The new crew of the Starship Enterprise

The casting of J.J. Abrams’ theatrical “Star Trek” prequel isn’t just good, it’s uncanny. And not merely because of Zachary Quinto’s ears and quizzical expression.

Even when a new cast member isn’t a dead ringer for his 1960s television counterpart, he — pardon the expression — channels the spirit. Here’s a cheat sheet of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s indelible crews

Interactive Slideshow

Capt. James T. Kirk

Then: William Shatner

Fleet cred: Sure, he’s a hoot as the Priceline Negotiator. And granted, he always seems to be one transporter-beam session from his next TV success. (For crying out loud, he’s won back-to-back Emmys!) First and foremost, Shatner remains the smirking Starfleet captain who ended each episode with a look of amused satisfaction.

Now: Chris Pine

Fleet cred: How fun is this up-and-comer? Well, after a brawl in an Iowa bar, his reinvigorated Kirk begged for a reimagined description for a sci-fi character. Bloodied or not, this guy is supercockyfragilistic!

Spock

Then: Leonard Nimoy

Fleet cred: One might argue that Spock, er, Nimoy, has lived the curse of the indelible character (though he was positively chilling and alienating as a shrink in 1978’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”) But what a gift that first first officer has been to boomer and next generations alike.

Now: Zachary Quinto

Fleet cred: His Spock is spooky enough to send you searching for pictures of what he really looks like. (What Nimoy DNA pool did he swim in?) That, or you could rent episodes of NBC’s “Heroes” for Quinto’s turn as baddie Sylar. “Trek’s” makeup department rocks.

Even so, Quinto nails something tender in an exchange with his human mother (Winona Ryder), making Spock his own.

Nyota Uhura

Then: Nichelle Nichols

Fleet cred: So barrier-shattering was Lt. Uhura’s character that Nichols told the Post the story of one of her most cherished memories. At an NAACP event back in the day, a “great fan” asked to meet her. The Trekker? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “I was absolutely dumbfounded,” she recalled. “Just the vision of ‘fan’ and ‘King’ was so — I couldn’t put it together.”

Now: Zoë Saldana

Fleet cred: Saldana doesn’t appear fazed that the original simmered. As Starfleet’s communications whiz, she turns up the heat ever so perfectly — intellectually, professionally and, oh my, romantically.

Dr. ‘Bones’ McCoy

Then: DeForest Kelly

Fleet cred: We’re tempted to say that when Gene Roddenberry hired Kelly, he broke the mold for Bones. Kelly’s doc was the only character who could match Shatner overheated syllable for overheated syllable.

Now: Karl Urban

Fleet cred: He may not be the real McCoy, but consider him version 2.0. (OK, it’s a prequel, so that’s hard to pull off.) Urban gets the humanity of the good doctor, then stirs in a hint of the handsome, which bodes well for future stardates.

‘Scotty’

Then: James Doohan

Fleet cred: No one will ever declare the impending implosion of the Enterprise with the overheated brogue of Doohan’s Scott. “She can’t take any more, Cap’n.”

Now: Simon Pegg

Fleet cred: By the time Scott arrives, the doppelganger effect has worn off enough that his depiction of Scotty doesn’t need to be portrait-perfect to be a celebration of geek soul.

Mr. Sulu

Then: George Takei

Fleet cred: Before there was such a thing as six-pack abs, Sulu went shirtless and berserk in one memorable episode, wielding a sword and taking on all comers.

Now: John Cho

Fleet cred: “Harold and Kumar go where!?” you say. OK, the helmsman’s not as P90X-cut as the original. But what the comic actor lacks in lats, he’s able to make up for in laughs.

Pavel Chekov

Then: Walter Koenig

Fleet cred: In the future that “Star Trek” inhabited, the Cold War became a gently running gag, thanks to the Enterprise’s youngest officer, who knew every great discovery had its roots in Mother Russia’s soil.

Now: Anton Yelchin

Fleet cred: The Leningrad-born actor has the accent down and has nailed the slightly jangly energy of a newbie in space.