Mourning for Lt. Uhura: “Star Trek” star Nichelle Nichols is dead

Nichelle Nichols is dead. The US actress who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the original ‘Star Trek’ series has died at the age of 89. This was announced by her family with a statement on social media.

“Friends, fans, colleagues, world. I regret to report that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it did for so many years,” her son Kyle Johnson wrote. His mother died of natural causes on Saturday evening. “However, their light, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and for future generations to enjoy, learn from, and be inspired by.”

Nyota Uhura made history

In the mid-1960s, Nichelle Nichols was cast in “Star Trek” – and made history with her role. As Nyota Uhura, she was not only the first African-American actress in a space series, but also held a leadership position with the title Lieutenant as a woman.

In 1968 she was also the one who brought the first film kiss between a black and a white man to the screen. The scene in which Uhura kisses her superior, Captain Kirk, was extremely controversial at the time and made waves.

When Nichols wanted to leave the show at the end of the first season to pursue a career on Broadway, none other than Martin Luther King persuaded her to stay. “Uhura is more than a communications officer. She is a symbol,” he is said to have said to her at the time. Nichols stayed. Not just until the end of the series: she reprized her role in all six “Star Trek” films from 1979 to 1991.

In addition to the “Spaceship Enterprise” saga, the actress has appeared in numerous other TV and film productions. In recent years, Nichols has struggled with health problems. In 2015 she suffered a stroke, most recently she is said to have suffered from dementia.

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