"I would have come in": When Tom Hanks broke silence around a role that he almost bagged for Star Trek

Tom Hanks is a self-proclaimed Star Trek fan, who exclaimed that he would have loved to be in the celebrated franchise. Rumours were swirling around about the possibility of Hanks taking on the role of Zefram Cochrane, the character known for being the first human to create the warp drive system in Star Trek. While Hanks never got to play the character, he was excited to know that he was considered for it.

In an interview with Josh Horowitz, when Hanks was told that his name was brought up to play the role of Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact, he said,

‘The guy who invented warp drive? Oh come on, I would’ve jumped on that! …talk about nerd town...I would have come in, I would have brought gift tribbles to everybody on the first meeting. ‘Guys here’s some tribbles you.’’

The Oscar winning actor is known for his iconic roles such as FBI Agent Carl Hanratty in Catch Me If You Can, Woody in Toy Story, Captain John H. Miller in Saving Private Ryan and the titular role in Forrest Gump among others. Despite being a fan of the franchise throughout his long and illustrious Hollywood career, Hanks has never been a part of it.

---

Tom Hanks could have been in Star Trek

A Trekkie himself, Hanks has been vocal about his love for the Star Trek Universe. During the interview, he also shared his admiration for William Shatner who played Captain Kirk on Star Trek.

‘...William Shatner, who is a genius by the way. I have since then done some stuff with William Shatner, the man, genius…a man who has a devouring appetite for art and performance.’

According to The Hollywood Reporter, while casting for Star Trek: First Contact, they came up with several names to play the role of Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive. Though there were conversations of Hanks to portray the role, it eventually went to James Cromwell.

Recalling the moment, Star Trek writer Ronald D. Moore said,

“At that point in the process, there are lots of names on a wishlist for many, many reasons. I’m sure his name was floated in some capacity, but it was never really on the table.”

The role of Dr. Zefram Cochrane was previously played by Glenn Corbett in 1967 in Star Trek: The Original Series. James Cromwell portrayed the role in Star Trek: First Contact in 1996, Star Trek: Enterprise in 2001 and Star Trek: Lower Decks in 2022.

In Star Trek: The Original Series, Cochrane is first introduced in the episode Metamorphosis, where it is revealed that he was responsible for creating a warp drive system that made it possible for humans to contact the world beyond.

Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry. The Original Series on NBC ran for three seasons between 1966 and 1969. Despite getting cancelled, owing to low ratings, the series went on to gain a cult following. The Star Trek franchise expanded to comics, animated series, films, and spin-off shows.

ALSO READ: When Martin Luther King Jr. convinced Nichelle Nichols to stay on Star Trek

---

For more Star Trek stories, follow SoapCentral