zoe saldana terminal star trek

Zoe Saldaña Has Steven Spielberg To Thank For Her Star Trek Start

As a Trekkie, I need to get this off my chest right away: the Vulcan salute in the picture above is incorrect. Zoe Saldaña's thumb should be extended.

The above picture is from Steven Spielberg's 2004 film "The Terminal," a film inspired by the true story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri. The story goes that Nasseri, an Iranian citizen, was traveling from London to Brussels via Paris, but was waylaid in Paris when he lost his refugee passport. Unable to leave Terminal 1 of the Charles de Gaulle Airport, Nasseri simply stayed there. He lived in the airport from 1988 until a medical emergency in 2006.

In Spielberg's film, the Nasseri stand-in was a character named Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) a citizen of a fictional Eastern European country called Krakozhia. While Viktor was traveling, there was a violent coup in his home country and its very existence was thrown into question. He was left without a valid passport and decided to wait it out by living in the airport. Spielberg constructed an entire airport terminal set to shoot in, and Viktor's ability to make a home and land a job inside the dull glass box of an airport involved a lot of creativity and visual innovation.

Viktor is a kind soul who likes to help people (although it's often in exchange for goods and services) and he aids a food truck driver named Enrique (Diego Luna) in romancing the comely immigration officer Dolores (Saldaña). Viktor learns that Dolores is a Trekkie who loves to attend "Star Trek" cons dressed as Yeoman Rand. Enrique can now break the ice.

In a 2009 interview with TrekMovie , Saldaña revealed that Dolores' "Star Trek" fandom led quite directly to her being cast as Uhura in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" film five years later.

Star Trek appreciation 101

There is a cute scene in "The Terminal" where, after Enrique learns that his would-be paramour is into "Star Trek" and approaches her on those terms, Dolores finally comes around by giving Enrique the Vulcan salute. However, Saldaña admitted to TrekMovie that before appearing in "The Terminal," she was woefully undereducated when it came to "Star Trek." Knowing that Dolores was a Trekkie , she immediately began doing research. Her first research stop was Roger Nygard's 1997 documentary about Trekkies — called, natch, "Trekkies" — and his then-new 2004 follow-up "Trekkies 2." Saldaña explained:

"I didn't even know what the word 'Trekkie' meant. So I didn't know what conventions were. I knew of 'Star Trek,' but not extensively. So part of doing my research to have the feel to be a Trekkie and to go to these conventions, I saw a couple of the episodes and I saw ' Trekkies' 1 and 2."

Saldaña admitted to being moved by the passion of the fandom and developed an appreciation for what "Star Trek" was and why so many people adhered to it so strongly:

"I remember watching it and the people around me were sort of laughing at everything and I felt so overwhelmed and I felt so happy that I remember thinking, 'I want to be like that, I want to be so passionate about something that I incorporate it in my everyday life and it is the reason I wake up and it fulfills me.' So it was through the fans that I became very, very curious. What is it about this show and these characters and these stories that drew people to keep it alive after 40-some years after only a few seasons?"

In 2024, it's 58 years.

Uhura and Spock??

Saldaña got deep enough into the Trekkie mindset that she felt a central conceit of Abrams' film would be rejected by Trekkies out of hand. Perhaps infamously, the film shows Uhura engaging in a romantic relationship with Spock ( Zachary Quinto ), the famously emotionless half-Vulcan. To entangle those two characters, Saldaña knew, would upset hard-line Trekkies who had never seen any kind of romantic chemistry between the pair:

"I thought J.J. was out of his mind when he and [screenwriters] Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman decided to take that route. My concern was what effect it was going to have on the fan community and whether or not it was going to go according to what they had known for so long. But at the same time there was no way to disprove that something like that had taken place before on the Enterprise. So after I gave myself that permission I allowed myself to go back to the script and read the story and focus on these characters and their journey and it made perfect sense to me."

So, she did her job as an actor, delving into the characteristics of Uhura's romance and her relationship with a co-worker. She saw her Uhura as being ambitious and skilled, still in the midst of developing the "swagger" she saw in her forebear, Nichelle Nichols. Spock, she felt, would be drawn to that passionate intellect, and she would, in turn, get glimpses of Spock's passion.

It may still be controversial, but Saldaña did the right thing. Although she was also wise to be wary of Trekkies' reactions.

Zoe Saldana: ‘I loved Star Trek. I didn’t learn until later that it was unorthodox for women to be obsessed with science fiction

She’s become sci-fi's it girl, casting an interested eye on spock in star trek, motion-capturing the avatar franchise, and starring as a kick-ass galactic outlaw in guardians of the galaxy. it’s a natural progression for someone raised on classic space opera in a house full of women.

‘When I go to someone’s house and the toilet seat is left up I get very offended,” says Zoe Saldana. “It means it’s a house where men live. I get it. But it means there are not enough gentlemen living in that space.”

Oh, Zoe. As if anyone would ever dare do such a thing in your presence. Curled elegantly into an armchair, the star of Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy has kicked off her nude, classically fashioned shoes so that they are Just Out Of The Way. If Nancy Mitford had gotten around to describing the correct way to ditch your heels, this would pass with flying colours.

But back to that lack of gentlemen and how to deal with those lavatory-seat offenders.

Guardian angel: Zoe Saldana at the UK Premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy on July 24th, 2014Z

“It’s all about repetition,” she smiles. “You can’t assume that someone will know better. Sometimes you have to keep saying something until it can’t be forgotten. I’m learning that.”

Happily, the Italian artist Marco Perego, whom Saldana wed in secret last year and is now expecting her first child with, does not seem like the type to sit around scratching himself with his house keys. After the marriage, the couple moved to Hollywood, not far from where Saldana's two sisters live.

She’s the middle one in a particularly close trinity of siblings.

“We grew up with so much love,” recalls Saldana. “And sometimes when you grow up with a lot of love you don’t know how to filter it when you’re outside the family. You go up to other kids and you kind of freak them out, and they’re like ‘ugh, get off me’. But my sisters and I quickly realised that the way we cared was too much for some people. It was a blood thing.”

Culture Shift Zoe Yadira Saldaña Nazario was born in New Jersey and was raised in New York until the age of nine, when her dad was killed in a car accident. Saldana and her two sisters were subsequently sent to live with their late father's family in the Dominican Republic. Their Puerto Rican mother remained in New York to earn enough money to pay for private school for her daughters.

That must have been a massive culture shift, even for someone who was raised speaking Spanish at home.

“Starting over was difficult,” she nods. “A kid’s world is a very cruel world. If you can survive that kind of transplant and you still have a true sense of yourself then you’ve made it. It wasn’t that all kids were mean. But at some point, my sisters and I gave up trying to impress other people outside our union. I think that saved me. We had each other.”

Her walk and, in particular, her bum earned a good deal of unwanted attention, she recalls.

“I don’t know if it’s a Latin thing,” she says. “But I do have a very particular walk. Kids used to make fun of me at school. And even now, when I’ve practised a movement for a role, I can still see the Zoe walk coming through.”

The younger Saldana also found solace in dance. Having enrolled in the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy, she studied ballet, contemporary and jazz, the perfect training, she says, for her future career as an action hero.

“It gave me discipline and focus and it taught me how to survive disappointment at an early age. You develop a thick skin. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. Well, you can. But after an hour you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself or you’ll be closed to other and better possibilities.”

