Eddie Murphy Passed On Star Trek IV For A Less Successful Movie

Leonard Nimoy's "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" is an aberration in the "Star Trek" film canon in many respects. For one, it's the only "Star Trek" movie to feature no weapons fire. No one gets into a phaser battle, which was one of the six rules Nimoy used to shape his vision. Secondly, the film is often an outright comedy and tells a whimsical story about its heroes going back in time to the year 1986 to rescue some extinct humpback whales. Thirdly, it doesn't prominently feature the U.S.S. Enterprise, as it was destroyed during the events of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock."

Most notably, however, "The Voyage Home" was one of the highest-grossing "Star Trek" movies at the box office prior to the release of J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" film reboot in 2009. Audiences, it seems, were ready for a light, comedic version of the Final Frontier.

And, indeed, it might have even been more assertively comedic. "The Voyage Home" nearly featured Eddie Murphy "talking jive" to Nimoy's Spock as a Berkeley Astrophysicist, as Murphy himself previously put it. The script was eventually re-written, however, as Murphy dropped out to work on another project that, at the time, seemed more lucrative for him. His character was replaced by Dr. Gillian Taylor, the cetologist character played by Catherine Hicks.

Speaking to Women's World in honor of "The Voyage Home" turning 40, Murphy explained that he always liked "Star Trek," and was happy to be involved with "Star Trek IV." However, he ultimately decided to instead work on the 1986 fantasy action/comedy film "The Golden Child," a decision that he's since come to somewhat regret.

It may have been a good thing that Eddie Murphy's character was written out of "Star Trek IV," as his involvement would have made things a little too zany. Among other things, Murphy would've appeared in a painfully unfunny scene where his character's cat uses a phaser to vaporize his furniture. No, for Murphy, "The Golden Child" seemed like the more prudent career choice at the time. The film was also a box office hit, though it isn't terribly well-remembered 40 years later, while "Star Trek IV" is still watched regularly. "The Golden Child" wasn't particularly well-liked by critics, either, in stark contrast to "The Voyage Home."

Here's what Murphy told Women's World regarding his decision:

"I'm a Trekkie. I've always loved 'Star Trek' and have wanted to do one of the films. I wanted to be in 'Star Trek,' and that's where they got the idea of coming back in time to Earth [to 1986]. The script was developed, but we eventually dropped the idea. 'Golden Child' came along and I decided to do that film instead, because I thought it would be better for my career. In retrospect, I think I might have been better off doing 'Star Trek IV.'"

Speaking to TrekMovie in 2008, Leonard Nimoy stated that Murphy disliked the character that the original "Star Trek IV" screenwriters wrote for him. There were no hard feelings, though, as Nimoy admitted there were some doubts — including from Murphy himself — that his presence in a "Star Trek" movie would work. When it didn't, Murphy and Nimoy shook hands, went their separate ways, and made the films they wanted. All was okay.