R.I.P. Nichelle Nichols, Trailblazing Star Trek Icon, Dead at 89 (12/28/1932 - 07/30/2022)

The Guardian a life in pictures
Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols: a life in pictures


Star Trek, 1968
Nichols’ Uhura shares a kiss with William Shatner’s Captain James T Kirk in Plato’s Stepchildren. Although not the first onscreen interracial kiss, it was, in 1968, the most significant
Photograph: CBS via Getty Images


The cast of Star Trek, including Nichelle Nichols, attend the unveiling of the Space Shuttle Enterprise at the NASA/Rockwell International Space Division assembly plant at Palmdale, California on 17 September 1976
Photograph: Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy

 

He is...but the last couple of images I saw of him, he doesn't look well. I wish him health and long life.

I don't know what fans are going to do when Shatner eventually passes -- my god is that going to be painful and mournful. I don't even want to think about it (aren't there rumors that he's like 90 at this point?)...

 

I mean, you don't need rumors...

William Shatner - Wikipedia

 

Someone took some of her dialog from Truck Turner and overdubbed it over scenes from the animated Star Trek. Kind of funny, but NSFW.

Nichelle Nichols Animated Star Trek and Truck Turner Mashup

 

LOL -- I didn't explain myself thoroughly...

What I meant was, some say he's like almost 100, which I never believed; he doesn't look anywhere NEAR 91 IMO (which is a good thing -- I'm just saying).

 

Here's a very nice appreciation from the New York Times:

Nichelle Nichols Helped Show America a Different Future

 

I normally would *not* repost an earlier post of mine, but when I went to view the newest post in this thread, I noticed that my earlier post got mixed in with the message I quoted, which I didn't intend to have happen. That said, I'm requoting the post in question, and reposting my reply to it:

I wouldn't doubt if she made more money overall by doing the fan conventions than she did the entire three years of the original series.
I don't know what the case was for the 'Star Trek' actors, but I remember hearing Micky Dolenz (from 'The Monkees') say that they (The Monkees) only got paid for the 6 initial repeats of their episodes and then after that, nothing. I also know that the cast of 'Gilligan's Island' got shafted as far as residuals, considering how long and how many times that show was in syndication, 'The Brady Bunch' too... I can't see the cast of 'Star Trek' having it any better...
I think the fan conventions and what she made from the 'ST' films kept her going financially thru the years, not the show itself.

 

She was awesome and a big part of that show!

RIP

 

One of my favorite Uhura moments (from The Search for Spock):

 

A had a childhood crush on her! I'll see her again for real in Heaven!

 

Zoe Saldana Mourns The Loss Of “True Star” Nichelle Nichols – Deadline

 

Thinking about it, I agree. Well said. She was always cool.

 

Rest in Peace

 

RIP.

Loved the character of Uhura: elegant, humorous, dedicated.

 

Star Trek: 10 Greatest Uhura Moments



Read the article here: https://whatculture.com/film/star-trek-10-best-uhura-moments

 

Was nice lady to meet.

 

Perhaps quite ironically, but very on point and deserving, the current hit blockbuster biopic Elvis has several moments where it pays direct recognition to Star Trek and Nichelle Nichols. The movie opens with footage of Tom Parker at the International Hotel (later the Las Vegas Hilton that would feature an exhibition called The Star Trek Experience) and then the actual Enterprise ship bursts into the sky, and later during a key moment of the 68 Comeback Special there is a great picture of Kirk, Spock and Uhura on the back of the wall behind Priscilla Presley's character in the NBC studio. Apparently, Elvis was a huge fan of the series and named one of his horses, Star Trek.

Wait, Why Is There So Much Star Trek In The Elvis Movie (Was ...

 

Can't tell you how many times I had been to that Star Trek Experience at the Hilton -- such a cool attraction. It's a real shame what happened to that property; was the jewel off the Strip and Elvis' stomping grounds, and now, like everything else, it's been devoured by corporate greed and a lust for instantaneous profit.

When you first walked into the attraction to wait on line for the simulator ride, there was a timeline history portal you kind of wandered through, and it went over all the history, according to stardates, of the events, characters and storylines of the shows and films. SUCH a cool place for fans to geek out...

In fact, I remember being on line with a cousin of mine who was also a Trekkie (but more so of The Next Generation, if I'm not mistaken), and a character dressed like a Klingon was walking up to people saying different things; when he approached me, I must have had my sunglasses on my hat, because I remember him saying "HUMAN....YOUR SHIELDS ARE UP!"

 

There's one other loose Elvis/Star Trek connection that I think you might find, pardon the phrase, fascinating

The Star Trek Original Series Set Tour, which was linked earlier in the thread, was created by a fella named James Cawley.


pictured here with William Shatner, on the bridge at the Set Tour.

Funky head of hair for a Trekkie, right? That's because Cawley is also an Elvis impersonator (I say that because I don't think he's an actual "Elvis Tribute Artist", as the official designation states):

 

I just loved that hotel. I saw Charlie Rich's closing night show at the Hilton showroom and we were suppose to see Elvis Presley's opening night performances as well, but that show reservation got screwed up big time. I have seen so many other shows there over the years. Everyone from Kenny Rogers (I spent sometime backstage with the country legend), Faith Hill, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes and Wayne Newton, just to name a few. It was once the largest casino hotel in the world. It is a shame how it has lost its grand luster. I still like the showroom a lot, but it has been completely reconfigured since the Elvis days.

 

He.. I actually thought about is even as a teenager..looked at my parents and relatives and thought "one day I'll be like them". Nothing to do about it except for enjoying every day as much as I can.

 

Totally agreed -- and those are some nice headliners you were privy to see! Very cool about the Kenny Rogers thing...

So many other properties on and off the Strip have gone in this direction, and it's a damn shame...once they started imploding and knocking down legendary spots like Stardust (which the book and film Casino was based on), Desert Inn and The Sands, I knew the town wouldn't be the same. Now, The Mirage and even Circus Circus are on the chopping block, if I am not mistaken, and they're even doing away with all "themed" resorts as time goes on, being that the morons who now frequent the town are more interested in walking the Strip in half-naked, disheveled, completely listless droves (Las Vegas Boulevard now resembles lunch hour in downtown Manhattan) crossing the streets, piling into outdoor cafes and buying their vacation supplies at the myriad of CVS locations all over the place.

NO ONE cares about the "theme experience" you could get at places like Treasure Island anymore -- it's not about that.

The town will NEVER be the same, and icons that shaped its history like Sinatra, Martin and Siegel are turning over in their graves because of what it has become.

Getting back to the Hilton -- I recall my wife telling me a story about how her parents were supposed to see Elvis there on one of their trips, but he had passed away and the show was cancelled (obviously); creepy...

 

I truly didn't begin feeling -- I mean really FEELING -- my utter mortality until my dad passed first. When my mom went, I realized just how alone I was in this world without any kind of safety net/support any longer.

It's gonna be a TERRIFYING trip into this new normal for me.....