I loved Nichelle Nichols autobiography. I also thought she did an excellant job as Uhura. It's too bad Nichols did not get more screen time playing her. Nichols also holds the distinction of being the only original series main character that could sing. I hope she does a convintion(bad
spelling) in the Detroit area again soon. I'm glad Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. PhD. convinced her not to leave Star Trek: Original Series.

Read her autobiography or the Uhura site to learn more about how Lt. Uhura was originally supposed
to be portrayed.

Wherever did you find a copy of her autobiography? I've looked everywhere, and I can't find it!

I also agree about Nichelle Nichols' autobiography. I bought it when it first came out. Besides Shatner's Star Trek Movie Memories, she is the only original cast member's autobio book I thought was worth spending money on. Her website is:

http://www.uhura.com/

You can buy her book
Beyond Uhura : Star Trek and Other Memories
by Nichelle Nichols
List Price: $5.99
Our Price: $4.79
You Save: $1.20 (20%)
at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572970111/qid%3D930407800/002-7468694-8215252

When I can't find a book at a bookstore, I usually try amazon.com.

I must add here that Nichelle Nicols and William Shatner are not the only ones with books. James Doohan, George Takei, and Leonard Nimoy also wrote books.

So did Walter Koenig, about the first movie.

He recently did one about his own life, called Warped Factors (I think).

This is a question I have been pondering for a while.Does she actually have a first name?I don't think I've ever heard of one, but the Internet Movie Database lists her first name as Nyota.Was this ever mentioned at all in Trek?

Nyota was invented by the novel writers. Everyone pretty much agrees on it. I don't think it's mentioned in any canonical source though.

Unless you count Willam Shatner's Star Trek Memories video. It's the only video source to use Nyota Uhura. It includes an appearance by Nichelle Nichols and it lists Nyota on Lt. Uhura's service record.

The CUSTE claims it was Upenda

According to both Nichelle Nichols and Paramount, Nyota is the official name for now (it said so on the action figure box).

On a side note, isn't there some posting about this under the Character topic of Uhura?

I've heard or read the name Penda somewhere. Does anyone remember the source?

D.C. Fontana--I think.

We need a "Next Gen" or betteer movie (or TV spot) to make Nyota official. She can be in a quick little scene as an instructor at the academy, or soemthing.

We need a "Next Gen" or better movie (or TV spot) to make Nyota official. She can be in a quick little scene as an instructor at the academy, or soemthing.

Nichelle Nichols is now appearing in the Disney comedy "Snow Dogs," with Cuba Gooding Jr.

Any ST references in it?

Nichelle Nichols made a joke during one of the episodes of Star Trek that appears on a blooper real. Spock (Nimoy) asks Uhura (Nichols) to hail the Captain. She replies, "Whatever you say, Sugar." FUNNY!

(I put this here because I didn't know which episode it came from)

From the CNN link, on the "James Doohan board", Nichelle Nichols has gone grey!

Been that way for a while. She was grey in "Snow Dogs" as well.

I met Ms. Nichols at a Chiller Theater show in New Jersey in October, 2002. She's a wonderful, lovely lady. And, quite gray. (Well, she is 70 years old.) Her IMDB page lists her character as "Nyota Uhura".

Check out this review of one of Ms. Nichols' almost forgotten post-Trek films, the blaxploitation classic Truck Turner.

Nichelle just turned 78 this past December 28.

Nichelle worked WITHOUT A CONTRACT during the 1st season because the execs did not want her (as Uhura) on the Bridge...it was either "off the Bridge or off the show". However...Gene Roddenberry paid her twice as much as the white cast members...because he (Gene) wanted her on the show.

(Nichelle said this at the Convention in Chicago)

Does anyone know if her name was actually meant to be Michelle, and was written down with an N instead of an M by mistake?

Check this out. Rare on-set photos of Nichelle Nichols being "foot loose and fancy-free".

And, scroll down a bit on this page for some great pictures of Ms. Nichols. They were taken, I would guess, a little bit into the third season.

Ms. Nichols has been hospitalized for a mild stroke.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33018975

Nichelle is keeping a very low profile at this year's Trek Convention in Chicago. She is doing autographs and photo-ops only...no public speaking

She's lucky. at her age, a stroke could have killed her or ended her up like Captain Pike.

As we all know, Nichelle Nichols had an affair with the married Gene Roddenberry - while he was also having an affair with Majel Barrett. Ms. Nichols ended it, her reason being "I don't want to be the other woman to the other woman."

Some bad news - According to AOL News, Nichelle Nichols is reportedly suffering from dementia at the age of 85. More here.

Does anyone know if her name was actually meant to be Michelle, and was written down with an N instead of an M by mistake?

Actually, her given name is Grace.

I don't know where Nichelle came from, Wikipedia doesn't say.

When did Nichelle start telling the Martin Luther King, Jr. story?

I was reading an article on the Legends Revealed site and one of the commenters said he didn't believe it because she only started telling the story after Roddenberry died, but I thought I had heard it earlier, but checking my copies of The Making Of Star Trek and The World Of Star Trek and didn't see any reference to MLK convincing her to stay on the show.

I seem to recall reading about it in the 1980's.

I'm sure I heard her mention it in the '90's at a convention.
And a Google search for her book, 'Beyond Uhura' shows it was published in 1994, where I'm sure she gave a detailed recollection.

