Home > Nichelle Nichols

She was the first African American woman featured in a major television series. In the first year of the series, Nichols was tempted to leave the series as she felt that her role lacked significance, but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. personally encouraged her to stay on, telling her that he was a fan and that she was a role model for black children. ( Dr. Mae Jemison has cited Uhura as her inspiration for wanting to become an astronaut and Whoopi GoldbergCaryn Elaine Johnson better known by her stage name of Whoopi Goldberg (born November 13, 1955), is a well-known movie actress, comedian and singer. She was born in New York, New York. After success as a stand up comedian in the San Francisco Bay Area, Go has also spoken of Uhura's influence.)

In her work on ST:TOS(Star Trek:The Original Series), Nichols was the only regular cast member who did not have a contract and this was because of her race and prejudice among the studio executives. However, Gene Roddenberry promised that he would keep her as "busy" as the other ST:TOS actors in her role of Uhuru. Her role was still not as fulfilling as she wanted, which led to her wishing to quit and to Dr. King's request to her not to quit in order to boost the image and hopes of African Americans in US society.

Unfortunately, ST originator Gene Rodenberry intiated something of a dishonest affair with Nichols, and suddenly one day drove her to Majel Barrett's house to show Nichelle that he had a relationship with Barrett that would supercede any with Nichols. Nichelle accepted it well and continued to be a big contributor to Star Trek in its various incarnations. Later, at the end of his life when Roddenberry was extremely ill, he became delerious at a gathering in his honor and lamented loudly how he had always loved Nichols best. Some sources think that he did not marry Nichelle because an interacial marriage would have ruined his career. Nichols, always taking the high road, took Barrett aside at the gatherong to assure her that Gene loved Majel and was just delirious. Nichelle has always risen above prejudicial and unfair circumstances in her life and is still an excellent role model, just as Dr. King proclaimed her to be many years earlier.

In her role as Uhura, she participated in the first interracial kiss on US television, with William ShatnerWilliam Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is an actor and writer who was born in Montreal, Quebec. Shatner is most famous for his starring role as Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise in the television show Star Trek from 1966 to 1969 and in seven ( Captain Kirk) in the Star Trek episode " Plato's StepchildrenPlato's Stepchildren is a third season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series first broadcast November 22, 1968. It is episode #67, written by Meyer Dolinsky, and directed by David Alexander. Quick Overview The crew of the Enterprise encounters a misch." This provoked protest and was seen as groundbreaking, although the kiss was forced by alienFor the 1979 movie, see Alien (movie). For live organisms which are not from Earth, see Extraterrestrial life Aliens are foreigners to their surroundings. The word is commonly used in law to denote non- citizens of the country of their whereabouts, and in mind controlMind control (or thought control theory states that an outside source can control an individual's thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). This is a more modern term for " brainwashing". In the anti-cult movement and Christian. The episode was not screened in some SouthernSouth is one of the four cardinal or compass directions. It is the opposite of north and at right angles to east and west. True south is the direction towards the southern end of the axis about which the earth rotates, called the South Pole. The South Pol states as a result of the protests in those states; nevertheless, it had caused many viewers to telephone to the broadcaster and the majority of the feedback of the incident was positive. It was over twenty-five years before it was broadcast on BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly television.

After the series, Nichols volunteered her time in a special project with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the organization, which proved to be a spectacular success. In 1994, she published her autobiography Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories .

Nichelle Nichols' brother Thomas died in the Heaven's Gate cult suicide.