About the character:
On the bridge of USS Enterprise NCC-1701 is the communications officer
the woman Nyota Uhura, who both is beautiful as skilled. From time
to time she makes performances for the crew with her enchanting
voice. Uhura is from Earth.
About the actor:
Nichelle Nichols is born in Robbins, Illinois close by Chicago in
1933, where her father is mayor. It is in Chicago she later on studies,
but she also visits Los Angeles and New York, where she in the in
the last mentioned city performs as singer on knowned clubs like
"Blue Angel". Then she tour round the USA that also leads her to
Europe.
As early on as in 1963 Nichelle Nichols makes a guest appearance
in Gene Roddenberry's TV series "The Lieutenant", which is only
produced for one season. But a couple of years later he gives her
a steady role in "Star Trek" as the communications officer Nyota
Uhura, who we all are to know her by.
Through out the production of season 1 Nichelle Nichols feels
herself harassed by the studio (Desilu Studios) and it peaks when
she finds out they have withhold her fan mail. She seriously wants
to stop her appearance in "Star Trek", when Martin Luther King convinces
her of her importance being a role model for young black women in
USA.
As the network NBC in 1969 cancells the production of "Star
Trek" blaming bad ratings, she starts to appeare in movies
like "Made in Paris" and "Doctor, You've got to be Kidding!". But
she returns to Gene Roddenberry's Science Fiction universe, when
she voices her character Uhura in the animated "Star Trek: The Animated
Series", produced in two seasons from 1973-1974.
Not untill 1979 the real actors can once again be seen together
with the release of the the first Star Trek movie, "Star Trek: The
Motion Picture".
Through the 1980s 4 more movies are made. In 1991 the last one
is produced, "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", and from
here on Nichelle Nichols is finished with Star Trek, but not by
her choice. But facts is, as they are ready to make the movie "Star
Trek: Generations", which has the cast of actors from the highly
successful TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and the old
actors from the TV series "Star Trek" on the cast list, she is not
even asked.
But the desire to do it is not too great as she then is to appeare
along with William Shatner (captain
James T. Kirk), whom she or the colleagues James
Doohan and George Takei can't
stand, after he in his two autobiographies has proclaimed himself
as the best actor in "Star Trek". In relation to that she publishes
in 1994 her autobiography "Beyond Uhura", in which she tags William
Shatner as extremely self-centred.
Nichelle Nichols has also released a record with the title "Dark
Side of the Moon" and on that she sings amongst others the song
"Gene", which is dedicated to Gene Roddenberry. The song, which
she herself has written, she sang emotionally to the memorial service
of Gene Roddenberry.
In 1997 she experiences a great sorrow of losing her younger
brother Thomas, who commits collective suicide along with his fellow
cult members in Rancho Santa Fe near San Diego.
Today Nichelle Nichols is still a fiery soul with a heart in
the right place helping minorities into the american space organisation
NASA.
It is far from Hollywood filling up Nichelle Nichols day to day
work... And even if they would offer her something in the movie
town, one could ask the question: "Would she even be interested?".
|
Star Trek
1964: "The
Lieutenant" - tv series