MCI Commercial with Leonard Nimoy, TOS Cast and Jonathan Frakes

In May of 1993 I was on vacation in the States and one of the things we did was go on a Star Trek cruise (Seatrek 93). Among the guest stars were James Doohan and George Takei. I do not remember who of the two said it, but we fans were told of plans to do this spot and that everyone except Mr. Nimoy had already signed on for it. Since the company would do the commercial only with all of them on board, we were told to keep our fingers crossed. As you can see, things worked out in favour of the supporting cast's hope of an employment opportunity.
For more on Leoanrd Nimoy please visit www.beyondspock.de/

[@RealElMaximo]

Featuring the best special effect in Star Trek history: Takei and Shatner speaking to each other socially.

[@maxwellcrazycat9204]

Sulu would be a better fit serving on the Orville. Lots of gay aliens to be friends with.

[@Durwood71]

@@maxwellcrazycat9204 Sulu wasn't a homosexual.

[@MassEffectFan113]

RIP DeForest Kelley, James Doohan and Leonard Nimoy. The original cast is slowly leaving us. With each passing, the world becomes a little less bright.

[@AndrewChapman]

MassEffectFan113 Majel Barrett-Roddenberry who played Nurse Christine Chapel and most recently Grace Lee Whitney who played Yeoman Janice Rand are also sadly no longer with us. :(

[@toons124]

It’s MCI’s fault

[@Lancor84]

No, they wouldn't like that you think this way. There will always be hope and light in the world, just a different shade. And we will remember these unique persons well.

[@teresah.6696]

And Nichelle Nichols (Uhuru) now has Alzheimer's. Sad to hear.

[@NFreund]

@@Lancor84 Star Trek was always a view on society. Considering how bleak, sad and hopeless New Trek feels, I guess that sentiment is pretty much gone...sadly.

[@mutalix]

LOL! I love the quick cuts to the call center employees laughing and clapping like they just landed a rover on mars.

[@soakingbook]

Yes, I can sustain my belief in warp drive but not those reactions.

[@unclefreddieDied]

we did just land a rover on mars!

[@elzoof]

Which is a more impressive feat - landing a rover on Mars or having anyone agree to take a phone call from Shatner?

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Great effect.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

Hello mutalix you've had 5yrs to think about your comment.

[@Mirrorgirl492]

That's called 'chemistry'. Aren't they all just beautiful?

[@NuntiusLegis]

The Kelly - Nimoy - interaction is the most hilarious. ;-)

[@pram212223]

It's so reflective of McCoy and Spocks relationship

[@allennemo4354]

@@pram212223 "you green blooded half-breed!" OUCH!

[@soakingbook]

"If I get that green-blooded hobgoblin's answering machine one more time!"

[@tregearchaos8610]

@@pram212223 it’s too much Spock and Bones

[@loge10]

Actually, a lot of their comments to each other would be considered politically incorrect today ("green-blooded half-breed", anyone?). They had tougher skins then.

[@dplatt7290]

Nimoy: There seems to be some error. Frakes: That's an urban legend that never happened.

[@allennemo4354]

LOL - I must be missing something. Frakes' job on Ripley's Believe it or Not?

[@jedidiahmetzger5057]

@@allennemo4354 I believe it was a reference to Frakes' time on "Beyond Belief: fact or fiction".

[@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785]

LMAO!

[@oooggiieeboogee]

Totally fabricated

[@fcsuper]

"We made it up"

[@lilysawyer1]

RIP MR. Nimoy, Mr Kelley and Mr. Doohan. This was a fun commercial to see

[@brownro214]

Ms Nichols has joined them.

[@SewardWriter]

​@@brownro214 May their memories be blessings. My dad was a first-gen fan, back in the '60s. He's gone, too, just a few months ago. I hope he gets to hang out with the cast now.

[@KevinGerhart1701]

How has this been on KZbin for 11 years, and I am now just hearing about it.

[@ihl8608]

tell me about it Kevin

[@DavidWonn]

MCI's signal strength just wasn’t powerful enough to reach us yet.

[@reglook1]

@@DavidWonn yer lucky day.

[@radicalross7700]

Saw it on TV in the early 1990a. This is my first time seeing it again.

[@reglook1]

@@radicalross7700 So glad MA Bell🔔bit the dust!

[@MissGreenAgain]

Love how Shatner's laugh near the end is so over the top compared to everyone else's.

[@janicejettsitter2097]

Overacting as usual.

[@edbo10]

@@janicejettsitter2097 JEZEBEL!

