A Conversation with Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek's Uhura (1994) 

Nichelle Nichols may have been - rightfully - disappointed with the relatively limited scope of the part of Uhura on Star Trek, but regardless of the scarcity of lines she had, her presence was a massive factor for the show because of the sheer charisma and radiance of her persona. She's the total package. She exudes personality, intellect, charm and warmth and that made her a key character in the creation of that groundbreaking show. She embodied much of what made Star Trek so enduring and endearing. I also happen to think that she is one of the most beautiful women ever featured on television. Even her distinctive voice is absolutely beautiful.

Pleasure growing up knowing you better Ms.Nichols very, very saddened to read of your passing at age 89 today by son Kyle of natural causes RIP hugs Xo

I love to listen to her interviews. Ms. Nicholls is so articulate, cultured and speaks with such passion and thoughtfullness.

Nichelle, Rest in Peace - Rise in Power!

I had the pleasure of meeting Nichelle at a convention in Leicester, England in the 80s. She was wonderful: friendly, charming and very patient with her fans, including me.

Nichelle Nichols. What a beautiful soul. Only heard her sing on Star Trek TOS. Fabulous to hear about Duke Ellington asking her to sing. Oh my. What a voice she has.

Whenever I see NIchelle on the orignal series and they show a closeup of her face I'm just melted by her absolute beauty. OMG she was so beautiful.

Nichelle has such a beautiful sense of style and grace, just look at her outfit and jewelry and the manner in which she speaks her enthusiasm her sense of self. What a terrific role model she was for me and I'm just an old white dude who grew up during the '60s. I adored Star Trek and continue to to this day.

That was one terrific interview. Nichelle Nichols isn't just Uhura. She embodied that role, yes, but more than that...she's one great person.

She was the Voice of the Starship Enterprise. Beyond her part in Star Trek, and all that her very presence there achieved, and it was much, I have to say GOD! how I love hearing his woman sing!

what a lovely beautiful woman in multiple dimensions. who brings such a good attitude, and acts from the heart of love. my earliest memories include watching addams family and star trek on a big old black and white TV with tubes in the back. on star trek, you were the communications officer - the space version of ham radio operator. when i was building my first AM crystal radio.. it was the first wee steps in electronics, and radio, and then computers, and ultimately an IT carreer. you put us in touch with space, with your earpiece listening in on the universe, catching the pulse of the time. it is a treasure to hear your stories from behind the scenes after all these years. thank you for a good interview, and a real conversation. 🙏🏻 🖤 ✨

What a wonderful interview

When I started watching this video I was planning on commenting that she is an incredible woman. Now that I have watched the entire video, I would not want to place any restrictions on her, so it would be more appropriate to state that she is an incredible human being.

Beautiful. This is the best interview of Nichelle Nichols that I have ever seen. Nichelle is presented as herself; not as Lt. Uhura. What a pleasant experience. What a beautiful woman. I am so glad I found this post.

Nichelle is just as beautiful as her mother. Intelligence, grace, and compassion clearly came down from her parents, as well.

Thank you for making this 1994 interview available. Wow! I had the pleasure of meeting her at a convention in NYC in 2019. You don't meet a legend every day. I'll never forget it!

I discovered her on Star Trek, and lived for her singing. She was spectacular, and I waited and waited for more development of her character, Uhura...in vain. I immediately bought her autobiography, which was NOT ghostwritten. Another example of her intellectual brilliance. I, too, loved space travel and NASA.

Nichelle is just wonderful. I love her.

Peace and Blessings to an EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN BEING. ❤️💕♥️💕❤️

Best interview of the series.... wow!

What a Beautiful Woman.... So proud of her..

Great interview ! Thank you for producing and sharing it with us. Requiescat in pace, Nichelle.

Michelle , You are wonderful , I follow seen Star Trek ( I am 59 year old...).. Thank you always...🌹🌹💖😗🖖🖖

I was heartbroken when I learned of her passing. I actually got to meet her in 1987. I was so starstruck, it was just silly. I mean, this is Commander Uhura!! I only had enough money to get a bumper sticker. It said "he's dead Jim. YOU grab the tricorder, I'll get his wallet". She read it and laughed. She had to ask me twice who she should make the autograph to, because, you k ow, star struck!! She was so elegant, gracious, kind, sweet and beautiful!! I will never forget the chance I had to meet her. Nothing but class, that Lady.

