Nichelle Nichols dead: Star Trek legend who played Lieutenant Uhura dies

[6Foot2]

Link: Nichelle Nichols dead: Star Trek legend who played Lieutenant Uhura dies - Mirror Online

 

Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, has died aged 89.

 

Nichelle's son Kyle Johnson announced the news on Instagram today.

 

He said: "Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World.

 

"I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament 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. Her light 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."

 

Nichelle made history when she shared the first interracial kiss ever aired on TV, with white actor William Shatner.

 

The ground breaking actress played the ship's communication officer in the space opera series, which first aired in 1966, and concluded in 1969, it's impact lasting for decades.

 

Hers was one of the first large roles for a black woman in a US TV show, and she broke stereotypes that had limited black female actors.

 

She often recalled how the Rev Martin Luther King Jr was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.

 

Like other original cast members, Nichols also appeared in six big-screen spinoffs, starting in 1979 with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and at Star Trek fan conventions.

 

Her son's statement continued: "Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.

 

"I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further."

 

Concluding his post, and referencing a famous Star Trek quote, Kyle said: "Live Long and Prosper."

 

Nichelle served for many years as a Nasa recruiter, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps.

 

More recently, she had a recurring role on television’s Heroes, playing the great-aunt of a young boy with mystical powers.

 

Tributes to the pioneer have poured in.

 

Actress Lynda Carter said: "Many actors become stars, but few stars can move a nation. Nichelle Nichols showed us the extraordinary power of Black women and paved the way for a better future for all women in media. Thank you, Nichelle. We will miss you."

 

One fan wrote: "Nichelle Nichols was an absolute queen. She broke so many barriers including being the first Black woman to play a lead role on TV. Rest in power."

 

ITV Meridian news presenter Matt Teale said: "Talk about trailblazers. Sad news about Nichelle Nichols. Proper pioneer."

 

Another fan wrote: "Nichelle Nichols meant the universe to so many of us. She shone a path that made so many of us hopeful for the future. The guiding light for what could be. May she rest well...returning to the stars again, like the one she was down here on Earth."

 

A fifth mourner person wrote: "Nichelle Nichols. A trailblazer in everything imaginable. She left a mark in science fiction and in NASA that opened a door for women of color for generations to come. Thank you, Nichelle. Live Long and Prosper."

[DrBeaker]

Another legend gone, second star to the right and straight on to morning

[Dos_Box]

Very sad news. A trailblazer for sure and will be very missed.

[LeMarchand]

For some reason this one has made me feel properly sad, rather than just thinking, "Oh, that's sad".

[mikes]

Still remember watching that very Kiss episode (the Sons of Plato?) as a young teenager and being horrified by it! (Not the kiss, but the episode itself). I think there was controversy with the BBC banning the episode, people thinking it was due to the kiss, but in reality they had banned 2 or 3 episodes of TOS due to their graphic nature - which seems a bit absurd to us now in 2022! But I definitely remember the way the aliens tormented Spock in particular as being v frightening as a kid!

Great show and sad loss