In Hollywood, it's just as much about who you know as what you can do, and Zoe Saldaña knows some incredibly influential people in the sci-fi genre. Saldaña has been involved with some of the biggest sci-fi franchises, including the box-office-breaking Avatar and the MCU's best trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy. But, the actress earned her iconic role in Star Trek without even realizing it, thanks to the helpful intervention of sci-fi legend James Cameron. Saldaña worked with Cameron on Avatar, playing the lead Na'vi, Neytiri. Avatar's set was visited by many prolific directors, including Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. But, when J.J. Abrams came on set, he left with Saldaña's name in mind for the Star Trek universe.
During a Q&A at the London Film Festival (attended by MovieWeb), Saldaña remembered the interaction between James Cameron and J.J. Abrams which earned her a place on the Starship Enterprise. "JJ Abrams came to the Avatar set, he and [James Cameron] were talking," the actress began. Saldaña didn't know the contents of their conversation, but the aftermath changed her life forever. Saldaña recalled Cameron coming up to her immediately after J.J. Abrams left Avatar's set. She said:
"Jim said, ‘I think I just pulled your next job. Have you ever seen Star Trek?’”
Saldaña played Lieutenant Uhura in all three of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films. The trilogy was packed with an incredible ensemble cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, and the late Anton Yelchin. The trilogy also featured some A-list villains, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Idris Elba playing Krall in Star Trek Beyond.
Will Zoe Saldaña Return to Star Trek?
Star Trek 4 has bounced in and out of development hell since the release of Star Trek Beyond. The film was initially eyeing a December 2023 release date. However, it was hit with numerous creative delays, as well as the joint WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The project is still part of Paramount's upcoming release slate, although it is without an official release window.
Most surprisingly, the core cast of Abrams' rebooted Star Trek universe haven't been officially confirmed to return, despite the project initially being given a release date. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and several other Starfleet alumni have expressed their desire to return to the Final Frontier. Saldaña is among the optimists for Star Trek 4. In April of this year, the actress expressed her hope of stepping aboard the Starship Enterprise again in the future. She said:
"I still have hope. I had a wonderful experience through and through and through the three times that I was a part of that team. I know that they’re always trying to sort of aim to wrangle everybody together, but I also know that Paramount is working on a new sort of fresh take on ‘Star Trek,’ which I think is such a wonderful franchise that should live for a very long time, whether or not us as the original remake cast can come back. I don’t know, but I certainly hope so.”