The person who watches this amazing lady speak in this way, and does not love her for it, I do not want to know.

She is so wonderful to listen to, she is a great interview.

These interviews are really nice to listen to! Well done!

I only became interested in finding out about Nichelle Nichols, after my son informed me, just yesterday, of her passing. In the midst of this wonderful interview, I became sold on getting her book. I went immediately to Amazon & purchased it. Amazing woman! Just the kind of woman my daughter needs to get to know. She'll be the kind of inspiration & spark my daughter needs; just like Ben Carson's 'Gifted Hands' was to my youngest son. I'll read it first, though. I'm a trekkie from way back. Rest in Him, Ms. Nichols. Shalom.🌌🌠

Beautiful, articulate human being. Bless her, always. You shine with the stars, Nichelle.

Great interview, I'm a little surprised more people haven't watched it.

What a bright and wonderfully warm woman she was and so beautiful. She is one of the few celebrities I would have wanted to meet.

She’s still gorgeous.

R.I.P. NICHELLE NICHOLS. GREAT MEMORIES OF "STAR TREK" FROM U.K. (2022).

glad you posted these Star Trek interviews. Nice to see the interviews at a time before they got too old

Incredible lady. So talented, and so beautiful.

Wonderful and inspiring interview!

I’m in love. What a mind. What a beauty.

I have watched all of the "Conversation with" interviews and they are outstanding! Paul you are are one of the best interviewers I've ever seen!!!

She seems real interesting. It would be cool talking to her. What a wonderful story.

Just now watching this interview as I write this and I keep saying to myself is " Wow".

Nichelle Nichols 😥 in memoriam perpetua!

RIP Dear ❤

Best of the Star Trek interviews, what an incredible life. Good thing NASA didn't hire Bill Cosby, btw.

SHE WAS ONE HELL OF AN ACTOR THAT ROLL THAT SHE USED WAS GREAT AND THE ON SCENE

Uhura is a favorite of mine. To hear and see Nichelle is great and just makes me love her that much more. What a wonderful person.

I love you Nichelle Nichols. ❤🖖

One word describes her “Lady”!

WOW .... WOW .... *W O W*

RIP lovely lady.

A great singer, dancer, and trail blazer black actress in Star Trek. She had depth as an actress in her role as a madam in movie Truck Turner, although she didn't like this role, she was brilliant and stole the spot light from the other lead actors. RIP Ms.Nichols.

Love your definition of faith... or meditation... made me rethink - Buddhism... never bought a manmade religion... great interview!

I love her definition of faith

Nyota Uhura as in command of the Communications Department just like Scotty was in command of Engineering. It's just we never got to see Comms, or the people under her other than Palmer. In any event, there was surely more to the Comms department than just that one little console on the Bridge. Much much more. Plus in the very first scene of Star Trek ever, "The Man Trap", Uhura is manning the nav station of the helm and she does so a few other times as well. Clearly multitalented just like her "Mom", Nichelle Nichols.

She was a strong person woman because in the day no black person or really a black women was I heard unheard of on tv being a star or doing something on tv. Different rights back then. They did not wine about anything like some people do now. Old school and strong 💪 women. Bless her and others like her.

In the in the beginning Nicole probably was limited however as time grew for character grew and when I had the wonderful chance to meet her the few times that I had she proved to be another fantastic and in her case a very attractive and exciting woman as well as a many faceted woman

Nichelle u're a Legend not only for black women , I love you so much for what u have done for all of us 🤗

The world has lost a Great Soul, and the Stars now have that Bright Soul in their midst.

Nichelle was a mother figure when I was a child. Being mixed race with a white mother she was the missing part of my identity through Uhura (sure, saw it as a re-run and she's 10 years older than my mother). When I heard she was subject to elder abuse (tweet from Walter Koenig) my reaction was totally protective (all thoughts concluded with I'd seem a crazy fanboy to tell her) - it still hurts she ended her life with that sort of pain. Beautiful in so many ways from birth to the end.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Please can someone tell me how get video copy of this particular concert. She not only does singing style of Ella Fitzgerald, but least six other famous female singers including Lena Horne.

