10 Weirdest Adverts Featuring Star Trek Actors

9. Atlantic Banking - Leonard Nimoy

In 1979, the year of one of the greatest Star Trek films of them all, Leonard Nimoy cashed in on his Trek fame while appearing in this advert for Atlantic Banking. He beams in at the beginning before talking about credit and chequing accounts.

As it has now been more than forty years since this ad aired, there is a certain demographic of the audience who probably won't know exactly what he's talking about. That's perfectly fine - a chequing account was an incredibly time-consuming way of fulfilling an IOU to someone. Imagine PayPal and then imagine utilising it via snail mail.

Clearly playing on the popularity of the character, the exact date of this ad's release is uncertain, although it's unlikely that it wasn't designed to play on the popularity of the Motion Picture. And, as Nimoy had only recently settled a large lawsuit against Paramount Pictures for unlicensed use of his image in advertising and merchandising, bringing back his stamp on what was Spock-related simply feels right in this short advert.

Even if we can't imagine going back to chequing accounts. Sorry, you want paper currency? Bizarre.

Contributor
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"