Nichelle Nichols was going to be Zoe Saldana’s grandmother in Star Trek 2009

Star Trek 2009 almost had Nichelle Nichols playing Zoe Saldana’s grandmother.

Star Trek 2009 really could’ve been something interesting if J.J. Abrams had stepped up and found a way for all the surviving members of the original Star Trek cast to appear. As it stands only Leonard Nimoy and Majel Barrett appeared in the film; with Nimoy as Spock, Barrett as the ship’s computers. While it wouldn’t have been every surviving crew member, Abrams also had a spot for Nichelle Nichols. The idea was to have the original Uhura, Nichols, play Zoe Saldana’s grandmother. Saldana, of course, played the new Uhura.

In a 2008 convention, (via TrekMovie.com), a year before the film came out, Nichols revealed that Abrams had a role for her if she wanted it. That role would’ve been playing Uhura’s mother. Nicholes, however, decided she wanted to play Saldana’s grandmother instead.

"He was very excited… like a young fan. He was like ‘I can’t believe I am sitting here with Uhura.’ And he said ‘You know, I would really like to find a valid reason for you to be in the movie.’ And, of course, I became – ooh! wow! I would love it. But how? And he says ‘that is the point, I don’t want it to be a gimmick, I don’t want to just be doing that to just do it.’ Leonard [Nimoy] is in it because the whole movie is about him, about Spock. …. He said ‘I’m just thinking’ – and he was telling me about the young actress who got the part to play the young Uhura, the pre-Uhura, Zoe Saldana – and he said ‘I think she could learn a lot from a lovely lady’, and he said: ‘You know what I’d love? I’d love for you to play her mother!’ And I said: ‘You know what I’d really like?…I’d like to play her grandmother!’ And he said ‘You’re too young to play her grandmother!’ and I said: ‘This is what grandmother’s look like !’"

The writer’s strike killed the cameo role for Nichelle Nichols

It’s not often talked about, the failed Nichelle Nichols cameo in the 2009 Star Trek, which is why we’re bringing it back up today to remind people. The reason why the Nichols cameo didn’t end up happening was down to the writer’s strike of 2007. The entire ordeal and how it affected the film would make for some interesting fair one day but basically, the cameo idea came late in the writing process and at the start of principal photography, so they would’ve needed to write it in.

Since every scriptwriter has to be a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, there was no one able to change the script without causing problems, so the idea was scrapped.

It would’ve been great to see her in another Star Trek property and in fact, it would’ve been great to see George Takei, Walter Koenig, and even William Shatner all appear in the film together in one form or another. While it was great to get Nimoy, it would’ve been even better if we had just gotten all of them together, one last time.