8. Uhura Singing From Charlie X And Conscience Of The King (1966)
Please, don't get us wrong: we love Lieutenant Uhura, just as we love Nichelle Nichols. Not as much as Gene Roddenberry did, if Shatner's tell-all book is anything to go by, but there you go... And the producers must've loved having an accomplished vocal performer in the cast so that they could have her bust out in song whenever they felt the need. Seemingly, though, they eventually came to the same conclusions that we did: we'd prefer to see her doing awesome things like taking over Chekov's station or holding her own in combat on Triskelion than singing; and that her singing absolutely brings an episode to a grinding halt. It only happens twice in the first season, but neither instance is brief. In Charlie X, Uhura is doing a jam session with Spock in the recreation lounge, and when Charlie Evans comes in, she starts making up lyrics about him on the fly. This embarrasses him, and he uses his super powers to take away her voice (much to Spock's amusement, if the image above is any indication). And in Conscience of the King, when Lieutenant Riley calls up to the lounge because he's bored and requests a song, Uhura serenades him with that old standard 'Beyond Antares.' He responds by gagging and collapsing. He's been poisoned by this point, but still, both reactions are reasonable ones to Uhura's singing, we think.
Tony Whitt has previously written TV, DVD, and comic reviews for CINESCAPE, NOW PLAYING, and iF MAGAZINE. His weekly COMICSCAPE columns from the early 2000s can still be found archived on Mania.com. He has also written a book of gay-themed short stories titled CRESCENT CITY CONNECTIONS, available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle format. Whitt currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
