R.I.P. Nichelle Nichols, aka Star Trek's Lt Uhura
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,767
Oh my, what a wonder actor and great lady. The first black woman featured on a popular TV show. She was awesome, talented, and beautiful. R.I.P.. Nichelle Nichols
"Don't give in to the lies. Don't give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth. And to hope."
-Jim Acosta
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I would assume that most of the people who frequent this board are around my age. If that assumption is correct, then TOS was in heavy syndication throughout our youth. So if they are not familiar with TOS cast members, it is through their own ignorance.
I have found that Even Bros and Star Trek don't mix. Give them an inferior product like Star Wars (and Pearl Jam) and they're happy, though.
I mean, when Billy Dee Williams dies, I bet six threads remembering Lando will emerge -- and I'm not a gambler.
No worries, I just made an observation, that's all. I wasn't try to shame to fans here and certainly not fishing for an apology. To me (and millions of others) Nichols work was groundbreaking in that she was the first black woman to star in a major role in a television program. That was a major cultural event in this country. I thought maybe some others here would care. I don't give two shits about it being MY thread. It's all about the story, not me.
And it was a rough day yesterday for sure.
2 icons passing.
Not being a huge basketball fan, so I didn't see it mentioned there, but I do know he was one of the first great black athletes in his sport, a terrific coach, and endured a lot of racist attitudes toward him in his day.
R.I.P. Bill Russell.
Detroit 2000, Detroit 2003 1-2, Grand Rapids VFC 2004, Philly 2005, Grand Rapids 2006, Detroit 2006, Cleveland 2006, Lollapalooza 2007, Detroit Eddie Solo 2011, Detroit 2014, Chicago 2016 1-2, Chicago 2018 1-2, Ohana Encore 2021 1-2, Chicago Eddie/Earthlings 2022 1-2, Nashville 2022, St. Louis 2022
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When the news broke that Star Trek icon Nichelle Nichols had passed away this weekend, many were devastated. The queen of the USS Enterprise in the shape of the ice-cool and intelligent Lt. Uhura, Nichols’ role in the original series was incredibly significant. It was among the first shows which featured a Black American in an esteemed position on television instead of a racist caricature.
Uhura and Nichols embodied the point that the NAACP and the civil rights movement were trying to convey – that Black people and minorities deserved equal footing with their white counterparts, as they were capable of many brilliant things.
While Nichols’ role as Uhura was so significant that it brought her unprecedented artistic success, she came close to leaving the project after the first season as her head had been turned by the prospects of another job on Broadway. However, she was persuaded to stay on by her self-professed “greatest fan”, none other than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and it was he who put into perspective the weight of what she was doing at Star Trek.
Nichols recalled the story on numerous occasions across her career, and one of the most revealing came during a 2011 interview with NPR. The story goes that she had told the show’s creator Gene Roddenberry of her wishes to leave for Broadway but that he asked her to review her position over the weekend. She obliged, and by a stroke of divine providence, it was during those two days that she bumped into King at an NAACP fundraiser.
At the time, she was told that her “greatest fan” was attending the event and was keen to meet. She remembered turning around at being surprised to see the civil rights leader approaching her. “I remember thinking, ‘whoever the fan is, is going to have to wait,'” said Nichols. “Because Dr. King — Dr. Martin Luther King, my leader! — is walking toward me!'”
As it turned out, Dr. King was the self-professed biggest fan, and what ensued was life-affirming for Nichelle Nichols. When speaking to NPR, she said: “He complimented me on the manner in which I’d created the character. I thanked him, and I think I said something like, ‘Dr. King, I wish I could be out there marching with you.’ He said, ‘no, no, no. No, you don’t understand… You are marching. You are reflecting what we are fighting for.'”
She continued: “I said, ‘Well, I told Gene just yesterday that I’m going to leave the show after the first year because I’ve been offered…’ — and he stopped me and said: ‘You cannot do that.’ And I was stunned. He said, ‘Don’t you understand what this man has achieved? For the first time, we are being seen the world over as we should be seen.’ He says, ‘Do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch?’ I was speechless.'”
In another television interview, Nichols revealed what else Dr. King had told her and why he thought her role in Star Trek was so vital. He told her: “You cannot, you cannot…for the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing dance, and can go to space, who are professors, lawyers.”
He explained further: “If you leave, that door can be closed because your role is not a black role, and is not a female role; he can fill it with anybody, even an alien.”
Great story, L, thanks!
RIP Nichols