She laughs: “And ballet is the reason I can kick.”

She remains a student of screen movement: "Patrick Swayze moved so beautifully," she gushes. "When he did action movies you wanted to see him fight because even when he was hitting people, he moved like a gazelle. There was nothing clunky or violent about it."

Ballet also led to her first film role in 2000, as the female lead in Nicholas Hytner's teen hoofer drama, Centre Stage . She worked steadily after, often in high-profile projects, for much of the next decade, appearing alongside Britney Spears and Kim Cattrall in Crossroads (2002), popping up as a swashbuckling pirate in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), and starring as a Trekker in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal (2004).

There was a neat synchronicity when, in 2009, she was cast as Uhura in JJ Abrams' Star Trek reboot: "Growing up, I loved Star Trek and I loved science fiction. I didn't learn until later on that it was a bit unorthodox for women to be obsessed with science fiction. But my mom and my sisters and I always had an affinity for it. It was what I loved to read. It was what a loved to watch. More than any other genre."

Green screen, green skin Zoe Saldana loves science fiction, and science fiction, in turn, loves Zoe Saldana. "I guess you just gravitate towards what you like. Or what you feel comfortable with. I love all the possibilities of it. And it puts you in contact with film-makers who are capable of imagining the unimaginable."

Between Trek movies, Saldana played the Na'avi lead in James Cameron's Avatar . Her performance-capture skills will be required for that film's three sequels. Right now, though, in a cinema near you, Saldana is Guardian of the Galaxy 's Gamora, the newest, green-skinned superhero in the Marvelverse.

It’s typical – aside from the green colouring – of the kind of roles Saldana pursues. Is there a guiding principle at work?

"When I read something, if I don't think it's a realistic representation of what a woman is, then it's not appealing for me," says the 35-year-old. "There's a lot of material out there that features a woman or women. But they're not that relevant to the movie. They don't impact on the story. They're fluff. They're just there to be serviceable. That's why so many women end up chasing after the same roles. I know that for Out of the Furnace and Nina Simone [Saldana won the lead role in both films], a lot of actresses read for those".

She shakes her head. “Honestly? I wouldn’t know how to do fluff at this point. It’s too unnatural for me. I wouldn’t know how to start putting a character like that together.”

When Saldana talks about her family, it sounds like a beehive, replete with grandmother, mother and female-only siblings. There's a strong sense of maternal influence: growing up, the girls and mother watched 2001: A Space Odyssey and the original Star Trek together. Saldana similarly attributes her fashion sense – thought to be impeccable by folks who know about such things – to her grandmother, who worked as a seamstress in various New York fashion houses during the 1960s.

This kind of matriarchal environment must surely have contributed to her aversion to fluff roles.

“Yes. But it wasn’t just the women. Even after my father passed away, there were men around. There were uncles and cousins. And they were just as pro-women and just as encouraging as the women in my family. I don’t know what it’s like to be in an environment where a woman is expected to submit or serve. Or to be secondary.”

Behind the lens For the Saldana siblings, interests continue to be shared interests. Saldana and sister Cicely have just signed a deal with Lionsgate to develop and produce Latino-centric media projects, under the banner Saldana Productions.

“I always loved movies but it’s more recent that I think about who the cinematographer is or the importance of knowing about French cinema and Italian cinema and Asian cinema. I’m going to take some time in the fall for movies. Now I have the production company with my sisters, that’s more important than ever. I should know more about my business. But so far I’ve done okay. Maybe I’ll get to a festival in the next few months, and just avoid all the cameras and see everything.”

Do the cameras make a difference for such an apparently steely person? Or has the relatively recent blossoming of her career made a sizable impact in terms of profile and intrusion?

“I feel it and I don’t. I’m very much a skip to work person. And when I’m not working I’m just living my life in such a normal way. I’m not aware of my profile. I really like hearing that the films are doing well or hearing someone say they thought the story was really beautiful. But I don’t know how to measure popularity. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

She smiles: “I mean, what website is that?”

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Zoe Saldana

Who Is Zoe Saldana?

Dancer-turned-actress Zoe Saldana started her acting career in films like Crossroads , Drumline , The Terminal and Pirates of the Caribbean . After years of diverse work, in 2009 she landed leading roles in the blockbusters Star Trek, Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy . She's also been a model for Avon, the Gap and Calvin Klein.

Born in Passaic, New Jersey on June 19, 1978, Zoe Saldana grew up in Queens. She is of mixed ethnic heritage, with her mother being of Puerto Rican descent and her father hailing from the Dominican Republic. At the age of nine, her father died in a car accident, and her mother subsequently moved Saldana and her two sisters Cisely and Mariel to the Dominican Republic, where they lived with their grandparents.

The three siblings grew up very close while Saldana studied a variety of dance forms at ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy, developing a particular fondness for ballet. She moved back to New York at 17 and continued dancing while also joining Faces, a teen-oriented theater group, and the New York Youth Theater, through which she was discovered by a talent agent.

'Center Stage,' 'Drumline,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

'guess who'.

During the mid-2000s, Saldana continued to act in a number of ensemble films, both commercial and indie, and appeared on TV with roles in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Six Degrees . In 2005 she starred in Guess Who , a comedic update of the Sidney Poitier and Spencer Tracy classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ; the newer version switched the racial roles of the original, with Bernie Mac as Saldana's wary African American father and Ashton Kutcher as her beleaguered white fiancé. She was also later featured in the 2008 thriller Vantage Point .

'Star Trek' and 'Avatar'

The year 2009 was a blockbuster year for Saldana's career. After the thriller The Skeptic , Saldana starred in the remake of Star Trek by director J.J. Abrams, in which she played Communications Officer Uhura. In December 2009, she starred as Neytiri, an alien warrior, in the 3D sci-fi epic Avatar , which would go on to become the world's highest-grossing film. Director James Cameron used performance capture technology to create Saldana's computer-generated character, driven by her bodily movements and facial expressions in a studio setting. Saldana spent months training for the athletic role, taking up horseback riding, archery and wushu martial arts.

The following year, Saldana starred in the ensemble comedic remake Death at a Funeral with Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence , as well as two action capers — The Losers and Takers — and the comedic Burning Palms . In 2011, she landed the sole lead role in Colombiana , which featured Saldana as an assassin out to avenge the murder of her parents.

'Guardians of the Galaxy'

In 2012, she starred in The Words , a return to serious drama for the actress about a struggling writer, portrayed by Cooper, who plagiarizes another person's work. She also co-directed episodes for The Rope , a web series developed by Vin Diesel about bouncers and the world of nightlife.

Saldana returned to the Star Trek franchise with the 2013 sequel Into Darkness . And the following year she added comic-book hero to her list of roles, portraying the green-skinned assassin Gamora in Marvel's well-received Guardians of the Galaxy , which broke August's domestic box office records for debut earnings. The project also co-starred Diesel and Cooper, among others. In 2017, Saldana returned to her Guardians role in the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 .

In 2016, Saldana starred as jazz musician Nina Simone in the biopic Nina to much controversy. Not only did Simone's family object to Saldana's casting, but critics were also outraged over Saldana's "blackface performance" (she wore darker foundation) and conventional good looks, which they argue did not reflect the musician's experience as a Black woman.

