Nichelle Nichols (a.k.a Lt. Nyota Uhura )
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Why Nichelle Nichols matters beyond Star Trek
Nichelle Nichols (1932 to 2022) is best known for playing Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series beginning in 1966, one of the first Black women to hold a major non-servant role in a US television drama. Martin Luther King Jr. personally encouraged her to stay in the role when she considered leaving, telling her she was a role model that could not be replaced.
Her impact outside of Hollywood is less widely known but arguably more significant. In 1977, NASA commissioned Nichols to help recruit a new class of astronauts for the Space Shuttle program — the first to openly welcome women and minorities. Over a four-month campaign, her efforts directly resulted in the recruitment of Dr. Sally Ride (first American woman in space), Colonel Guion Bluford (first African American astronaut), and Dr. Judith Resnik and Dr. Ronald McNair, among others.
She continued advocating for diversity in STEM throughout her life. After her death in July 2022 at age 89, the Nichelle Nichols Foundation was established to continue her mission of opening doors for women and BIPOC communities in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Her story is a reminder that representation in media and representation in science are not separate conversations.
Star Trek and Star Wars fans can agree that Nichelle Nichols in the role of Lt. Nyota Uhura impacted history. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. said it the best "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."
However, many people do not realize that Ms. Nichols continued to impact history and space exploration even when Star Trek ended. She volunteered from 1977 - 2015 with NASA to both promote its programs and help recruit diverse astronauts. The recruits from this effort included:
Dr. Sally Ride, First American Female Astronaut
Colonel Guion Bluford, First African-American Astronaut
Dr. Judith Resnik, Flew Mission during the Space Shuttle Program
Dr. Ronald McNair, Flew Mission during the Space Shuttle Program
Charles Bolden, Former NASA Astronaut
and Administrator
Frederick D. Gregory, Former NASA Deputy Administrator and veteran of Three Space Shuttle Missions
Lori Garver, Former NASA Deputy Administrator
Nicholle Nichols also served on the board of governors of the National Space Society (formerly known as National Space Institute), a nonprofit educational space advocacy organization from the mid-1980s.
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