J.J. Abrams may be methodically busting up my dream Trek crew, but Zoe Saldana claiming what was rightfully Rihanna’s is acceptable; after all, she was in Center Stage (which should’ve been one of my Guilty Pleasures entries, even though the write-up would’ve violated the terms of my probation). For the record, anyone who was even tangentially involved in Center Stage is automatically above the law – which explains why Amanda Schull never served time for stealing my heart. And this gets me to wondering: what the hell happened to that girl?
The confirmation of Saldana as Uhura is a big shrug; we’ve been hearing her name in connection with this role for over a month. Given that she’s young, attractive and cheap, her casting was a big ol’ fait accompli once her name started circulating. And she’ll work just fine. What matters most is rounding out the crucial Kirk/Bones/Spock trio strongly, and only the legendary NHL cheap shot artist, Ulf Samuelsson, as the good doctor will do. Shit, with those career penalty minutes, he should be playing Richard III in Central Park.
Judging from the response on our message board to the "Tracking Trek Rumors" story, my cautious enthusiasm for Abrams’s narrative is not shared by all. And I get it. Time travel in the Trek universe is as played out as Nazism in Skokie. But look at it this way: what’s one more Nazi to Skokie? Debate me at your peril.