Some sad news to report this evening as it has been announced that Star Trek legend Nichelle Nichols has passed away aged 89.
Born in Robbins, Illinois in 1932, Nichols began her career as a singer and stage actress in the late 1950s, and enjoyed several small film and TV roles in the early part of the next decade, including a 1964 appearance in the Gene Roddenberry-produced The Lieutenant – a guest spot that would ultimately lead to global recognition just two years later.
Reuniting with Roddenberry, Nichols was cast in the role of Lt. Nyota Uhura for 1966’s Star Trek, becoming one of the first African American actresses to feature in a major role on U.S. television. Although she considered leaving during the first season, Nichols’ was encouraged to stay on by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who helped her to realise the cultural significance of her ground-breaking role, which included one of the first interracial kisses on TV with co-star William Shatner.
After Star Trek’s abrupt end in 1968, Nichols would go on to reprise the role of Uhura in Star Trek: The Animated Series and all six of the original Star Trek movies, as well as several video games and fan productions. She would also continue to make sporadic film and television appearances outside of Star Trek, as well as devoting her free time to working with NASA on projects designs to increase diversity and help recruit female and minority employees to the space agency.
