Following the death of Nichelle Nichols many stars and fans have paid tribute.
Zoe Saldana paid homage to her Star Trek predecessor via Instagram. Saldana, who played Lt. Uhura in the recent Star Trek Kelvin timeline films, shared photos she took with Nichols following her debut in the franchise.
“We have lost a true star- a unique artist who was ahead of her time always,” Saldana wrote. “She’s an icon, an activist and most importantly, an amazing woman- who blazed a trail that has shown so many how to see women of colour in a different light. Her strive for equality was unwavering.
“Meeting Nichelle was truly a very special moment in my life. Her energy was infectious every time I was in her presence. She convinced me in believing that anything was achievable if you put your heart into it. I mean, she inspired Mae Jemison to follow her dreams of becoming an astronaut, and that’s exactly what Mae did.”
She knew she had “big shoes to fill” when she was cast as Uhura in Star Trek, Saldana explained, but Nichols advised her to told her to “embody the character with all the confidence in the world.”
Celia Rose Gooding is the latest actress to take on the iconic role of Nyota Uhura in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She credited Nichols with making room “for so many of us.”
“She was the reminder that not only can we reach the stars, but our influence is essential to their survival,” Gooding tweeted. “Forget shaking the table, she built it!”
Leave a Reply