[@CatsClaw44]

​@@janicejettsitter2097Or just having fun

[@cheeseballoon]

He’s just excited to catch up with all these old friends he never learned the names of.

[@21melpomene]

One of the few great commercials ever made; couldn't stop smiling while watching!

[@m3talentagency680]

A make-you-feel-happy ad campaign. And if you're a Trekkie: it's bliss.

[@drcrumpler]

Man, that was such a heartwarming commercial. Loved every second.

[@nospillblood]

What a sad life

[@reglook1]

@@nospillblood well said.

[@smittymet]

So Jonathan Frakes really has worked with a Star Trek cast from every series. #Legend

[@Keithustus]

TOS: this TNG: nearly every episode DS9: “Thomas” Riker steals Defiant Voyager.....? I blocked out most of Voyager Enterprise: that stupid fake episode after the finale Discovery....? Picard: latter half of season 1 Lower Decks: season 1 finale

[@smittymet]

@@Keithustus I said “worked with” because he’s directed a bunch of episodes of Discovery. There was an episode of Voyager when Q brought him to talk to Janeway. Yes... that Enterprise finale was quite unfortunate. 🤣

[@Keithustus]

@@smittymet, gotcha, thanks. Looking through the Memory Alpha listing, I sort of maybe remember a piece or two of that one.

[@rjb1216]

Um do you really think he actually worked with them and it wasn’t shot separately and edited later????

[@cronixix7204]

Q summons Riker to Voyager in one episode.

[@GNeuman]

I used to work for MCI Worldcom. They boldly went where no telecoms company went before: Chapter 11.

[@BlackDoveNYC]

I worked on the chapter 11 case when they were settling the whole thing. At that point MCI Worldcom I believe.

[@GNeuman]

@@BlackDoveNYC it was a very tough time. Went through 7 rounds of redundancies before they finally let me go.

[@BlackDoveNYC]

@@GNeuman Sorry to hear that. That wasn't a great time for telecoms. A lot of shake up as technology forced a lot of rapid changes. I know of people at similar co.'s at the time. All ended up like yourself.

[@GNeuman]

@@BlackDoveNYC thank you for your comment. Actually, it was a roller coaster ride as thanks to telecoms being deregulated in Europe in 1997, I was able to ride the wave until the bubble burst in 2001. I had 4 very good years, I was able to leave the UK and set up a new life in Europe thanks to the boom. All the very best to you. Mike❤️

[@bluetooth2520]

Yup, our company used them and they charged crazy prices. Then paid off the investors and corp big wigs and filed chapter 11.

[@brendashimenosky8905]

So good. It's nice to see them having fun.

[@YesterdaysMoose]

*Plot Twist: Canonically, this is one of the experiences Kirk had while trapped in the Nexus. Clearly he is living in the same cabin from Star Trek: Generations.*

[@vegansaxon3962]

Oh, if I could be in the Nexus I would have a cabin just like that..and all the dogs I ever had..and my dad...

[@MarsFKA]

That is actually his own house and, yes, they used it in the movie.

[@JS-wp4gs]

@@MarsFKA No it isn't, its a cabin they rented from its owner, it wasn't his house

[@MarsFKA]

@@JS-wp4gs I guess you and I have read different references.

[@JS-wp4gs]

@@MarsFKA No. Its literally been stated by everyone involved in the production that it was rented from a third party, multiple times. There are no 'different references.' Hell its still there today and still owned by the same person and has been visited by multiple people doing youtube videos visiting filming locations

[@JulieBirmingham2008]

I can't stop watching this! I love that they threw Riker into the mix (looking very hot, I must say!). "You're in the wrong circle!" Makes me smile every time!

[@SewardWriter]

Jonathan seems like a good guy.

[@buckeyefangirl1976]

Oh to have them all back 😥💔. I pray Bill, George and Walter stay in good health and stay with us a long time yet ♥️♥️♥️. I love this commercial by the way.

[@SewardWriter]

Amein. They were legends, and so lovely to fans. May their memories be blessings.

[@tdrewman]

WOW!! Back when people used to get charged long distance for calling people in the same country. Kids today just dont know the struggle with explaining a 200 dollar phone bill.

[@mutalix]

LMAO! Oh the terrible old days...that and AOL and net zero dial up internet.

[@4seeableTV]

Indeed. I now call a friend in England almost everyday via Google Voice through my landline for only 1 cent per minute. Unreal.

[@leons.kennedy2747]

why not just download skype each and do it for free?

[@vz-v]

10 cents a min to call to next area code one city over and only at night rates. It was madness!

