While “First Contact” co-writer Ronald D. Moore told The Hollywood Reporter that “it never got that far,” in terms of casting Hanks as Cochrane, that’s not to say the Oscar-winning star would’ve turned it down. Speaking on the podcast “Happy Sad Confused,” Hanks didn’t mince his words over the dream role he missed out on. “The guy who invented warp drive? Oh come on, I would’ve jumped on that!” he said. “I would have come in, I would have brought gift tribbles to everybody on the first meeting. ‘Guys here’s some tribbles you.'”
Hanks isn’t quiet about his love for Gene Roddenberry’s world, either. He had a nerd-off session with Star Trek actor Simon Pegg on “The Graham Norton Show,” while a legendary captain recalled a close encounter with the acclaimed actor. In Patrick Stewart’s book “Making It So: A Memoir” (via CinemaBlend), the man behind Jean-Luc Picard revealed that Hanks has expressed his love for the show, personally. “Tom Hanks has told me he knows all the ‘TNG’ episodes by name, so obsessively has he watched them.”
Unfortunately, Hanks still has yet to boldly go where so many have gone before, but fingers crossed that at some point in Star Trek’s future, someone makes it so.
To keep in the know, check your scanners and learn things that happen in every Star Trek movie.