Tim, imdb.com says Nichelle was born on December 28, 1932 in Robbins, Illinois, which is just 20 miles south of Chicago.
So she's coming up to the Big Eight-Six!

And she reached that age three days ago now.

A Go-Fund-Me has been started on Nichelle Nichols' behalf, to support a lawsuit for elder abuse against a former caretaker of hers. More details here.

Where are all her rich friends? How many African-American celebs cite her as an influence? Why aren't they kicking in? Denzel Washington could fund the whole thing and not break a bead of sweat from his bank account.

How many African-American celebs cite her as an influence?

Good point, Rodney. The first celeb that comes to mind is Whoopi Goldberg. Her paycheck from one week of The View could no doubt cover all of what's being asked for on the Go-Fund-Me. And then some.

Then there is Dr. Mae Jemison:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Jemison


There is even a picture I've seen of Dr. Jemison meeting Nichelle on the TNG set (when Dr. Jemison did her cameo in the TNG episode Second Chances).

I just checked the GoFundMe page and she still needs $85,000 for her case. Seriously, every African-American celeb over 40 should hang their head in shame. The people donating are probably in a much weaker financial position to do so than a big shot celeb.

Yeah, considering to many of those same celebs cited Nichelle as an inspiration.

I hope that "caretaker" got the book thrown at them.

This is unbeleievable that there should be even one penny left on that GoFundMe effort.
Not to point fingers (oh, hell, I'm going there!), they're not obligated to help, but her co-stars / Trek family Walter Koenig and Gerorge Takei could probably pay the rest.
But, even worse, Shatner should step up and help. The Captain will turn 90 in 2 months and as a multi-multi-millionaire he won't miss $85,000.
That's like $8.50 to the rest of us, if even that!
Each of them has probably experienced some shifty 'businessman' in the past and should jump on the chance to help.

A thought bubble occurs- what if her family DID approach them and they basically said no?

That's why they had to set up the page inthe first place.

what if her family DID approach them and they basically said no?

We may never know.

Didn't Nichelle have a brother who joined Heaven's Gate cult and took part in their mass suicide? (and who 'helpfully' identified himself as her brother in the video will?)

Unfortunately, that's true.

Just over $118,000 raised of the $200,000 needed.

Makes me sick thinking of all those selfish celebs sitting on a pile of cash.

Slowly getting there.

A three way fight over Ms. Nichols conservatorship has emerged. More on that very sad story here.

Poor Nichelle

According to this article from People, Ms. Nichols son, Kyle Johnson, has sold Ms. Nichols house behind her back. A really sad state of affairs.

With kids like that...

Nichelle Nichols made her final Comic Con appearance this past weekend, amid battles over her conservatorship. More on that here.

Looks like she had a nice time.

Today is Nichelle Nichols 89th birthday. More on that accomplishment here. And, a "Happy Birthday" from yours truly.

Happy Birthday, Nichelle.

Ms. Nichols has passed away at the age of 89.

And, here's more from CNN on Ms. Nichols' passing.
That leaves just William Shatner, George Takei and Walter Koenig from the original cast.

Here's a tribute to Nichelle Nichols from People. Check out her on the cover of Ebony in the Jeffries tube, and the picture of her with President Obama, both doing the Vulcan salute.

This woman inspired so many young African-Americans. One was Whoopi Goldberg, who played Guinan on TNG. Another was Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first female African-American astronaut (and who cameoed as a Transporter operator on the TNG episode, Second Chances). Another was Barack Obama, that's right, a former U.S. President was one of us. The list goes on and on.

Of the TOS cast, now only William Shatner, George Takai, and Walter Koenig are left.

This one hurts alot. And I'm not afraid to say that her passing made me shed some tears. I'm 61 years old (don't look it or feel like it), and Star Trek and Nichelle have been a part of my life since I was in single digits. I don't even remember a time before Star Trek, so she was always just there, for over 52 years.
The longer the cast survives (Shatner, Takei, Koenig) the harder it'll be to see them go, especially thanks to multiple convention visits. We've been so lucky that these last four cast members have lived this long. Appreciate all of them, while we still can.
My first convention with Nichelle in it, she sang us a couple songs because she was doing some musical appearances or recording a record. That was in 2002.
My second one in 2011, I couldn't afford to see her speak in the auditorium for her one-on-one, but I and several fans found a side door and could hear some of her appearance. And imagine our surprise when she exited the hall out of that door, giving us an arms-length view of the lovely lady! She smiled at us (not directly at me), but those 10 seconds were worth the price of admission.
Nichelle came back to Fan Expo in Toronto in 2016 and by then she was doing the same as the majority of the guests, sitting at a booth with lines of people waiting to see her, but by then she was looking older than I remembered, and I just didn't want to see her old and wrinkled up close-- I wanted to remember her as she was in the past, even as her maturer self in 2011.
Thank you, Nichelle, for being in Star Trek and being such a joy to meet with fans.
The first star I see in the sky tonight will be you.

A lovely tribute, Steve.

Here's Nichelle Nichols, in character as Uhura, in a promotional film for the National Air and Space Museum.

Thanks for the link.

She will be missed.

That she will

Nichelle Nichols' ashes, as well as those of Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett Roddenberry and James Doohan, will be headed into space on a (how appropriate) Vulcan rocket. More on that here.

I'm not sure that she would want that- remember it took Martin Luther King to convince her to remain with the original series.