'Star Trek Beyond' and 'Avengers'

After starring in the Star Trek sequel, Star Trek Beyond (2016) and Live By Night (2016), Saldana reprised her Guardians role as part of a star-studded ensemble superhero cast in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

Modeling Career

Outside of acting, Saldana has a strong interest in fashion. She has appeared in Calvin Klein lingerie commercials, in which she's performed monologues offering tidbits on vulnerability, mystery and strength. She's also appeared as a spokesperson for Avon, and modeled with her sisters in a Gap print ad and W magazine editorial. Saldana has appeared in many other magazines as well, including Elle , Vanity Fair , Latina , GQ Italia , Essence , Nylon and InStyle .

Husband and Kids

Saldana was reportedly romantically linked with Bradley Cooper after her relationship ended with longtime boyfriend, actor Keith Britton, with whom she partnered to found the website My Fashion Database . In 2013, Saldana married Marco Perego. In 2014, the couple welcomed twins boys Bowie and Cy and three years later, another son named Zen.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1978
• Birth date: June 19, 1978
• Birth State: New Jersey
• Birth City: Passaic
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Zoe Saldana is an American actress known for starring in blockbusters such as 'Star Trek,' 'Avatar' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
• Theater and Dance
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy
• Nacionalities

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Zoe Saldana Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/zoe-saldana
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• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 1, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• I got so much out of being a dancer. The stillness of it. The discipline. The dedication.
• I loved stories that helped me escape, and those happened to be the stories that fall into the category of geekiness. So, therefore, I am a proud geek!
• I think in American society, we're messing up our kids by taking away the education on awareness of sexuality and replacing it with violence, guns and video games.

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Zoë Saldana

Movies: Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond

Character(s): Nyota Uhura

Zoë Saldana is an American actress and model who played Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond.

Saldana was working on James Cameron’s blockbuster film Avatar when Abrams offered her Star Trek. Because she was already committed to a project and had a “lack of knowledge about Star Trek,” Saldana was reluctant to accept the role of Uhura. Despite the scheduling issues it would cause, Cameron insisted that Saldana take the role, even going so far as to invite Abrams to the set to discuss the situation. After finishing Star Trek, Saldana completed her work on Avatar.

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Zoe Saldaña Landed Her Star Trek Role With the Help of an Iconic Director

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When it comes to enduring pop culture franchises, actor Zoe Saldaña has found her way into three of them. In the past year, she appeared in two successful franchise films: James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 and Avatar: The Way of Water . Yet, it's thanks to director James Cameron that Zoe Saldaña got to suit up in the red uniform of Lt. Nyota Uhura in Star Trek , the 2009 film directed by J.J. Abrams.

Many times since taking on the role, Saldaña admitted she wasn't a Star Trek fan growing up. Her first exposure to the franchise came from another director, Steven Spielberg. In The Terminal , her character Delores Torres is a Trekkie. Spielberg and Cameron came of age at a time when Star Trek: The Original Series was growing from a cult show to a worldwide phenomenon. Cameron is a big science fiction fan since seven of his ten films fall squarely in the genre. Though his fandom subsided, Cameron knew the franchise was a genuine cultural institution. In the early 2000s, Star Trek was a "dead" franchise for the second time. The failure of UPN led to Enterprise's cancellation . After an unprecedented 19-year run of movies and films, some in Hollywood thought the Enterprise had given them all she's got. James Cameron knew better.

RELATED: Star Trek Can Revisit the Kelvin Timeline Through the Next Generation

J.J. Abrams Offered Zoe Saldaña Star Trek When James Cameron Introduced Them

Despite Avatar 2 debuting in December 2022, principal photography on the first film took place 15 years earlier. This happened to be just around the time J.J. Abrams was casting Star Trek , scheduled to film in 2008. The original actors were so closely tied to the characters that Abrams needed to find the right people for the roles. Apparently, Zoe Saldaña was his choice for Uhura, originated (and named) by Nichelle Nichols . Problem was, he couldn't get in touch with her. Since Cameron was working with cutting-edge visual effects technology, a lot of directors visited the Avatar set. Abrams was one of those directors, and Cameron seemingly had a plan to set up Saldaña for this life-changing role.

In an interview filmed before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Saldaña goes on a career retrospective. The day Abrams was set to visit, Cameron told her that he "was doing something for [her]" and then jokingly said, "You're welcome." Upon meeting her, Abrams "loosely offered" her the part. "I didn't know what he was talking about," she said in an interview with BBC Radio, "my team hadn't informed me that he really wanted me to be…Uhura." Saldaña goes on to say she didn't know the details of "conversations going back and forth" about the role. Still, it's possible that her representatives didn't want her to do the movie. They likely also realized that no matter how the film was received, she'd be associated with the character for the rest of her life.

People who appeared in single episodes of The Original Series still go to conventions with plenty of fans eager to meet them. The skepticism around the Star Trek reboot was high. The idea that angry Trekkies would blame Saldaña for "ruining" an important character wasn't unfounded. They knew the movie could be amazing and still become an albatross around the necks of those involved. However, James Cameron isn't just a visionary about his own films. He knew Star Trek would resonate, especially with an actor he trusted like Saldaña on the set.

RELATED: The New Star Trek Series Could Erase the Kelvin Timeline, but Shouldn't

Zoe Saldaña's Uhura Is an Indelible Part of Star Trek's Legacy

Naturally, Star Trek was not without its critics, especially among the fanbase. Every new iteration of the franchise since Star Trek: The Animated Series is met with skepticism and derision from some diehard fans. Still, almost impossibly, the fans approved of the cast, especially Uhura. In fact, the movie reinvigorated some fans who'd left the Enterprise crew behind, like James Cameron. The film "is a great example of a complete reinvention…. And I loved the first season of "Star Trek" back in… 1966…, it grabbed me as a kid, but I drifted away from it over time," he told the Los Angeles Times .

Feelings about the story or direction aside, there is no denying that J.J. Abrams got the cast right. Before Celia Gooding played young Uhura in Strange New Worlds , Saldaña gave fans their first look at the character before she was the senior communications officer on the Enterprise. It's no accident that Uhura is the most fully-realized character. Nichols originated the role, but Saldaña played somebody's first Uhura. A character like Uhura wasn't as rare in 2009 as in 1966, but she's nonetheless important for the kids of all ages grabbed by Star Trek like a young Cameron was. It's the kind of cultural importance that no agent or manager could ever predict.

Some of the 1980s and 1990s movies are deemed "bad" by critics or the most vocal fans. Yet, they're also someone's first or favorite Star Trek , too. Zoe Saldaña could go on to conquer other franchises like the DC Universe or Star Wars . Yet, there will always be those people who see her and think of Uhura first. What Saldaña accomplished is amazing. She made the character recognizable to longtime fans while using her performance to do something new. Nichelle Nichols opened many important doors, but Zoe Saldaña made sure they would never close again.

