Nichelle Nichols

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 veteran George Takei and Leonard Nimoy's son pay tribute to the black female actress, who broke new ground back in the 1960s on the iconic TV ...

My favorite photo of Dad and Nichelle Nichols on set. Uhura took the role of an authority figure in the series and would have had a positive influence on millions of young black girls. For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 31, 2022

Her role as lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the bridge of the show's starship was seen as a groundbreaking representation of black Americans in Hollywood.

It was one of the first major roles for a black woman in a US television series and among the first portrayals of a black woman in a military-style command role in any format. It later culminated in one of the first on-screen kisses between a white actor, William Shatner, and a black co-star. Her role as lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the bridge of the show’s starship was seen as a groundbreaking representation of black Americans in Hollywood.

Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing role model for black actresses who shot to fame as Uhura in the 1960s series 'Star Trek', has died at 89.

You have an equal role.'” You don’t have a black role. The Smithsonian, the US national museum network, shared a picture on Twitter of the red space jacket Nichols wore as Uhura on screen, adorned with the iconic “Star Trek” pin, which is now on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. In this file photo taken on 13 August 2006, Canadian actor William Shatner and US actress Nichelle Nichols attend Comedy Central’s roast of Shatner at the CBS Studio center in Los Angeles. Nichols, a groundbreaking black actress who played communications officer Nyota Uhura with cool authority on the popular 1960s series ‘Star Trek’, has died at 89. In this file photo taken on 13 August 2006, Canadian actor William Shatner and US actress Nichelle Nichols attend Comedy Central’s roast of Shatner at the CBS Studio center in Los Angeles. Nichols, a groundbreaking black actress who played communications officer Nyota Uhura with cool authority on the popular 1960s series ‘Star Trek’, has died at 89. Nichelle Nichols, a groundbreaking black actress who played communications officer Nyota Uhura with cool authority on the popular 1960s series Star Trek, has died at 89 on Saturday night 30 July in Silver City, New Mexico.

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.

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.

The View host Whoopi Goldberg shared kind words and memories about fellow Star Trek vet Nichelle Nichols.

Nick is a Cajun Country native, and is often asked why he doesn't sound like that's the case. Nichelle Nicholas was a pioneer for portraying a Black woman both in outer space, and in the future, which is still something of a relative rarity within science fiction even today. In the end, Goldberg seemed to get a little choked up as she tried to find the right words, but she definitely made her point loud and clear.

Nichelle Nichols, the actor who portrayed Lt. Nyota Uhura on “Star Trek," died at age 89. She recruited for NASA.

So, I very much liked Uhura and she was a very important person to me.” That kiss, in a world still riddled with racist and sexist attitudes, foretold the coming acceptance of interracial relationships in a U.S., but it probably wouldn’t have happened if not for a bit of subversiveness from Nichols and Shatner. … And she was African, which was a very different feel for television back then. We also lost a strong Black woman who showed the world a future with Black men and women being treated as integral parts of humanity’s future and not just background players. There’s a Black lady on TV, and she ain't no maid!” There was a time when Black characters on television were servants or slaves, pimps or prostitutes or mere background characters to white stories.

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.

President Joe Biden is one of many paying tribute to trailblazing actor Nichelle Nichols. “In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage ...

She was convinced otherwise by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He urged her to stay on the series and described her character as the “first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a Black woman in television history.” She also starred in six “Star Trek” films from 1979-1991. She played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the original “Star Trek” TV show.

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.”

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.

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.

TV icon Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on Star Trek and used her status to promote various ways to support women and people of color, died over the ...

My hope is that we continue to keep her memory alive by celebrating her amazing body of work, and by spreading the message of peace and equality amongst all people. I knew I had big shoes to fill when I was chosen to play Uhura, and Nichelle made me feel safe, told me to play her with all the confidence in the world. TV icon Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura on Star Trek and used her status to promote various ways to support women and people of color, died over the weekend at the age of 89.

Tributes are pouring in for Nichelle Nichols, who made history for her portrayal as Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. She was 89.

You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic.

Nichelle Nichols, the pioneering actress who played Lt. Nyota Uhura for over three decades in the Star Trek franchise, is being mourned around the planet.

