Star Trek's Uhura actress, Nichelle Nichols, has passed away at age 89. Star Trek first premiered on September 8, 1966, and ran for three seasons. The Original Series (as it later became known) began what would become a massive Star Trek franchise, which now boasts nine television series and 13 films, as well as several books and video games. Nichols was one of the first Black women to be featured in a major television series, and her portrayal of Uhura in Star Trek has inspired generations of women to pursue STEM careers.
Nichols played Uhura for all three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series, and would go on to appear in six Star Trek films as well. While Nichols originally intended to leave Star Trek early on to pursue a career on Broadway, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is credited with encouraging her to stay in the series, as she was a vital role model for Black children and young women all across the world. Nichols recalls King telling her that "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."
Today, a post on Nichols' official Instagram page from her son, Kyle, announced that Nichols has passed at age 89. The post says that Nichols passed away from natural causes, and that she was "a model for us all." The post goes on to say that while Nichols has passed, "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." View the post below:
Click here to view original post
After the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969, Nichols went on to volunteer at NASA, working in a special project to recruit women and minorities to the agency. This program recruited Dr. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and Colonel Guion Bluford, the first Black astronaut, among many others. Nichols continued to attend Star Trek conventions well into her 80s, only announcing her retirement from the convention circuit when she was diagnosed with dementia in 2018.
Nichols was not only a major part of Star Trek history, but an inspiration to generations of people, and her work both on-screen and off will be remembered forever. Nichols encouraged so many people to pursue their passions, particularly women in science fields. Nichols once said that "science is not a boy's game, it's not a girl's game, it's everyone's game," and her life's work proved that. Nichols will be dearly missed by millions around the world, but her legacy will never be forgotten.