R.I.P. Commander Adams

Leslie Nielsen has died. All the obits are talking about the comic turns he did in AIRPLANE and afterwards, but to me he will always be Commander J.J. Adams, captain of the United Planets cruiser C-57-D on its ill-fated mission to Altair IV in MGM's classic science fiction film FORBIDDEN PLANET.

Adams was a clear precursor to James T. Kirk. Without FORBIDDEN PLANET, I doubt there would ever have been a STAR TREK.