Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) said today she'd like to see the new Trek film explore what motivated her character to go into space.

"I would like to see what the qualities were that Nyota Uhura had that qualified her to go on that first five-year mission where no man or woman had gone before," Nichols told TV Guide. She praised Zoe Saldana, who will be portraying the character in the new film, but also said she herself would be interested in a cameo role. "Wouldn't that be nice? I will be blasting it all over the world if and when that should happen. I think that would be so wonderful."

Nichols talked in similar terms about her expectations for the film itself. "I think it's just terrific, to know that [Gene Roddenberry's] legacy will not live only in what was there, [but] that it's going on in that same image. [...] I think that in J.J. Abrams ' hands [...] all the respect and all of the wonderful characteristics that made Star Trek what it was will be honored. It was just a joy to know that he's takig the helm."

The actress talked to TV Guide to promote her role on NBC's Heroes, which she is joining as Nana Dawson, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. "I could relate to [Nana] so powerfully," Nichols said. "[How] she has stood tall. [In the role] I'm a strong woman who's gone through an awful lot and has lost her daughter, and is now raising and providing a home for these two beautiful grandchildren."

For more from Nichols, including the amusing revelation she found out she got a part in Heroes not through her agent, but because word had already leaked out in the Trek fan community, head over to the full interview.

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