When the first regular episode of Star Trek aired on September 8, 1966, America was presented with a vision of something no one had ever seen before – a black woman in a prominent position on the bridge of a ship. Yes, this episode – The Man Trap – was the first Star Trek episode aired with Lt. Nyota Uhura – whose last name is slightly modified from the Swahili for “freedom” – portrayed by the fabulous Nichelle Nichols. Her role is widely recognized as an important contribution to the civil rights movement, and she counted Martin Luther King, Jr. among her fans. He in fact convinced her to stay just as she had given notice of her intention of leave the show after its first season: as Ms. Nichols recounts in this interview (among others), the Rev. King told her

Do you not understand what God has given you? … You have the first important non-traditional role, non-stereotypical role. … You cannot abdicate your position. You are changing the minds of people across the world, because for the first time, through you, we see ourselves and what can be.

I, along with countless Star Trek fans from several generations, am so very grateful that she stayed.

I have always loved the original series of Star Trek the best. I love The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and I even enjoy Voyager now and then, but the original episodes will be always be my favorites. No, the effects haven’t necessarily aged well (does anyone else miss the starship-on-a-string since they digitally remastered everything??), but the stories – the stories are timeless. As many people, including Ms. Nichols, have said, Gene Roddenberry was writing stories with moral and ethical meaning, stories about what being a human being meant – and I think he succeeded.

As we end Black History Month and enter Women’s History Month, there is nothing more fitting than to honor a woman who broke both color and gender barriers and became a role model for all the girls who have ever wanted to be something more. Nichelle Nichols, you are one of my heroes. Thank you for doing what you did in 1966, and thank you for continuing to be a gracious, strong role model.

The character of Lt. Uhura in both the original and the new Star Trek, along with many other female characters from both television and film (including other Star Trek characters), will be discussed in future posts as part of an ongoing series. This will also not be the only post where I talk about Nichelle Nichols – she has done much more that deserves recognition and discussion.