10 'What Ifs' That Could Have Changed The Course Of Star Trek
8. ...Nimoy Had Said NO To The Motion Picture
Thanks to some late discussions and agreements, this one didn't happen but is the nearest on the list to actually taking place.
Nimoy's now legendary character had, alone, survived the cull from The Cage to Where No Man Has Gone Before but this time the actor was calling the shots.
Rejecting Phase II in the late '70s, Nimoy could well have sat out the movies right from the start if agreements over using his image for marketing hadn't been resolved. It's doubtful that Xon's death would have the same effect in Star Trek II for one nor resonated through the franchise for the decades that it has. Nor does The Search for Xon/McCoy/Scotty have the same ring to it. But it could be even more fundamental than that. Without Spock the dynamics of the original crew would not be the same and a core part of the draw to the show would be lost.
Spock is as essential to Star Trek as your nervous system is to your brain and without him, The Motion Picture may have been its solo trip to the big screen never to return. The series would continue to air and Roddenberry's dream to bring it back to the TV might well have taken a few more years without the support of four blockbuster movies.