Apparently, King Jr was a huge Star Trek fan
Star Trek actor and sci-fi icon Nichelle Nichols sadly passed away yesterday aged 89.
As fans and colleagues began paying their respect for the star who became the first African American star to have a primary role on a prime-time US TV show, details of a key encounter between Nichols and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr have resurfaced online.
Nichols shot to fame by playing Lt. Nyota Uhura in the first iteration of Gene Roddenberry's iconic space adventure series which debuted in 1966. In the show, Nichols appeared as the Communications Officer of the Starship Enterprise - however off-screen, her role was far more important.
Her inclusion in
Star Trek marked the first time an African American actor had appeared in such prominence in a popular mainstream television series and when the time came for her to consider leaving to pursue other work, it was the advice of a hugely influential cultural figure that helped convince her to stay and continue her voyage.
Despite deciding to use her newfound fame to take a chance at succeeding in one of her other primary passions, Broadway, an encounter with King Jr at a fundraising event changed her mind after being told that her "biggest fan" was keen to meet her.
"I remember thinking, 'whoever the fan is, is going to have to wait,'" says Nichols, recalling the moment where she turned around and saw King Jr walking towards her during an
interview with NPR in 2011, "because Dr. King — Dr. Martin Luther King, my leader! — is walking toward me!'"
"He complimented me on the manner in which I'd created the character. I thanked him, and I think I said something like, 'Dr. King, I wish I could be out there marching with you.' He said, 'no, no, no. No, you don't understand ... You are marching. You are reflecting what we are fighting for.'
Nichols continued, adding: "I said, 'Well, I told Gene just yesterday that I'm going to leave the show after the first year because I've been offered...' — and he stopped me and said: 'You cannot do that.' And I was stunned.
"He said, 'Don't you understand what this man has achieved? For the first time, we are being seen the world over as we should be seen.' He says, 'Do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch?'
"I was speechless.'"
Crafting a diverse vision of the future was always part of
Star Trek creator Roddenbery's original vision for the show - and it was Lt. Uhura's presence that played a large part in creating that reality.
Later in life, Nichols was
instrumental in helping NASA attract more diverse recruits, including women and people of colour, to apply for their astronaut programme and even appeared in a promotional video a decade after the original run of
Star Trek episodes came to a close.
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