Before Star Trek, William Shatner had a brief role in this forgotten western series

William Shatner’s breakthrough didn’t come until after his debut as Captain James T. Kirk in “Star Trek: The Original Series” in 1966. But the actor had actually amassed a considerable filmography before that and made appearances in numerous television shows, including his famous 1963 film. “Twilight Zone” episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (which was accompanied by intense sleep deprivation). Before that, however, the actor appeared in a two-part arc in a short-lived and neglected Western series called “Outlaws.” There, he plays a man on the run from the law, a common archetype that Shatner revisited in other television westerns of the 1960s.

If the 1970s truly marked the death of the western, then the 60s were a long and impressive last gasp. At least, when it came to television, where the airwaves were so saturated with antennas that it sometimes seems surprising that we remember much else about the broadcast schedule of the decade. Their ranks included “Rawhide,” “The Virginian,” “Bonanza,” “Wagon Train,” “Big Valley,” “The Loner” and of course, the gold standard that was “Gunsmoke,” which featured an array of future stars taking on James Arness’ U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon.

“Outlaws” was a much less popular TV western, but it nonetheless welcomed its share of equally esteemed newcomers. The series debuted in 1960, five years after the original radio show “Gunsmoke” was adapted for the small screen. Like that monolithic CBS series, “Outlaws” featured an appearance from Shatner, who almost died while filming his episode “Gunsmoke” in 1966. Fortunately, no such danger befell the actor during his 1960 appearance in “Outlaws.” There, the man who would be Kirk played criminal Wayne Gorham in a two-part film that, with its total running time of 90 minutes, essentially played like a TV movie.

“Outlaws” didn’t last the 20 years that “Gunsmoke” did (not counting the “Gunsmoke” TV movies). But he showcased some impressive talent during his two years on NBC. The series focused on lawmen on the American frontier of the late 19th century as they hunted down the titular criminals. Season 1 was based in the Oklahoma Territory, where U.S. Marshal Frank Caine (Barton MacLane) and his deputies Will Foreman (Don Collier) and Heck Martin (Jock Gaynor) brought justice to all manner of evildoers.

As such, you might think the series should have been called “Lawmen.” But each episode actually told its story from the perspective of the outlaws themselves, allowing the writers to explore the motivations of the criminals rather than simply showcasing the heroism of the marshals. That is, until the show completely abandoned this approach in its second season. Before that happened, however, William Shatner appeared in season 1, episodes 7 and 8, titled “Starfall”, parts 1 and 2.

Airing in November and December 1960, these episodes saw Shatner play Wayne Gorham, one of four men on the run for their involvement in a shooting war in the Oklahoma Territory. The territorial government offers the quartet amnesty in exchange for their agreement to a ceasefire, but there is one man who doesn’t want them to receive such leniency: rancher Clay Fisher (David White). During the Pasture War, the four outlaws had clashed with Fisher, who was determined to force them to violate the terms of the amnesty in order to ensure that the law continued to pursue them. In the second of two episodes, the former outlaws struggle to find jobs, so two of them decide to rob the bank, leading them straight into Fisher’s trap.

“Outlaws” lasted only two seasons before being canceled in 1962. The change in Season 2 did little to revive the show’s declining ratings, so NBC pulled the plug, even though writing for a third season had already begun. Since then, the series has become somewhat overshadowed by the more popular TV westerns of the era, but arguably it shouldn’t have been. In addition to cinematographer William Margulies earning an Emmy nomination for his work on Season 1 (he lost to “The Twilight Zone” cinematographer George T. Clemens), “Outlaws” welcomed an impressive array of future stars, including Martin Landau, Cloris Leachman and Alan Hale Jr. (who later went to extreme lengths to land his role on “Gilligan’s Island). Hell, even “Old Yeller’s” dog showed up at one point.

As such, Shatner was part of esteemed company with this early role, which, like the series itself, is not as well known as his near-death experience in “Gunsmoke.” Although it would be another six years before he truly broke through with “Star Trek,” by the time “Outlaws” went off the air in 1962, he was already appearing in the police procedural “Naked City” and starring in the Roger Corman drama “The Intruder.” Shatner was also a year away from what would be his second and most memorable appearance on “The Twilight Zone” (on which several “Star Trek” actors starred). Clearly, big things were on the horizon for the young star, but he would have to film guest spots on two more TV westerns (“The Virginian” and, of course, “Gunsmoke”) before his career truly took off.