Star Trek Dodged A Bullet By Abandoning The Reboot's First Spock Casting

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Before Zachary Quinto was cast as Spock in J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek reboot, another actor was almost given the role, and it would likely have been disastrous. One of the longest-running franchises of all time, Star Trek has secured its lasting legacy by telling imaginative and interesting sci-fi stories that keep humanity and its place in the galaxy at its core. J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot sought to reinvent the franchise as a series of big-budget blockbusters by recasting the characters of Star Trek: The Original Series.

This reboot was written into an alternate timeline — known as Star Trek's Kelvin Timeline — in order to keep it free from the restraints of continuity. This worked on both a narrative level and for the audience, who were able to enjoy Abrams' movie without any prior knowledge of Star Trek's history. While the Star Trek franchise wasn't technically in need of the boost, the reboot movies were able to appeal to a wider audience, making for an accessible entry point into the franchise.

Related: Star Trek: When The Kelvin Timeline Takes Place

One of the reasons that Star Trek (2009) worked was its cast. By recasting the iconic roles of the Enterprise's crew, Abrams created a slightly different dynamic between the characters while still revisiting many of the most popular and interesting ideas of The Original Series. Many actors were considered for Star Trek's Captain Kirk, but Chris Pine was ultimately cast in the role. Opposite him was Zachary Quinto as Spock, but the role almost went to Adrien Brody. However, had Brody been cast, the excellent dynamic between Kirk and Spock may well have suffered as a result.

Of course, Adrien Brody's status as an actor speaks for itself. His role in The Pianist earned