Nichelle Nichols Lieutenant Uhura On Star Trek Has Died Aged 89

Her son Kyle Johnson said Nichols died Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. However, its light, like the ancient galaxies we are now seeing for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from and draw inspiration from,” Johnson wrote on her official Facebook page on Sunday. “Her life was a good life and such a model for us all.” Her role in the 1966-69 series as Lt. Uhura earned Nichols a lifelong honor with the show’s rabid fans, known as Trekkers and Trekkies. It also won her awards for breaking stereotypes that limited black women to maid roles and included an on-screen interracial kiss with co-star William Shatner that was unheard of at the time. “I’ll have more to say about the groundbreaking, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise and who died today at the age of 89,” George Takei tweeted. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shine like the stars among which you now rest, my dear friend.”

I will have more to say about the groundbreaking, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise, and who died today at the age of 89. For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shine like among the stars you are resting, my dear friend. — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 31, 2022 Like other members of the original cast, Nichols also appeared in six big screen spinoffs starting in 1979 with “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and frequented “Star Trek” fan conventions. She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping to bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps. Most recently, she had a recurring role on TV’s “Heroes,” playing the aunt of a young boy with mystical powers. The original “Star Trek” premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966. Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the distant future – the 23rd century – human diversity would be fully accepted. “I think a lot of people took it to heart … that what was being said on television at the time was a reason to celebrate,” Nichols said in 1992 when a “Star Trek” exhibit was on display at the Smithsonian Institution. She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role. She met him at a civil rights rally in 1967, at a time when she had decided not to return for the show’s second season. “When I told him I was going to miss my co-stars and was leaving the show, he got really serious and said, ‘You can’t do this,’” she told The Tulsa (Okla.) World in a 2008 interview. “You changed the face of television forever, and as a result, you changed people’s minds,” the civil rights leader said he told her. “That insight that Dr. King had was a bolt from the blue in my life,” Nichols said. During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Captain James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to air on an American television series. In the episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren”, their characters, who had always maintained a platonic relationship, were forced to kiss by aliens who controlled their actions. The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues weren’t such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. “The characters themselves weren’t scared because a black woman was kissing a white man… In this utopian future, we solved that issue. We are beyond that. That was a great message to send.” Worried about the reaction of southern TV stations, the broadcasters wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss took place off-screen. But Nichols said in her book, “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories,” that she and Shatner intentionally dead-ended the lines to force the original version to be used. Despite the concerns, the episode aired without response. In fact, it received the most “fan mail that Paramount has ever received on Star Trek for an episode,” Nichols said in a 2010 interview with the Archive of American Television. Born Grace Dale Nichols in Robbins, Illinois, Nichols hated being called “Gracie,” which everyone insisted on, she said in the 2010 interview. When she was a teenager, her mother told her she wanted to name her Michelle, but she thought she had to have solidarity initially like Marilyn Monroe, whom Nichols loved. Hence, “Nichelle”. Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at the age of 14, moved to New York nightclubs and worked for a time with the bands of Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before coming to Hollywood for her film debut in 1959 “Porgy and Bess”. the first of many small film and television roles that led to her stardom on “Star Trek.” Nichols was known to be unafraid to stand up to Shatner on set when others complained that he was stealing scenes and camera time. They later learned that he had a powerful backer in the show’s creator. In her 1994 book “Beyond Uhura” she said she met Roddenberry when she starred in his show “The Lieutenant” and the two had a relationship a few years before “Star Trek” began. The two remained close friends throughout their lives. Another fan of Nichols and the show was future astronaut Mae Jemison, who became the first black woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992. In an interview with the AP before her flight, Jemison said she watched Nichols on “Star Trek” all the time, adding that she loved the show. Jemison eventually met Nichols. Nichols has been a regular at “Star Trek” conventions and events into her 80s, but her schedule has been curtailed since 2018 when her son announced he was suffering from advanced dementia.

Former Associated Press writer Polly Anderson contributed biographical material to this report.

title: “Nichelle Nichols Lieutenant Uhura On Star Trek Has Died Aged 89 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-25” author: “Rachel Root”

