The Simpsons: 10 Guest Spots That Almost Went To Someone Else
4. Leonard Nimoy in “Marge vs The Monorail”
Leonard Nimoy absolutely crushes his part in the Season 4 classic, "Marge vs The Monorail". His appearance is jam-packed with memorable gags and quotes and is undoubtedly one of the show's finest guest star moments, which is bonkers considering his role was written for one of his Star Trek co-stars.
The part was originally conceived for George Takei, better known as the USS Enterprise's Mr. Sulu. Takei had appeared on the show before, so the writers assumed he was a lock-in. Unfortunately, they ran into some unlikely resistance from the Southern California Public Transport board.
Takei was a member of the board and thought that him appearing on an episode about a faulty monorail wouldn't be a good look for the organisation. He turned the show down, so the writers asked Nimoy instead, whom they had originally feared would not be interested. Their fears were quashed when he gladly accepted the part.
It's hard to see anyone else but Leonard do this role justice, so maybe Simpsons fans should all write to the Southern California Public Transport board and thank them for making this happen. Actually, don't do that. We'll probably get in trouble.