[@uruiamnot]

Huh? I get $200 phone bills because of all the phones on my "plan"! Some things never change.

[@Jeng4280]

I remember seeing this as a child and just going nuts!

[@Rnyargd]

I’ve been a Star Trek fan since I was in my single digits, and I have never seen this commercial. Thank you for posting it.

[@hamhockbeans]

Me either.

[@ehawth3613]

Same here!

[@slcRN1971]

I would have remembered watching this, first time seeing it now! Also been a ‘Star Trek’ fan from when I was a young teen back in the 1960s.

[@SewardWriter]

​@@slcRN1971 You're an old-school fan! My dad was one, too, though he was a bit older than you. He had the original soundtrack album. No idea where it went.

[@sanjay4real]

This was a great commercial..put a smile on my face...especially when Kirk says to Number one .."I believe your in the wrong circle" 🤣

[@Captain_Sarcastic]

One of the few times I have heard James Doohan's natural voice.

[@Captain_Sarcastic]

@Hobarth McShane I would love to hear more of the stories he told. You should write them down.

[@slcRN1971]

@Hobarth McShane : my dad would have loved to talk to him too. He was a big ‘Star Trek’ fan, plus he had served in the Pacific during WWII.

[@davedecot5427]

You should watch Star Trek: The Animated Series. He does almost every voice. Also, he did the voice of the M-5 in "The Ultimate Computer".

[@Captain_Sarcastic]

@@davedecot5427 I have watched all of those. I also heard he was involved in making the Klingon language.

[@Bartman954]

I think this was the last time Bill and George called one another. Always nice to see De Kelley once again. RIP De and Jimmy.

[@SewardWriter]

They were so cool. DeForest always struck me as a sweet older guy, and we know Jimmy was a mensch despite his drinking issues. May their memories be blessings. Nichele as well. She was one hell of a great lady. She changed the world.

[@KairuHakubi]

imagine how many people called that number hoping to talk to trek actors

[@TommygunNG]

Or to get into their Circle.

[@OikPoinFive]

@@TommygunNG hale bopp

[@OikPoinFive]

@Steve Austin heavens gate'

[@TommygunNG]

@@OikPoinFive That was a few years later. But clever.

[@SewardWriter]

​@@OikPoinFive I have not heard that name since.... //heavy breathing//

[@-cosmicrogue-]

Aww... RIP Deforest Kelley. Such a cute commercial!

[@Paul-fw9sh]

I got to meet Jonathan Frakes, Walter Koenig, Jimmy Doohan and George Takei (and had great conversations with them!) and I've seen William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy all at conventions. What a great bunch of folks!

[@SewardWriter]

I met George Takei back in '97. My autistic ass very shyly gave him a Slinky (I love Slinkies), and he lit up. Loved it. I learned very quickly during that period how much you can learn about a person by how they react to being given a Slinky. I still have great fondness for George, and the writer P. N. Elrod.

[@miriamjewett5438]

oh, how i miss these folks.... and clever commercials....

[@DragonWaveMaster]

That was great! Thank you for sharing this with Star Trek fans.

[@danielmarinucci9342]

I still remember back when that first aired.🖖

[@gokhanersan8561]

My favorite ensemble of actors on the same TV ad. Now, that’s one TV ad I would never want to skip.

[@rogerangress9983]

They are & were so much part of our lives as we grew up with them during, after, their legacies are inviolable.....

[@Yankee_lady_b17g]

One of the best commercials ever

[@realQuestion]

DeForest Kelley steals this one...RIP to some of the greats

[@dominadorsandejas2339]

Brought lots of fond memories wow missed this show live long and prosper.

[@soujourne]

THIS WAS FANTASTIC

[@jenniferk4336]

What a blast from the past!

[@user-wr1fr1le5q]

What a great Commerical I have never seen this. Love the folks who died. But James Doohan I always &still have a crush on you

[@SewardWriter]

💖💖💖

[@sayhitosteve2785]

Thanks to MCI, I was able to speak to my aunt in Florida all the way from Texas over sixty minutes last month for only $49.95.

[@jshepard152]

Would have been $249 with AT&T.

[@SewardWriter]

Oh, boy, does this bring back memories. Back in the '90s, I called England regularly. One month, the phone bill was $400.

[@tomsmith2013]

Now that was good fun!

[@vccstudents]

If this wasn't a Super Bowl commercial originally, it should have been! This is classic!

[@ihl8608]

that actually brought tears to my eyes.

[@tony84.]

Great commercial! The first Star Trek crew is and forever will be THE BEST!!!

[@blueskunk9163]

Such a lovely group of people! It's like family.

