When the original “Star Trek” TV series came out, actress Zoe Saldana  wasn’t even born, but her mother was always inspired by the strength and fortitude of Uhura, the African-American officer aboard the Starship Enterprise. So in a way it seems appropriate that director J.J. Abrams chose Saldaña for the Uhura role in his new, updated “Star Trek” super blockbuster.”I never saw the series growing up,” says the 30-year-old actress, who was born in New Jersey and raised in the Dominican Republic and Queens. “But what’s interesting is that in ‘The Terminal’ [2004] I played a character who was a Trekkie, and who in the film goes to a Star Trek convention.” Abrams’ film is set a decade or two before the original series, when James T. Kirk is fresh out of Star Fleet Academy, and he and Spock meet for the first time.

Still, Saldaña had a sitdown with Nichelle Nicols who played the role in the original series, and based part of her portrayal on that conversation. “I wanted to embrace the fact that in the series, Nichelle is strong, stoic and commanding,” says Saldaña. “But it would have been one-dimensional for me to have Uhura have it all together from the beginning — she’s a kid, she’s stepping into her own as the film is progressing. That gave me the liberty to play a young person who’s trying to find a way to be comfortable in her own skin.” This year looks like breakout time for the Dominican beauty. Although Saldaña has appeared in films like “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) and “Center Stage” (2000), she’s hardly a household name. But that might change with “Star Trek” and her starring role in the upcoming “Avatar,” the first film in more than 10 years from “Titanic” director James Cameron, and another action-packed sci-fi film. www.nydailynews.com

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