Rumor has it that our long-lost Tom Cruise is considering a cameo as Capt. Christopher Pike in the new Star Trek movie. (Count to 10 now and let that set in. And remember in space, no one can hear you scream.)

As all Trekkies know, Pike was James T. Kirk's predecessor as captain of the Enterprise and was the main character on the unaired pilot of the show. Pike also appears in the episode entitled "The Menagerie."

Personally, I'd rather see Cruise play "Klingon #3" -- the one who gets blown in the vacuum of space in the first two minutes of the film. But I guess that's not a good use of the studio's money.

Would Cruise's appearance in a Star Trek film help or hurt the franchise? It's not like the TV series or movies were over-populated with Oscar-nominated thespians before, so he'd lift the level of acting. But given his odd behavior lately, it can only be a distraction. As my favorite blogger -- "What Would Tyler Durden Do" -- says:

"... You're asking for trouble to put Tom Cruise's scientology lovin' ass on a spaceship.   You'll yell action, he'll see some lasers, think it's the rapture and start killing everyone."