10 Times Star Trek Showed Us That There Is A Chance At A Progressive Future
1. Lt. Uhura, Nichelle Nichols And Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. - The Civil Rights Movement
The '60s in America were a time of great upheaval and change. 1963 would see Martin Luther King Jnr. give his famous 'I have a dream' speech, while 1964 would see Sidney Poitier win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
In 1966, Star Trek debuted and there, for all to see, sat Lt. Uhura on the bridge. She was essential to the running of the ship, called upon in almost every episode. She thought of leaving the show at the end of the first season, but was dissuaded from doing so by Dr. King.
According to Nichols, he told her that Star Trek was the only show that he and his wife Corine would allow their three children to stay up and watch. He didn't even hear her reasons for wanting to leave because, as soon as she told him, he said 'You can't! You're a part of history.'
Not only did she remain with the show for the rest of its run, but she returned for the Animated Series (where Uhura takes command in one episode) and for the movies that followed, finishing with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Astronaught Mae Jemison, who once cameoed in The Next Generation, cites Uhura as her inspiration for her career choice, while Whoopi Goldberg credits Nichols with depicting a black woman on screen as an equal to her white counterparts.