Nichelle Nichols

Nichols broke ground and paved the way for Black actors in Hollywood as Uhura. Her castmate George Takei wrote, "We lived long and prospered together."

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Nichelle Nichols helped break ground on TV by showing a Black woman in a position of authority and who shared with co-star William Shatner one of the first ...

In the late 1950s, she moved to Los Angeles and entered a cultural milieu that included Pearl Bailey, Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis Jr., with whom she had what she described as a “short, stormy, exciting” affair. In later decades, Ms. Nichols and Shatner touted the smooch as a landmark event that was highly controversial within the network. Ms. Nichols reprised Uhura, promoted from lieutenant to commander, in six feature films between 1979 and 1991 that helped make “Star Trek” a juggernaut. After studying classical ballet and Afro-Cuban dance, she made her professional debut at 14 at the College Inn, a high-society Chicago supper club. Actress Whoopi Goldberg often said that when she saw “Star Trek” as an adolescent, she screamed to her family, “Come quick, come quick. Years later, Ms. Nichols claimed in interviews that she had threatened to quit during the first season but reconsidered after meeting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. at an NAACP fundraiser. NASA historians said its recruiting drive — the first since 1969 — had many prongs, and Ms. Nichols’s specific impact as a roving ambassador was modest. She blamed Shatner, whom she called an “insensitive, hurtful egotist” who used his star billing to hog the spotlight. The show received middling reviews and ratings and was canceled after three seasons, but it became a TV mainstay in syndication. While other network programs of the era offered domestic witches and talking horses, “Star Trek” delivered allegorical tales about violence, prejudice and war — the roiling social issues of the era — in the guise of a 23rd-century intergalactic adventure. “Star Trek” was barrier-breaking in many ways. Uhura was presented matter-of-factly as fourth in command, exemplifying a hopeful future when Blacks would enjoy full equality.

Nichelle Nichols, best known for her role as Nyota Uhura on Star Trek, died at age 89. Nichols made history as the first Black woman to hold a leading role ...

The 2019 film, Woman in Motion, is dedicated to the impact of Nichols’ advocacy on NASA. Last December, Nichols announced her retirement from space advocacy after making a final appearance at the LA Comic Con. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.” Nichols’ legacy reaches far beyond Star Trek. She partnered with NASA to encourage the recruitment of astronauts from underrepresented backgrounds. Nichols stayed on Star Trek until the original series ended in 1969. Nichelle Nichols, who was best known for her groundbreaking role as Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek series, died at age 89. Nichols joined the cast of Star Trek in 1966 as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, making history as the first Black woman to play a leading role on TV. She almost left Star Trek for a career in Broadway, but, ultimately, a meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay on the show.

She was among the first Black women to have a leading role in a TV series. She later worked with NASA to recruit minorities for the space program.

Dr. King told her that her role as a dignified, authoritative figure in a popular show was too important to the cause of civil rights for her to forgo. In an interview in 2010 for the Archive of American Television, she said that he had little to do with her casting in “Star Trek” but that he defended her when studio executives wanted to replace her. In her 1995 autobiography, “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories,” she disclosed that she and Roddenberry, who died in 1991, had been romantically involved for a time. While attending Englewood High School, she landed her first professional gig in a revue at the College Inn, a well-known Chicago nightspot. At 13 or 14, tired of being called Gracie by her friends, she requested a different name from her mother, who liked Michelle but suggested Nichelle for the alliteration. Ms. Nichols appeared in several musical theater productions around the country during the 1950s. In subsequent years, Ms. Nichols made public appearances and recorded public service announcements on behalf of the agency. “He said, ‘You cannot. “Among them: Ronald McNair, Frederick Gregory, Judith Resnick, first American woman in space Sally Ride and current NASA administrator Charlie Bolden.” Uhura was an officer and a highly educated and well-trained technician who maintained a businesslike demeanor while performing her high-minded duties. She later worked with NASA to recruit minorities for the space program. Her role, however, was both substantial and historically significant.

Trailblazer Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on "Star Trek" and shared one of TV's first interracial kisses with William Shatner, has died at 89.

NASA asked Nichols, who had also started a consultant firm, Women in Motion, to help recruit more women and people of color to apply for the astronaut program. Nichols, born Grace Dell Nichols on Dec. 28, 1932, in Robbins, Illinois, started her career as a dancer and singer, and she wanted to be the first Black ballerina when she was younger. During the show’s third season, Nichols' Uhura and Shatner’s Captain Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to be broadcast on a U.S. TV series. She planned to leave the show after its first season to explore other acting opportunities, but a fan surprised Nichols at an NAACP event and was disappointed to hear she was thinking of quitting. "I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years," Johnson wrote on Facebook. "Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Family friend Sky Conway confirmed to USA TODAY that Nichols died Saturday evening in Silver City, New Mexico, calling her "truly transformational" and "an amazing person."

