Nichelle Nichols, of Star Trek fame, has passed away. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62373143
Sad news indeed - I grew up with her as a child watching Star Trek on the BBC. Not many of them left sadly - RIP
A pioneer and damn sexy one at that. I love the story of how she influenced a young Whoopi Goldberg - "there's a black woman on the tv and she ain't no maid"
Very sad loved her in Star Treck and at the age I watched I had no idea how big a deal it was that a woman in fact a non white woman was cast in such a role. RIP
A real trail blazer in the 60s as the first black woman to play a television role of authority rather than the stereotypical ones seen before. First interracial kiss on screen as well when her and Captain Kirk shared a tender moment.
Strange that I was watching the Star Trek film on tv last night and then the news told of her death. Those of us who watched the original series aren't that far behind her. Sobering thought.
Unfortunately , IMO (and I may have misinterpreted it or am reading too much into it) but, although it was ground- breaking to cast a black woman in a main part in the '60s, and whilst she was 'ever present' on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, the role of 'Chief Communications Officer' appeared to be akin to a Switchboard operator and receptionist. The character of Uhura was rarely, if ever, involved in key decision making or actions that 'saved the day. The uniforms worn by all the female crew members were totally impractical with very short skirts, knee length boots (who needs those on a starship?) but presumably provided 'eye candy' for what, 'being a Sci-Fi' would have been the predominately male viewers. It has to be said, the trend of sexy uniforms continued beyond the 1960s in various iterations of the Star Trek franchise. The argument that mini skirts in the '60s was empowering for women usually comes from males. Not a big deal though it is/was only fantasy sci-fi TV. Nichelle Nicole made that part her own though and was well liked . R.I.P
I read somewhere she got death threats over that kiss. Was going to pack Star Trek in but Martin Luther King presuaded her to carry on. Nichols was once tempted to leave the series; however, a conversation with Martin Luther King Jr. changed her mind. Towards the end of the first season, Nichols was given the opportunity to take a role on Broadway. She preferred the stage to the television studio, so she decided to take the role. Nichols went to Roddenberry's office, told him that she planned to leave, and handed him her resignation letter. Roddenberry tried to convince Nichols to stay but to no avail, so he told her to take the weekend off and if she still felt that she should leave then he would give her his blessing. That weekend, Nichols attended a banquet that was being run by the NAACP, where she was informed that a fan really wanted to meet her. I thought it was a Trekkie, and so I said, 'Sure.' I looked across the room and whoever the fan was had to wait because there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking towards me with this big grin on his face. He reached out to me and said, 'Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am your greatest fan.' He said that Star Trek was the only show that he, and his wife Coretta, would allow their three little children to stay up and watch. [She told King about her plans to leave the series because she wanted to take a role that was tied to Broadway.] I never got to tell him why, because he said, '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." Dr. King Jr went further stating "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." King personally encouraged her to stay on the series, saying she "could not give up" because she was playing a vital role model for Black children and young women across the country. RIP .
I don’t think it was a tender moment I think they were both under the control of a Greek God or something but certainly caused a major stir particularly in the US . Great character for the time RIP
R.I.P. I loved watching the re-runs with my Dad on BBC 2 and then the movies. My first trip to the Cinema was to see Star Trek 6.
I don’t recall the episode so couldn’t say what influenced it. I just remember it being a watershed event in television history.
RIP And a nod to the innocent days of childhood when the only person in the show I thought of as being 'different' was Mr Spock; and only for his ears. Loved the show as a kid - opening credits and music, usually watched in my Star Trek pyjamas. Sadly never became a hardcore Trekkie in later years, and can't say I have ever even seen the films. Still time I guess .......
