In November 1968, the black actress Nichelle Nichols shared what was a milestone on-screen kiss with her white Star Trek co-star William Shatner.
While African-American actresses before her had often found themselves typecast in roles such as maids or housekeepers, Nichols’ Lieutenant Uhura was light years ahead of her time. The kiss, aired just a year after the US Supreme Court had declared interracial marriage legal, was groundbreaking.
The star would often be asked in interviews about meeting Martin Luther King following the first series in 1966, and would recall with a twinkle in her eye how it was he who encouraged her to stick with Star Trek when she was thinking of leaving for Broadway. And Barack Obama once confirmed he had a crush on her when he was young, she cheekily told the world on Twitter in 2012.
Nichelle Nichols pictured with her Star Trek co-stars Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Deforest Kelley, Walter Koenig and James Doohan. Pic: Paramount Television/Kobal/Shutterstock
A pioneer whose…