Her role in the 1966-69 series as Lt. Uhura earned Nichols a lifelong position of honor with the series' rabid fans, known as Trekkers and Trekkies.

Her name was at times invoked at courthouse rallies that sought the freeing of Britney Spears from her own conservatorship. They later learned she had a strong supporter in the show’s creator. The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues were not such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, a television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. Worried about reaction from Southern television stations, showrunners wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss happened off-screen. She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role. “The characters themselves were not freaking out because a Black woman was kissing a white man … In this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Capt. James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to be broadcast on a U.S. television series. Hence, “Nichelle.” Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the far-off future — the 23rd century — human diversity would be fully accepted. She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps. She was the reminder that not only can we reach the stars, but our influence is essential to their survival. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away.

In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women. A daughter of a.

And she continued this legacy by going on to work with NASA to empower generations of Americans from every background to reach for the stars and beyond. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she shattered stereotypes to become the first Black woman to act in a major role on a primetime television show with her groundbreaking portrayal of Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek. With a defining dignity and authority, she helped tell a central story that reimagined scientific pursuits and discoveries. A daughter of a working-class family from Illinois, she first honed her craft as an actor and singer in Chicago before touring the country and the world performing with the likes of Duke Ellington and giving life to the words of James Baldwin.

Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood as communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series, ...

Her name was at times invoked at courthouse rallies that sought the freeing of Britney Spears from her own conservatorship. The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues were not such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, a television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. They later learned she had a strong supporter in the show’s creator. Worried about reaction from Southern television stations, showrunners wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss happened off-screen. “The characters themselves were not freaking out because a Black woman was kissing a white man ... In this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role. During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Capt. James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to be broadcast on a U.S. television series. Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the far-off future — the 23rd century — human diversity would be fully accepted. She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps. She was the reminder that not only can we reach the stars, but our influence is essential to their survival. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend,” he tweeted. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away.

George Takei and William Shatner are among the 'Star Trek' stars to have paid tribute to Nichelle Nichols following her death at the age of 89.

George Takei and J.J. Abrams paid tribute to the late "Star Trek" actress Nichelle Nichols, who died Saturday at the age of 89.

The official NASA Twitter account posted a tribute saying: "We celebrate the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. "A remarkable woman in a remarkable role. "I shall have more to say about the trailblazing, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise," Takei wrote on social media.

The communications officer aboard the original USS Enterprise appeared in delighted fans onscreen and at conventions for over 50 years.

After the first season of the show, Nichols considered leaving the program and heading back to musical theater. In a season two episode, when time was of the essence, Lt. Uhura was seen swiftly soldering clutch communications equipment. (In the animated series, she sat in the Captain’s chair for part of an episode.) Born in 1932 in a suburb of Chicago, Nichols began her career as a singer and dancer, touring with both Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton’s bands. She was cast in the episode “To Set It Right” on the short-lived series The Lieutenant. The show, which starred Gary Lockwood, was set at a West Coast Marine Corps base, and this particular episode featured some racially driven animosity between Dennis Hopper and Don Marshall. The series, which was produced in concert with the Pentagon, was unwilling to show anything that even remotely touched upon the issue of race, so the episode, in which Nichols co-starred, never aired. She was 89 years old at the time of her death.

As Lt. Uhura, everything on the series ran through Nichols, who died Saturday at 89. With the role, she created a 50-year legacy and legions of fans.

