This past weekend, we lost Nichelle Nichols (and Bill Russell, damn). Nichols played the iconic character Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original and also iconic television show Star Trek. Her death, understandably, had many people across the world reeling from collective grief.
While feeling that grief myself, I reflexively read up on Nichols online. I already knew about the legendary stories about her life and her artistic/social accomplishments: she was on her way out the door from Star Trek, due to her treatment by Paramount and Desilu Productions crew members (TV super-legend Lucille Ball’s production company, which produced Trek), when none other than Martin Luther King Jr. implored her to stay, telling her how much the Uhura character meant to Black Americans.
And her interracial kiss on the show with white William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, was a culture changer.
Upon reading info on Nichols, I found more (very important) tidbits. The name “Uhura” came from an artistic/cultural compromise between she and Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek. And, later in her life, she worked with NASA to create more diversity among their astronauts.
But, what I came to realize was Nichols herself was the one to “boldly go where no man has gone before!” The Uhura character. The Kiss. Her NASA work. Nichelle Nichols was the real captain of her remarkable journey, and her trek changed us.
I could end this piece by writing something like, “Nichelle Nichols now flies among the stars, toward her ultimate destination.” But, I won’t. Because, honestly, she did that while she was alive. And for that, everyone should be grateful that she took us along for a wonderful ride.