Zoe Saldana (I)

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 5,000 104

• Contact info
• 21 wins & 74 nominations

Photos 1071

• Neytiri (as Zoë Saldana)

• Uhura (as Zoë Saldana)

• Post-production
• In Production
• Lieutenant Uhura (rumored)
• Pre-production

• Rita Moro Castro

• Zoë Saldaña (as Zoë Saldaña)

• Gamora (as Zoe Saldaña)

• Neytiri (as Zoe Saldaña)

• Amy Wheeler (as Zoe Saldaña)

• Irma St. Clair (as Zoe Saldaña)

• Laura (as Zoe Saldaña)

• Maya (voice)

• Rosa (voice)

• Becky (as Zoe Saldaña)

• Princess Buttercup

• executive producer

• 10 episodes

• created by (creator)
• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Zoë Saldana
• 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
• June 19 , 1978
• Passaic, New Jersey, USA
• Marco Perego June 2013 - present (3 children)
• Children Cy Aridio Perego-Saldana
• Parents Asalia Nazario
• Relatives Cisely Saldaña (Sibling)
• Other works TV commercial: Macy's department store.
• 3 Interviews
• 4 Pictorials
• 26 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia Had done an intense nonstop six-month preparation for Avatar (2009) including martial arts, archery and horseback riding.
• Quotes When I go to the D.R., the press in Santo Domingo always asks, "¿Qué te consideras, dominicana o americana?" ("What do you consider yourself, Dominican or American?") I don't understand it, and it's the same people asking the same question. So I say, time and time again, "Yo soy una mujer negra." ("I am a black woman.") [They go] "Oh, no, tú eres trigueñita." ("Oh no, you are 'dark skinned'") I'm like, "No! Let's get it straight, yo soy una mujer negra." ("I am a black woman.")
• Trademark Often plays strong, dominant heroines
• Salaries Avatar: The Way of Water ( 2022 ) $8,000,000

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Zoe Saldaña Opens Up About Star Trek Role And Meeting Franchise 'Icon' Nichelle Nichols

Star Trek's Zoe Saldaña gives a moving tribute to her fellow Uhura actress.

Star Trek ’s Nichelle Nichols passing away at the age of 89 came as a shock to many fans and co-stars. As soon as the news hit the press, the condolences and tributes started pouring in. Fellow Star Trek icons, including George Takei and William Shatner, paid tribute to the Uhura actress , while Star Trek vet Whoop Goldberg shared a heartfelt response to Nichols’ death on The View . But one voice was missing from the Star Trek chorus – the veteran actress’s successor Zoe Saldaña. Now the Kelvin universe’s Uhura opened up about her Star Trek role and meeting the franchise icon.

The Star Trek actress finally broke her silence this week by paying tribute to Nichols through her Instagram Stories. Saldaña penned a moving message pointing out the influence the late actress had not only on television, but on pop culture at large. The Guardians of the Galaxy star opened up about how Nichols helped her cope with taking on the iconic role during their first meeting.

Meeting Nichelle was truly a very special moment in my life. Her energy was infectious every time I was in her presence. She convinced me in believing that anything was achievable, if you put your heart into it. I mean she inspired Mae Jemison to follow her dreams of becoming an astronaut and that’s exactly what Mae did. I knew I had big shoes to fill when I was chosen to play Uhura, and Nichelle made me feel safe, told me to play her with all the confidence in the world. My hope is that we continue to keep her memory alive by celebrating her amazing body of work, and by spreading the message of peace and equality amongst all people. She lived a long impactful and not only prospered, but helped so many others prosper too.

Meeting with Nichelle Nichols about playing Uhura appeared to help Zoe Saldaña deal with the expectations Trekkies had for the iconic character. The actress had so much more to say about Nichols in her full Instagram message below with a nice nod to the space-traveling franchise.

Nichols’ reassuring words to the Kelvin universe actress echoed the sentiment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he convinced the Star Trek icon to stay on The Original Series , as Nichols was on the verge of quitting after the first season. Thankfully, she stayed on the show and not only inspired Saldaña, but millions of others like Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel into space. She extended her influence to promote NASA programs and recruitment. The late entertainer’s reach went beyond just television or the six original Star Trek films.

Using the Maya Angelou quote was a nice way, to sum up, the impression Nichelle Nichols left on the world. But as Zoe Saldaña pointed out, the film and TV actress’ words and actions were as impactful as the feelings she provoked across multiple generations of viewers. That’s why the Star Trek icon was referred to as a trailblazer in television and sci-fi.

Of course, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura and Nichelle Nichols’ legacy will continue to live on as Saldaña is expected to return as the communications head in the fourth Kelvin installment, which will be the first movie without co-star Anton Yelchin . On the television front, Celia Gooding plays a young Uhura in the Christopher Pike-focused series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The series' Emmy-nominated first season can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription . If you're not on that platform, you can get an Amazon Prime subscription to watch Nichols' performances in the first six Star Trek films.

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Zoe Saldana: ‘Star Trek’ Cast “Excited” To Reunite For Fourth Movie; Says It Would Honor Anton Yelchin

| March 1, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 50 comments so far

Two weeks ago, Paramount announced they were moving forward with a fourth film set in the Kelvin Universe, reuniting the cast of the 2009 Star Trek film. Later, it was reported that the announcement took the cast by surprise. Now one of the actors is talking about how the movie could honor the late Anton Yelchin.

Zoe Saldana talks fourth Star Trek movie and Anton Yelchin

The announcement may have come as a surprise to the Star Trek cast, but according to Zoe Saldana (Uhura), they are looking forward to getting back together for a fourth movie. Entertainment Tonight caught up with the actress on the red carpet for her new movie The Adam Project , where she talked about how the cast feels about reuniting: 

We’re excited. Obviously, it’s bittersweet because we are coming together for a fourth time and one of us is no longer with us… with Anton’s passing. But we honestly feel that going back and keeping the Star Trek family together is a way to really keep him alive in our thoughts and our hearts. Because he was such a fan, and he was such a devoted artist to the craft and also to Star Trek. So it would be great to go back to work and get to be together with again.

Here’s the video:

Zoe Saldana says making ‘Star Trek 4’ will be “bittersweet” without Anton Yelchin, but “keeping the Star Trek family together is a way to keep him alive in our thoughts and our hearts.” pic.twitter.com/vl27oeYRBN — Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) March 1, 2022

Yelchin passed away in 2016 in a tragic accident shortly before the release of Star Trek Beyond . A fourth film with the Kelvin cast would be the first one without him as Pavel Chekov. Producer J.J. Abrams has previously said “ there’s no replacing him ” when it comes to the idea of recasting the character, so there won’t be a new actor in the role. It remains to be seen how the Chekov’s absence would be handled.

Behind the scenes on Star Trek Beyond with Anton Yelchin and John Cho

During the Paramount Investor Day presentation two weeks ago, Abrams said of the project:

We are thrilled to say that we are hard at work on a new ‘Star Trek’ film that will be shooting by the end of the year that will be featuring our original cast and some new characters that I think are going to be really fun and exciting and help take ‘Star Trek’ into areas that you’ve just never seen before. We’re thrilled about this film, we have a bunch of other stories that we’re talking about that we think will be really exciting, so can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up. But until then, live long and prosper.

The film is set to be directed by WandaVision ‘s Matt Shakman. The latest draft of the script is written by Josh Friedman ( Avatar 2 ) and Cameron Squires ( WandaVision ), based on an earlier draft by Lindsey Beer ( Sierra Burgess Is a Loser ) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet ( Captain Marvel ).

If the project moves forward, Paramount is hoping to start production this fall. They have set a release date of December 22, 2023.

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I am glad Yelchin won’t be recast though I hope there is an in universe explanation for his absence, as opposed to his simply no longer being there.

Just mention that Chekov has been reassigned to the new Uss Reliant.

