Zachary Quinto (Spock) has known Zoe Saldana (Uhura) for nearly a decade and is impressed with Anton Yelchin (Chekov)'s acting.

"Anton Yelchin is like Hayden actually," Quinto told MTV's Movies Blog, comparing Yelchin to his Heroes co-star Hayden Panettiere: "He is like an eighteen-year-old kid that blows me away when I watch his acting."

Moreover, added Quinto, "Zoe I've known [a long time] actually. She did a movie with a friend of mine seven or eight years ago." As for having her play Uhura to his Spock, Quinto said that he was "excited to re-meet her and work with her now."

Original series actress Nichelle Nichols recently described the things she would tell Saldana about Uhura (story), but Quinto has no wish to share what he has learned from Leonard Nimoy about Spock.

"I am really fortunate that he is involved in this project and I have taken a lot of the words that he has given to me to heart, and that is something that is important for me to keep to myself," Quinto said.

But all indications are that Quinto believes the original series fans are being well-respected. Quinto said that director J.J. Abrams has a great deal of affection for the original series and is treating Star Trek carefully.

"He is one of the most creative minds in Hollywood right now. He is really smart and is creating a project with respect for where it came from, but also with a voice of its own," Quinto insisted. "I think the convergence of those two things is what makes it wildly appealing for people who have been 'Star Trek' fans for forty years and for people that are just coming to ‘Star Trek’ now."

The original interview is here.

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