EXCLUSIVE

Nichelle Nichols -- best known for playing Lieutenant Uhura in "Star Trek" -- was rushed to a hospital Wednesday night after suffering a mild stroke.

A rep for Nichols tells TMZ ... she's awake and resting comfortably at an L.A. hospital. The 82-year-old was taken by ambulance from her home Wednesday night.

Doctors are conducting tests to determine the severity of the stroke.

Nichols appeared on both the "Star Trek" TV show and six of the movies, the last one being "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."