'Star Trek Communications Officer' Black Actress Nichelle Nichols Dies at 89
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Nichelle Nichols, the actress who broke the prejudices against Black women of her time by playing Lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer, in the original 'Star Trek' TV series aired in the 1960s, passed away on the 31st of last month (local time). She was 89 years old.
According to AP News and others, Nichols' son Kyle Johnson posted on Nichols' official social network service (SNS) that his mother passed away in Silver City, New Mexico. He stated that the cause of Nichols' death was natural causes and said, "Like an ancient galaxy, her light will remain with us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and be inspired by." Nichols had been suffering from dementia until recently.
Born in 1932, Nichols gained much attention for playing Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek from 1966 to 1969. At that time, Black women were mostly cast in roles full of prejudice, such as servants or minor roles, but Nichols played an important role as a key character in Star Trek, which aired during prime time.
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. described this as "the first non-stereotypical role depicting a Black woman in TV history." When Nichols wanted to stop appearing after the first season of Star Trek, King persuaded her to continue the role, emphasizing the positive impact it had on the social status of Black women.
Especially, the kiss scene with Captain Kirk, played by Canadian-born white actor William Shatner, was the first interracial kiss between a Black and a white person in American TV history, drawing great attention, according to foreign media. Nichols recalled in a 2014 interview with CNN, "(That scene) completely changed TV and changed the way people looked at each other."
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Later, in the 1970s, Nichols was hired by NASA and took on a role to help increase the number of women and Black people entering the agency. CNN reported that the United States' first female astronaut Sally Ride, female astronaut Judith Resnik who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion, and the first Black astronaut Guion Bluford all entered NASA with Nichols' assistance.
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