Trek's Uhura joining Heroes

NBC's hit superhero drama Heroes has proven to be both a launching point for the careers of young actors as well as a destination for older actors to rejuvenate their craft and meet a new audience. Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, Milo Ventimiglia, and others have gone from familiar faces to full-blown Hollywood stars, and veterans Malcolm McDowell, George Takei, and Eric Roberts now have a new generation of fans.

Takei originally made his name in Star Trek as Captain Sulu, but the Trek-Heroes connection goes further than that. Dominic Keating, from the Trek spin-off Enterprise, will appear as an Irish mobster in Heroes' anticipated second season. Additionally, Zachary Quinto, who plays supervillain Sylar, will play a young Spock in the forthcoming Star Trek movie from J.J. Abrams.

Just when you thought the relationship between Heroes and Star Trek couldn't get any more incestuous, yet another Trek alum has been drafted for Heroes. Nichelle Nichols, aka Uhura from the original Star Trek series, has signed on for a recurring role in the show.

The news was first broken by enthusiast site The Trek Movie Report, and was confirmed to TV.com by an NBC rep this afternoon. Series creator Tim Kring alluded to the news in a recent interview when he said fans should keep an eye out for "another face that will have a very similar impact to George Takei for the real genre fans."

Details on her role are still being kept quiet, but TVGuide.com quotes sources as saying the 75-year-old actress will play the grandmother of Monica, the new hero from New Orleans, who will be portrayed by Dana Davis (The Nine).

See all the heroes videos at http://www.nbchero.com