Performers considered for film roles
This is a list of performers who were considered for Star Trek films roles, but ultimately did not appear in the role in the film. Performers listed here have been verified as having been considered by Star Trek production staff for a particular film role in which they ultimately did not appear.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Jordan Clarke 
 auditioned for the role of Will Decker in . He was interviewed by the film's director, Robert Wise, and his audition was scheduled for 11:20 am on . (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 104)

Frederic Forrest 
 auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture. His audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for 2:00 pm on . (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 105)

Lance Henriksen 
 auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture. His audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for 11:40 am on 25 July 1978. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 105) Henriksen is well-known for his work in numerous science fiction and horror films, including The Terminator (1984, with Earl Boen, Paul Winfield, Brian Thompson, Dick Miller), Aliens (1986, with Jenette Goldstein, Mark Rolston, and a score by James Horner), Near Dark (1987, with Roger Aaron Brown), Alien³ (1992), and AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004). He starred alongside Megan Gallagher and Terry O'Quinn in the 1996-1999 series Millennium, which also featured Bill Smitrovich in a recurring role.

Arthur Hindle 
 auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture His audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for sometime between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm on 25 July 1978. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 105). Hindle had previously appeared in the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. That film was directed by , and Leonard Nimoy had a prominent role.

Richard Kelton 
 auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture. His audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for 11:30 am on 25 July 1978. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 105) Kelton also played Ficus Pandorata on the NBC sci-fi comedy television series , which included numerous references to Star Trek throughout its short run. (For more information, see the series' entry at Star Trek parodies and pop culture references.) He died only four months after his Star Trek audition, due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning while filming the miniseries Centennial.

Stephen Macht 
Main article: Stephen Macht
Stephen Macht auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture. In common with Arthur Hindle, Macht's audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for sometime between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm on 25 July 1978. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 105)  He also auditioned for both the roles of Jean-Luc Picard and William T. Riker in . (The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years) Years later, Macht played General  in  and .

Andrew Robinson 
Main article: Andrew J. Robinson
Andrew Robinson auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture. His audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for 11:10 am on , only ten minutes after Stephen Collins, who was ultimately cast in the part. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 104) Years later, Robinson played the recurring character Elim Garak on .

Tim Thomerson 
 auditioned for the role of Will Decker in The Motion Picture. His audition, held by Robert Wise, was scheduled for 11:50 am on 25 July 1978. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, p. 105) As with Richard Kelton, Thomerson also appeared on the television series Quark.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Kim Cattrall

Madlyn Rhue 
Main article: Madlyn Rhue
Madlyn Rhue was originally planned to reprise her role as Lieutenant Marla McGivers in the film, having established that part in . Harve Bennett ended up writing the character out of the film's story, after learning that Rhue suffered from multiple sclerosis which bound her to a wheelchair. Bennett felt it would be unfair to recast the role.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Kirstie Alley 
Main article: Kirstie Alley
Kirsty Alley was offered the chance to reprise the role of Saavik in , but according to Alley, she was offered less money for that film than she was paid for Star Trek II and thus declined to return. According to Leonard Nimoy, Alley's talent agent demanded a salary that was higher than DeForest Kelley's after learning that Saavik was to have a large role in the film.  It was also reported that "Just before production began, negotiations with Kirstie Alley broke down. [...] The Los Angeles Times indicated the problem concerned money with Alley asking 10 times the salary she earned on Star Trek II. [...] Alley's representative, Michael Levine, agreed that the problem was financial, but refused further details." ( #77, , p. 15) 

After an intensive casting search, Nimoy opted instead to recast the role of Saavik, which was ultimately given to Robin Curtis.

In a later interview, Alley reported wanted to reprise the role, but Paramount wasn't willing to pay what she was asking, which according to Alley was "less money then they did for Star Trek II, so I figured they weren't very interested in me for Saavik." This, combined with the commitment of a co-starring role in the TV pilot Masquerade for ABC, forced Alley to bow out of the role. ( #102, , p. 43)

Upon viewing The Search for Spock, Alley found the film an enjoyable but unnerving experience, as she came to the realization that of Curtis' as Saavik, "She wasn't me". Sympathizing with Curtis, however, Alley revealed that "I thought she was at a real disadvantage playing the role someone else established, especially with Star Trek, which has an enormous following. I think she did a fine job. I have no problem with what she was doing except that, when I saw the film, I said, 'She isn't Saavik. I am." (Starlog #102, January 1986, p, 43)

Edward James Olmos

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Mariette Hartley 
Main article: Mariette Hartley

Mariette Hartley was one of "several other actresses [who] were considered for the role of Dr. Taylor [...] but Hicks fought through four auditions to land the part." (, , p. 39)

Robert Hooks 
Main article: Robert Hooks
Robert Hooks was due to reprise his role as Morrow in the film, but became unavailable for unknown reasons, and the character was replaced by Cartwright (played by Brock Peters). The revised final draft script specifies that Morrow was changed to Cartwright.

