Star Trek fans mourn the loss of Lieutenant Uhura - TV legend died at the age of 89

Created: 07/31/2022, 23:16

By: Anna Lorenz

Grace Dell "Nichelle" Nichols, starring alongside William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, rose to millions as "Lieutenant Uhura" in the original Star Trek series.

© imago-images

As "Lieutenant Uhura" she became known to an audience of millions in "Star Trek".

Nichelle Nichols has passed away at the age of 89.

Silver City – On Saturday, July 30, 2022, Grace Dell “Nichelle” Nichols left this world in Silver City, New Mexico.

As her son, Kyle Johnson, announced the following day, the legendary "Lieutenant Nyota Uhura", who suffered a stroke in 2015, died of natural causes that night.

Her former agent Zachery McGinnis confirmed the news without giving further details.

Star Trek: Nichelle Nichols dies - Lieutenant Uhura revolutionized the television world

In her most famous role as "Lieutenant Uhura" in the US television series "Star Trek", Nichols revolutionized the television world in the 1960s.

Fourth in the command line on Starship Enterprise, according to The

, she helped "break new ground in television by showing a black woman in a position of authority and sharing one of the early kisses with co-star William Shatner." shared between a white man and a black woman on prime time American television.”

However, its light, like the ancient galaxies we are now seeing for the first time, will continue to be enjoyed, learned from and inspired by by us and all generations to come.

She led a wonderful life and was a role model for all of us.”

Kyle Johnson on the death of his mother, Grace Dell "Nichelle" Nichols

At the beginning of her career, Nichols probably did not suspect that Star Trek would bring about lasting respect and change.

As a dancer and nightclub singer, she says she saw the role of "Lieutenant Uhura" as a "nice stepping stone" to Broadway.

It was not without reason that Nichols wore a red mini dress on the bridge of the "Starship Enterprise" that showcased her dancer's legs.

Watch the video: "Uhura" was so beautiful even at 85

Star Trek: "Starship Enterprise" wasn't just ahead of its time on screen

Current problems cloaked in adventurous experiences in the galaxy of the future, this approach has allowed "Star Trek" to turn the television world upside down since the series debuted on NBC in 1966.

Actors who had previously been cast in stereotypical roles, black or Asian, represented equal members of a team - a clear message to apartheid.

also read

"No status as number one": Meghan Markle wanted to play a bigger role in the royal family

"Royals for sale": Author insults Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in an interview

"Nichelle" Nichols does the iconic Vulcan salute at a fan convention in 2019.

© mpi04/imago-images

According to The

, Nichols took matters into his own hands at the time as to how much authority "Lieutenant Uhura" was accorded on the bridge.

With series creator Gene Roddenberry, her former lover, she developed the legendary role, which was an absolute novelty at the time.

Roddenberry agreed to naming the character "Uhura" for Nichols, which she believes is a feminized version of a Swahili word for "freedom."

However, the implementation in "Star Trek" did not do justice to Nichols' claims in this regard;

she commented after the first season that her role had been made into a "glorified[n] operator in space".