With J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot came a new host of actors, and the Kelvin timeline's cast is actually better than that of Star Trek: The Original Series. Celebrated as a pioneer of modern sci-fi, Star Trek: The Original Series challenged the conventions of its day, proving itself a groundbreaking piece of television in the process. Its cast of characters became as iconic as the show itself, and their lasting impression on pop culture cannot be understated.

However, by the time Star Trek was given its first movie franchise, its actors were aging. The resulting films vary in quality, but they continued the franchise and kept the fans' interest in Star Trek alive, eventually paving way for new shows with new casts. However, in 2009, J.J. Abrams rebooted Star Trek, bringing the story of Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to life for a younger (and wider) audience.

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Naturally, with its new timeline, the Star Trek reboot got a new cast. This cast was made up of younger stars, including a number of A-listers and celebrated character actors that rekindled audiences' interest in the franchise. In many ways, these new cast members are actually better for Star Trek and its characters than The Original Series' cast was. This might sound like sacrilege to many Star Trek fans, but there are a number of reasons both on and off the screen that the Star Trek reboot's cast is better than that of The Original Series.

Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana & Karl Urban Bring A-List Talent To Star Trek

Split image of Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, and Karl Urban in Star Trek

In the roles of three of Star Trek's main characters, Abrams secured Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, and Karl Urban for Captain James T. Kirk, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, respectively. At the time of their casting, Pine, Saldana, and Urban were three of Hollywood's most recognizable '00s stars, with each of them having some experience in action movies to boot. This made their prominence all the more perfect for the reboot, as it lent an added credibility to the talent of Star Trek's new stars.

The limited acting range of the original Kirk, William Shatner, had long since become the butt of many Star Trek jokes. However, with three major stars in key roles, Abrams' Star Trek reboot was immediately in good stead with fans: Pine was able to capture Kirk's original cool charm and subtle arrogance perfectly, and Saldana's talent highlighted the importance of Uhura to the Star Trek franchise. Urban also perfectly captured the spirit of McCoy while still bringing his own talent to the role, making the three actors perfect choices to take over from Shatner, Nichols, and Kelley.

Anton Yelchin & Simon Pegg Deliver More Authentic Accents Than Their Predecessors

Split image of Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg in Star Trek

While Star Trek: The Original Series was undoubtedly a huge leap forward for diverse representation in popular media, it wasn't without its issues. One of the major criticisms leveled at the original cast is its actors' accents - particularly those of Walter Koenig's Chekov and James Doohan's Scotty. Doohan's reasonable approximation of a Scottish accent also contained elements of an Irish brogue, and Koenig's Russian accent has since caused much debate over its accuracy.

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Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg replaced the two actors for the reboot, with Yelchin as Star Trek's new Chekov and Pegg as Scott. Yelchin, like Koenig, was an American-born actor with Russian parents, making him a great choice for the role. Pegg, a British actor, replaces Doohan (a Canadian) - while Pegg is actually English, the actor claims to have used his Scottish wife's accent for inspiration. Both actors' accents in their roles feel more genuine than their Original Series counterparts, which is only fitting for the updated franchise.

Zachary Quinto's Spock Is More In Touch With His Human Half Than Nimoy's

Spock in Star Trek Into Darkness

Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of Commander Spock is legendary, and it's largely down to his talent that the character is practically synonymous with Star Trek. However, unlike Nimoy's version of the character, Zachary Quinto's Spock in the Star Trek reboot is shown to struggle with his human half more often. While this is as much due to the reboot's writing as it is the actor himself, it does lend the reboot's Spock a better-defined sense of depth.

Spock is famously half human and half Vulcan, and while Nimoy's Spock had his own struggles with troublesome human emotion, Quinto's iteration is decidedly more in touch with his human side. This allows the actor to put more feeling into his performance, which lends the Star Trek reboot an extra emotional weight. The two Spocks share perhaps the biggest difference between any Original Series and reboot character, and while Nimoy's Spock is iconic, Quinto's approach is perfect for the Kelvin timeline.

John Cho's Sulu Is More Defined Than George Takei's

Split image of George Takei and John Cho as Sulu in Star Trek

Despite being one of The Original Series' most beloved characters, Star Trek's Sulu was always something of a minor character. Even in the first six Star Trek movies, George Takei's Sulu always took a backseat to Kirk and Spock. However, for J.J. Abrams' reboot franchise, the role was passed to John Cho - a predominantly comedic actor best known for the Harold & Kumar movies. And, with the new movies, Sulu was suddenly a far more well-rounded and interesting character.

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Takei's performance as Sulu was always excellent, but Cho's version has been better fleshed out in the Star Trek reboot movies. He's given more screen time and dialogue, and Star Trek Beyond revealed that Sulu has a daughter and is openly gay, showcasing yet another way in which Star Trek succeeds at diversity. Cho's Sulu is an interesting part of the Star Trek reboot's cast, and the new version of the character is simply given more time and depth than Takei's ever was.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Supporting Cast

Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and John Cho in Star Trek 2009

The Star Trek franchise has always lent itself to a high number of guest stars. Back in the days of The Original Series, the show featured a number of prominent actors of the time, and the subsequent TOS movies similarly featured Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Plummer, and David Warner. Still, when it comes to supporting characters, the Star Trek reboot seems to have The Original Series beat.

With Chris Hemsworth, Eric Bana, and Winona Ryder all having played one-off supporting roles in 2009's Star Trek, the reboot then introduced Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan, and Peter Weller's Admiral Marcus, with Star Trek Beyond adding Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella to the franchise. There's also the recurring role of Admiral Christopher Pike, played by legendary character actor Bruce Greenwood in both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness. The sheer amount of recognizable names and faces in the supporting cast of the Star Trek reboot's first three films alone indicates that Abrams' movies will spare no expense to get the best talent available.

However, perhaps the biggest reason that the Star Trek reboot's cast outshines that of The Original Series is time. In the years since TOS first aired, Star Trek has become a sci-fi institution, and its name alone was enough to draw major talent both on and behind the screen. Star Trek's iconic nature created the need for a high-quality reboot, which in turn required a talented cast of well-written characters. Combining those makes the Star Trek reboot's cast superiority to that of Star Trek: The Original Series a simple matter of evolution, which is exactly how it should be for the beloved sci-fi franchise.

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