Eddie Murphy 
, a popular actor and comedian who rose to stardom as a regular on Saturday Night Live (frequently appearing in tandem with Joe Piscopo - Charles Rocket was also in the cast his first season) and as the star of the films 48 Hrs and Beverly Hills Cop (both for Paramount Pictures), was initially rumored to appear in  either as himself or as a Murphy-like character.

This was initially explored in an interview with Leonard Nimoy in the  issue of  #100 (p. 55-56):

Another casting controversy sparked by press speculation concerns a possible starring (or cameo) role for comedian Eddie Murphy in Star Trek IV. "It's too premature to discuss that," Nimoy maintains. "There has been much conjecture about Murphy since Beverly Hills Cop. The press has been very curious about what he will do next. They know he has a multi-picture deal with Paramount. They know he is a big Star Trek fan. They know Trek IV is in preparation at Paramount. So, it isn't surprising that rumor would pop up. And when I started talking about the film being lighter in tone, some people put two and two together." 

Indeed, many Trek fans have already reached that conclusion, and have vociferously voice their opposition to the idea. They fear the inappropriate casting of Murphy could torpedo Trek IV as irreparably as the selection of  sabotaged Superman III.
Although unwilling to substantiate the speculation, Nimoy still refuses to publicly dismiss the notion of incorporating the unorthodox antics of the madcap Murphy into the sedate atmosphere of the Star Trek environment. "Why should I?," he asks, not entirely rhetorically. "What would be gained? Why should I try to reassure the fans who are worried about it? That would mean I was letting them dictate to me." [...] "I've been through this before." [...] "In other words, we are professional people doing a professional job. If we decide that Eddie Murphy should be in Trek IV, then the fans will have to trust us. Let us do our work."

Shortly before the release of the film, it was noted that "at the other end of the soundstage from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a large, sewer set from The Golden Child, Eddie Murphy's new fantasy adventure. Murphy's proximity is a reminder that he was once rumored to have a role in the new Trek film. It was, however, only a small part with Murphy unrecognizably made up as a Klingon official–a role that was instead filled by character actor John Schuck." (Starlog #111, , p. 40; Starlog #138, p. 30)

Years later, it was confirmed that Murphy had expressed interest in the part and early scripts were written with Murphy in mind for the role of a major character, an eccentric professor who believed that aliens exist, who ultimately became Gillian Taylor. Ultimately a negative writing campaign coupled with story issues prompted the writers to drop the idea, and Murphy moved on to other projects. "I'm a Trekkie. I've always loved Star Trek and have wanted to do one of the films," says Murphy. "The script was developed, but we eventually dropped the idea. [The] Golden Child came along and I decided to do that film instead ... In retrospect, I might have been better off doing Star Trek IV." The character was ultimately rewritten as a woman and the part went to Catherine Hicks. (Starlog, , p. 8; The Trek 25th Anniversary Celebration; Trekworld, June )

Since then, Murphy has continued a successful career in film, starring in such hits as Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Doctor Dolittle, Daddy Day Care, and the Shrek films. In 2006 he received his first Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in Dreamgirls.

Susan Sarandon 
 was one of "several other actresses [who] were considered for the role of Dr. Taylor [...] but Hicks fought through four auditions to land the part." At the time she was known for her work in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. (, , p. 39)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Kim Cattrall

Sean Connery 
 was a widely-popular Scottish actor who is perhaps best known for being the first to play  in feature films. He portrayed Bond in seven films, beginning with Dr. No in 1962 and ending with Never Say Never Again (with Bernie Casey) in 1983. He has also acquired great fame as a movie star for his roles in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964, with Meg Wyllie), The Longest Day (1962, with Jeffrey Hunter, Richard Beymer, and John Crawford), Zardoz (1974 with Bairbre Dowling), The Man Who Would Be King (1975, co-starring Christopher Plummer), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Highlander (1986, with Clancy Brown), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, with John Rhys-Davies), The Hunt for Red October (1990, with Gates McFadden, Daniel Davis, Boris Krutonog, Ronald Guttman, Timothy Carhart, Ned Vaughn, and music by Basil Poledouris), The Rock (1996, with Tony Todd), Entrapment (1999), and Finding Forrester (2000, with F. Murray Abraham and Michael Nouri). He also won an Academy Award for his supporting role in 1987's The Untouchables.

