Watching Nichelle Nichols play Neil Winter’s dying mother, Lucinda, on The Young & The Restless made me reflect on her storied career.
Because before playing a dying mother, Nichols’ first acting job on television was innovative.
She played communications officer Lieutenant Uhura who served on the bridge of the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek series (which aired 1966-1969). It was the first time a Black actress had been cast in a non-servant role on television.
The actress playing Uhura nearly quit after the first season…
Nichols was ready to quit the series, but a conversation with Martin Luther King Jr. stopped her. King explained to her that:
You are our image of where we’re going, you’re 300 years from now, and that means that’s where we are and it takes place now. Keep doing what you’re doing, you are our inspiration.1
It can be difficult to be a disruptor…
Especially when you didn’t sign up to be one. Nichols most likely saw a juicy role that was different from anything she’s ever done. Little did she know that she’d change so much for so many.
For example, former NASA astronaut, Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel in space, said that Nichols’ portrayal of Uhura was her inspiration for joining NASAin 1983.
Non-blacks were also inspired by Nichols. Another astronaut, Sally Ride, joined NASA in 1978 and became the first woman in space.
You never know the legacy you’ll leave behind…
Being an innovator sometimes sucks. People who are afraid of change will try to discourage you. But the end result is a legacy that history will record. Because history rarely rewards critics; it always remembers creators.
September 8th, marks Star Trek’s 50th anniversary…
Nichols posted the following thank you on her fanpage.
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