It is hard to believe that Star Trek premiered on NBC back in 1966. The sci-fi television series that took place during the 23rd Century only ran for three seasons but still went on to become one of the most popular entertainment franchises in history.
The original TV show revolving around the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise may have come off the air in 1969, but countless movies have been made since. And some Star Trek fans might be shocked to learn that Eddie Murphy was almost in one of them.
Murphy made his acting debut back in 1982, and, just a few years later, he landed the part of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. The movie marked Murphy’s breakout role, and it was just the beginning for the iconic performer, who went on to star in iconic films like Trading Places, Coming to America, Boomerang and The Nutty Professor.
However, there was one role that the actor famously said no to.
Here’s why Eddie Murphy said no to ‘Star Trek IV’
Murphy recently talked with Jimmy Kimmel about everything from texting with Tracy Morgan to one of LA’s most recent earthquakes. Another and somewhat more surprising topic the duo got into was Star Trek.
As some of Murphy’s loyal followers probably already know, the actor is actually a huge fan of Star Trek. During Murphy’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel questioned Murphy about past plans to participate in one of the sci-fi franchises’ previous movies.
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Murphy confirmed that talks were happening but, ultimately, he said no to the role. The actor explained it wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in being a part of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home but, he wasn’t a fan of the character that the production team had in mind for him.
Murphy said, “I was going to be the one that they met when they got to San Francisco, and I was like, no, I want to beam up and just wanna be on the ship you know. So I didn’t do it”.
According to trekmovie.com, When Murphy left the writers replaced his part with a few other characters. One of them was marine biologist Dr. Gillian Taylor who was played by Catherine Hicks.
Though it sounds like it could have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the self-proclaimed “Trekkie”, many probably understand why Murphy ultimately said no.
Eddie Murphy in his new film ‘You People’
Murphy may have opted out of Star Trek IV, but there are so many other titles and movies his fans have gotten to enjoy watching him in since. More recently, it is Murphy’s new movie You People that has viewers and audiences everywhere talking.
In this film Murphy teams up with actors like Jonah Hill, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and David Duchovny for a hysterical, complex, and relevant film that shows what can happen when a biracial couple tries to bring their families together.