William Shatner originally wanted Sean Connery to play the role of Sybok in . Shatner had tremendous respect for Connery's acting talents, and knew that his presence would be a great bonus in that the film would draw a foreign box office business. Before Paramount could close the deal with him, Connery accepted a role in , which was scheduled to film at the same time as Star Trek V. Shatner was deeply disappointed to learn of Connery's unavailability. Despite this, the writers kept the reference to Connery – Sha Ka Ree – in the film.

In Shatner's search for Connery's replacement, he looked at other foreign actors which might bring in overseas business. "We considered several people," he said, "and were especially intrigued by one well-known Swedish actor (Max von Sydow) who I consider very talented. But when we found out how expensive he was, that idea quickly flew out the window."

Shatner and Harve Bennett went back to the drawing board, and drew up a list of possible candidates for the role and began looking at the roles each had portrayed. One actor on the list, Laurence Luckinbill, caught Shatner's eye from his role as Lyndon B. Johnson in the PBS presentation "Lyndon Johnson", and he was eventually cast in Connery's place. (Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, )

Rachel McLish 
 was one of the final thirteen women who auditioned for the role of Vixis in , but the role went to Spice Williams. (Source: Spice Williams)

McLish is a famous female bodybuilder and former Ms. Olympia who retired in 1984. She has acted in several movies such as Getting Physical (1984) alongside Spice Williams-Crosby and TNG guest actor Earl Boen and Raven Hawk (1996) with John de Lancie, Michael Champion, Ed Lauter, John Fleck, and Nicholas Guest, and published several books as well as many fitness instruction videos.

Max von Sydow 
 was a well-known Swedish actor who was considered for the role of Sybok when Sean Connery proved unavailable. According to William Shatner, the idea of using von Sydow "quickly flew out the window" when he discovered how high his expected salary was compared to the remaining production budget. (Captain's Log: William Shatner's Personal Account of the Making of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier; Charting the Undiscovered Country: The Making of Trek VI)

Max von Sydow is known for his many collaborations with famed writer/director  during his early career, which included the acclaimed films Wild Strawberries (1957), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Magician (1958), The Virgin Spring (1960), and Through a Glass Darkly (1961). Perhaps von Sydow's best-known American film role is that of Father Merrin in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist. He was received Golden Globe nominations for his work on both The Exorcist and the 1966 film Hawaii, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the 1987 Danish film Pelle the Conqueror.

By , when he was being considered for a role in Star Trek V, von Sydow was no stranger to science fiction, having played Ming the Merciless in the 1980 film Flash Gordon. He also co-starred with Christopher Plummer in the 1984 sci-fi film Dreamscape and appeared as Dr. Kynes in David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation of Dune, which featured a number of future Star Trek alumni (Brad Dourif, Virginia Madsen, Dean Stockwell, and, most notably, Patrick Stewart). Since then, von Sydow's science fiction credits have included Judge Dredd (1995), 's Minority Report (2002) and appeared as Lor San Tekka in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. He also ventured into the fantasy genre, including the role of King Osric in 1982's Conan the Barbarian.

His many other, non-genre film credits include the 1975 thriller Three Days of the Condor, the 1986 comedy Hannah and Her Sisters, the 1993 horror film Needful Things, and the dramas Awakenings (1990) and Snow Falling on Cedars (1999). More recent credits include Rush Hour 3 (2007) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007).

