Nearly six decades after it premiered on NBC, Star Trek still looms large, not just in pop culture but also in its influence on technology and encouraging interest in astronomy and space travel. The show is widely considered to have been ahead of its time, with creator Gene Roddenberry putting together a diverse cast and prioritizing positive representation through their characters. Though the show was set in the 23rd century, the multi-ethnic crew of the Enterprise was meant to inspire 20th-century viewers to work towards a more tolerant and equitable future.
The casting of actress Nichelle Nichols as chief communications officer Lt. Uhura is perhaps the most notable example of Roddenberry’s efforts. As Nichols would later note, the depiction of a Black woman in a leadership role, with equal standing, respect, and responsibilities among her male colleagues, was practically unheard of in 1960s entertainment.
The importance of Lt. Uhura as a positive role model was brought home after the show’s first season. Nichols had already told Roddenberry that she planned to leave Star Trek and pursue opportunities in musical theater on Broadway, which had long been her dream. However, a chance encounter with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at an NAACP fundraiser changed her mind. Nichols was surprised to learn that Dr. King was a fan. He even told her that Star Trek was the only evening TV show he allowed his young children to watch. Dr. King convinced her to stay, noting that he considered her portrayal of Uhura to be just as important as any other part of the fight for civil rights.
To boldly go:
- Nichelle Nchols would remain with the show for the duration of its three-season run, as well as six Star Trek movies and numerous convention appearances. With actor William Shatner (who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk), Nichols also participated in one of the first onscreen interracial kisses in U.S. television history, in the November 1968 episode “Plato’s Stepchildren.”
- A lesser-known fact about Nichols’ time on Star Trek is that Leonard Nimoy successfully advocated for her to be paid the same amount as her male co-stars when he learned that she was receiving less than George Takei (who played Hikaru Sulu) and Walter Koenig (who played Pavel Chekov).
- Nichelle Nichols also played a hugely important role in bringing women and people of color into the Space Shuttle program. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nichols worked with NASA on a special project to recruit highly qualified individuals to join the astronaut corps, including such illustrious names as Sally Ride, Guion Bluford, Judith Resnik, and Ronald McNair.
- Mae Jemison, who became the first African-American woman in space in 1992 as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, has cited Star Trek, and particularly Lt. Uhura, as part of the inspiration for her dream of becoming an astronaut.