Why? They will probably say that he died saving the ship and morn his loss.

I’m guessing Chekov is first officer on the Reliant by this point. Hopefully the crew will have graduated to their maroon TWOK uniforms.

But leave Khan out of it! I mean seriously. Just leave him alone.

Long way from Ensign to Commander in five or six years…

not in the Kelvin universe :)

Really? Cause Kirk kinda went from Cadet to Captain in like 5 min.

I was hoping they’d put that stupidity behind them. Foolish me! :-)

There is no reason to believe that he’ll follow the same path as Prime Chekov. He could have been killed on a away mission or got married and moved to Risa…….could be anything.

Actually, they could discover that John Harrison wasn’t really Khan after all. He was just John Harrison, a British scientist, pretending to be Khan, and Into Darkness is instantly a better movie.

Except… Why would he pretend that? And how would he get the strength and skills? Would he decide to be a comic book villain and test his new drug on himself?

My personal decision would be to recast him. But writing him off the ship for some reason would work too and do understand why that might be the preferred method.

I don’t see the need to replace Chekhov either. And frankly there has been so much time between the last film and considering how fast people get promoted in that universe, he’s probably a Fleet Admiral by now. ;)

But if this movie really does pull off a miracle and actually gets made, the one thing I always wanted to see in the next one was Spock and Uhura married…and with babies! That just seems like the next logical step, right? And they probably been together about 8-10 years at this point, it’s time to make Uhura an honest woman Spock!

Maybe the movie can start with their wedding and Kirk marries them! Just too bad Burnham can’t be…dammit, wrong timeline again!

I agree that it would be great if they evolved the Spock-Uhura relationship and just didn’t drop it out of fear. It’s obviously one of the things, like the destruction of Vulcan, that distinguishes the Kelvin films from the rest of Star Trek. I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t take the relationship further if it’s written well.

I’d also like to see them bring back Alice Eve as Carol Marcus. I’m a bit dissapointed that they dropped that relationship from the last film, although I understand why they did. It would be nice if, for instance, Kirk reconnects with Carol and finds he’s now a father. That might be a source of good drama.

One other element that’s similar that I wish they had explored in TOS or its films is from McCoy’s backstory. We know now that McCoy was married and is divorced. However, in the TOS writer’s bible they also said he had a daughter who was originally supposed to be in “The Way to Eden” and be a love interest for Kirk, which would have caused tension with McCoy, one of his two best friends.

It’d be cool if they had a daughter for McCoy in the Kelvin films.

In any case, I really hope the film is great. I really loved all three of the Abrams films (though of course I have quibbles and some things I wish they’d changed). Beyond in particular was so much better than its box office. My wife said that she thought it was far better than The Force Awakens. I hope this next film is great too!

Exactly! What’s the point of having a relationship if it’s not going to grow? And I think the one cool thing in Star Trek is that every show actually had a couple who eventually got married: Tom/B’Elanna, Dax/Worf, Sisko/Kassidy and obviously the most famous non-couple couple Riker/Troi. Add one more to the list!

Of course they can break up or moved on but I think that would disappoint their fans more than anything (at least the ones who like the relationship) by this point. I was also disappointed Carol didn’t come back in Beyond either. I was hoping she just became part of the crew and you saw her and Kirk form a relationship in the next film. Could still happen I guess, so we’ll see.

I actually heard for the first time Bones had a daughter from someone on this site. But I had no idea was suppose to hook up with Kirk. Man how old is Bones suppose to be lol.

The writers guide puts the two characters at 11 years apart in age. Interestingly, the two actors are both 11 years apart as well! Regarding Kirk falling for McCoy’s daughter… You do the math. It’s probably a good idea to NOT pursue that storyline….

Burnham is likely actually serving her sentence for mutiny in this universe. Are Spock and Sybok not speaking in this universe, either?

That is kind of interesting actually…….with the Nero thing, would any of the Klingon stuff even happened? Where is Burnham them?? She may never had be orphaned in the first place and never been Spock’s sister at all in the Kelvin……….

Actually, after recently watching the first season of Discovery, I wonder if there was even a Federation-Klingon War. Wasn’t the Kelvin destroyed years before the Klingon attack that killed Burnham’s parents?

After that point, the timelines diverge. Initially, for ST 2009, Nero and his crew were captured by the Klingons before escaping after 20+ years. That, of course, was cut from the final release of the film, for time and pacing reasons, but it’s a good explanation of what Nero was up to in that over 20 year span. The only thing that’s left in the film is a reference to Klingon ships being attacked by Nero’s ship. IMO, they should have kept this in, since it’s a better explanation than just having Nero waiting around for Spock Prime.

Anyway, what I’m saying is this: An early encounter with Nero after the battle with the Kelvin may have impacted the events leading up to Kvuma (or whatever his name was) attempts to ressurect the Klingon Empire by starting a war with the Federation.

If there was no encounter, as was implied by the theatrical cut of ST 2009, then it all becomes more iffy.

On another note, I think it’s high time the Okudas got to work again on a new edition of the ST Encyclopedia and Chronology. The last one had material up to ST 2009. Now we have 2 more films and 4 new series that need to be documented and, hopefully, with gaps patched.

LOL I didn’t think about that at all. But as Rocketscientist stated, I don’t think there was ever a Klingon war in this universe. That would basically erase the entire point of STID since Admiral Marcus issue was fear of one happening.

As for Sybok, we saw Spock starting as a kid to a full grown adult in this universe too, Sybok was never even hinted there either. I think we’ll learn in season 2 of Picard that in order to save existence itself, they had to wipe Sybok from every known universe and why no one remembers him. Canon saved.

I’m betting it’s only a matter of time before Lower Decks has fun with the Sybok thing.

Good grief, Star Trek V was bad. By comparison, it makes Nemesis look like an Oscar winning film.

Though TOS is my favorite show of all time, I’m afraid I agree with you, One Lion.

TFF was a huge letdown.

TNG’s GEN, INS, and NEM weren’t nearly as bad.

TFF is at the bottom and I think Shatner bears all the blame for that.

That said, I’ll take TFF anyday over Shoemaker’s Batman and Robin or Campbell’s Green Lantern. Those were worse for me.

Great post — I agree with all of it!

You need to read up on all the issues Shatner faced making that movie.

It’s probably best for the KU to completely ignore Burnahm and all of them.

Say what you will but I am super glad that they’re not having Tarantino directed or touch the film at all.

I can not express this fully enough when I say I 100% agree with you !

And I was one of the people originally intrigued with the idea and supported him doing it. But once he started talking about it, really didn’t sound like he respected or even cared about canon at all and worse, what the premise of the film was going to be…just a hard pass! For the record, it could’ve still turned out great, but on paper it sounded like the complete opposite of a good idea to me and happy it will only remain on paper.

And I never buy fans who say they don’t care about canon because of all the whining over the Kelvin movies seem to be direct proof most actually do care about canon lol. The biggest irony being those movies were made to make their own canon by doing their own thing and yet you still have people who want to ‘reset’ the Kelvin universe to the Prime one even though these freaks know it takes place in a parallel universe and timeline. That’s a huge reason why so many even hate the films today, they can’t seem to just accept it as its own entity, rules and characters away from the Prime universe.

And Tarantino sounds like all he was going to do nothing was muddy the waters even more with his screwball ideas and make things much worse when it came to canon. The Kelvin movies actually respected canon by saying they were going to touch as little of it as possible. Tarantino blatantly sounded like he just didn’t care.

