HOUSTON (Celestis PR) — “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,” Kyle Johnson, Nichelle’s son said in a statement shared on Nichols’ official site.
“Her’s was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.”
Later this year, she will fly again on a ship named “Enterprise”, joined by her son’s DNA. Traveling with them is beloved crew-mate James “Scotty” Doohan, and Star Trek’s first family, creator Gene Roddenberry & Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. This memorial space flight is a true mission of exploration, sending the Celestis spacecraft carrying DNA or cremated remains on a permanent celestial journey, well beyond our Earth-Moon system.
In 1966, Nichols –then 33 years old – became one of the first black television stars, arguably changing the world and how it viewed racial and gender roles. She is best known for her groundbreaking portrayal of Lt. Nyota Uhura in “Star Trek: The Original Series,” Actress Whoopi Goldberg, who later starred in Star Trek: The Next Generation, remarked in a recent interview, “Nichelle was the first black person I’d ever seen who made it to the future. She was head of communications. This show and this woman was a beacon that said yes, we’ll be there. And it just made me feel like that was an amazing thing, and she helped propel other women to go into space.”
Nichols remembered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as saying to her, “Do you not understand what God has given you? You have the first important non-traditional role, a non-stereotypical role. You cannot abdicate your position. You are changing the minds of people across the world, because for the
first time, through you, we see ourselves and what can be.”
Nichols’ status as a role model would also impact actual spaceflight.
During the mid-1970s, NASA sought new astronauts for its Space Shuttle program. The program would utilize not just test pilots but a diverse array of scientists. And for the first time, NASA openly welcomed women and minorities to its astronaut corps.
Nichols’ public service campaign – conducted by her wearing a bright blue NASA flight suit – convinced thousands of potential candidates to apply to the astronaut program. Her clarion call, “This is your NASA,” inspired qualified candidates, including Sally Ride and Guy Bluford, to sign up.
Nichols passed away in late July at age 89, and is survived by her son, Kyle Johnson. She is remembered as a television legend and a civil rights pioneer, showing millions a hopeful vision of humanity’s future.
Her vision, along with that of Gene Roddenberry’s, continues to inspire generations. In her words: Star Trek represented, and still does represent, the future we can have, a future that is beyond the petty squabbles we are dealing with here on Earth, now as much as ever, and we are able to devote ourselves to the betterment of all humankind by doing what we do so well: explore. This kind of a future isn’t impossible – and we need to all rethink our priorities to really bring that vision to life.
