Although her work as an actress — particularly on “Heroes” as well as on “Star Trek” and in the six subsequent movies featuring the original crew — has made her a legend in the sci-fi community, her real-life science credentials are just as impressive. She has used her platform as a celebrity to help recruit African-Americans to NASA. Mae Jemison, a fellow Chicago native and the first black woman in space, has credited Nichols’ role as Uhura with inspiring her to become an astronaut.