Nichelle Nichols, Who Played Uhura In 'Star Trek' Franchise, Dies At 89 (cnn.com) 72
A sad announcement was posted online today, reports CNN:
"Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration," Johnson said in a statement shared to Nichols' official site on Sunday. "Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all."
Nichols died from natural causes, he said...
George Takei, who portrayed the USS Enterprise's helmsman Hikaru Sulu, posted a touching tribute to his co-star.
"I shall have more to say about the trailblazing, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise, and who passed today at age 89," wrote Takei on Twitter. "For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend."
"We lived long and prospered together," he added with a photo of the pair making the iconic Vulcan salute.
It was Nichols herself who came up with the name "Uhura" for her character, she revealed years in a 2010 interview. After the series Nichols authored the science fiction novels Saturn's Child and Saturna's Quest, as well as a memoir titled Beyond Uhura — Star Trek and Other Memories.
But Nichols also served on the board of directors of the National Space Society (a charity advocating for space advocacy) — and maintained ties to other real-world space agencies. "Nichols was always interested in space travel," according to a NASA web page. "She flew aboard the C-141 Astronomy Observatory, which analyzed the atmospheres of Mars and Saturn on an eight hour, high altitude mission." But in addition, "From the late 1970's until the late 1980's, NASA employed Nichelle Nichols to recruit new astronaut candidates" (including Dr. Sally Ride).
Nichols died from natural causes, he said...
George Takei, who portrayed the USS Enterprise's helmsman Hikaru Sulu, posted a touching tribute to his co-star.
"I shall have more to say about the trailblazing, incomparable Nichelle Nichols, who shared the bridge with us as Lt. Uhura of the USS Enterprise, and who passed today at age 89," wrote Takei on Twitter. "For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend."
"We lived long and prospered together," he added with a photo of the pair making the iconic Vulcan salute.
It was Nichols herself who came up with the name "Uhura" for her character, she revealed years in a 2010 interview. After the series Nichols authored the science fiction novels Saturn's Child and Saturna's Quest, as well as a memoir titled Beyond Uhura — Star Trek and Other Memories.
But Nichols also served on the board of directors of the National Space Society (a charity advocating for space advocacy) — and maintained ties to other real-world space agencies. "Nichols was always interested in space travel," according to a NASA web page. "She flew aboard the C-141 Astronomy Observatory, which analyzed the atmospheres of Mars and Saturn on an eight hour, high altitude mission." But in addition, "From the late 1970's until the late 1980's, NASA employed Nichelle Nichols to recruit new astronaut candidates" (including Dr. Sally Ride).
The word is given (Score:5, Insightful)
Warp speed, Mrs. Nichols
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As a communications officer, she did not control the helm.
She did take command on the on the animated series [screenrant.com] in an episode.
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As a bridge officer, Lt Uhura was fourth in command and absolutely could control the helm as well as command the startship if needed.
"Here I was projecting in the 23rd century what should have been quite simple," Nichols told NPR in 2011. "We're on a starship. I was head communications officer. Fourth in command on a starship. They didn't see this as being, oh, it doesn't happen til the 23rd century. Young people and adults saw it as now." https://www.npr.org/2022/07/31... [npr.org]
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Yeah, but she didn't in TOS. So asking her for warp speed is pointless.
The original line, said by Kirk to a dying crew member, was not a Command to that Crew member; but a wish that &Deity speed his "spirit" at Warp Speed to whatever "Reward" allegedly awaits "Fallen Heroes".
So, wishing Nichelle/Uhura "Warp Speed" has NOTHING to do with whether she was "Checked Out" on Starship Navigation.
Idiocracy. It's a Real Thing. . .
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the bitch was a fucking jungle bunny n i g g e r cunt.
This (Parent) is PRECISELY why Slashdot must stop Allowing Anonymous COWARDS!
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pillow biting tranny leftist faggot asshole pussy cant handle free speech? you are a demoralized piece of shit and a degenerate and a deviant and an evil low life who fears truth any judgement because you know you are wrong
Wow!
Do you suck your Dad off with that mouth?
That trick never works (Score:2)
That trick being "feeding the trolls", but the requote in the food confuses the issue of where the troll lies. (Or for whom the troll tolls? (How can I get to the ultimate joke about "For whom the toll trolls?" This seems to be a job for Stephan Pastis...))
Re: That trick never works (Score:3)
Perhaps posting as AC should require some small payment?
A Troll Toll, if you will.
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Hmm... I just started thinking about a tax on stupid lies and the liars that tell them. Use the revenue to pay for good journalism.
