excerpted from iFlush: Hunting for Heroes
1967: At the end of Star Trek’s first season, African-American actress Nichelle Nichols decided she’d had enough of playing Lieutenant Uhura, the ship’s communications officer. She wanted to sing in Broadway musicals. The show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, didn’t want her to leave and asked her to take the weekend to reconsider.
The next day Roddenberry got some help from an unexpected source. Nichols was speaking at a fundraiser for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). When told a big fan wanted to meet her, she expected some pimply, space-crazed kid. It turned out to be the country’s leading voice for African-American rights — Martin Luther King, Jr.
“He told me that I was one of the most important people in his family,” Nichols said. “That they watched Star Trek and that I was a role model and their hero.” Speechless at first, she thanked Dr. King, then told him she’d just decided to leave the show.
“STOP! You cannot!” King responded. “This is not a female role. This is not a black role. This is a quality role, and this is an equal role, and it is in a command position.” In those days, African Americans rarely appeared on TV, mostly in small roles as maids or nannies. He added, “For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as intelligent, beautiful, qualified people just like anyone else.…This is what we’re fighting for.”
How could she say no to that! On Monday, when Nichols told Roddenberry about her talk with Dr. King, and that she’d decided to stay on the show, a tear rolled down his cheek. She continued to play Uhura throughout the series three-year run and then in six Star Trek movies.
