Nichelle Nichols, groundbreaking Star Trek actress, dies aged 89
Despite the concerns, the episode aired without blowback. In fact, it got “the most fan mail Paramount has ever gotten on Star Trek for a single episode,” Nichols said in a 2010 interview with Archive of American Television. “I would say more about the pioneer, the unrivaled Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura from USS Enterprise, and who graduated today at the age of 89,” George Takei wrote on Twitter. “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shine like the stars you are in now, my dear friend.” Takei plays Sulu in the original Star Trek series with Nicols. But its impact is felt beyond its direct co-stars, and many others in Star Trek the world also tweeted their condolences. Celia Rose Gooding, who is currently playing Uhura in Star Trek: A Strange New World , wrote on Twitter that Nichols “made room for so many of us. He is a reminder that not only can we reach the stars, but our influence is vital to their survival. Forget about shaking the table, he
