When 1986’s Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home first went into development at Paramount Pictures, the studio explored the possibility of adding Eddie Murphy to the cast. Murphy was on a hot streak at the time, having just starred in 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop back to back. He was also a self-proclaimed Trekkie and liked the idea of appearing in a Star Trek movie—initially, anyway. According to screenwriter Steve Meerson, between seven and ten script outlines were written before one finally got approved, but the original draft featured a part for Murphy.The comedian was supposed to play an astrophysicist at UC Berkeley, though the character was replaced in the final film by cetologist Dr. Gillian Taylor (as portrayed by Catherine Hicks). While speaking with Woman’s World earlier this year, Meerson revealed that Murphy’s character was written as a wacky guy who believes in aliens and is hellbent on proving they exist. In one comedic scene, he steals a phaser from Captain Kirk, only to have a cat mistake it for a toy. Before long, the cat ends up vaporizing all the furniture in the apartment.Eddie Murphy Almost Joined ‘Star Trek IV’ but Turned It DownProducer Harve Bennett once described his initial meeting with Murphy as “a little bizarre.” From his recollection, Murphy showed up with two other men, and all three of them were sporting black leather outfits. Although Murphy liked what was pitched to him then, he wanted to see a script prior to committing to the project. The studio eventually started second-guessing the idea, but Murphy had enough clout at that point to keep himself in the conversation until he made a decision.Ultimately, Murphy walked away from the opportunity, in part because there were no scenes in which his character would’ve been on board the iconic starship Enterprise. Additionally, he felt that starring in The Golden Child—released the same year as Star Trek IV—was better for his career. Despite The Golden Child being a commercial success, it wasn’t well-received, and Murphy has gone on record as calling it “a piece of s—t.” Murphy was later quoted as saying, “I think I might have been better off doing Star Trek IV.”The post 40 Years Ago, Eddie Murphy Backed Out of Doing a ‘Star Trek’ Movie to Play One of His Least Celebrated Roles appeared first on VICE.