Answer: Space Command

These days, William Shatner and James Doohan are best known for their iconic roles as Captain James T. Kirk and Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott, respectively, on the 1960s sci-fi show Star Trek and the subsequent movies.

What many people don’t realize, however, is that both of them appeared on a space-themed show before their roles on Star Trek. In the mid-1950s, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation aired a children’s sci-fi space adventure series called Space Command.

The series was notable for two big reasons. It was the first time the CBC had funded and aired an in-house dramatic series and, most relevant to our trivia today, James Doohan played the recurring role of Phil Mitchell on the show, and William Shatner had guest appearances. That means not only did the two well-known Star Trek actors appear on a sci-fi show before Star Trek, but they appeared on the same show, together.

If you’re super pumped to see a very young Doohan and Shatner trying out their sci-fi chops, however, we do have some bad news. Like many early and mid-20th century recordings (such as the early seasons of Doctor Who), all but one of the 150 episodes of Space Command have been lost to the sands of time.