Nichelle Nichols was The First. She was a trailblazer who navigated a very challenging trail with grit, grace, and a gorgeous fire we are not likely to see again.
May she Rest In Peace. #NichelleNichols pic.twitter.com/DONSz6IV2b
— Kate Mulgrew (@TheKateMulgrew) July 31, 2022
My favorite photo of Dad and Nichelle Nichols on set. The importance of Nichelle's legacy cannot be over-emphasized. She was much loved and will be missed. pic.twitter.com/1zlTd4F9BD
— Adam Nimoy (@adam_nimoy) July 31, 2022
INBOX: @POTUS Biden on the death of the great #NichelleNichols: “she shattered stereotypes” and “With a defining dignity and authority, she helped tell a central story that reimagined scientific pursuits and discoveries.” pic.twitter.com/5GMbhfKlVi
— Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) August 1, 2022
We lived long and prospered together. pic.twitter.com/MgLjOeZ98X
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 31, 2022
From the Enterprise bridge to the Oval Office — Nichelle Nichols visits President Barack Obama in February 2012.#StarTrek #NichelleNichols pic.twitter.com/pqVYWYVl8w
— TrekCore.com ?? (@TrekCore) July 31, 2022
RIP, Legend. https://t.co/Ct4Il8zNGt https://t.co/hFqeABXhTd
— Olivier Knox (@OKnox) July 31, 2022
Y’all, @nichelleisuhuru.
Heartbroken at the news of her passing, however, I am comforted in the knowledge that she illuminated the way for so of us many with her grace, beauty, talent, intelligence and her commitment to humanity going boldly to the stars! #godess #queen
???????????? pic.twitter.com/ye08mXzs3B— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) July 31, 2022
We celebrate the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. She partnered with us to recruit some of the first women and minority astronauts, and inspired generations to reach for the stars. pic.twitter.com/pmQaKDb5zw
— NASA (@NASA) July 31, 2022
Legend. https://t.co/JuVL2tSnoq
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) July 31, 2022
One of my most treasured photos – Godspeed to Nichelle Nichols, champion, warrior and tremendous actor. Her kindness and bravery lit the path for many. May she forever dwell among the stars. #RIPNichelle #Uhura pic.twitter.com/nFXHif8HEC
— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) July 31, 2022
We’re deeply saddened to report the passing of Nichelle Nichols – a trailblazer, an inspiration, and so much more. She will be deeply missed. https://t.co/iBwyOPaxTP
— Star Trek (@StarTrek) July 31, 2022
… Back in 2010, StarTrek.com interviewed Nichols with questions submitted by fans. That conversation ended with this question, “How does it feel to know you’ve inspired so many people — like Dr. Mae Jemison and Whoopi Goldberg, who are a couple of your more famous fans — but also so many others, people you may never even have met?” Nichols paused for a moment, and then replied, “People keep saying, ‘You’ve inspired women of color.’ And I say, ‘Yes, Black, white, yellow, brown, red and probably some with green blood and pointy ears!’ Gene’s brilliance was in casting people from all over the Earth, and an alien. It made everyone feel like they belonged. I wasn’t a Black communications officer. I was a communications officer who happened to be from Africa, who happened to have brown skin. So I have had women of all stripes tell me how Uhura inspired them to reach for the stars. I’ve had women who’ve named their children after Uhura, and even after Nichelle.”
“That is the way life is supposed to be,'” concluded Nichols. “What Gene did by casting us helped change society, change the way people thought, change the world. It’s amazing. He wanted [Star Trek] to be a reflection of the world, and that’s what happened.”
I will never forget when Nichelle Nichols slipped the best joke in all of TOS past the censors. #RIPNichelle pic.twitter.com/XijxSdF9Hh
— Subrote?????????????? (@SubRoteGifs) July 31, 2022
Mike in NC
“All hailing frequencies are open”
lashonharangue
@Mike in NC: Not for me. The post doesn’t seem to be loading properly.
RaflW
I can’t believe she put up with such a massive bluetooth earbud, though.
May she rest in peace.
I loved Star Trek, not least because it was a show my brother and I at ages 14 and 11 could watch with my mostly TV-adverse dad. And I do think the diversity of casting Ms. Nichols talks about sunk in even when I was a kid (in a nearly all-white suburb). The future felt polyglot, and that was good.
brendancalling
Safe and prosperous travels, Ms. Nichols. Good luck wherever you are!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I was wondering if Shatner had said anything. Kind of surprised he’s on twitter
geg6
@RaflW:
Not to mention a woman in a position of authority and skill who was respected for that by her co-workers. Even a little white girl like me who watched TOS in first runs (I was 7 or 8 then and my brother would open my bedroom door so I could watch, which had a direct view to the tv since my bedtime was well before TOS was originally shown), I idolized her. She made me feel that I could do anything. A very powerful message to little girls in the mid-60s.
prostratedragon
Outro:
rikyrah
MLK Jr. Persuaded Ms. Nichols to stay on the show.
https://youtu.be/pSq_UIuxba8
satby
This tweet right here 😭😭😭💔
Alison Rose 💙🌻💛
@geg6: Same. My mom loved Star Trek and the reruns were on constantly when I was growing up in the 80s. As a little white girl in a very white suburb, I don’t think at that time I understood the importance of her role for Black women, but I definitely loved seeing this beautiful and powerful woman up there with the men. Years later, a Black female teacher I had (for creative writing) talked to the class one day about Nichols and her impact, and it was like a retroactive lightbulb went on over my head.
Villago Delenda Est
As I mentioned in one of the earlier threads, Star Trek was woke in the cradle. Gene Roddenberry intended it to be that way, and the fact that ethnicity, with the possible exception of Chekov, who was added after the USSR noted their role in the exploration of space, was pretty much irrelevant in the 23rd Century. I do not doubt that my attitude toward “others” was heavily influenced by Star Trek.
Villago Delenda Est
@rikyrah:
One of the wonderful things about that story is that Nichols was expecting “her biggest fan” to be some 12 year old.
swbarnes2
@Villago Delenda Est: The other story that gets told a lot is young Whoopi Goldberg being very excited that there was a black woman on TV who wasn’t a maid!
gwangung
George continued his tribute to Nichelle on Facebook today. I think folks around here would be interested in what he had to say:
Joey Maloney
I thought I was the only person who ever noticed that “Sorry, neither!”
Anne Laurie
@gwangung: Thank you for sharing that!
Ruckus
@Villago Delenda Est:
I was 12 when I started working for my dad. Summer and weekends I’d ride with him to work. One of his employees was Richard. Richard was a black man, about the size of a NFL lineman. Arms way bigger than my legs. He was a wise and gentle man who took me under his wing. He treated me like a fellow employee, not like the bosses kid. He treated me like his son. I’ve had the opportunity to be in his position since and I always remember Richard. He moved away a couple of years later, but I’m always reminded of the way he treated me and the respect for others, which I understood but it’s different when it’s directed towards you. I have always hoped that he knew that he gave me a gift that I’ve cherished for 6 decades.
Ruckus
@gwangung:
Reading this after my comment at 17, about Richard, is of course different, I knew him a shorter time, but the personality traits are very similar. I’ve never forgotten his face or his voice, just being a human being. Ms. Nichols and Richard strike me as two humans with remarkable similarity, and yes of course vast differences, but one trait was that anyone who meets either of them is better off in life for whatever time they knew them. I am.