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Kirstie Alley 
Main article: Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley was originally asked by director Nicholas Meyer to reprise her role as Saavik in the film, but her price was deemed to be too high. Other sources (most notably Meyer himself) say that she refused Meyer's requests because of weight problems, feeling she would look fat in a tight-fitting uniform. Finally Kim Cattrall was cast in the role, which was eventually reworked into the character of Valeris. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Special Edition) DVD audio commentary)

Most ironically, Cattrall was not available for the original part in Wrath of Khan, whereas it was Alley, who turned out to be unavailable for The Undiscovered Country. Alley's unavailability, was the reason why the character of Saavik was changed into that of Valeris, as Robin Curtis, who had also played the part of Saavik, had never been considered to reprise the role. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 22, No. 5, p. 31)

Whoopi Goldberg 
Main article: Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg, eager to make a cameo appearance in the film, met with Nick Meyer to discuss the possibility of her appearing as a "Klingon princess" in Star Trek VI. This idea was vetoed by Leonard Nimoy, who feared that too many well known performers in the film's supporting cast might detract from the movie being the last to feature the regular TOS cast. Goldberg was also making recurring appearances as Guinan in . (The View from the Bridge, hardcover ed., p. 211)

Jack Palance 
Main article: Jack Palance
 was an American actor, originally approached to play Gorkon in . He was scheduled to appear in the film City Slickers, which earned him an Academy Award, and David Warner was cast in the role instead. Palance appeared in many classic Hollywood films, including Shane (1953), which was briefly featured in . Elisha Cook also appeared in the film. Other films of Palance include Austerlitz (1960, with Orson Welles), Le mépris (1963), Chato's Land (1972), Batman (1989, with Tracey Walter), and Tango and Cash (1989, with Teri Hatcher, Marc Alaimo, and Michael J. Pollard).

Star Trek Generations

Marlon Brando 
Two-times Academy Award-winning actor  was interested in playing Tolian Soran, and his representative contacted producer Rick Berman about the role. Berman was enthusiastic about having Brando on board, and contacted Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing about the possibility. However, Brando was asking for a very high salary, which Lansing was not ready to pay.

According to Berman, "It was numerous millions of dollars, much more than she had any interest in paying. This was also at a point when he was quite overweight, and it was an action-hero type of role. My feeling was, 'we're talking about Marlon Brando here!' But Sherry had remarkable experience in the motion picture business and said 'Brando's presence is not going to justify the expenditure". 

Considered to be among the greatest actors of the 20th century, Brando rose to fame with his roles in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952, with Arnold Moss), The Wild One (1953, with Carey Loftin, Sam Gilman, and K.L. Smith), and On the Waterfront (1954, with Nehemiah Persoff). His career continued with projects like The Fugitive Kind (1960), his directorial debut One Eyes Jacks (1961, with Elisha Cook), and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962, with Antoinette Bower, Michael Dugan, Torin Thatcher, and Paul Baxley).

In 1972, Brando played the iconic role of mafia boss Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Joe Lombardi served as special effects supervisor, and Paul Baxley as second unit director for the film. In his later career, Brando appeared as Jor-El in Superman (1978, edited by Stuart Baird), as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979), and as the titular character in The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996, with Ron Perlman and Frank Welker).

DeForest Kelley 
Main article: DeForest Kelley
DeForest Kelley was approached to appear as Leonard McCoy in the prologue sequence of Generations. He felt the part was rather just a cameo, and that the original characters made their exit well in . The script was re-written to feature Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) instead.

Leonard Nimoy 
Main article: Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy was approached to appear as Spock in the prologue sequence of  and direct the film, but declined the offer. As Nimoy explained, "There were five or six lines attributed to Spock [...] but it had nothing to do with Spock. They were not Spock-like in any way. I said to Rick Berman, 'You could distribute these lines to any one of the other characters and it wouldn't make any difference.' And that is exactly what he did. There was no Spock function in the script. I have always tried to make a contribution to these movies. There was no contribution to be made in that movie. It was just sort of 'let's get Nimoy in here too.' I said there is nothing here I can do so I said 'thanks, but I'll pass'."  He was replaced by Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) in the scene.

Star Trek: First Contact

Avery Brooks 
Main article: Avery Brooks
Avery Brooks was planned to have a cameo appearance as Benjamin Sisko in the film while it was still titled Star Trek: Destinies, but it didn't come to fruition. ()

Tom Hanks 
 is the two-time Academy Award–winning American actor, who was originally approached to play Zefram Cochrane in . Hanks, a self-admitted Trekkie, had to turn down the offer, as he was busy working on his directorial debut, That Thing You Do! (which featured Clint Howard).

