He leaves us, at the age of 89, one of the historical faces of the saga of Star Trek: Nichelle Nicholswho gave face and voice to Nyota Uhura, communications officer of the USS Enterprise. The death occurred in Silver City, for reasons unknown but confirmed by the manager Gilbert Bell: after the stroke that struck her in 2015, the fandom began to fear for her health, despite the fact that the artist survived as much as possible in company.
Born in Robbins, Illinois, in 1932, Nichols was a stage, television and film actress, as well as a singer: her role on Star Trek is what everyone remembers her for, but she had a varied career and above all, she was a point of reference for the African American community, especially for women: Martin Luther King himself was a fan, forcing her to continue working on Star Trek to bring forward an example of black women’s empowerment. In fact, Uhura was certainly not a side character, but a prominent officer of the Enterprise staff, inspiring many young women to fight for their future. In addition, Nichols even witnessed the recruitment of minorities at NASA. He caused a sensation when, in 1968, he co-starred with William Shatner in one of the first interracial kisses in television drama history, in the classic series’ Humiliated by Force majeure episode.
Nichols starred in the classic series, in the animated series, in the first six films, and played the part several times throughout his career for specials and special appearances, but alternated roles in many other television and theater productions.
Source: Lega Nerd