Nichelle Nichols, who broke barriers for black women in Hollywood when she played communications officer Lt. Uhura in the original “Star Trek” TV series, has died at age 89.
Her son Kyle Johnson said Nichols died Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico.
“Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away.  However, its light, like the ancient galaxies we are now seeing for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from and draw inspiration from,” Johnson wrote on her official Facebook page on Sunday.  “Her life was a good life and such a model for us all.”
Her role in the 1966-69 series as Lt. Uhura earned Nichols a lifelong honor with the show’s rabid fans, known as Trekkers and Trekkies.  It also won her awards for breaking stereotypes that limited black women to maid roles and included an on-screen interracial kiss with co-star William Shatner that was unheard of at the time.
“I’ll have more to say about the groundbreaking, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise and who died today at the age of 89,” George Takei tweeted.  “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shine like the stars among which you now rest, my dear friend.”
Like other members of the original cast, Nichols also appeared in six big screen spinoffs starting in 1979 with “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and frequented “Star Trek” fan conventions.  She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping to bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps.
Most recently, she had a recurring role on TV’s “Heroes,” playing the aunt of a young boy with mystical powers.
The original “Star Trek” premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966. Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the distant future – the 23rd century – human diversity would be fully accepted.
“I think a lot of people took it to heart … that what was being said on television at the time was a reason to celebrate,” Nichols said in 1992 when a “Star Trek” exhibit was on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role.  She met him at a civil rights rally in 1967, at a time when she had decided not to return for the show’s second season.
“When I told him I was going to miss my co-stars and was leaving the show, he got really serious and said, ‘You can’t do this,'” she told The Tulsa (Okla.) World in a 2008 interview.
“You changed the face of television forever, and as a result, you changed people’s minds,” the civil rights leader said he told her.
“That insight that Dr. King had was a bolt from the blue in my life,” Nichols said.
During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Captain James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to air on an American television series.  In the episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren”, their characters, who had always maintained a platonic relationship, were forced to kiss by aliens who controlled their actions.
The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues weren’t such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. “The characters themselves weren’t scared because a black woman was kissing a white man… In this utopian future, we solved that issue.  We are beyond that.  That was a great message to send.”
Worried about the reaction of southern TV stations, the broadcasters wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss happened off-screen.  But Nichols said in her book, “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories,” that she and Shatner intentionally dead-ended the lines to force the original version to be used.
Despite the concerns, the episode aired without response.  In fact, it received the most “fan mail that Paramount has ever received on Star Trek for an episode,” Nichols said in a 2010 interview with the Archive of American Television.
Born Grace Dale Nichols in Robbins, Illinois, Nichols hated being called “Gracie,” which everyone insisted on, she said in the 2010 interview. When she was a teenager, her mother told her she wanted to name her Michelle, but she thought she had to have solidarity initially like Marilyn Monroe, whom Nichols loved.  Hence, “Nichelle”.
Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at the age of 14, moved to New York nightclubs and worked for a time with the bands of Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before coming to Hollywood for her film debut in 1959 “Porgy and Bess”.  the first of many small film and television roles that led to her stardom on “Star Trek.”
Nichols was known to be unafraid to stand up to Shatner on set when others complained that he was stealing scenes and camera time.  They later learned that he had a powerful backer in the show’s creator.
In her 1994 book “Beyond Uhura” she said she met Roddenberry when she starred in his show “The Lieutenant” and the two had a relationship a few years before “Star Trek” began.  The two remained close friends throughout their lives.
Another fan of Nichols and the show was future astronaut Mae Jemison, who became the first black woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992.
In an interview with the AP before her flight, Jemison said she watched Nichols on “Star Trek” all the time, adding that she loved the show.  Jemison eventually met Nichols.
Nichols has been a regular at “Star Trek” conventions and events into her 80s, but her schedule has been curtailed since 2018 when her son announced he was suffering from advanced dementia.
Former Associated Press writer Polly Anderson contributed biographical material to this report.

title: “Nichelle Nichols Lieutenant Uhura On Star Trek Has Died Aged 89 " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-14” author: “Lois Thorpe”

