Continuing the odd cross-pollination that is the casting of the next Star Trek film, the actor hired to play Spock's estranged dad Sarek will be Ben Cross, best known to genre folks as emo brooding vampire Barnabas Colins in the remake of campy cult series Dark Shadows.  (He was also in a little movie called "Chariots of Fire," if that rings a bell.)  Cross's Sarek is of course marred to Winona Ryder's (very human) Amanda, which is going to make the makeup job on her very interesting unless we're dealing with some major fluctuations in the timestream.  (Cross turns 60 next month; Ryder is 36.  Zachary Quinto, who plays Junior, is 30.)

In other Trek casting news, Clifton Collins Jr. is beaming up in the role of Ayel, one of the minions for bad guy Eric Bana's Nero.  Collins is best-known for his role as Perry Smith in 2005's "Capote."  He also appeared on Alias.

Finally, a word from the original cast.  Nichelle Nichols originated the role of Lieutenant Uhura in the original series (for those living under rocks who may have only seen her on Heroes).  Recently, Nichols was asked about her take on Zoe Saldana being cast in the role.

"I'd love to wait and see what she brings to it so that I can understand, get to see who and what Uhura was like.  I would like to see what Nyota Uhura had that qualified her to go on that first five-year mission where no man or woman had gone before."  What about coworker Zachary Quinto?  "I gave him my best wishes. When I first came on the show, all I had seen of Zach were some pictures in the makeup room.  And I said I wasn't sure about that actor.  [When] I saw him in one of the episodes [of Heroes], I said, 'Oh my God, what an actor.'  And then when I met him in person, I said, 'This is the young Spock.'  They did a brilliant job in casting him."

(Sources: StarTrek.com, Variety, Rotten Tomatoes)