Hanks built a long and successful career in film, working as an actor, producer, writer, and director. He started out in comedies, such as Splash (1984, with Charles Macaulay, Clint Howard, Bill Smitrovich and cinematography by Don Peterman), The Money Pit (1986, with Tzi Ma), and Big (1988, with Josh Clark), and also starred in Trek director Nicholas Meyer's 1985 film, Volunteers (with Clyde Kusatsu and music by James Horner). He turned to more serious roles in the early 1990s with such films as The Bonfire of Vanities (1990, with Kim Cattrall, Saul Rubinek, Kirsten Dunst, Jon Rashad Kamal, F. Murray Abraham, and Terry Farrell) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993).

His big break came with two roles which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor in two consecutive years: Philadelphia (1993, with Charles Napier) and Forrest Gump (1994). Since then, Hanks appeared in a variety of well-received movies, including Apollo 13 (1995, with Clint Howard, Max Grodénchik, Steve Rankin, and John Wheeler, and music by James Horner), Saving Private Ryan (1998, with Leland Orser and John de Lancie), You've Got Mail (1998), The Green Mile (1999, with James Cromwell and William Sadler), Cast Away (2000, with Michael Forest), Road to Perdition (2002), Catch Me If You Can (2002, with Thomas Kopache and Malachi Throne), The Terminal (2004, with Zoë Saldana), The Da Vinci Code (2006), and Charlie Wilson's War (2007). He also lent his voice to a number of animated productions, including Toy Story (1995) and its two sequels (which also featured Wallace Shawn and Kelsey Grammer), The Polar Express (2004), and Cars (2006, with Paul Dooley).

Yaphet Kotto

Adam Scott 
Main article: Adam Scott
Adam Scott auditioned for the role of Lieutenant . Though he lost out to Neal McDonough for the role, he was given the role of the unnamed helm officer of the .

Christopher Walken 
Academy Award-winning actor ' was considered for a part in the film (most probably Zefram Cochrane), while it was still titled Star Trek: Destinies. ()

Walken is a highly accomplished actor, known for such films as Annie Hall (with Mark Lenard and John Glover), The Deer Hunter (co-starring John Savage), The Dead Zone (with Anthony Zerbe), A View to a Kill (with Walter Gotell), Batman Returns (with Vincent Schiavelli, Biff Yeager, Felix Silla and Anthony DeLongis), True Romance (with Christian Slater and Saul Rubinek), Pulp Fiction, and Catch Me If You Can (with Thomas Kopache, Jimmie F. Skaggs, J. Patrick McCormack, and Malachi Throne).

Star Trek Nemesis

Jude Law 
 was rumored for the role of Shinzon in .

James Marsters 
 auditioned for the role of Shinzon in , but the role ultimately went to Tom Hardy. Actress Marina Sirtis believes Marsters would have been more suitable in the role.   

Marsters is best known for playing Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and Captain John Hart on the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood. He co-starred with  actress Jolene Blalock and TNG/DS9/VOY guest actor Tony Todd in the film Shadow Puppets and had a supporting role in the 2007 drama P.S. I Love You. In 2001, he played Charlemagne Bolivar in an episode of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. He also had a recurring role as Professor Fine/Brainiac in the CW series Smallville and also played the villain Piccolo in the live-action film adaptation of the popular anime series Dragonball.

Craig T. Nelson
 was rumored for the role of the Reman Viceroy in .

Alan Rickman
 was rumored for the role of the Reman Viceroy in , succeeding the rumor of Nelson filling the role.  Rickman had already played the Nimoy/Spock-inspired Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus (alien) primary character in Galaxy Quest, the 1999 insightful Star Trek satire.

Michael Shanks
 auditioned for the role of Shinzon in , but the role ultimately went to Tom Hardy.

Shanks is best known for playing Dr. Daniel Jackson on the long-running series Stargate SG-1, its direct-to-video spinoff films and television spin-off series. Shanks has also appeared on such shows as Smallville, Andromeda, and Burn Notice.

Star Trek (2009)

AKB48
J.J. Abrams briefly considered adding a member of this Japanese band to the cast of the '09 movie after seeing them perform live. It never materialized.

Adrien Brody 
Academy Award-winning actor  was in talks to play  in , the eleventh Trek film released in . At first, his connection to the project was merely a rumor,  but Brody himself later confirmed that he had discussed playing Spock with the film's director, J.J. Abrams.  The role of Spock ultimately went to Zachary Quinto.

