I rented the new Star Trek flik the other day. I don't get out much, and wasn't interested in seeing it in the theater, but for a buck at Redbox, I'll give it a whirl. I was instantly captivated by Zoë Saldaña's performance as Uhura.
As much as NIchelle Nichols brought to the original franchise, and subsequent installments, I think Uhura's is the most believable prequel transformation. The creepy guy from "Heroes" doing his turn as young Spock had merit, but lacked a certain je ne sais quois. Especially side-by-each onscreen with Nimoy, whom I was especially glad to see. But dammit, couldn't they have written a part in for Takei? Seriously? And while young Sulu was clearly there to kick ass & take names, the actor is Korean-American, and I can't shake the unsettling suspicion that the casting agency just snapped up the most photogenic Asian kid it could find, regardless of the cultural continuity of the original character. This shit is important to at least a small and ferocious contingent of fan-geekery, so maybe one day Hollywood will listen. I have no illusions that "Sulu was Japanese" will become the new "Han shot first," but crap already. It gets my hackles up to consider the sort of 'get me an Asian, any Asian will do' mentality that had to go into the process. Can you people think, just for a minute?
Well, at least we got Simon Pegg working his magic on the role of young Scotty. I wonder if there's a gag reel hidden away somewhere of Pegg and Nimoy doing a sweet duet on 'The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.' I'd pay full price to see that.
