Nichols remembered being interested in space and the future when she was a little girl.
“I thought about the possibility of traveling in space and exploring other worlds.
“There were complaints from the front office.
The studio was like, ‘There’s a woman on the ship!'”
“[Uhura] was strong, confident, and well-written.
The studio nearly lost their minds and there would be re-writes.”
However, she had a fateful encounter with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a fundraising event.
Nichelle Nichols’ decision to stay with Star Trek, and her lasting impact
Nichelle Nichols toldDr.
Kingthat she was going to leave the role, and he told her point blank that she could not.
“Your role is not a Black role.
And it’s not a female role.
[Gene] can fill it with anything.”
At first, Nichols was not happy.
“I remember being angry … ‘Why me?'”
However, she ultimately didn’t regret her decision to stay.
“I’ve never looked back.
I’ve never regretted it,” she said (viaYouTube).
Nichols went on to find other ways of making a lasting impact.
At 18 years old, she met and married dancer Foster Johnson, perBlack History.
She and Foster had a son, Kyle, but the couple got divorced that same year.
In 2013, Nichols was diagnosed with dementia.
It seemed as though she was happy with the way her life turned out.
And I’ve learned so much more about myself.
Yes, I think Nichelle Nichols has turned out rather good.”