To be perfectly honest, I never believed a QT Star Trek movie would ever happen. Once we got a few years past Beyond none of the talk, until the recent Abrams statement, felt like there was a chance in hell of happening.

While my initial reaction is this idea is no, I will give it this, it would be bold and new. And I wonder if a cute Vulcan toddler might get the same kind of overwhelming positive public reaction that Baby Yoda got?

You are kind of talking me into this against my better judgement…LOL

They would have to write that they got back together at this point. They broke up in Beyond.

I just hope they give Saldana something substantial to do as Uhura. And more of a truer portrayal of the character of Uhura than we got? In the 2009 film her role was basically to be Spocks girlfriend. She needs an arc of her own.

Agreed! Besides, she’s and A-list actress and more famous worldwide then Pine, so they really need to up her role from that perspective as well.

Subtle wording in this article – IF the project moves forward…. Saldana’s statement is also carefully crafted. This cast has been excited about making another Trek feature for years now. Nothing new there. Notice she didn’t say “of course, I’ll drop everything I’m doing now for principle photography in the fall”…

Yeah I’ll still remain skeptical it’s fully happening until they are all signed on and standing on a set in uniform. I think a lot of people will be. ;)

But this is the closest it’s been to happening in over 3 years, so progress!

It’s a different timeline, so if Vulcan is gone, then Chekov can be, as well… as sad as that is. But an in-universe acknowledgment of his passing would add more stakes to the Enterprise’s mission. Not everyone gets out alive, even the youngest among us.

That said, we have the technology to replace the character with Mr. Arex, which I think would be awesome. They can use a combination of prosthetics and CG effects to make the character look absolutely real, and I think his extra arm could come in handy on a dangerous away mission, and add a grace note of humor, too, if handled correctly.

They can have Simon Pegg voice him.

Notice that her quote doesn’t mention one thing about her being surprised, and she basically confirms (using “we” multiple times) that the cast all wants to make the fourth movie.

As I said previously, I think that whole “the cast is all surprised thing” was THR talking to a couple of the cast’s agents, who are trying to manipulate this (as they should, it’s their job) to get their clients the best deal.

So that entire headline from THR I am calling BS on.

That was way overblown. Some folks need to kick their addiction to doom posting and chill.

I had an idea that it would be interesting for this movie to take place at the end of the 5 year mission – Enterprise and crew are coming back to earth, and we learn of Chekov’s passing. The crew is tired and ready to be home but of course – they are called back into action, just when they were ready to move on. Then the end of the film could begin to set up the events in TMP, if those events still exist in the Kelvin universe. But since the “end of the 5 year mission” is one that hasn’t really been explored in film or TV (except for the fan films and the novels) it might be an interesting place to tell a story.

Beyond was kind of almost the end of the 5y mission

have the opening pre titles sequence be the end of TMP: v’ger exploding. “Out there, thataway”

Main titles (movie font style) Horner-esque score.

Then maroon uniforms/Admiral Kirk/Captain Spock/Lt Saavik/mushroom spacedock/movie nacelles time

I like the end of the Five Year Mission setting, but they don’t need to kill off Chekov. They could just say he was promoted to Lieutenant and went back to Earth for Command Training (what Saavik was doing in Wrath of Khan ) a few months before at the same time Ensign Jayla, fresh out of the Academy came aboard as the new Navigator.

Agreed – but I think there is a kind of poetic finality and tribute in recognizing Yelchin’s death by having Chekov die. The only reason to leave him alive in the ST Kelvin universe would be to tease a possible return and there’s really no reason to do that. We know already that all bets are off in terms of the future of our characters because it’s a different universe, and in the first movie McCoy does his “space is disease and death” thing – it would be good to pay that off for once. We know that death really is only permanent in the ST universe if you’re not a main character – and this would be an opportunity to reinforce that what they do – exploring the galaxy – has real risk and real repercussions. Let the crew (as the cast has) deal with his death and make it part of the story – why we’re out here…”risk is our business” – right?

You know… Just spitballing here… There could be an opening sequence where Chekov dies off screen. Maybe using the “Egon” type of thing from the beginning of Afterlife. Maybe use some Yelchin lines that were cut from other films. And the rest are dealing with that sad reality.

I feel that they should make the death of Chekov an integral part of the story, with Kirk and crew dealing with the impact of the loss

Here’s the issue….there are several shifts, and bridge officers on this (or any) starship. There’s been plenty of action where the Big E is getting the snot knocked out of it, with plenty of crew getting blown to bits, sucked into space, or vaporized by the technobabble weapon of the week. Why would a Chekov screen death tie this crew up in knots, when others close to the senior crew have also died? At a minimum, this movie is going to hit the big screen eight years (or so) after the last one, so why is having to have Kirk and crew deal with it interesting theater, as opposed to gratuitous fan service? It sounds cold, but no one is really going to care if he’s just not there.

Ugh, no. Enough dark and gloomy in Trek. Let’s have some optimism and success in this movie.

This guy seems to have been genuinely loved. It’s typical in Hollywood for lip service to be paid to the deceased but all the cast members I have seen quoted about Anton have expressed genuine affection and devotion to him.

Zoe Saldana’s net worth in 2024

Z oe Saldana’s net worth in 2024 is $60 million. Saldana is a popular actress who has starred in several hugely successful movie franchises, such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, the Avatar movie franchise, the Kelvin timeline Stat Trek films, and many other movies.

She is a Kids’ Choice Awards nominee, MTV Movie Award nominee, People’s Choice Awards nominee, Empire Awards winner, and a Saturn Award winner. Let’s take a closer look at Zoe Saldana’s net worth in 2024.

What is Zoe Saldana’s net worth in 2024?: $60 million (estimate)

Saldana’s net worth in 2024 is $60 million. This is according to numerous outlets, such as Celebrity Net Worth.

The actress was born on June 19, 1978, in Passaic, N.J. She studied in Newtown High School. After completing high school, Saldana would go on to hone her dancing skills at the ECOS Espacio de Danza Academy.

Afterwards, Saldana would go on to try her hand in acting by joining the Faces theater troupe. Saldana’s theater career included work in the production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Zoe Saldana makes TV acting debut

In 1999, she made her first TV acting debut in the Law & Order series. A year later, Saldana made her big-screen debut in the film Center Stage. Center Stage would go on to gross $26 million worldwide.

After that, it wouldn’t be long before Saldana became a fixture in the cinemas.

She earned roles in various movies such as Get Over It, Snipes, Crossroads, Drumline, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Terminal, Haven, Temptation, Constellation, Guess Who, The Curse of Father Cardona, The Heart Specialist, After Sex, Blackout, The Skeptic, Vantage Point, and many others.

In 2009, Saldana earned her breakthrough role after appearing in Star Trek. Here, she acted alongside Hollywood stars Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, and Zachary Quinto. Star Trek would go on to gross $385 million around the world. For her role as Uhura, Saldana earned an ALMA Award nomination for Actress in Film.

Zoe Saldana stars in Avatar

During the same year, Saldana notched her biggest film yet. Starring opposite Sam Worthington as Neytiri, Avatar would go on to become the highest grossing film of all time. Avatar grossed at least $2.9 billion worldwide. For making Neytiri come to life, Saldana was paid $4 million, as per Parade . Furthermore, Saldana also won an Empire Award for Best Actress.

