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After months of speculation, the creative minds behind "Star Trek XI" finally announced that everyone’s favorite Vulcan Mr. Spock has finally been cast in the latest outing of the franchise. And what has fans of 21st century television excited is that the character is now being taken on by the now-familiar face of Zachary Quinto, better known as the sociopathic Sylar on NBC's "Heroes."

Quinto said he is thrilled about joining the Trek franchise and to be taking on a role which is today a pop-culture icon. And, according to TrekMovie.com, the actor feels he owes a lot to "Heroes" for his casting in the first place.

"I would not be able to do this and in this situation if it wasn’t for 'Heroes' and that isn’t lost on me," said Quinto during the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego. "The fact that [producers] Tim [Kring] and Dennis [Hammer] and Allan [Arkush] got behind this idea from the beginning. Tim and I had one talk about this in Paris a couple months ago and he got behind it and stayed behind it and that is why it is happening."

Quinto also gave props to his "Heroes" co-star Greg Grunberg (who plays psychic cop Matt Parkman on the series) for putting the good word for him with Trek XI head-honcho J.J. Abrams. Grunberg, who has been friends with Abrams since kindergarten, has been included as an actor on most of Abrams' projects over the years including "Felicity," "Alias," "Lost" and the film "Mission: Impossible 3." It is unknown if Grunberg will also make an appearance in "Star Trek," but it could be likely since Grunberg has said he's a tremendous fan of the franchise.

When it comes to Trek mythology, though, Quinto admits his knowledge is a little limited. However, what he was originally drawn to about the role was the complicated nature of being an emotionless character in the midst of the emotional turmoil that is humanity.

"It comes from the complexity of the character and the experiences that I have had personally and professionally in the past few years leading me to a point where I feel like I identify with a lot of aspects of what this character is going through in terms of the structure of the movie and the story structure that [screenwriters] Alex [Kurtzman] and Bob [Orci] have created," Quinto said. "So that is really where it came from for me when I found out they were doing the project. Also to learn about it. To become a part of something that is so steeped in history and is so iconic and has such a following is such an honor."

To read more of TrekMovie's interview with Quinto, check out the original Q&A by clicking here.

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