FanX: Nichelle Nichols: Going Where No One Had Gone Before
When Nichelle Nichols got into show business, she wasn’t looking to become an icon or to change the world. But that’s exactly what happened.
Breaking through barriers for African Americans and for women, Nichols has been a significant figure in popular culture ever since she was cast as Lieutenant Uhura, the Communications Officer aboard the Starship Enterprise on the television series “Star Trek.” Her prominent supporting role as an Officer onboard the bridge of the ship was unprecedented, making her one of the first black women featured in a major television series not portraying a servant. Still, it didn’t quite fulfill her artistic aspirations, and she considered quitting the show until a vocal fan begged her to stay. That fan’s name was Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I am the biggest Trekkie on the planet, and I am Lieutenant Uhura’s most ardent fan” Nichols recalls King saying. “You have the first important non-traditional role, non-stereotypical role . . . You cannot abdicate your position. You are changing the minds of people across the world, because for the first time, through you, we see ourselves and what we can be.” Nichols remained on the show until it was canceled in 1969.
“I think it’s been one of the
most remarkable things in career” Nichols said. “This one character that was a gift to me . . . became this iconic image and inspired and impacted so many people’s lives in positive ways.” She reprised the role of Uhura on “Star Trek: The Animated Series” and in the six original “Star Trek” films.
Nichols’ on-screen kiss with William Shatner is popularly remembered as the first interracial kiss on U.S. television. In January 1967, she was featured on the cover of “Ebony” magazine. After the series went off the air, Nichols assisted NASA in recruiting women and and minorities, including the first American woman in space, Sally Ride.
[one_fourth]
[/one_fourth][three_fourth_last]
Before being cast on “Star Trek,” Nichols toured the United States, Canada and Europe with The Duke Ellington Band and appeared in “Porgy and Bess” on the New York stage. She has released two albums, “Down To Earth” and “Out of This World.”
In February of 2012, Nichols was invited to meet another prominent fan: President Barack Obama, a devoted Trekker who admitted he’d had a crush on Nichols when he was young. The two were photographed together in the Oval Office.
