9) “Marge Vs. the Monorail”/”The Simpsons Files” – The Simpsons (1993, 1997)
Long past the days when he was ashamed of his association with Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy arrived in Springfield to christen the town’s new monorail with a hardy, “I’d say this vessel could do at least Warp Five.” There’s been no shortage of awesome guest voice performances on The Simpsons, but Nimoy’s first of two appearances remains a highlight, if only because it was the perfect celebrity icing on an already delicious cake.
“Marge Vs. the Monorail” was as close to perfection as The Simpsons’ ever got, but the extra touch of Nimoy’s magnificence was hilariously random, especially in the end when he takes credit for saving the day and beams away. (Although it should be noted that he literally did save Krusty the Klown because, “the world needs laughter.”)
Nimoy returned four years later in the ultra-meta “The Simpsons Files,” in which he framed the story in a call back to his days hosting In Search of…. X-Files stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson got the lion’s share of attention for their appearances in the episode, but it was Nimoy’s willingness to play the fool, bailing on the show when it’s two-thirds over only to pop up in the end to sing-along with the “alien” Mr. Burns for a chorus of “Good Morning Starshine,” that won us over. It was an appearance that was goofy in a way that was funny, while still playing honor to the man and his career.