This new role as a NASA spokesperson via her company, Women in Motion, was responsible for discovering Sally Ride and Judith Resnick, the first and second American women in space, as well as Guion Bluford Jr. and Ron McNair, the first and second black astronauts in space, and Ellison Onizuka, the first Asian American in space. She also worked on "Star Trek: The Animated Series" in 1973, providing the voice for Uhura and several other characters. Born in Robbins, Illinois on December 28, 1932 as Grace Dell Nichols, she kicked off her career in show business as a singer and dancer with dreams of becoming the first African American ballerina. If you leave, that door can be closed because your role is not a black role, and it is not a female role, he can fill it with anybody, even an alien." "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 posted. Sending my love and condolences to her family."

She made history as one of the first Black women to appear in a leading role on television.

As news of Nichols’ death spread, friends, fans and colleagues began sharing tributes to the actress. In the early 1960s, she moved to Los Angeles, where “ Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry took note of her acting skills. While attending a fundraiser, however, she ran into King, who ultimately helped convince her to stay on the show. “[A] great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years,” says her son, Kyle Johnson, in a statement. Nichelle’s mission is NASA’s mission.” Grace Dell Nichols was born in a Chicago suburb in 1932.

As Lieutenant Uhura in “Star Trek” and an advocate for inclusiveness in the U.S. space program, Nichols made an indelible impact on our collective ...

And I thought about what Nichols must have experienced over the years, being feted for being a part of this hopeful, exciting vision of the future yet still having to fight for screen time and inclusion in that 1960s present. In the 1970s, she went on a nationwide tour of universities and professional organizations, encouraging the country’s top women and people of color who were scientists, engineers and mathematicians to apply for the astronaut program. Philly TV was a Trek haven at the time: “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” were in first-runs, the older episodes of “Next Generation” were already in syndication five nights a week, and the original series was on every Saturday afternoon. This was true of women in general in the original series, of course, and that didn’t get thoroughly fixed as a franchise problem until “Star Trek: Discovery,” decades later. She wasn’t one of the Big 3 (Kirk, Spock and McCoy), so she was rarely in a spotlight role. Once the show ended, Nichols continued to be a catalyst for inclusion. I came to the franchise when I was in college in Philadelphia in the early 1990s. At the time, Black people were in a very literal and ultimately existential fight for autonomy of their bodies and souls. Be prepared to take the helm if you have to, but don’t make a big deal about it. And I also know that her command was questioned and challenged far more often than any captain’s of that time. Black women, if ever mentioned in the larger media, were portrayed as either loud, undignified troublemakers or genial, overweight maids and nannies who supposedly delighted in doting on white folk’s children. Nichelle Nichols, the woman who brought Uhura to life, died last week at the age of 89.

Nichols' role as Lt. Nyota Uhura on 'Star Trek' played a pivotal role in shifting our stories, writes Celia Rose Gooding,

I never had the chance to meet her, but I feel her presence on set every day and see her legacy reflected in the lives she touched. And she taught us we deserved representation and the preservation of our futures not only because of what we could do for the world, but simply because it was our God-given right. She taught us we all deserved to have our dreams come true because our dreams mattered, whether we were officers with a hand in protecting the future, space explorers, dancers who bring smiles to their spectators, or those of us with songs in our hearts we must set free. In pre-civil rights 1960s America, she was simply “the woman who answered the phone” on the USS Enterprise. But to those with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, she was the woman poised to become the author of a new chapter in the history of Black women in entertainment. In the ’60s, a Black woman in a position of power was an anomaly. She didn’t just teach us to reach for the lucky stars we wished upon — she brought those very stars to us, to our homes and the forefront of our minds.

"She's very much 1000% actually a hero," Sonequa Martin-Green said of Nichelle Nichols, who as not only one of the first Black women to star on a TV series, ...

"She's the one that said, 'Wait a second, I don't see what I need to be seeing. "I know she said when she was still here, 'If I've inspired you at all, I just ask that you continue this legacy.' So, of course now all of us that have been inspired by her. Martin-Green said programs like this that aim to recruit girls wouldn't be possible without Nichols. "It's all because of her, really. "I was so excited for them to see my face and see my love and support for them," she said. I hope it sets them on their path." Decades later, Martin-Green is working to help women and girls in STEM too.

A look back at the Star Trek actress' biggest roles — on and off the screen.

“Nichelle Nichols was a trailblazing actress, advocate and dear friend to NASA,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in the release. Her continued work as the space program ambassador in the ’80s inspired thousands of people from all walks of life to apply for the opportunity to take part in the space program. But long after the series’ short, three-year run, Nichols continued to influence others to pursue careers in physics and astronomy.

The comic, 66, added her late friend, who died at the weekend aged 89 and played lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the bridge of the show's starship, showed her black ...