Space, the final frontier, not only of mystery and unexplored possibility, but also of fashion. Nichelle Nichols first joined the crew of the USS Enterprise in 1966 as Nyota Uhura. This character would soon change history.
At first, Star Trek just felt like a cheap little show cobbled together on NBC to fill airspace and let people see a show in space. Instead, it proved a vessel not only to show the future we could have in the next hundred years, but also the future we could make now.
During the show’s original broadcast, the Civil Rights Movement was in full force. Nichols, landing a role she wanted, was fully prepared to walk away from the show until a quiet voice told her to stay. That voice belonged to civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He told her that Star Trek was the only show he allowed his daughters to watch late because it featured a black woman in a place of power and equality. This gave her the incentive to stay on the show and also share the first interracial kiss on national television.
The rest is history.
As God raised Nichols up to heaven, we are left with her amazing legacy that got black girls, like me, into STEM and also interested in her ethereal look. Many people of color, and especially black girls, are fascinated by the “space girl” aesthetic. A mix of 60s and 70s style hairstyles and colorful makeup. This is especially shown in the cover of Beyoncè’s latest album, “Renaissance”.
The bright galactic horse, the diamonds covering her body and the dark background evoking the endless void of space. This is black space girl perfection at its highest potential, and it couldn’t have been created without the first Nichols to lead the way. Not only was Beyoncè inspired by her, but also artists like Doja Cat on her album, “Planet Her”, especially in the video for the song “Kiss Me More”.
Finally, we have the black princess of pop, Rihanna, who did a song for 2016’s Star Trek Beyond called “Sledgehammer.” In this video, instead of portraying herself as Uhura or even a human member of Starfleet, Rihanna appears as an alien.
The contributions that Nichols left us are legendary and have inspired not only many people, but also me. It was her boundary-breaking role that showed black people that the sky is not only the limit, but also the stars. Of all the spirits I have known, hers was the most human.