Her son Kyle Johnson said Nichols died Saturday in Silver City, New Mexico. “Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. However, its light, like the ancient galaxies we are now seeing for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from and draw inspiration from,” Johnson wrote on her official Facebook page on Sunday. “Her life was a good life and such a model for us all.” Her role in the 1966-69 series as Lt. Uhura earned Nichols a lifelong honor with the show’s rabid fans, known as Trekkers and Trekkies. It also won her awards for breaking stereotypes that limited black women to maid roles and included an on-screen interracial kiss with co-star William Shatner that was unheard of at the time. “I’ll have more to say about the groundbreaking, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise and who died today at the age of 89,” George Takei tweeted. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shine like the stars among which you now rest, my dear friend.” Takei played Sulu in the original “Star Trek” series alongside Nichols. But her impact was felt beyond her immediate co-stars, and many others in the “Star Trek” world also sent their condolences on Twitter. Celia Rose Gooding, who currently plays Uhura on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” tweeted that Nichols “made room for so many of us. It was the reminder that not only can we reach for the stars, but our influence is essential to their survival. Forget about shaking the table, she built it.” “Star Trek: Voyager” alum Kate Mulgrew tweeted, “Nichelle Nichols was the first. She was a trailblazer who traversed a very difficult path with grit, grace and a wonderful fire that we are not likely to see again.” Like other members of the original cast, Nichols also appeared in six big screen spinoffs beginning in 1979 with “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and frequented “Star Trek” fan conventions. She also served for many years as a NASA recruiter, helping minorities and women in the astronaut corps. Nichols broke barriers for black women in Hollywood Most recently, she had a recurring role on the TV series “Heroes”, playing the aunt of a young boy with mystical powers. The original “Star Trek” premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966. Its multicultural, multiracial cast was creator Gene Roddenberry’s message to viewers that in the distant future – the 23rd century – human diversity would be fully accepted. “I think a lot of people took it to heart … that what was being said on television at the time was a reason to celebrate,” Nichols said in 1992 when a “Star Trek” exhibit was on display at the Smithsonian Institution. She often recalled how Martin Luther King Jr. was a fan of the show and praised her role. She met him at a civil rights rally in 1967, at a time when she had decided not to return for the show’s second season. “When I told him I was going to miss my co-stars and was leaving the show, he got really serious and said, ‘You can’t do this,’” she told The Tulsa (Okla.) World in a 2008 interview. “You changed the face of television forever, and as a result, you changed people’s minds,” the civil rights leader said he told her. “That insight that Dr. King had was a bolt from the blue in my life,” Nichols said. During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Captain James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to air on an American television series. In the episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren”, their characters, who have always maintained a platonic relationship, were forced to kiss by aliens who controlled their energies.

00:00

AP entertainment correspondent Oscar Wells Gabriel reports on Obit Nichelle Nichols The kiss “suggested that there was a future where these issues weren’t such a big deal,” Eric Deggans, television critic for National Public Radio, told The Associated Press in 2018. “The characters themselves weren’t scared because a black woman was kissing a white man… In this utopian future, we solved that issue. We are beyond that. That was a great message to send.” Worried about the reaction of southern TV stations, the broadcasters wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss took place off-screen. But Nichols said in her book, “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories,” that she and Shatner intentionally dead-ended the lines to force the original version to be used. Despite the concerns, the episode aired without response. In fact, it received the most “fan mail that Paramount has ever received on ‘Star Trek’ for an episode,” Nichols said in a 2010 interview with the Archive of American Television. Shatner tweeted on Sunday: “So sorry to hear of Nichelle’s passing. She was a beautiful woman and played an admirable character who did so much to redefine social issues both here in the US and around the world.” Born Grace Dale Nichols in Robbins, Illinois, Nichols hated being called “Gracie,” which everyone insisted on, she said in an interview in 2010. When she was a teenager, her mother told her she wanted to name her Michelle, but she believed that she had to have solidarity initially like Marilyn Monroe, whom Nichols loved. Hence, “Nichelle”. Nichols first worked professionally as a singer and dancer in Chicago at the age of 14, moved to New York nightclubs and worked for a time with the bands of Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before coming to Hollywood for her film debut in 1959 “Porgy and Bess”. the first of many small film and television roles that led to her stardom on “Star Trek.” Nichols was known to be unafraid to stand up to Shatner on set when others complained that he was stealing scenes and camera time. They later learned that he had a powerful backer in the show’s creator. She said in her 1994 book “Beyond Uhura” that she met Roddenberry when she starred in his show “The Lieutenant” and the two had a relationship a few years before “Star Trek” began. The two remained close friends throughout their lives. Another fan of Nichols and the show was future astronaut Mae Jemison, who became the first black woman in space when she flew on the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992. In an AP interview before her flight, Jemison said she watched Nichols on “Star Trek” all the time, adding that she loved the show. Jemison eventually met Nichols. Nichols has been a regular at “Star Trek” conventions and events into her 80s, but her schedule has been curtailed since 2018 when her son announced he was suffering from advanced dementia. Nichols was placed under guardianship under the control of her son Johnson, who said her mental decline made her unable to manage her affairs or make public appearances. Some, including Nichols’ managers and her friend, film producer and actress Angelique Fawcett, objected to the conservative agency and sought more access to Nichols and records of Johnson’s financial and other movements on her behalf. Her name was occasionally invoked in court rallies seeking Britney Spears’ release from her own custody agency. But the court was firmly on Johnson’s side, and over Fawcett’s objections he was allowed to move Nichols to New Mexico, where she lived with him in her final years.

Associated Press Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed from Los Angeles. Former AP writer Polly Anderson contributed biographical material to this report.