Star Trek Actors From Multiple Eras Appeared In A Forgotten Britney Spears Movie

There are different kinds of stardom. There's the level of fame one achieves by simply being newsworthy for whatever reason in their chosen field (be it movies, music, or masonry), there's the crossover success one attains by appealing to millions of people from different demographics (be they based on age, race, or ethnicity), and then there's the supernova stardom that makes musicians want to become actors, actors become musicians, and athletes become both (typically to their detriment).

As the world entered the 21st century, there were few people more famous than Britney Spears. The teen idol had knocked out two multi-platinum albums, "... Baby One More Time" and "Oops! ... I Did It Again," and caused something of a scandal with her sexy schoolgirl music video for the title track of the former. The provocation worked sensationally in her favor: The public was obsessed with Spears, which led to her landing a hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live" and, predictably, the starring role in a feature film.

Having been a cast member of "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club" (which also introduced the public to future stars like Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Keri Russell), acting shouldn't have been considered a stretch for Spears. After all, her magnetic music video performances provided irrefutable evidence that the camera adored her. Spears had the potential to hit the motion picture big time, as former pop legends Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, and Cher had done. But what no one could've predicted in 2002 was that her movie star debut would essentially mark the end of her film acting career while also being an accidental showcase for "Star Trek" actors past and future. Because who makes predictions like that?

"Crossroads" was not a talent launching pad à la Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders," but it couldn't have been made without the contributions of people who had incredibly bright futures ahead of them. Actually, a film this utterly formulaic could've been made by anyone with a basic grasp of storytelling structure, but, because everyone has to start somewhere, this one was written by Shonda Rhimes.

"Crossroads" tells the tale of three best friends (Spears, Taryn Manning, and Zoe Saldaña) who embark on a road trip after graduating from high school as a means of realizing their childhood dreams. It's a journey of self-discovery that takes a variety of twists and turns, some of which are surprisingly dark (most notably Manning's five-months-pregnant character, Mimi, losing her baby after falling down a flight of stairs). You'd think a film directed by Tamra Davis, who shot cutting edge music videos for Sonic Youth, MC Lyte, and The D.O.C., would bring a bit of grit to this story, but it winds up being little more than a high-gloss showcase for Spears.

If "Crossroads" is worth discussing now, it might be because the movie features actors who played pivotal roles in the "Star Trek" universe. When Saldaña took the role of Kit, she was probably best known as the rebellious ballerina Eva Rodriguez in Nichloas Hytner's underrated "Center Stage," but seven years later she would become a new generation's Nyota Uhura in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek." Further down the line, Anson Mount, who plays Mimi's seemingly dangerous (but, as it turns out, chivalrous friend) Ben, had a Stardate with the franchise as Captain Christopher Pike in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." And then there's Kim Cattrall, who co-stars as Spears' long-lost mother. In 2002, Cattrall was a television superstar thanks to her portrayal of Samantha on "Sex and the City," but 11 years prior she cheesed off Trekkies as Valeris, the treasonous Vulcan protege of Spock in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

What does this all mean? If you're a "Star Trek" fan, this means you have to watch "Crossroads." If you're a "Crossroads" fan, you have to watch every single "Star Trek" movie and television series to completion (including "The Animated Series"). And if you're Britney Spears, you deserve peace of mind.