It could be a doubly progressive tax that goes up on the size of the profit and the degree of harm. The Level-3 pros would be taxed at 95%.
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slashdot's supposed to be news for nerds. It's not for some ignorant incel who's never getting laid, and thinks the InterWebs Is Down when faceplant has issues.
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As a communications officer, she did not control the helm.
Whooosh!
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As a communications officer, she did not control the helm.
Whooosh!
Although she did run the navigation console for a short while at the end of the episode "Balance Of Terror", one of my favorite TOS episodes.
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Yes, but... I'm pretty sure the original post was a (very well done!) wordplay on the phrase "godspeed".
https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]
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Directly, no.
But the person who relays messages from Enterprise to Starfleet and back effectively had almost unlimited control of the ship....
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Re:Are they blaming this on.... (Score:5, Insightful)
I hope I'm recalling this right, I'm sure someone will correct me if not. But iirc, when young Whoopi Goldberg saw Uhura as a bridge officer on TOS, she said to her mom something like "look ma, there's a BLACK woman on the TV, and she ain't no maid!" And that was a big contribution to her fight to overcome racial bias of the day to make it as a star.
It's a common mistake to assume that the role an actor plays is a statement by the actor, but in this case her actions certainly help break the glass ceiling of both gender and race bias in the public eye, as well as in hollywood.
Cheers, Nichelle, you've made a much bigger contribution to the world than I'm sure I ever will. And you surely made the world a better place with all you gave it.
Re:Are they blaming this on.... (Score:4, Informative)
I disagree with her politics, but Whoopi did a very good job in ST:TNG. She has many scenes that knock it out of the park.
"The Best of Both Worlds" https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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Don't come on a uniting thread with your division.
Begone Anonymous Tribble!
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Begone Anonymous Tribble!
Unfortunately, trolls are born pregnant.
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Believe or not, people still die out of other things despite the massive media fanfarre.
If you're looking for some sort of megacorporate conspiracy that profits with people's deaths and will probably get you as well, well, just look at the #1 killer on your country, that is most likely heart attacks.
Your pantry is probably full of the things slowly killing you.
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The covid vaccine does prevent DNA damage repair and V(D)J recombination. If she was vaccinated, it would be the first thing to check given the increase in mortality associated with the vaccine.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go... [nih.gov]
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, severely affecting public health and the global economy. Adaptive immunity plays a crucial role in fighting against SARS-CoV-2 infection and directly influences th
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The covid vaccine does prevent DNA damage repair and V(D)J recombination
The paper doesn't actually say that. It says the spike protein might do that, and so that could be a potential side effect of the vaccine. Also note that the journal that was printed in released a follow up expression of concern about the methodology and conclusions of the study.
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915... [mdpi.com]
Your second study just says spike proteins were detectable in people after they received the vaccine, which is to be expected.
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COVID or the COVID vaccine?
89. Years old.
Natural Causes.
Mr Buddwing (Score:4, Informative)
I saw her in this odd movie awhile back. It's from 1966. She played a dice player at a back room crap game the lead character wandered into, while trying to figure out who he is (amnesia). It was cool to see her in a completely different role. It wasn't a big part, but she was memorable and pretty good. The movie had mixed reviews. It looked kind of like an experimental, for Hollywood, kind of project. I thought it was alright, but nothing to write home about.
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James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Nichelle Nichols?
Jean Simmons is totally amazing with her platinum blond hair and whorish attitude. It’s a performance unlike any you might have seen her in before and it’s amazing to watch. And if you needed any other inducement to watch this movie, there’s a scene with both Nichelle Nichols and Jean Simmons down on their knees in dresses up to here shootin’ dice and exhorting; “Give it to me the hard way BABY!”
I couldn't find a clip of that scene but it did see a preview that did not have Nichelle Nichols in it, but maybe I'll rent it this weekend.
The meaning of Uhura (Score:5, Informative)
Not sure why it was not mentioned in the summary since they did mention she picked the name, but the reason she chose the name "Uhura" is that it means "Freedom" in Swahili.
Great actor, that could have easily played a larger role in the series. But as it was she enhanced the bridge crew with an air of competence.
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But as it was she enhanced the bridge crew with an air of competence.
That is my memory of her also.
Re:The meaning of Uhura (Score:5, Informative)
She was reading a book called "Uhuru" -- "freedom" in Swahili -- and suggested her character take the name. Roddenberry thought it was too harsh.
