Obituary for Nichelle Nichols
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The woman who was more than just Uhura
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The artist her signature role: Nichelle Nichols as radio officer Uhura on the bridge of the “Enterprise”.
Photo: dpa/Chris Pizzello
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The Angels Nichelle Nichols is dead, but Uhura, the radio operator she portrayed in Starship Enterprise starring Captain Kirk and Mister Spock, is immortal. Obituary for a woman with many talents, to whom real space travel owes a lot.
One evening in 1932, when Nichelle Nichols was still a baby in her mother’s womb, Al Capone’s brother visited her childhood home. In retaliation for the raid on an illegal mob club, the mayor of Robbins, Illinois, near Chicago, was to die. The gangsters were convinced that Samuel Nichols had first collected large bribes and then betrayed them. According to legend, Nichols snapped at the criminals that he had never accepted their dirty money and would have died rather than do so. The mafiosi then called off the planned execution, impressed by the chutzpah of Nichols’ parents – their mother had hidden a live pistol between her baby bump and a pillow. According to Nichols’ autobiography, Beyond Uhura, Capone walked away shaking her head, laughing, and complimenting her mother.
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;)
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9 pictures “Star Trek” crew – This became the crew of the Enterprise
Photo: dpa/Bob Galbraith
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;)
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18 pictures “Scotty, beam us up” – 50 years of the Starship Enterprise
Photo: dpa
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The Nichols’ were an unusual family; Descendants of slave owners and slaves united in love. Nichelle Nichols’ grandfather was proud to have been disowned and disinherited by his family for this reason. Nichelle Nichols herself defined this attitude throughout her life. On Saturday, the artist, who had recently suffered from dementia, died at the age of 89 after an underexposed career between singing, dancing and acting.
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Above all, “Star Trek” fans and the Afro-American community mourn with their bereaved. As radio operator Uhura on the legendary “Spaceship Enterprise” she was a pioneer in 1966: It was one of the first leading roles by an African-American woman. Revolutionary by the standards of the time, Nichols played the communication specialist with self-confidence, charm and a kind of subliminal eroticism that was never cheap. She even maintained a constant flirt with the proverbially hypothermic Mister Spock.
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Nichols was grateful for the job but tired of Hollywood’s more or less overt racism and sexism. After the end of the first season in early 1967, she was drawn back to her great loves of dance and singing. Before Star Trek she had worked with the likes of Duke Ellington, Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis Junior.
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