Star Trek's Lt. Leslie, Eddie Paskey, has passed away at 81
Eddie Paskey as Lt. Leslie in Star Trek
AUGUST 23, 2021 - You will know him when you see him, because you’ve seen him in 58 of the 79 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. Sadly, Eddie Paskey, most often known as Lieutenant Leslie, passed away on August 17th, just three days shy of age 82.
Star Trek author and consultant, Dayton Ward, shared the news on his blog on Saturday, where he noted that Paskey’s many appearances began as early as the second TOS pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Of those appearances, he received screen credit only twice, though he had speaking parts in four of them. He even had the unique distinction, in one of those speaking parts (though under the influence of mind-altering spores), of openly supporting mutiny against Captain Kirk, in the season one episode, “This Side of Paradise”.
Paskey also stood in for William Shatner, and close-up shots of his hands were used to substitute for James Doohan’s hands, due to the latter’s missing middle finger.
Even if you didn’t know his name, you almost couldn’t avoid seeing him if you watched the original #StarTrek series. https://t.co/mKu9x0jXKg
— Dayton Ward 🖖😎 (@daytonward) August 21, 2021
In addition to his TOS appearances, he portrayed Admiral Leslie, Lieutenant Leslie’s father, in the fan series Star Trek: New Voyages.
Outside of Star Trek, Paskey appeared in shows such as Ben Casey, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Lucy Show, The Wild Wild West, and Mission: Impossible.
Please join us in offering condolences to Eddie Paskey’s friends and family.
David is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. He is a librarian, baseball fan, and book and movie buff. He has also written for American Libraries and Skeptical Inquirer. David also enjoys diverse music, but leans toward classical and jazz. He plays a mean radio.
