Last week TrekMovie.com revealed that Spock’s parents will be appearing in the new Star Trek movie. And now Variety is reporting that Winona Ryder has landed the part of Spock’s human mother Amanda Grayson, a role originally played by the late Jane Wyatt. The Oscar-nominated veteran of dozens of films may be the best known member of the Star Trek cast so far. At 36, Ryder is only six years older than Zachary Quinto who plays Spock. It is possible that Ryder (and perhaps the actor playing Spock’s father Sarek) will be seen in some sort of flashback to Spock’s childhood or adolescence.

Wyatt and Ryder…the original and new Amanda Graysons

Ryder made her film debut in the 1986 comedy Lucas. Although she gained recognition for her role in Tim Burton’s Beetle Juice, her breakthrough came with her starring role in the 1988 black comedy Heathers, opposite Christian Slater (who appeared as a comm officer in Star Trek VI). She went on to receive Academy Award nominations for her roles in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence and the 1994 adaptation of Little Women. She has also starred in such movies as Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, Francis Ford Coppola’s rendition of Dracula, Ben Stiller’s Reality Bites, and many other major motion pictures. Star Trek will not be Ryder’s first foray into science fiction. Besides the aforementioned Tim Burton films (which have a bit of sci-fi in them), Ryder also starred in Alien: Resurrection,along with Ron Perlman (ST:NEM: Reman Viceroy). More recently, Ryder starred with Keanu Reeves in Richard Linklater’s adaptation of Phillip K. Dick’s A Scanner Darkly.

The character of Spock’s mother Amanda first appeared in the Original Series episode “Journey to Babel.” Amanda later appeared (voiced by Majel Barrett) in the Animated Series episode “Yesteryear” which is the only TAS episode to be considered canon. That episode deals with an adult Spock going back in time to assist his childhood self. Wyatt reprised the role in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, where she helped the newly resurrected Spock get in touch with his human side. The last appearance was a brief flashback showing the birth of Spock in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (played by Cynthia Blaise). More on Amanda Grayson at Memory Alpha.

Source: Trek Movie Report