Star Trek Casting That Almost Happened

Star Trek stars are some of Hollywood's biggest. Icons like Ricardo Montalban, Joan Collins, Whoopi Goldberg and Frank Gorshin share scenes with actors like Leonard Nimoy, Levar Burton and William Shatner as they trek through the galaxy and beyond.

Winona Ryder and Eric Bana are just two stars in the Star Trek film coming out in December 2008. This A list epic star casting has always lent a polished shine to the series and big screen movies. Sometimes though circumstances dictate the big star names either can't join the cast or have a change of mind.

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy is still a popular box office draw, but in the 1980's Murphy was a towering figure of power in Hollywood. Star Trek's run of feature films in the 80's loomed large. Putting the two together would have been a fantastic idea, no?

History turned out a big no on this one, but Murphy did try to make it happen. He was so enamored of Star Trek, he wished his fan love of Trek to be equated into a starring role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). The film's producer Harve Bennett was somewhat dismayed in how to fit in Murphy, but plans started to be set to have the funny man act alongside Captain Kirk and his stalwart starship Enterprise crew. In the end, actress Catherine Hicks played the whale expert in the film.

Tom Hanks

Apollo 13 star Tom Hanks loves real life space exploration and he also loves Star Trek. For the Next Generation feature film Star Trek: First Contact, producers started to court Hanks to star as warp drive engine pioneer scientist Zefram Cochrane.

Ultimately, the role would go to always terrific character actor James Cromwell, whose connection to Star Trek goes back to roles in the TV series as well. Cromwell brought great dramatic depth and zany humor to the Cochrane character, but it's fun to imagine just how far mega star Tom Hanks would have taken the inventor of warp drive.

Genevieve Bujold

This one actually happened, but the actress hated the weekly TV grind so much, she never even completed an episode.