Rest in peace

r.i.p.🖖🥀🥀

To 🌙 be young gifted and Black 🔳 🔲 What is a good 👍 commitment in our world 🌎 ♥. Our Lord Christ continues to show He has the Masterplan.

Wow, Nichelle refused to compromise her dignity for sexual favors, in 1950! Many women succumbed to lure of power, since 1950. But, during a time of wall-to-wall LEGAL discrimination and a culture of violence....Nichelle chose patience and dignity, over desperation. Geez, what a fascinating story!! Also, I didn't know her grandfather was Caucasian. OR, the other crucial point: NICHELLE is the key to Mae Jemison becoming the first, Black female astronaut. Dr. King was right. Nichelle's father was right. And Nichelle choosing to walk away from the MGM producer opened an even bigger door for her, 16 years after. From her ballerina story....to her singing and unlimited mind.....Nichelle made so many statements, by simply LIVING. She's a prime example of humans experiencing this life, without mental restrictions.

The Star Trek KISS was not the first interracial on network TV. Check out the 1967 NBC special Movin' With Nancy where Nancy Sinatra kisses Sammy Davis Jr. a full year before ST.

Not only very beautiful, very sexy, intelligent, funny, quick-witted, thoughtful and a very good actress she back in the 1970s when many young white guys like me in the UK, made us totally forget she was black and we all fancied her like mad, would have love to have had her as a girlfriend, a friend, work with or even been our boss, which n the 1970s very few young white guys would have felt about any black women in real life they came across. The wise, sensible and decent effect she had on racial equality which Star Trek very much represented back then, I would say is up there with Martin Luther King in terms of changing traditional racist thinking which I grew up with from my parents. But what has happened now after BLM and the ridiculous false representation in films and TV of historical figures i.e. Jane Boleyn and unrealistic representation of black and white couples in adverts plus the 'fear' of cancel culture by being accused of being a racist has undone all the hard work she did, because NOW having all my life primarily not been racist, I now find where I live, if I see a black person I NOW notice them very much and feel very wary of them. That is not good at all and is totally opposite to Nichelle Nicholls would have wanted and achieved.

L'importanza di Star Trek non è stata quella di divertire il pubblico, ma è stata quella di far pensare al pubblico americano cosa il razzismo stava portando in quel periodo. Ho sempre sostenuto che dietro a Star Trek c'era un messaggio filosofico contro il razzismo, e questo docufilm lo mette in evidenza. Il personaggio di Uhura fu fondamentale per quello che sarebbe stato poi un modello afroamericano nelle emancipazione delle donne afroamericane, ma anche degli uomini afroamericani. Questo personaggio è stato in grado, di creare un ponte di unione tra le due etnie. Ma questo non fu messo in evidenza dallo sceneggiatore di Star Trek, fu messo in evidenza dal Martin Luther King. Il predicatore afroamericano chiese a Nichelle Nichols Supporters Society Group di continuare nel personaggio del Tenente Uhura perché, anche se inconsapevolmente, quel personaggio stava modificando il modo di pensare nelle donne nere negli Stati Uniti d'America, attraverso quel personaggio quelle donne stavano capendo che era possibile andare oltre gli stereotipi e potevano diventare quello che è quel personaggio era nella commedia di fantascienza, Star Trek. E questo fu molto importante. Il resto è storia.

Wow, she is 88! When was this recorded?

I can't help, but feel like her every sentence carries the message, "I'm so special, you can't even imagine" and honestly, it's quite annoying to listen to her.. I know she has achieved many important things, but from her words I can only hear conceited pride and pointing to herself as something otherworldly, extremely special and one of a kind.. I don't want to diminish her achievements, but there were people who achieved more and did not have this attitude..

A very intelgent women and believes in God ,faith a word for no explanation??????

I would have never married in 1999 if it weren't for Nichelle Nichols. My wife was black and never having seen Uhura kiss Kirk would have never found her and it would have been a big loss in my life. I'm sure it wasn't as tough for us as it was for the Nichols, but we did not have an easy time at the beginning of our relationship. She was JUST like Miss Nichols... beautiful, intelligent, funny, interesting, and ambitious.