Brody had supporting roles in several popular films throughout the 1990s, including 's King of the Hill, Disney's baseball fantasy Angels in the Outfield (working with Christopher Lloyd and Neal McDonough), 's The Thin Red Line, and 's Summer of Sam (with Bebe Neuwirth and Mike Starr). He also played the leads in a number of smaller films, including 1998's Restaurant, 1999's Liberty Heights, and 2002's Dummy. 

Brody won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Polish Jewish musician Wladyslaw Szpilman in 's The Pianist. He has since starred in such films as 's The Village, 's King Kong, 's Hollywoodland, 's The Darjeeling Limited, the adventure comedy The Brothers Bloom, and the biographical drama Cadillac Records (with Gabrielle Union).

Matt Damon 
 is an American Academy Award-nominated actor and Academy Award-winning screenwriter who was approached to play 's father,  in Star Trek.  According to Abrams, Damon turned down the role for "most gracious and understandable and logical of reasons."  The role ultimately went to Chris Hemsworth. 

Before this, Damon had long been rumored to be in the running for the role of  in the film. It was even rumored that he solicited William Shatner's aid in getting him signed up.  Damon himself denied having been approached for the role, although he later told  that he would be interested in playing a young Captain Kirk if the script met with his satisfaction.  In March 2007, Kurtzman, although not confirming that Damon would play Kirk, stated that he was "the hugest Matt Damon fan. If he became [Kirk], great."  In a subsequent interview with IGN, Damon stated that the filmmakers were looking for someone younger for the role.  Chris Pine was ultimately cast in the role.

Damon began acquiring fame in the 1990s with major roles in such films as School Ties (1992), Courage Under Fire (1996), and Saving Private Ryan (1998). He and best friend  won an Academy Award for their screenplay to the 1997 drama Good Will Hunting, for which Damon also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Damon and Affleck later became executive producers on , for which they received three Emmy Award nominations. Damon and Affleck have also worked together on several projects for director , most notably the 1998 film Dogma.

In addition, Damon is known for his roles in two film franchises: he plays young thief Linus Caldwell in the Ocean's films (Ocean's Eleven in 2001, Ocean's Twelve in 2004, and Ocean's Thirteen in 2007), and also stars as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne in the Bourne films (The Bourne Identity in 2002, The Bourne Supremacy in 2005, and The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007). Had he been cast in Star Trek, it would have marked his second film with Karl Urban, whom he worked with on The Bourne Supremacy. It also would have been his second movie photographed by Dan Mindel, after the 2003 comedy, Stuck on You.

Damon's other films include The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), The Brothers Grimm (2005), Syriana (2005, in which he acted alongside  regular Alexander Siddig), Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning The Departed (2006, with Mark Rolston). He also lent his voice to such films as Titan A.E. (2000, along with Ron Perlman and Charles Rocket), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002, with James Cromwell), and the English version of the Hayao Miyazaki film Ponyo. 

Damon earned his second Academy Award in an acting category for his performance in Clint Eastwood's 2009 drama Invictus. He has since been seen in such films as Eastwood's Hereafter (2010), the -directed remake of True Grit (2010), the family drama We Bought a Zoo, and the hit 2011 sci-fi thrillers Contagion and The Adjustment Bureau. Damon also worked alongside  star Scott Bakula in two films directed by : the 2009 comedy The Informant and the 2013  biopic Behind the Candelabra. In addition, Damon played the recurring role of airline pilot Carol Burnett on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock. 

More recently, he appeared in the sci-fi action thriller Elysium (2013, featuring Faran Tahir), 's The Zero Theorem (2013), 's ensemble drama The Monuments Men (2014), the science fiction film The Martian (2015), another Bourne sequel, Jason Bourne (2016), and the sci-fi satire Downsizing (2017).

Ricky Gervais 
 is an English actor, comedian, producer, and director who turned down an unspecified role in Star Trek. He was approached by the film's director and producer, J.J. Abrams, whom Gervais previously worked with on an episode of Alias, but Gervais rejected a part in the film. He explained his reasons for doing so: "I was never a big fan, so I would've felt guilty taking the part just to be in a blockbuster. To what? Boost my profile?" 

Gervais is known for his work on two popular British comedy series: he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the original series of The Office (and also made two cameo appearances on its American remake, which starred Rainn Wilson – coincidentally, Spencer Daniels, who plays Johnny in the film, is the son of , the executive producer of the US version), and then went on to do the same for Extras. These shows have earned Gervais two Emmy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe, and a British Comedy Award, among many other honors. Gervais has also starred in such films as Night at the Museum, For Your Consideration, Stardust, and Ghost Town. He even wrote and lent his voice to an episode of The Simpsons.

