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 Lieutenant
Nyota Uhura
Communications officer aboard the original Starship Enterprise under
the command of Captain James Kirk. Born in 2239, her name is derived
from the Swahili word for "freedom". A highly skilled technician,
Uhura was also a talented musician, and enjoyed serenading her
fellow crew members with song.
Her memory was wiped clean in 2267 by the errant space probe No mad,
requiring her to be re-educated.
Following the reassignment of the original Enterprise to Starfleet
Academy in 2284, Uhura served at Starfleet Command on Earth. Uhura
was scheduled to give a seminar at the Academy in 2293, although she
volunteered to return to her old post on the Enterprise -A at Kirk's
request prior to the historic Khitomer conference.
 Nichelle
Nichols
Nichelle Nichols is secretive about her age, but she was born on
December 28 in Robbins, Illinois, near Chicago. At the age of 16 she
wrote a ballet for a musical suite by Duke Ellington. During her
time in New York, she appeared at the famed Blue Angel and the
Playboy Club. Nichols has demonstrated her ability as a performer by
twice being nominated for the Sara Siddon Award as best actress of
the year. She is an accomplished dancer and a beautiful singer. As a
vocalist with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands, she
toured the United States, Canada and Europe. On the West Coast, she
appeared in "Roar of the Grease Paint, Smell of the Crowd," "For My
People" and won high praise for her performance in the James Baldwin
play "Blues for Mr. Charlie."
She was a relatively new face to television at the time of Star Trek
in the sixties, having previously appeared only in The Lieutenant
and had the lead in an episode of CBS Repertory Theatre. She was
Roddenberry's choice for the role of Uhura. At the end of the first
season, she was seriously considering leaving the show, and stayed
only because of Martin Luther King's insistence that she was a role
model for blacks in America. Following the cancellation of Star
Trek, Nichols' acting career has been spotty. She appeared in a few
roles here and there, such as in the films Mister Budwing, Three For
The Wedding, Truck Turner, Made In Paris, Porgy And Bess and Doctor,
You've Got To Be Kidding. She got more work as a singer after Star
Trek than she did in TV and films. She also did the voice of Uhura
on the animated series, and also reprised her role in the six
movies. She has written her memoirs, titled Beyond Uhura, which was
published in 1994.
Mail to:
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols (mail) c/o Jim Meechan, aR-WAY Prod., 22647 Ventura
B1 #121, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 - U.S.A. |
