Farewell to an awesome and incredible person! I had the great honor to meet her about seven years ago at Dragon’s Lair. Mrs. Nichols was very generous to make a quick stop in Austin on her way to a bigger convention in San Antonio. It was before her stroke so she was very lively, hilarious and just a pleasure. You can read all about it here since I don’t want to repeat myself, especially her funny response to me thanking her for kissing William Shatner on TV.
What made Mrs. Nichols great was how she inspired millions of women and millions of non-Whites to pursue careers at NASA, Space X, etc. She also inspired others into acting as one of the first Prime Time TV Black cast members who wasn’t comic relief or a servant. Lt. Uhura was a bridge officer on the Enterprise and part of the command structure should Kirk, Spock and Sulu were incapacitated. I know her uniform is red which traditionally means Operations but in her first appearance, she wore gold which is Command. The costumers, directors or somebody decided Mrs. Nichols looked better in red; another reason why the uniforms were changed in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Outside Star Trek, she appeared in movies, my favorite was her running a back alley craps game for a James Garner flick; TV and voice work. Loved to hear her on Futurama be it with the old crew or Al Gore’s Time Rangers! She was even a villain in a Blaxpoitation movie with Isaac Hayes, I think it was Truck Turner.
I’m glad she lived long enough to see her character’s cadet incarnation on Star Trek: Strange New Voyages. This interpretation of Uhura rocks. She’s a whiz with linguistics, very curious about where the Enterprise is going and I love how the actress captures a sense of wonder. I would’ve been the same in my youth. Today, I would be a terrified enlisted person!
Thank you for everything Nichelle! Warp Speed to your place in History and Fame! I will do all I can to make sure your hard work and sacrifices continue to push America and the world forward. Forward toward that future we all dream of in Star Trek.