I was just trying to make sure I had the famous Zefram Cochrane quote right and I was reading the Star Trek wiki.

The discrepancy between James Cromwell's age and the age of Zefram Cochrane circa the time frame of Star Trek First Contact has apparently been a point of contention in the Star Trek fandom.

Here are the rationalizations.

Zefram Cochrane was first seen and mentioned in the original series episode "Metamorphosis", played by Glenn Corbett. Veteran Star Trek actor James Cromwell was cast in the role for First Contact, despite the apparent age discrepancy – Cochrane was supposedly in his early 30s during the events of the film; by contrast, Cromwell was 56 years-old during the filming of First Contact. Most attribute Cochrane's older appearance in the film to exposure to radiation either as a result of the nuclear holocaust that ended World War III or from attempts to develop warp drive. It is also possible that Cochrane could have suffered from Werner syndrome or another rapid-aging disease.

If it wasn't for the Internet, this never would have occurred to me. I love you, Internet.