Greg Haines 
Main article: Greg Haines

Greg Haines is an actor who was originally cast and scheduled to portray an instructor at Starfleet Academy in 's  but was chosen to be the stand-in for actor Ben Cross. Haines had a wardrobe fitting but did not appear on screen. (Source: Greg Haines)

Jeffery Hauser 
Jeffery Hauser is an actor who was cast to have a supporting role as a Kelvin crewmember in 's . He was cast in October 2007 and was on set to shoot his scenes a month later.   During the day of shooting he was asked to step down by the first AD and told that they had another scene in mind for him. But Hauser got no call back and saw a different actor saying his lines when he saw the film on DVD two years later. 

Hauser moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and appeared in a few stage productions. He got featured parts in Forest Whitaker's First Daughter (2004) and Steven Spielberg's The Terminal (2004), alongside Star Trek actress Zoe Saldana. He performed in several commercials, including one with Samuel L. Jackson, which was shown during the Super Bowl in 2004. 

Also in 2004 he was featured in the MTV show Your Face or Mine?, appeared in the music video "I'm not ready" from My Chemical Romance, and was featured in Wes Craven's thriller Red Eye, which also featured Angela Paton, Suzie Plakson, Dey Young, Beth Toussaint, and Scott Leva. 

Hauser has started to write his own scripts and to produce short films. He served as photo double for the drama Little Miss Sunshine (2006), was featured in three episodes of the daytime television series Days of Our Lives (2004-2005), and played a lead role in the independent film Broken Concrete (2006). 

After his experience in the new Star Trek film he called himself a "Star Trek freak".

Joshua Jackson 
 auditioned for two roles in Star Trek, including . Although he was not cast, the audition won him a role in J.J. Abrams' subsequent science fiction series, Fringe.  

Jackson is best known for playing Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek from 1998 through 2003. He is also known for playing Charlie Conway in the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks and its sequels, D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994) and D3: The Might Ducks (1996, with Jeffrey Nordling). He has worked with Louise Fletcher in two films: 1999's Cruel Intentions and 2005's Aurora Borealis. His other film credits include Apt Pupil (directed by Bryan Singer and co-starring Bruce Davison), Urban Legend (with John Neville), The Skulls (with Christopher McDonald), Gossip (with Sharon Lawrence), The Laramie Project (with Clancy Brown), and Bobby (with Christian Slater).

Dominic Keating 
Main article: Dominic Keating
Dominic Keating, best known for his role as Malcolm Reed on , auditioned for the role of Kirk's uncle  in 's . He did not get the part.

Josh Lucas 
 was considered for the role of  in J.J. Abrams' , but the role ultimately went to Bruce Greenwood.    

Lucas had supporting roles in several acclaimed films, including American Psycho, A Beautiful Mind, and Secondhand Lions. He played the lead male role in 2002's Sweet Home Alabama and played the villain in 2003's Hulk, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and starring Eric Bana. He has since had lead roles in such films as Stealth, Glory Road, and Poseidon.

Paul McGillion 
Main article: Paul McGillion
Paul McGillion auditioned for the role of  in .  The role ultimately went to Simon Pegg, but McGillion was cast in another role in the film.

Derek Mears 
Main article: Derek Mears
Derek Mears is a stuntman and actor who was was the first choice for playing the long faced bar alien in  but was unable to shoot his part because of his time schedule. He recommended Douglas Tait who got this part.

Sydney Tamiia Poitier 
 is an American actress who auditioned for a role on , possibly .  

She is the daughter of Academy Award-winning actor  and actress  (ironically, Zoë Saldana, who eventually played Uhura, had starred in 2005's Guess Who, a comic remake, with the racial roles reversed, of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, the groundbreaking 1967 film starring Poitier's father). She has been seen in such films as True Crime (with Michael McKean and Anthony Zerbe), MacArthur Park (co-starring Lori Petty), and Nine Lives (with K Callan and Lawrence Pressman) and had recurring roles on Joan of Arcadia and Veronica Mars. She is best known for playing Jungle Julia in the  film Death Proof, one of the two films released as the 2007 anthology Grindhouse.

