She gave little Black kids in the 60's permission to dream. Her role on that show was as groundbreaking as Sidney Poitier's roles on the big screen. And she was in our homes every week.
Strong character on equal par with the boys on the bridge, and still in touch with her African roots. It really was a remarkable role at the perfect time.
I heard that Ms. Nichols wanted to quit the role after the first season, but was talked out of it by none other than Dr. King. Turns out, he as a huge fan of the show, and impressed upon her how important Lt. Uhura's character was on the tv landscape.
Back when we were all adolescents, me & the neighborbros used to refer to her as "Lt. Oooh-Hooo."
Classy lady.
Oooh-hooo, indeed (she was 57 when she filmed this scene):
I think the important part of her character was when I first saw the show I wondered who was that black lady? After a while, she wasn't so much a black lady, she was just an important part of the show. You didn't really note that she was "black" any longer. Very important.
Unlike Clem, who got the Oooh-Hooo vibe, I didn't have that so much, but I did have that Oooh-la-la vibe for Diahann Carroll, another important actress at the time.
Both played important roles in that they were both in important mainstream roles and not portraying some maid or "mammy" talking like it was 1878.
R.I.P. Nichelle. You made a difference in the minds of millions.
She made her role iconic. Black and female in prime time sci-fi broke some molds. Attractive, smart (see Fate above), she grew her character. Roddenberry examined a lot of societal issues; prejudice and stereotypes were a small part. Her character was a stroke of genius IMO. And the best science fiction still deals with the human elements within its frameworks.
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