Since then, Saldana would continue to become a fixture in movies. She appeared in other notable films such as Takers, The Losers, Death at a Funeral, Burning Palms, Colombiana, The Words, Out of the Furnace, Infinitely Polar Bear, The Book of Life, and many others.

Saldana also reprised her role as Uhura in Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond. Aside from film projects, Saldana also appeared in TV series such as Six Degrees, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Rosemary’s Baby.

Zoe Saldana joins the MCU

Five years after her biggest film, Saldana made waves once again after starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Guardians of the Galaxy. For her role as Gamora, Saldana received a Blimp Award nomination at the Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Female Action Star.

In addition to this, Saldana also earned a MTV Movie Award nomination for Best On-Screen Transformation. According to entertainment /celebs/a42229751/zoe-saldana-net-worth/" rel="noopener">Cosmopolitan, Saldana earned just $100,000 for the MCU movie.

But despite being underpaid, Saldana would reprise her role as Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. According to sources , Saldana received a better payday for these films. In fact, the Avatar star received $3 million for Avengers: Infinity War and $11 million for Avengers: Endgame.

Zoe Saldana in three highest-grossing films of all time

With Avengers: Endgame grossing $2.7 billion worldwide, Saldana officially became part of the top two highest-grossing films of all time. Saldana also appeared in the third-highest grossing film of all time in 2022 after reprising her role as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of the Water.

Saldana received $8 million for making Neytiri come to life, which doubled her salary from the first Avatar installment. Avatar: The Way of the Water has grossed $2.3 billion worldwide.

With Saldana also playing Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War, which grossed $2.05 billion, that means she was in four of the top six grossing movies of all time. Saldana also helped conclude the Guardians of the Galaxy saga by starring in Guardians of the Galaxy 3.

Zoe Saldana’s future roles

Given that Saldana has carved out a successful acting career, it isn’t a surprise that she’s booked to appear in future films. Saldana is set to reprise her role as Uhura in an untitled Star Trek sequel.

On the other hand, Saldana will also reprise her role as Neytiri in the third, fourth, and fifth installments of the Avatar franchise.

Nevertheless, were you at all stunned by Zoe Saldana’s net worth in 2024?

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The post Zoe Saldana’s net worth in 2024 appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Chris Pine’s Best Moment As Star Trek’s Captain Kirk Isn’t the One You Think

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The Big Picture

• Chris Pine's portrayal of James T. Kirk in Star Trek showcases a journey from selfishness to selflessness, reflecting growth and heroism.
• The film reboots the iconic sci-fi franchise with action-packed sequences and a new timeline that sets up the origins of Kirk and Spock's friendship. Pine's best moment as Captain Kirk is in the final sequence of the film where he and Spock work together to infiltrate the Narada .
• Pine brings sensitivity to Kirk's character, fulfilling his father's legacy and showcasing a vulnerability that highlights his heroic transition.

There really should not be a debate over who is Hollywood’s “Best Chris,” as Chris Pine has easily proven himself as an actor of real depth . Between his steely role in the neo-Western Hell or High Water and his charismatic romanticism as Steve Trevor in the Wonder Woman films, Pine has shown that he’s capable of standing out within talented ensembles. However, the challenges he faced when stepping into the role of James T. Kirk in the reboot of the Star Trek franchise were immeasurable. While William Shatner’s performance has been cited as the gold standard of overacting, Pine brought a surprising sensitivity and nuance to his role as the younger Captain Kirk.

The mythology of Star Trek is quite dense, but director J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot serves as a great entry point for newcomers to the franchise. By taking place within an alternate universe known as the “Kelvin Timeline,” the new trilogy was able to forge a new direction and show the events leading up to the iconic episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series . Longtime fans may have struggled accepting a new actor in Shatner’s iconic role, but Pine gave Kirk a complete character arc during the action-packed conclusion of 2009’s Star Trek when he and Spock worked together to infiltrate the Narada.

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.

Chris Pine's Best Moment as Kirk Comes in 'Star Trek's Final Act

While the original Star Trek series took place in an established universe, the reboot film examines how Kirk rose from a humble background to become one of the bravest and most accomplished captains in the history of Starfleet . Bravery is always in his wheelhouse, but Kirk starts off the film as a selfish jerk who only uses Starfleet to advance his own ego. Kirk essentially decides to enlist in Starfleet Academy in order to win a bet with Captain Christopher Pike ( Bruce Greenwood ). Following this, he seems more interested in starting feuds with Spock ( Zachary Quinto ) and flirting with Lieutenant Uhura ( Zoe Saldaña ) than he is fulfilling the Prime Directive. However, a pivotal conversation with Spock Prime ( Leonard Nimoy ) indicates to Kirk that he has a greater legacy to fulfill.

Pine shows in Star Trek's conclusion that Kirk has grown more responsible. His mission is a critical one; the ruthless Romulan, Captain Nero ( Eric Bana ), has already destroyed the planet Vulcan, and is intent on leading an attack on Earth. While Pine has always done a great job at showing that Kirk has a keen sense of humor, his complexion grows far more grave when he informs his crew about the impending mission. Kirk realizes that everything he came from, including his family and friends on Earth, is at stake. It’s the first instance in the film where he develops a knack for heroism that is entirely selfless, and not out of a desperate attempt to prove himself worthy to the other characters.

What Happened to the 'Madame Web' Director's Star Trek Movie?

Why did S.J. Clarkson never enter the world of Tribbles and Gorns?

While the final sequence includes the type of kinetic action that is common in Abrams’ films , Star Trek shows how Pine’s Kirk has learned from his eclectic experiences . Kirk has spent a majority of the film sneaking around Starfleet facilities in order to solidify his place within the crew of the Enterprise ; it's fitting that his finest hour involves infiltrating an advanced spacecraft in a daring and heroic mission that doesn’t follow official protocols. Kirk’s final brawl with the ruthless Romulan villain Ayel ( Clifton Collins Jr. ) shows how his checkered past ends up benefiting him. Although he started the film getting into a bar brawl with haughty Starfleet officers, Kirk finally puts his nasty hand-to-hand combat skills to good use.

'Star Trek' Shows the Origin of Kirk’s Friendship With Spock

One of the most interesting revisions that 2009’s Star Trek makes to the core mythology of the franchise is positioning Kirk and Spock as rivals. Although the two eventually grow into close friends throughout the original series , Spock’s insistence on sticking to procedures initially rubs Kirk the wrong way. The ending of Star Trek teases the eventual bond that will develop between Kirk and Spock, as they are forced to work together in order to sneak aboard the Narada . Pine is more cheerful in his interactions, indicating that Kirk has taken Spock Prime’s words about their respective destinies to heart. As unlikely as it seems to him initially, he’s grown to accept the idea that he and Spock could be friends.

Although he makes a few jokes at his new ally’s expense, Pine shows that Kirk has come to acknowledge Spock’s feelings . Kirk has been so infuriated with Spock’s attitude that he has overlooked the fact that Vulcan has been destroyed; Spock lost much of his family and cultural heritage. Kirk is well-aware that Spock is half-human , and that Earth is the only planet he has left to call home. There’s a sensitivity to how Pine characterizes Kirk’s attitude; he recognizes the pain that Spock feels upon losing a parent, as it’s one that he knows all-too well.

