Activist Bernice King paid tribute to the late Star Trek star Nichelle Nichols, praising what her performance as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura symbolized for so many."Representation matters. Excellence in representation matters even more. Thank you, #NichelleNichols. Rest well, ancestor," King, the daughter of legendary Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr., wrote on Twitter following Nichols' death at age 89. King also included an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article from 2021 recalling how her father persuaded Nichols not to quit Star Trek. According to Nichols, she, while attending an NAACP function, ran into King, who professed to be a Star Trek fan and convinced her of Uhura's importance in mainstream television, saying, "This is not a Black role, and this is not a female role. You have the first non-stereotypical role on television, male or female."RELATED: Star Trek's Zoe Saldana Pays Tribute to Original Uhura Actor, Nichelle Nichols

After news broke that Nichols died of natural causes, her life and career were eulogized by actors, Star Trek co-stars, political figures and activists alike on social media. William Shatner, who played USS Enterprise captain James T. Kirk, said Nichols was a "beautiful woman & played an admirable character that did so much for redefining social issues both here in the US & throughout the world." Hikaru Sulu actor George Takei shared a photo of him and Nichols at a convention doing the Vulcan Salute together, writing, "We lived long and prospered together." She was further mourned by Star Trek actors across every series from The Next Generation to Strange New Worlds, including the Kelvin Timeline's Zoe Saldana and Strange New Worlds' Celia Rose Gooding, the only two actors to play Uhura in live-action outside of Nichols.

First appearing in Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969, Uhura served as the Enterprise's lead Communications Officer and a key member of the ship's Bridge Team. While not the first black character on television, Nichols' characterization of Uhura was groundbreaking for the era, depicting a black woman in a position of authority rather than stereotypical parts like a criminal or maid. She and Shatner also performed one of the first notable interracial kisses on television in the episode "Plato's Stepchildren," with both actors deliberately messing up alternate takes so that NBC executives would have to air the kiss in Southern states.

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Following the show's cancelation, Nichols would reprise her role in Star Trek: The Animated series and the first six theatrical Star Trek films. She also served as a NASA ambassador in the 1970s, assisting in the recruitment of the United States' first female astronauts and astronauts of color like Sally Ride and Guy Bluford.

Source: Twitter