American actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek franchise, has died at the age of 89, reported international media such as The Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vanity Fair.
Nichols was recognized for being one of the pioneers in leading the way for women on American television, as well as playing an African-descendant woman in a position of authority on the show.
She was a cast partner of William Shatner, with whom she starred in one of the first interracial kisses in prime time on the small screen.
Her son Kyle Johnson was the one who announced the news of the actress’s death that happened on Saturday, July 30.
“I am sorry to inform you that great light in the sky no longer shines for us as it has for so many years. Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. The light from it, 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 from. Her was a life well lived and as such a model for all of us”, was Johnson’s message on the social network.
The death was due to natural causes, her son confirmed. In 2015 the interpreter had suffered a stroke.
The Post reported that before she was hired to play Uhura on Star Trek, Nichols was a statuesque dancer and singer in a nightclub.
When she was cast in the role (in 1966), she stated that the job would be a good springboard to fame on Broadway.
What perhaps the actress did not imagine at the time is that Star Trek would become a cult program. “The series broke barriers in many ways. While other shows of the time offered household witches and talking horses, Star Trek delivered allegorical tales of violence, prejudice, war, and the turbulent social issues of the time under the guise of a 23rd-century intergalactic adventure. The show featured black and Asian cast members in supporting roles, but nonetheless visible, not stereotypical,” the Post explained.
Nichols’s contribution not only to production but to culture was great. The interpreter worked for hand in hand with the creator of the series, Gene Roddenberry, to imbue Uhura with a gift of command and a leading role that until now had not been seen on television.
Uhura was fourth in command of the Starship Enterprise and worked one on one with the other officers who were men. In the films that followed the television series, the lieutenant was promoted to commander.
Nichols shared credits with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Science Officer Spock. She also worked alongside DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), George Takei (Sulu), James Doohan (Scotty), and Walter Koenig (Chekov).
Despite having an important role in the series, the actress had written in a book with her memoirs for the time in Star Trek that she felt at some point that she and other cast members were minimized. This situation was blamed on Shatner, whom she classified as “insensitive and hurtful selfish”.
Nichols considered giving up her character in the first season, but after an encounter with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he talked her out of it because her performance was one of the few roles in which blacks didn’t have a job. servile, as recalled by The Hollywood Reporter
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