In the 2007 feature-length fan film “Star Trek: Of Men and Gods,” directed by “Star Trek: Voyager” actor Tim Russ and also starring Nichols’ old castmate Walter “Chekhov” Koenig, Nichols played Uhura one final time, in a part that — with no Kirk, no Spock in the way — at last brought her to center stage. And we have choices — are we going to walk down this road or are we going to walk down the other? But “Star Trek” remains her legacy, and her gift, and it shaped her life, leading Nichols to work with NASA, recruiting women and people of color to the space program (as recounted in the 2019 documentary “Woman in Motion”). Finally, it was home. Nichols was an elegant, poised performer — she was a trained dancer who held herself like one, just sitting at her console, one leg forward, one leg back, one hand to her earpiece — and in a series in which overacting can sometimes seem like the baseline, she never did too much. There was more to her than “Star Trek,” before, after and during. (In 2008, she’d play another madam, a friendly one, in “Lady Magdalene’s,” a ridiculous low-budget action comedy.) Whatever the vehicle, her work always feels committed and self-assured. For all it accomplished, the series missed a few tricks when it came to Nichols. She builds exposition, asks important questions; wordlessly reacting to some bit of business on the viewing screen, she brings an emotion and energy into the scene different from that of her sometimes blustery male colleagues. As communications officer Lt. Uhura (the first name Nyota was a later addition), Nichelle Nichols, who died Saturday at the age of 89, was with the show from first to last, including the subsequent “Star Trek: The Animated Series” and six feature films built around the original cast. Whether she’s in a crawl space rigging up a subspace bypass circuit, or speaking teasingly with Spock (“Why don’t you tell me I’m an attractive young lady or ask me if I’ve ever been in love? The original “Star Trek” may have been canceled in 1969, but it is still with us. And I would hear your voice from all parts of the ship.

Nichols broke down barriers on the small screen with her portrayal of Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek television series where she was a communications ...

Nichols broke down barriers on the small screen with her portrayal of Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek television series where she was a communications officer. She was my friend and she will be missed.” She continued, “It just made me feel like that was an amazing thing and she helped propel other women to go into space.

Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for Black women in Hollywood as communications officer Lt. Uhura on the original “Star Trek” television series, ...

Her name was at times invoked at courthouse rallies that sought the freeing of Britney Spears from her own conservatorship. The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues were not such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, a television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. They later learned she had a strong supporter in the show’s creator. Worried about reaction from Southern television stations, showrunners wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss happened off-screen. “The characters themselves were not freaking out because a Black woman was kissing a white man ... In this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role. During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Capt. James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to be broadcast on a U.S. television series. Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the far-off future — the 23rd century — human diversity would be fully accepted. She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps. She was the reminder that not only can we reach the stars, but our influence is essential to their survival. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend,” he tweeted. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away.

Star Trek icon Nichelle Nichols died over the weekend at the age of 89.

It could be Ta-Nehisi Coates creating galactic adventures for the Black Panther for Marvel Comics, or N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell creating a Black female Green Lantern in the image of Janelle Monáe. The far-out dream for so many of us is to see ourselves in another world where our Blackness hasn’t been defined for us by outsiders. Zoe Saldana played Uhura in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie trilogy and Celia Rose Gooding now plays Uhura in “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” streaming on Paramount Plus. When Whoopi Goldberg first saw Nichols on television when she was a child, she screamed for her family to come gather around the screen, enamored by seeing a Black woman who wasn’t a maid. Goldberg set her sights on deep space at that exact moment and has since been an integral part of Star Trek lore as Guinan both on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Picard.” And Nichols, sitting confidently in her chair on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, basking in Black beauty Hollywood wasn’t yet truly ready to embrace, with an earpiece that made Bluetooth look cool before Bluetooth was even a thing, was an agent of that change, even if she didn’t realize it yet. But that didn’t mean she was relegated to servitude — she was responsible for communications, as the expert on languages both alien and human. Why? Because he knew the world needed to see Black people in roles of equal status before it could believe in such a thing.

George Takei, William Shatner, Zoe Saldana and other members of the 'Star Trek' family mourned Nichelle Nichols, the series' original Lt. Uhura.

Because of her performance as Uhura, the civil rights leader told Nichols, “the world sees us for the first time as we should be seen.” Marina Sirtis, who portrayed Counselor Deanna Troi in “Star Trek” movies and the TV series “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” added on Twitter: “You led the way and opened the door for the rest of us who followed in your wake. In February 2015, Leonard Nimoy — who portrayed Spock in the original “Star Trek” series — died at 83. Nichelle Nichols showed us the extraordinary power of Black women and paved the way for a better future for all women in media. She later reprised her groundbreaking role for several “Star Trek” movies. Takei and Shatner were among several members of the “Star Trek” family who mourned Nichols’ death on social media. “For myself, and millions of others on our world. “Nichelle was a singular inspiration,” Kurtzman tweeted. “She’s an icon, an activist and most importantly an amazing woman- who blazed a trail that has shown so many how to see women of color in a different light. “Forget shaking the table, she built it!” Everybody loved her and we will all miss her presence.” ... Sending my love and condolences to her family.”

Nichols portrayed Nyota Uhuru in the original Star Trek series and its film sequels, a character Saldana would also bring to life in the 2009 film Star Trek and ...

Her energy was infectious every time I was in her presence. She lived a long, impactful life and not only prospered, but helped so many others prosper too,” she added. Her strive for equality was unwavering.