught Nimoy everything that he would come to know about directing.

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Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"