Chris Pratt 
 auditioned for the role of  in , but the role went to Chris Pine.  Afterwards, he was cast as dim-witted Andy Dwyer on the sitcom , which aired from 2009 to 2015, co-starring Jim O'Heir and Adam Scott. In 2014, Pratt voiced the rotagonist Emmett in . He referenced his audition for Star Trek while narrating a featurette on The Lego Movie Blu-ray in character. He also played Star-Lord that year in Marvel's , co-starring Zoe Saldana and Benicio del Toro. He subsequently starred in Jurassic World (2015) and The Magnificent Seven (2017), as well as reprising Star-Lord in further Marvel films.

Chris Prangley 
Chris Prangley auditioned for the role of  in , but the role went to Chris Pine. He auditioned on 24 August 2007. 

Prangley has appeared in several stage plays, commercials, and independent films and had a recurring role on the daytime series As the World Turns.

Keri Russell 
 was in talks to appear in 's , but she and director/producer J.J. Abrams decided it was not for the best. 

Russell was the star of Abrams' series Felicity, for which she won a Golden Globe. She also appeared in Abrams' first film, Paramount's Mission: Impossible III with Simon Pegg. More recently, she starred in the acclaimed independent film Waitress and in the 2007 drama August Rush. Other film credits include the films We Were Soldiers, The Upside of Anger, The Girl in the Park, and Austenland.

Mike Vogel 
 is the American actor and former fashion model who was a leading candidate for the role of  in 's .  He had already worked with that film's producer and director, J.J. Abrams, on the film Cloverfield. The role of Kirk ultimately went to Chris Pine.

Vogel was modeling for Levi's jeans that he won a recurring role in the FOX (and later WB) series Grounded for Life, whose regular cast included Richard Riehle. He made his film debut in the 2003 skateboarding comedy Grind which was followed by the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre later that year. Since then, Vogel has starred in such films as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Rumor Has It..., and Poseidon with Jimmy Bennett, who played young James Kirk in the movie Vogel tried out for. Vogel also appeared in the comedy She's Out of My League, along with Alice Eve, and a regular role in the ABC series Pan Am. From 2013 to 2015, he was Dale Barbara, aka "Barbie", on the CBS summer series Under the Dome.

Mark Wahlberg 
 is an American actor and former rapper who was offered the role of . He said "I remember [J.J. Abrams] asking me to play Captain Kirk's father in Star Trek. I tried to read the script, but I couldn't even, I didn't understand the words or dialogue or anything, and I said, 'I couldn't do this. I think you're really talented but I couldn't do it.' Then I saw the movie and I was like, 'Holy shit, he did a great job."

Star Trek Into Darkness

Benicio del Toro 
 is a Puerto Rican-born Spanish actor who was offered the role of the villain in  .  Latino Review reported that del Toro would play , a report which J.J. Abrams said was "not true."  Soon thereafter, it was revealed that del Toro's deal fell through and that he would not be appearing in the film.  He was replaced by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch  and the role did ultimately turn out to be Khan Noonien Singh.

Del Toro made his film debut in the James Bond film  (1989; with Anthony Zerbe), then acquired recognition with his roles in such acclaimed films as Bryan Singer's  (1995; featuring Jack Shearer) and  (1998; with Larry Cedar, Jenette Goldstein, Gregory Itzin, Richard Riehle, and Steve Schirripa). He won an Academy Award for his performance in the 2000 film , the cast of which also included Clifton Collins, Jr., Miguel Ferrer, Enrique Murciano, and Tucker Smallwood. 

Del Toro is also known for his roles in such films as Snatch (2000), 21 Grams (2003, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination), Sin City (2005), the two-part biographical drama Che (2008), The Wolfman (2010) and 's Savages (2012). More recently, he portrayed infamous drug lord  in the 2014 romance-thriller Escobar: Paradise Lost, and appeared in 's Inherent Vice the same year. He also appeared as the Collector opposite Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana in the sci-fi action film Guardians of the Galaxy, based on Marvel Comics characters.

Michael Dorn 
Main article: Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn played Worf and his grandfather in the previous films and television series, and was offered the part of "an officer – a soldier." He and his agent expressed interest, but "then time went by and we finally talked to them at maybe the end of January or February [2012] and they said they had changed their mind." Dorn was unclear why, speculating "It could have been the casting people going 'Hey this would be a good idea' and they shot it up the road to JJ and he said 'No, we aren't going to do that.' But I don't know. It is nothing nefarious. Nothing mean. They changed their mind, so I don't worry about it." 

Production lists
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