"I said, 'Well, why don't you do an alteration of it, soften the end with an 'A,' and it'll be Uhura?' " she recalled. "He said, 'That's it, that's your name! You named it; it's yours.' "
Re:The meaning of Uhura (Score:5, Insightful)
She really did make that role into much more than it was written as. On paper she was a glorified telephone exchange operator, but Nichols brought that air of competence to it. You felt like Uhura was an expert, with deep scientific knowledge that the other crew could rely on.
an awesome read (Score:4, Interesting)
read this. RIP to a woman who inspired the lives of so many
https://ca.startrek.com/news/n... [startrek.com]
A video... (Score:3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com] for those who don't want to read. ;)
I loved this part - was new to me (Score:5, Informative)
During the show’s third season, Nichols’ character and Shatner’s Capt. James Kirk shared what was described as the first interracial kiss to be broadcast on a U.S. television series. In the episode, “Plato’s Stepchildren,” their characters, who always maintained a platonic relationship, were forced into the kiss by aliens who were controlling their actions. ....
Worried about reaction from Southern television stations, showrunners wanted to film a second take of the scene where the kiss happened off-screen. But Nichols said in her book, “Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories,” that she and Shatner deliberately flubbed lines to force the original take to be used.
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Re:I loved this part - was new to me (Score:5, Insightful)
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You seem to be missing the point, but now you have me wondering when the first "intrahuman" kiss appeared on TV. My recollection is that the original "code" for allowed behaviors on TV was quite restrictive. Something about one shoe-wearing foot always on the floor in any bedroom scene?
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I hate the word interracial. It should be intrahuman.
But that would describe an interaction between any two humans, wouldn't it? Race is a social construct, but the significance of Shatner's and Nichols' kiss was also entirely social. Your word substitution removes all of the social significance, and hence value.
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As you, yourself, said... Race is a social construct. A very negative social construct. We are all humans. That's all that should matter.
After all, MLK wanted a world where people are not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. We were doing quite well for a long time after MLK was assassinated. Were we perfect in trying to bring about his idea? No, but since his untimely death we had made great strides in making the kind of future that he would've liked to see.
Unfortunately
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Unfortunately, the way I see it, things are regressing.
I disagree strongly. You only have to look at polls of the racial attitudes of the younger generations to see enormous progress. I do have some concern that wokeness and cancel culture are provoking an understandable backlash, but I think that will settle down.
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Three words... Critical Race Theory.
The foundation of Critical Race Theory is that there will always be some kind of lower class or in the case of CRT, a lower race. So, when people advocate for CRT, what they're really advocating for the idea of upending every damn thing that MLK fought and died for; the idea that all of, no matter what color we are, we are all human beings created by God in His image and that we are all equal in His eye. CRT will be the end of everything that the civil rights movement fou
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There are lots of ridiculous ivory-tower ideas that, taken to their logical conclusion, would destroy society. Always have been, always will be. Check out Plato's Republic, for one example, and postmodernism for another. Bits and pieces of these ideas often percolate into the mainstream, but they get watered down and lose their existential risk. Not that they don't do any damage -- for example, the GOP has embraced postmodern relativism, resulting in Trump's Big Lie, among others -- but they're ultimately a
She changed the game. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Well said.
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Modern "Star Trek" is not Star Trek. It may have the words "Star Trek" in its name but it's not Star Trek as we old-school fans see Star Trek.
I have no problems with diversity, but it has to be written well into the story line, unfortunately... That's not what we have in modern trek; instead, we have it beaten over our head to the point that it becomes more about pushing "the message" than delivering a good, well-written, story.
That's what all of us old-school fans want, we want good stories. Unfortunately,
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And all that without making the character boring, bland and uninspired.
Why could they do something 50 years ago that they can't get together today?
I'm happy to see she did so much (Score:1)
Always Positive (Score:3)
I've seen many interviews over the years and she and Majel stand out as the cast members who were consistently positive. Grace too, but it was more rare to see her. Anchors who probably made the later productions possible. I doubt the franchise would have been nearly as successful without her.
Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning.
Hailing frequencies are still open (Score:3)
EOM
That star talk interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson (Score:3)
Nichols and Roddenberry were involved? (Score:2, Informative)
https://www.washingtonpost.com... [washingtonpost.com]
"Ms. Nichols worked with series creator Gene Roddenberry, her onetime lover,"
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An Epic Journey (Score:5, Informative)
Apparently, Nichols was dissatisfied with the role after season 1. She had already told Roddenberry she was going to quit the show, and after begging her to stay, he arranged a meeting between Nichols and no less than Martin Luther King, Jr. himself, who gushed about how important he felt Nichols' role was to showing a better way forward out of the turmoil of 60s race relations.
All I saw was a Bridge Officer (Score:2)
and a great actor with an interesting first name - RIP Nichelle.
she signed every autograph (Score:2)