[@philjamieson5572]

Great characters, every one of them.

[@MsOliviaGarden]

The sweetest commercial ever!

[@vintagevhstreasures4058]

RIP Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and James Doohan.

[@TheAk1292]

The first time I have ever seen this. How is this not more popular?

[@lieutenantdata7156]

I love the way Tos and Tng crew go well it’s fun

[@marynewell2198]

I loved the original Star Trek. So much fun.

[@0prayus]

💓They will live forever in our hearts and minds 🖖

[@kwaichangcaine4930]

They are all magnificent!!!

[@BlackReign469]

"I believe you're in the wrong circle"...classic...all the TOS cast and Frakes from TNG...never saw this until NOW...17 years later. Miss Kelly and Doohan...they are missed so much...

[@homiedclown]

Well, I just saw this now. 27 years later. I guess I can add Nimoy to your list. :(

[@SewardWriter]

​@@homiedclownAnd Nichele. Wonderful woman.

[@physicscat]

Wow, MCI. Friends and family. Haven’t heard that in a while.

[@peters1127]

Great commercial, especially if your a Trekkie. Love the Jonathan Frakes twist.

[@oddish4352]

Jonathan Frakes has been involved with TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, DIS (directing), LD, PIC, and SNW (directing). And I'm giving him an honorable mention for TOS, due to this commercial. Only ones he hasn't done yet are Short Treks and Prodigy.

[@SewardWriter]

​@@oddish4352 He'll get there. I really wish Paramount would greenlight the Worf series. Michael is a really cool guy, and Worf is a great character.

[@oddish4352]

@@SewardWriter Yeah, they need to get him on Prodigy. And Garrett Wang, too, at a higher rank. His 7 years as an ensign was the worst aspect of Voyager. Yes, worse than the salamanders.

[@tntamusements]

I never saw this...what a wonderful commercial...its so nice it was made and is with us today!

[@gefloigle]

I miss the early 90s.

[@SewardWriter]

What do you miss about it?

[@MetalHorrorGamer]

was not expecting to see Riker here

[@Watcher3223]

It would have been really funny if Mark Hamill broke into the calling circle.

[@NotHarpoGroucho]

Then you must not have read the title

[@kudofan]

Or he doesn't know who Jonathan Frakes is.

[@dan_hitchman007]

Neither was anyone else.

[@Starchface]

Fascinating. I had no idea this existed but I enjoyed it. To see all of them still alive like that is shocking. Thanks for posting this 11 years ago.

[@UberNeuman]

And they all hung up on Shatner.

[@leosolis8120]

Bwa-ha-ha-ha! I certainly would have!

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

You misspelled George Takei.

[@TrekBeatTK]

Doohan called back just to hang up again.

[@Hibernicus1968]

@@TrekBeatTK Actually Doohan and Shatner patched it up before Doohan's death. Pity the same wasn't true between Shatner and Nimoy; though Nimoy's son Adam said he's confident his father would have eventually if he'd lived longer.

[@JGPlisken]

it made him laugh the hardest

[@CherrylMaree]

Love to see them all laughing and enjoying their 'in jokes'.

[@hoosez]

It's great to see them all together, one last time. Thanks guys.

[@mikematei]

This commercial is better than the last 4 Star Trek shows combined.

[@joed9491]

I never saw this one before, nicely done.

[@iAngelDove]

I love you Deforest! ; A; I miss you lots!

[@dwill123]

I never saw this before. Very good.

[@GlamorousTitanic21]

I can’t believe that almost all of them are now gone.

[@seanmc7128]

Ok for a commercial I did enjoy that lol

[@RoronoaEmi]

Wow. It brings back a lot of memories.

[@sugarpacketchad]

"I'm usually home, I'm just selective about the calls I take."

[@Spiritdove64]

sure miss those who have passed. I grew up loving these actors.

[@vincentanguoni8938]

There was a time when the city next door was long distance!!!!! I'd bet you don't remember party lines!!!

[@slcRN1971]

Oh my, at first that was all that was available. Once, my dad needed to call for an emergency and a woman was giving a recipe to someone she knew and she wouldn’t get off the line. Dad reported her (he had a hospital Emergency bill to prove it had been an emergency) and she was kicked off any/all party lines.

[@SewardWriter]

Those were crazy times. I remember the very end of party lines, but I'm more than familiar with having to call friends only in the evening because they lived in another suburb. Even then, we had to keep it short. It made for some LOOOOONG, dull summers.

[@nezzynez]

the orgiastic laughter at the end kills me every time. HILARIOUS.