Kirk Fulfills His Father’s Legacy at the End of 'Star Trek'

Star Trek begins with a harrowing opening sequence featuring Chris Hemsworth as Kirk’s father, George , who sacrifices himself in order to save the crew of the Kelvin from a Romulan attack. Pine gives Kirk the chance to mirror his father’s heroic action , as he goes into the mission with an acknowledgment that he could easily perish. Although the Romulans were responsible for his father’s death, Pine doesn’t turn Kirk into a vengeful character; rather, his heroic endeavors indicate that Kirk has learned to take pride in his family name.

2009’s Star Trek was a surprise hit at the box office , and spawned two direct sequels that faced Kirk off against even more ruthless villains . Pine turned Kirk into an empathetic hero whose vulnerability was an attribute; it was in Star Trek ’s finest hours that he made the steady transition into the hero fans knew he would become.

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Published Jun 19, 2023

The Zen of Zoe Saldana's Nyota Uhura

Saldana, in her three turns so far in the Star Trek universe, has crafted a unique take on Nyota Uhura, a role pioneered by the illustrious Nichelle Nichols.

StarTrek.com

Zoe Saldana is known as a driving force behind several mega-franchises, including Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar , as well as Star Trek .

Saldana, in her three turns so far in the Star Trek universe, has crafted a unique take on Nyota Uhura , a role pioneered by the illustrious Nichelle Nichols. Given that fans probably knew less about Uhura than they did Star Trek 's other original characters (not even a first name!) prior to the first Kelvin Timeline movie, Saldana has truly made the role her own by simultaneously infusing Uhura's persona with new traits and honoring Nichols' previous work.

In celebration of Zoe Saldana's birthday, let's take a look at some of her finest Uhura moments!

Star Trek (2009)

"no, i'm assigned to the enterprise .".

Despite her superb record as a cadet, Uhura's assignment to the U.S.S. Farragut prior to the fleet's departure for Vulcan clearly irritated the communications officer. Uhura confronted Spock about the matter, displaying confidence in her qualifications and a willingness to fight for a position she had earned.

The validity of Uhura's argument and her unwavering stance left Spock with no choice but to assign her to the flagship U.S.S. Enterprise .

"Sir, I intercepted and translated the message myself."

Uhura vouched for her expertise as James T. Kirk emphatically explained to Captain Pike that the Klingon transmission intercepted by Uhura, combined with the details of the U.S.S. Kelvin 's destruction by Romulans, and reports of a lightning storm in space near Vulcan, strongly indicated that the Federation fleet was warping into a trap.

Spock quickly acknowledged Kirk's logic and Uhura's aptitude, leading Pike to order an early exit from warp and saving the ship. The teamwork between the three young officers foreshadowed their trusting bond that would form in the coming years.

Star Trek Into Darkness

"good thing you don't care about dying.".

Uhura's frustration with Spock's actions on Nibiru came to a head during their daring excursion to nab John Harrison (aka Khan Noonien Singh) from Qo'noS. Uhura's inclination to stand up to Spock evoked her fearless nature and demonstrated a flair for getting Spock to express his true feelings.

The verbal skirmish led to a rare emotional moment for Spock, as the science officer articulated the esteem in which he held Uhura.

"You brought me here because I speak Klingon. Let me speak Klingon."

Uhura's words professed a confidence in her own work and a readiness to volunteer for a perilous confrontation with a squad of heavily armed Klingons. Valuing their mission and her crew's safety above all, Uhura put herself in harm's way to diffuse the situation. While her plea for peace fell on deaf ears, the communications officer went above and beyond to try and protect her friends.

"Commander, I have that transmission as requested."

Saldana's Uhura exhibited numerous skills during her tenure in Starfleet, but her post as the ship's communications officer also came in handy.

By restoring the Enterprise 's comm systems and reaching Spock Prime on New Vulcan, Uhura permitted her own Spock to gather advice on how to defeat Khan. The interaction between the two Spocks led to the ingenious ruse of beaming armed torpedoes rather than ones containing cryotubes to Khan on the U.S.S. Vengeance .

"Can you beam someone down?"

Unable to beam Khan back to the Enterprise , Uhura once more chose to place an additional burden on her own shoulders. Informing Spock that the crew needed Khan alive served as Uhura's primary goal, and her appearance with a phaser distracted Khan enough to give Spock the upper hand in the brawl.

Uhura's bravery prevented Spock from killing Khan, thus supplying Dr. McCoy with enough “super blood” to resurrect Kirk.

Star Trek Beyond

"he would've done the same.".

As the Enterprise slowly perished, Uhura took it upon herself to assist Captain Kirk in his endeavor to separate the ship's saucer and restore impulse power. After single-handedly dispatching two Swarm Soldiers, the communications officer risked her life and successfully completed her mission.

In the process, Uhura sacrificed her own freedom and saved Kirk from Krall's grasp, as the separation sequence left her trapped with their alien foe in the disconnected engineering section. The sequence of events once again demonstrated Uhura's courageous and resourceful nature.

"Spock, what are you doing here?"

Although Spock set out with Kirk, McCoy, and Jaylah on a mission to free Uhura and the Enterprise survivors from Krall's compound, Saldana's Uhura ended up rescuing the wounded science officer from a Swarm Soldier's deadly wrath. Spock sardonically observed that he had intended to come to Uhura's aid, yet his tone offered a hint of resignation at his former paramour's knack for resolving situations on her own terms.

"It's him."

During the search for Krall aboard the scuttled U.S.S. Franklin , Uhura keenly noticed a recording of the vessel's original crew on a viewing screen. As a master of languages and someone who dealt with Krall face-to-face on Altamid, Uhura observed the similarities between words spoken by Krall and the Franklin 's Captain Balthazar Edison, ultimately realizing that the two people were one and the same.

This crucial revelation provided insight into Krall's intentions and a general description of his current appearance, allowing Kirk to prevent Edison from decimating Starbase Yorktown's population.

"You old romantic."

Offered in response to Spock's awkward attempt at displaying his fondness for Uhura's company, this comment conveyed the amusement Uhura felt and her appreciation for Spock's sentiment. The exchange indicated their relationship's revival and a renewed effort by Spock to make their pairing a focal point in his life.

This article was originally published on January 4, 2019.

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Jay Stobie (he/him) is a freelance writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to StarTrek.com, Star Trek Explorer, and Star Trek Magazine, as well as to Star Wars Insider and StarWars.com. Learn more about Jay by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.

‘Succession’ Alum Sarah Snook to Lead Peacock Thriller Series ‘All Her Fault’

By Joe Otterson

Joe Otterson

TV Reporter

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Sarah Snook has set her first TV starring role since the ending of “Succession.”

Snook will star in the series “All Her Fault,” which has been greenlit at Peacock . The show is based on the novel of the same name by Andrea Mara.

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She is repped by UTA and Omni Artists Ltd.

Megan Gallagher is adapting “All Her Fault” for the screen and will serve as executive producer. Snook will executive produce in addition to starring. Minkie Spiro will direct multiple episodes, including the first, and executive produce. Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame and Joanna Strevens of Carnival Films also executive produce, as do Jennifer Gabler Rawlings and Christine A. Sacani. Terry Gould will produce, with Mara serving as associate producer. Universal International Studio is producing the series.

Deadline first reported the series order.

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