‘Star Trek’ Icon Nichelle Nichols Has Passed Away at 89
Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing actor who portrayed Lt. Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series, has passed away at 89 years old. Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, confirmed the news on social media:
“Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years. Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration. Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all. I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further. Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected. Live Long and Prosper.”
Nichols was born on December 28, 1932 in Robbins, a suburb of Chicago, IL. A dancer, singer, model, and actor, she toured the world with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands before Gene Roddenberry cast her as Uhura, the ship’s Communications officer in Star Trek: The Original Series. The series, which debuted in 1966, saw Nichols as one of the first Black women to star in a major network series. And not only that, but Uhura was a character with a position of importance and power, a first for Black women on television.
Nichols’ impact was immediate and undeniable, making her an icon and a hero to countless viewers across the globe. She had planned to leave the series after the first season, but was convinced to stay after a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He urged her, “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 … ”
After the series ended, Nichols co-starred in 6 Star Trek films. She also had a long career as a voice-over actor, lending her talents to Star Trek: The Animated Series, Gargoyles, Batman: The Animated Series, Futurama, and The Simpsons.
In addition, Nichols spent decades volunteering with NASA to recruit women and people of color via her company Women in Motion. From 1977 on, WiM recruited over 8,000 African American, Asian and Latino women and men for the space agency, including Dr. Sally Ride and Colonel Guion Bluford, the first Black astronaut. In 2015, Nichols become one of the first-ever non-essential personnel to fly as part of NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) mission. She was 82 years old.
The 2021 documentary Women in Motion recounts Nichols’ life and work with NASA and the impact she had. It is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Godspeed, Nichelle Nichols.
(featured image: Rich Fury/Getty Images)
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