Star Trek fans from around the world are coming together to celebrate Nichelle Nichols' birthday. The fan-favorite actress portrayed Lieutenant Nyota Uhura throughout various Star Trek TV shows and movies, and is one of the most memorable Black women on a sci-fi franchise. Uhura was one of the main cast members of Star Trek: The Original Series, along with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, George Takei as Hikaru Sulu, and Walter Kroenig as Pavel Chekov. She also portrayed Uhura on all six Star Trek movies featuring the cast from The Original Series. Born on December 28, 1932, Nichols is celebrating her 89th birthday today, and fans are showing their love and appreciation for her on social media.
The official Star Trek Twitter account shared a message to Nichols, encouraging fans to join in the birthday celebration. "Join us in wishing a very happy birthday to @NichelleIsUhura! In celebration, share your favorite Uhura moments. #StarTrek #StarTrekFamily," the tweet reads. A photo of Nichelle Nichols was also posted next to a "Happy Birthday, Nichelle Nichols!" message inside the Star Trek symbol.
She is also the focus of a documentary film released on Paramount+ in June titled Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA. Directed by Todd Thompson, the film is a documentary chronicling Nichols' work on the NASA recruiting program. The documentary features interviews and appearances by Neil deGrasse Tyson, George Takei, Pharrell Williams, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Vivica A. Fox, Water Koenig, Rod Roddenberry, Michael Dorn, Guy Bluford, Charles Bolden, Ivor Dawson, Frederik Gregory, and Benjamin Crump.
The official synopsis reads:
"Woman in Motion chronicles how Nichols transformed her sci-fi television stardom into a real-life science career when, in 1977, she embarked on a campaign to bring diversity to NASA. Nichols formed the company Women In Motion, Inc. and recruited more than 8,000 African American, Asian and Latino women and men for the agency. Nichols and her program continue to influence the younger generation of astronauts as well, including Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut in space. Despite an uphill battle against a bureaucracy that was hesitant to let her get involved, Nichols persevered and is credited by NASA for turning it into one of the most diverse independent agencies in the United States Federal Government."
Nichols helped christen the real-world International Federation of Trekkers headquarters in Huron, Ohio. The Federation is the only Star Trek fan club that received approval from creator Gene Roddenberry at its founding.