BY Lewis Beale

Wednesday, May 6th 2009, 4:00 AM

Read more: "Zoe Saldaña, a rising 'Star'" - http://www.nydailynews.com/latino/2009/05/06/2009-05-06_zoe_saldaa_a_rising_star_.html#ixzz0FEbSHPck&A

When the original "Star Trek" TV series came out, actress Zoe Saldaña 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" film, opening Friday.

"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 Starfleet Academy, and he and Spock meet for the first time.

Still, Saldaña had a sitdown with Nichelle Nichols, 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.

"In terms of roles for women, I don’t want to be home baking every day, or waiting for Spiderman to rescue me," she says. "I like strong roles, and Jim and J.J. are known for that. They are action filmmaking men, but they still have a feminine side to them."

Certainly feminine beauty is one of Saldaña’s strong suits. She has been on Maxim magazine’s Hot List, and in 2007 was chosen as one of that magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People in the World.

But Saldaña also recognizes that sometimes she’s offered roles only because of her looks, and that’s not a direction she necessarily wants to take.

"I want to keep growing, and I want to be respected," she says. "The business sense in me knows it is a necessity to be considered hot to be marketable. It is a canker sore at times. I wish it was based more on my approach to my work, but people \[everywhere\] are judged on their looks; Hollywood is no different."

Saldaña has yet another card up her sleeve: her multicultural, multilingual background.

Asked how her various residences have affected her, she laughs and says, "I’m most Dominican in my loudness, I have a hard time allowing people to speak. My American side is my consciousness of saving money."

And what about her New York side?

"I’ll meet you on the corner and go off on you, I’ll mouth off. I have a truck driver in me, it’s the little New York beast that’s in every New Yorker."

lbeale_2000@yahoo.com

Hoping to catch this flick over the weekend and look forward to seeing Zoe as Uhura. I was a bit of a Trekkie as a little kid, and always appreciated the inclusive casting they employed on the different shows. Decades later great to see a Dominicana on the bridge of an Enterprise .... Oscar Wao would be so proud

As we warsies would say: "When trekkies create a gadget as cool as the lightsaber (or something as ultracool and awe-inspiring as The Force), then they can come and talk to us".

And as for the Borg being mightier than the Galactic Empire, that might be so, but the fact at the end of the day is that they wouldn't last even a half and hour against the Yuuzhan Vong. And the Vong not even use "technology" as we know it, mind you.

Bueno I was a big SW fan for a lot longer as a youth, but I left that behind when I saw The Matrix. Then Lucas went ahead and finished burying SW with the mostly atrocious new stuff. I'll be happy to share SW with my kids as it is still good mythic/legendary stuff, archetypal heroes and bad guys..... but to me Star Trek ages much better; more social and historical commentary, and no George Lucas raping it over and over.

I have to say though three weeks ago I was convinced to pick up the first season DVDs of Battlestar Galactica and as of today am almost up to season 3. I can't believe I didn't watch this show when it was on. It really takes the best of Matrix themes on technology, Star Trek setting, and even a touch of mythic symbology a la Star Wars. Grade A science fiction!

Well, I admit that the prequels (excepting for Ep. III, which was a bloody masterpiece, in my humble opinion, no villain can possibly top the way Darth Sidious created the Empire, not even a freakin machine) didn't live up to the expectations that people placed in them. On the Matrix case, even you have to admit that the sequels practically undid the overall cool tale that was told on the first one. After Star Wars, my favorite science fic saga is the one of the Lord of the Rings, which I'd look forward for Peter Jackson continuing it, specially if he were to recreate the book that is, in my humbe opinion, the greatest masterpiece of them all: The Silmarillion, in which Tolkien basically tells the origins of it all.

Which Galactica are you referring to? The original series or the latest run that starred Edward James Olmos?

I'm one of the handful who loved the Matrix sequels. To me it totally replaced Star Wars as the mythic tale for our generation...deeper symbols, speaks more to the modern situation. BTW like Star Trek I also liked the diverse casts they used in those Matrix films.

I still haven't watched the last of the Star Wars prequels because the acting of Anakin in number two was so unbearably bad that I gave up on all of it.

And I loved the LoTR books, including the Silmarillion, way too much as a youth to taint them with a watered down movie version...so I have never wathed them yet. Plus I just can't stomach fantasy these days it puts me to bed.

I just realized we are getting both Star Trek AND Terminator in May! Good month for scifi fans.

The new one Cib, with Olmos as Commander Adama. I've picked up the first few seasons at Virgin MegaStore in Manhattan which is having a 30-40% off store clearance sale. It is a really really good show, lots of politics, religion, suspense, etc. My wife isn;t into space and ships stuff, and even she loves it.

Oh common, Manny, you know that the ending of revolutions totally sucked: not only did Neo died, but the friggin machines weren't destroyed as they should have been. How much can something suck, may I ask?

I don't know if you relish tragedy, but if I were into that atrocious genre, I'd better read a friggin' book from Shakespeare or the history of France, which is bad enough in itself.