Nichelle Nichols who is famous for playing Uhura in ST:TOS has passed away at the age of 89.
I just saw this on my news feed. She was an amazing woman and her role as Lt. Uhura opened the imagination of so many young women. Godspeed, Nichelle.
In reply to NickD :
Walter Koenig, everyone forgets Chekov
Streetwiseguy said:Younger people might not understand how important she was to societal change.
Indeed.
She also met some of the later series' cast members on set (including a real astronaut, IIRC the first black female astronaut, inspired by Uhura as a child) and they fangirled over her like you probably would believe, she was very supportive.
As a huge Trek fan, this is a sad day. But it's also a day to celebrate what she meant to not only Trek fans, but society in general. She was an ambassador of the sciences for women and people of color, advocating that societal boundaries that existed at the time were meant to be broken. She was also a big advocate for NASA, which wouldn't be what it is today without her support.
She was really gracious with her fans as well. In one of the Trek groups I'm in, the outpouring of stories and pictures from decades of fan meet & greets, chance meetings, and more are amazing to see. Nichelle Nichols was an incredible lady, and she'll be missed.
Just listened to her interview with Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Star Talk. Her stories have me in tears.
Damn, it hits me hard whenever one of the TOS crew dies, probably because I've been watching the show my whole life...RIP.
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