[@Game_Hero]

This sounds practical for the current situation. It even includes lots of random people watching other people conversations!

[@AmiStidhamMyHealingJourney]

Thank you for sharing this!

[@jim2lane]

Wow, MCI, Friends and Family calling plans, long distance calling cards - it's crazy to think the hoops the telcom companies used to make us jump through just to make a phone call 😉

[@SewardWriter]

My parents used to have a 1-800 number so I could call home from college.

[@MrHarris73]

I have a warm spot in my heart for MCI. I started my telecommunications career there 23 years ago, right before they got bought by WorldCom. Great place to work.

[@Ariel-xz8lg]

This is one of the best commercials I have ever seen! Well done MCI!

[@richardcochrane1966]

Oh God, that has made my day!! Wonderful!!

[@tregearchaos8610]

0:19 it’s not just DForest it’s literally Bones. That answering machine part is soo Mccoy

[@vincentanguoni8938]

Have you ever seen his earlier westerns??? He was a sometimes black hat cowboy!!!

[@SewardWriter]

​@@vincentanguoni8938 DeForest was made for westerns. Just chance he ended up in a space western. 💖

[@Robert08010]

If I had ever seen THAT commercial, I would have switched!

[@lincolnparc8897]

How do I miss this!!!?? THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING

[@user-cf7pe3qg1c]

I miss those days....coming home and seeing the little red light blink knowing I had a message waiting for me from somebody I cared about. I hate cell phones.

[@SewardWriter]

These days, all I get are spam calls. Anyone who knows me texts (except my mom). Even the landline gets nothing but spam. I've warned them that if they call back, I'm answering with an air horn. Calls have diminished somewhat since then.

[@milenapatriciavergaraluque6921]

What a great commercial! I felt so much nostalgy of better and more innocent times, Covidless times!!

[@AC-ih7jc]

Awww, it feels so good to see my old friends again...! ❤💫🚀

[@JamesChristopher69]

This is so fun to see!

[@donnacastel3568]

Thanks for this upload. Never saw it before & loved it. Love all but especially Nimoy. In hospital as I write this. Prayers for a wonderful man.

[@SewardWriter]

I hope you're doing better now!

[@JMyoutube1]

Seems like only yesterday. Even our tv commercials were great back then.

[@ForestTre]

I had MCI and Loved it. They made it easier to afford calling my family.

[@nekodesigner]

riker saving the day even before Lower Decks

[@loganhanssen6004]

Awesome commercial. Rest in Peace Deforest Kelly, Leonard Nimoy, and James Doohan

[@juliekaehler1741]

I love this commercial! Patrick Stewart has his own circle hee hee. I think Jonathan Frakes and William Shatner are hot. Thanks Kanal for uploading this commercial so we Trekkies can ejnoy it. I seen it once when it went on tv. I was thrilled. It didn't stay that long on the air though, unfortunately.

[@justin.187]

That was awesome I had never seen this before thanks for posting it

[@dannieallen2801]

This is the best commercial put this as save this is AWESOME

[@2978Jennifer]

They are a true treasure, irreplaceable and always beloved the whole cast. this was funny, enjoyable and sad all at once, because three are no longer here will be greatly and make us enjoy the those that remain and to love them even more. Love Star Trek, RIP Bones, Scotty and Spock. I hope you found each other on the enterprise and is cruising the galaxy.

[@blampfno]

I can't help but know deep down that Frakes straddled the hell out of that chair when he sat in it before filming. That's the first thing I think about now when I see him.

[@SewardWriter]

The Riker Manoeuvre.

[@Gotchism4Life]

It's crazy to think that long distance to another state or province (if you're Canadian) was so expensive at one time. Now we can do video calls to anywhere in the world.

[@slcRN1971]

Calling long distance could really cost a lot back then. My mother (nearly 90now) still says that she doesn’t want to ‘run up my bill’ when I call her. All those ridiculously high long distance charges kept so many people from calling to keep in touch!! That’s why letter writing was how we kept in touch back then.

[@jshepard152]

@@slcRN1971 Yup. I had a girlfriend across the country and some freaking awful phone bills in the 90s.

[@SewardWriter]

I wasn't allowed to call friends in the next suburb until after 5:00. It was so easy to lose touch in those days.

[@ewokander]

It may be corny but I've always loved this commercial. Boy do I miss this group of true Stars. Yes, I know some of them are still with us but this was truly their time to shine and they did!!!

[@buddytweed7154]

I sure do miss those guys.I love that show

[@ihl8608]

I love how Leonard puts his eyebrow up at 0:52