Dorktales Podcast: Episode 70
Hidden Heroes of History
Nichelle Nichols
A story of boldly going where no one had gone before! Nichelle Nichol’s role as Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series was groundbreaking. Civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. praised her work for defying stereotypes and revolutionizing portrayals of Black individuals on television. Her influence and advocacy for more diversity at NASA sparked new interest in space travel and helped to recruit brilliant STEM talents like Dr. Sally Ride, Colonel Guion Bluford, and Mae Jemison.
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Podcast Episode Credits
Narration, Voice Over and Podcast Host: Jonathan Cormur
Scriptwriter and Show Producer: Molly Murphy
Sound Production, Audio Editing and Mastering: Jermaine Hamilton
Podcast Episode Illustration: Arthur Lin
Title Design and Layout: Jeri DeMartini
Special Guest Storyteller
Eleven-year-old Madison Lauren is a kid on a mission. Starting her podcasting career at 7-years-old, she quickly became a source of solace for kids working their way through the challenges of the COVID lockdown. Madison has interviewed such notables as Christopher Pearmon, father of Raven Symone, and Sara Albee, five times New York Times Bestseller. That led to voice over acting and local commercials.
She recently began her very own clothing line called Madison Lauren, a brand about love and empowerment. Now, Madison’s podcast includes live action with cool and clever skits she performs throughout her show. With the mentorship of Sara Albee, Madison will be releasing her very first book in the fall of 2023. Find the All Things Madison podcast on all major podcast platforms and her online shop at ShopMadisonLauren.com.
Did You Know?
Nichelle Nichols was an actor, singer and dancer best known for her groundbreaking role of Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series.
Ms. Nichols was born in Chicago in 1932. She started studying dance with the Chicago Ballet Company at the age of 12. This led to her professional career as a singer and dancer. One of her earliest jobs was singing for two popular jazz bands led by the famous Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. She toured the United States, Canada and Europe.
In 1959, Ms. Nichols was a principal dancer in the film version of Porgy and Bess, the first great American opera. She performed in the stage version as well. In fact, she appeared in many theater productions before her time on television.
The original Star Trek series began in 1966. Ms. Nichols portrayed Communications Officer and Translator, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura. She was one of the first Black women featured in a major television series.
After the first season ended, Ms. Nichols informed Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, that she was leaving the series because she wanted to return to performing on Broadway. But civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. convinced her to stay.
Dr. King and Ms. Nichols were both at the same event the weekend after she handed in her resignation letter. Dr. King was a huge fan and requested to meet her. He shared with her that he felt her role in the show was vitally important for the Civil Rights Movement.
Ms. Nichols was playing one of the first non-stereotypical characters on television, breaking new ground for how Black people were portrayed in front of a wide audience.
Stereotypes are simple portrayals of people—usually based on things like their race, profession, or age. There are many people of color throughout history who have been cast in one-dimensional roles.
The character Lieutenant Uhura defied stereotypes!
In one of Ms. Nichols’ interviews on National Public Radio, or NPR, she shared that Dr. King said by playing Uhura, Ms. Nichols was, “reflecting what we are fighting for,” – referring to the Civil Rights Movement. He also told her it was one of the only shows he and his wife allowed their children to stay up and watch.
After her conversation with Dr. King, she decided to stay in the cast. She went on to play Uhura for all three seasons of the original run of the show, as well as in six Star Trek movies.
Nichelle Nichols’ influence went beyond her time on the show.
Ms. Nichols was very interested in space exploration and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, invited her to work with them as their ambassador. NASA is an agency responsible for the civil space program and important space research.
In her work for NASA, she advocated for more women and people of color to become astronauts. Some of the people who were recruited through her advocacy were Dr. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and Colonel Guion Bluford, the first African American astronaut. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, has also publicly said that she was inspired by Ms. Nichols and her work on Star Trek.
Ms. Nichols also served on the board of the National Space Institute, a nonprofit space advocacy organization. Many employees said that seeing her play Lieutenant Uhura inspired them to join the agency.
Nichelle Nichols used her art and passion to inspire new interest in science and space exploration. Her legacy is galactic!
If you liked this story about a hidden hero of history who inspired space exploration, you may also like Episode 5 on Mary Golda Ross, whose pioneering work helped put humans into space.