Zoe Saldaña Discusses Nichelle Nichols and Uhura—“Nichelle Made Me Feel Safe”

Many communities are still reeling from the passing of Star Trek star and Civil Rights icon Nichelle Nichols. Actress Zoe Saldaña, who played Nichols’ Uhura in the rebooted Star Trek films by J.J. Abrams, recently talked about the loss on Instagram.

“I’m saddened to learn of Nichelle Nichols’ passing,” Saldaña’s post begins. “We have lost a true star—a unique artist who was ahead of her time always. 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. Her strive for equality was unwavering.”

She continues, “Meeting Nichelle was truly a very special moment in my life. Her energy was infectious every time I was in her presence. She convinced me in believing that anything was achievable, if you put your heart into it. I mean, she inspired Mae Jemison to follow her dreams of becoming an astronaut and that’s exactly what Mae did.”

This is referring to the fact that, for many Black women, seeing Uhura, one of the first Black women on television to not be a maid or in a submissive position, inspired them to also see possibilities for themselves—not just in acting, but also in the sciences.

Mae Jemison was the first Black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Jemison has mentioned that Star Trek, and specifically Nichelle Nicols’ Uhura, was responsible for stoking that interest, along with many other women. Jemison would later appear in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whoopi Goldberg has cited Nichols as an inspiration, and my own mother became a Trek fan as a kid because of Uhura.

“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. 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. She lived a long, impactful life and not only prospered, but helped so many others prosper too.

Maya Angelou once said “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. I agree with this statement with the exception of Nichelle Nichols. It’ll be hard to forget what she said and hard to forget what she did, and it will certainly be impossible to forget how she made us feel.
REST IN POWER QUEEN NICHELLE”

There are not many celebrities that leave behind an impact like this, but it only highlights how Nichelle Nichols was a special kind of human and cultural icon who will radiate throughout time.

(via Variety, featured image: Rich Fury/Getty Images)