William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy each starred in their own projects after “Star Trek: The Original Series” came to an end, but they once competed for the same gig behind the scenes — as both were the top choices to host a popular reality-based docudrama.
According to Shatner’s autobiography, “Up Till Now” (via Internet Archive), both he and Nimoy were in the running for a hosting gig on “Rescue 911,” a 1989 CBS TV show that centered around real emergency phone calls. Norman S. Powell, then head of CBS Productions, brought in Arnold Shapiro to lead the project. Knowing documentary shows need a recognizable face to lure viewers, network executive Kim LeMasters pitched a natural choice to him: “What about Leonard Nimoy?”
However, thanks to Shatner’s famous turn as the titular gritty cop on “T.J. Hooker” — a show that, interestingly, once saw Nimoy take on directing duties – Shapiro felt someone else was a better fit for the job. “And as soon as he said that,” Shapiro recalled in Shatner’s book, “I thought, no, what about Bill Shatner? He’d played T.J. Hooker, a police officer, and police officers participate in rescues. It worked for me.”
William Shatner says Rescue 911 saved at least 350 lives
“Rescue 911” went on to become a massive hit for CBS. The show remained on the air for over seven between 1989 and 1996, with seven seasons spanning nearly 186 hour-long episodes. “What set this show apart from the reality shows currently on the air was that our stories were real,” Shatner wrote in his book. “We didn’t create reality.” Each episode delivered three to five dramatic accounts utilizing existing footage alongside realistic reenactments, often featuring the actual victims and first responders involved.
“It was a series dedicated to the men and women who saved the lives of strangers, often at the risk of their own lives, ranging from emergency medical technicians to good samaritans,” wrote Shatner, while adding that he regularly traveled to local EMT centers on Sundays to film his iconic walk-and-talk intro segments in front of emergency vehicles. “It took a full-time staff of about 75 people to do the show, yet somehow the audience perceived ‘Rescue 911’ to be my show. We told an extraordinary range of amazing stories on the show.”
Ultimately, the program went far beyond entertainment. As Shatner put it, “‘Star Trek’ changed lives, ‘Rescue 911’ saved them.” By the actor’s estimates, the show directly helped save at least 350 lives — but he feels the “true figure” could be in the thousands.