Actor Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lt. Nyota Uhura in 'Star Trek: The Original Series,' has died at age 89, according to a statement from her son. T. Rick Jones, the managing editor of Star Trek Daily News, joins Cheddar News to discuss the trailblazer's legacy. 

Between Bells

Remembering 'Star Trek' Actor Nichelle Nichols

I'm here to talk more about Nichols legacy is the managing editor at Daily Star Trek. News T rick jones. Welcome to the show. Thanks for joining us. Talk to us about the impact Nichols had on women and people of color in film and on tv. Well she started in in the sixties, as you said, she started as a ballet dancer for Duke Ellington. Um and then she got this role on Star Trek and it was really groundbreaking because at the time if you were a black person, let alone a black woman uh in television, you were playing the servant, the made the janitor, you know, oh the waiter, you weren't a person in position of power. So that was the biggest thing um for her when she started on Star Trek. Um just to have somebody on the bridge who had the Captain Deer was an incredible leap forward for um for females, for people of color. Um you just didn't get that in television back then or in film or anywhere um at all. So she was, that was something that she brought to the role that Gene Roddenberry wanted this future where everybody was included and she was a big part of that. Let's talk about sort of the legacy that she she's living or she's leaving here, especially within the star trek universe here. Sure. So, um so it can go back to that portion of it where she's um she she was, she just broke ground for would be Goldberg for um all these all these uh people of color and for women and the roles that they um they are able to take on she a lot of them wouldn't have done what they were doing um because of that but also um she she was involved in the space race. She was a big proponent of getting people into Nasa. Um People who weren't just white men, people who were um people of color, people who were women. Um She she got involved in the space program in 1977 when she noticed that there were it was all white men going up into space and she was like where is Gene Roddenberry's future? Where's the star trek future that we're all looking for? Um And so she was she started um recruitment drive basically for Nasa where she did a bunch of P. S. A. S. And such. Um And she recruited a ton of um famous who are now famous um astronauts. Sally ride was the first woman in space uh guide blue furred who was the first person of color in space. Um All these people um And that legacy is still living on today which is we have female. Yeah which is why Nasa came out and basically celebrated her as well. What do you hope people take away from the mark that she has left on Hollywood? Um I think you know um what will people take away? I think I think that you know she was she was able to to break barriers and blaze trails um while still being able to be personable and um you know, she she was never she never felt like she was above her station. She was she was doing doing good work in um in Hollywood and uh you know I think she I think she will be remembered for that um for not just not just her star trek roles but her her space space advocacy and and all all that kind of thing. You know, she's she's most famous as Lieutenant who are on Star trek, there's no um but she has left an indelible mark on the space program. Mae Jemison who's an astronaut right now in Nasa. She um she actually was on an episode of Star trek the next generation. She was inspired to go into the space program by watching Michelle Nichols and um and then she wound up living the dream by actually being on an episode of of Star trek as well as actually going into space. So I think um Michelle is just the kind of person that could get out there and uh you know, inspire people and hopefully when people look back on her like on her life um they just are as inspired as you know, people are absolutely right. She's probably made a difference in so many people's lives. Thanks Imagine editor at daily Star trek news t rick jones. Thank you