July 31, 2022 10:35 p.m
He turned 89, his son’s announcement to fans, “His light will continue to shine.” With William Shatner (Captain Kirk), he broke a taboo in the ’60s: the first interracial kiss on the small screen
Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura on the television series between 1966 and 1969, earned her a lifelong position of honor among the series’ fans, better known as the Trekkers and Trekkies. It also earned her several awards for breaking stereotypes that limit the roles of black actresses, who are often only used as service personnel.
The historic interracial kiss –
And always in the Star Trek series, the historical taboo was broken, the interracial kiss with co-star William Shatner, Captain Kirk: in the episode “Abased by Acts of God”, aired November 22, 1968. Also the Martin Luther King Jr., a noted fan, had praised the role of Nichelle Nichols and personally encouraged her to stay on the series. Like other original cast members, Nichols has appeared in six major screen spin-offs beginning in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture and has attended hundreds of Star Trek fan meetings. She also served as a recruiter for NASA for many years, helping bring minorities and women into the astronaut corps. Most recently, she had a recurring role in the television series Heroes, playing the great-aunt of a boy with magical powers.
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