Star Trek 4 should use Zoe Saldana’s Lt. Uhura character as a Federation spy

Star Trek Beyond Asia Tour - Beijing Press Conference
Star Trek Beyond Asia Tour - Beijing Press Conference | Emmanuel Wong/GettyImages
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Strong female lead stories should not be rare in Star Trek canon

With an ever-growing female sci-fi audience, tapping into strong female lead characters can only pay off big for the creators of the Star Trek canon. With the upcoming Star Trek 4, and the main cast of Star Trek: Beyond returning, I would love to see Zoe Saldana’s Lt. Uhura’s role elevated, showcasing all of Uhura’s talents and abilities. I’m surprised we didn’t know (since 1963, TOS) Lt. Uhura’s first name until Spock called her “Nyota” in an intimate moment in Star Trek (2009).

A storyline in Star Trek 4 with Zoe Saldana’s Uhura as a clandestine femme fatale, working on behalf of the Federation, would certainly add intrigue and a new intergalactic espionage twist to the Star Trek canon. Zoe Saldana is a huge star with a recent 2025 Oscar nomination, and she’s demonstrated her action-adventure chops by taking on terrorists in Paramount+ “Lioness”; to handling the likes of the Kree and Thanos in “Guardian of the Galaxy” and the “Avengers”; to defending her Na’vi home world in "Avatar"; and as an assassin in “Colombiana”.