News > Tyler Perry to Appear in Star Trek (Light Spoilers)

Written by David Morgan

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek prequel has had its fair share of surprising casting choices, and now the latest revelation is that Tyler Perry will be playing the head of Starfleet Academy during Kirk and Spock's school days. This info comes courtesy of UGO, and, before we go any further, there are SPOILERS to follow: 

Perry will be playing one of the judges presiding over James Kirk's (Chris Pine) expulsion hearing. As mentioned in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Kirk reprogrammed an unwinnable combat exercise called the Kobayashi Maru so that it was possible to complete the test successfully, in essence "cheating". UGO also reveals that Spock (Zachary Quinto) is the cadet who turns Kirk in. As Trekkies probably know, Kirk was not expelled, and in fact earned a commendation for original thinking. And now you know that Tyler Perry was one of the people to bestow that honor.

For those unfamiliar with Mr. Perry, he's a playwright-actor-filmmaker who has made incredible sums of money from popular, though critically lambasted, films about a sassy grandma played by himself. He's also made a few non-cross-dressing movies such as Why Did I Get Married?, an ensemble dramedy about modern relationships through the eyes of a group of middle class African American friends.