Zoe Saldaña Has One Request For Uhura In Star Trek 4

Whether or not we ever actually see a new "Star Trek 4" at this point remains to be seen. J.J. Abrams rebooted the legendary sci-fi franchise for the big screen in 2009 with a brand new cast and a brand new timeline, dubbed the "Kelvin Timeline." That cast, led by Chris Pine's Captain Kirk, has been waiting in the wings since 2016's "Star Trek Beyond" for another go-around. If/when that happens, Zoe Saldaña has one request for her return as Uhura.

During a recent conversation with Variety, Saldaña discussed the potential "Star Trek 4," which is being written by Steve Yockey ("The Flight Attendant") last we heard. While plot details remain under wraps, Saldaña explained that she wants to see her character, Uhura, take on a "leadership role" on the Enterprise, or within Starfleet in general. Here's what she had to say about it:

"She's a xenolinguistics master, but I would like her doing something else...I'm curious to see her relationship with Spock (Zachary Quinto) and how that has evolved."

It's been a bit of an exhausting journey over the last eight years, with various versions of a fourth film coming and going. Much of that has to do with the fact that "Star Trek Beyond" was a pretty major box office disappointment, taking in just $343 million worldwide against a huge $185 million budget. Plus, shows like "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Strange New World" have been thriving on the small screen. Because of the uncertainty, Saldaña isn't just sitting around waiting for a call:

"In the first years when these sequels were becoming a thing in my life, I wouldn't do anything. I would just live my life and wait. Now I'm learning that there's so many things I want to do. I'm like, 'Hey, what's out there?'"

Paramount hasn't provided an official update on the status of the film in recent months. It seems less likely as time goes on that the Kelvin cast will reunite for one last ride. For one thing, writer/producer Simon Kinberg is developing a new "Star Trek" prequel film that will take place much further back on the overall timeline. There's also the aforementioned TV side of things on Paramount+, which appears to be going strong. Is there room for more, particularly when the last film was a commercial disappointment?

For what it's worth, much of the cast still seems eager and willing to return. Pine recently suggested that the next film should be smaller in scale and made to appeal more directly to "Trek" fans. That would certainly help with the budget. But the cast are all very in-demand these days as well. Saldaña, for her part, is working on "Avatar 3" (and likely "Avatar 4"), among other things. Her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is over following last year's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," so that helps a bit. But as it stands, this seems more like wishful thinking as opposed to something that is for sure going to happen.

"Star Trek 4" currently doesn't have a release date, but stay tuned. For those who want to revisit the previous installments, the first three Kelvin "Star Trek" movies are available on 4K or Blu-ray from Amazon.