Here is every Star Trek reveal in Paramount+'s Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek, and the Remaking of NASA. Directed by Todd Thompson, Woman in Motion shines the spotlight on the extraordinary work Nichelle Nicols did for NASA in the 1970s after the cancelation of Star Trek.
Woman in Motion details how Nichelle Nichols, through her company Women in Motion, spent four months in the 1970s recruiting qualified women and people of color as candidates for NASA's space shuttle program. Nichols toured the country as a NASA spokeswoman and her successes included bringing Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and Col. Guion Bluford, the first African-American in space, to NASA. Nichols continues to be affiliated with NASA and remains a strong and enthusiastic proponent of space exploration.
Of course, Woman in Motion also touched upon what Nichelle Nichols is best known for: portraying Lt. Uhura on Star Trek. While the most fascinating aspects of Woman in Motion are Nichols' work with NASA, the documentary also offers up info about Nichols' time in Star Trek that fans may not know.
How Gene Roddenberry Cast Nichelle Nichols In Star Trek
In 1964, Nichelle Nichols guest-starred in an episode of The Lieutenant, an NBC series produced by Gene Roddenberry. The episode, which candidly dealt with race, wasn't aired by the network but Roddenberry was impressed with Nichols and promised to have a part for her in the new science fiction show he was developing. When Nichols read for the part of Star Trek's (then unnamed) communications officer, she initially thought she was auditioning for the role of Spock. When Nichelle asked if the Vulcan could be changed to a female, she was told, "Leonard Nimoy wouldn't like that".
When Nichols got the part, she also got the chance to name her own character. The actress brought a copy of Uhuru by Robert Ruark to the audition, which caught Gene Roddenberry's eye. Nichelle suggested an alliteration and making the Enterprise's communications officer's name Uhura, which is a Swahili name, and thus, Lt. Uhura gained a Swahili background.
Dr. Martin Luther King Asks Nichelle Nichols Not To Leave Star Trek
Star Trek producer David Gerrold, who wrote the classic episode "The Trouble With Tribbles," noted that Uhura was "the most important person on the Enterprise's bridge," because when she called for Captain Kirk's (William Shatner) attention, everyone had to stop to hear what she had to say. Nichols also made history as part of television's first interracial kiss with Shatner in the Star Trek season 3 episode "Plato's Stepchildren." Nichols also joked in Woman in Motion that her favorite Star Trek episode was "any time Uhura got off the bridge."
However, Nichols was frustrated that Uhura's role in Star Trek kept getting reduced and she planned to quit the show in 1967. Woman in Motion reiterated the famous story of Nichols meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a Star Trek fan. Dr. King convinced Nichelle not to resign from Star Trek, stating how important it was to Black people that an African-American woman was "seen" in such a prominent role on the bridge of the show. Nichols took Dr. King's words to heart and remained on Star Trek.
Nichelle Nichols's Work At NASA Helped The First Space Shuttle Get Named Enterprise
Nichelle Nichols's work as a NASA recruiter and spokeswoman was wildly successful and had a huge impact on adding much-needed diversity to the agency's astronaut and space shuttle program. When it came time to name NASA's first space shuttle, President Gerald Ford, who was a Star Trek fan, suggested the name Enterprise. Fittingly, Gene Roddenberry joined the cast of Star Trek, including Nichelle Nichols, to watch the space shuttle Enterprise roll out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities on September 17, 1976.