# RIP, Nichelle Nichols; Lt. Uhura **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [July 31, 2022, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884 "2022-07-31T19:19:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/41 "2022-08-01T16:31:00Z")
Funny how it was usually Sulu left in charge if Scotty was part of the away party. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/42 "2022-08-01T16:41:41Z")
How many times though where Uhura was still on the ship? I feel like she beamed down more often than Sulu. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/43 "2022-08-01T16:46:47Z")
Yes, that’s it. Do you know which book that was from? I flipped through my copy of Whitfield’s book very briefly but didn’t see it. My copy of Gerrold’s book got lent out and never returned about 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/44 "2022-08-01T19:22:45Z")
Must have been Gerrold’s, as I did not read the other but I recognized “…but comely” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/45 "2022-08-01T20:06:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > … (Doohan did struggle with alcohol for some years)… As did Nimoy, alas. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/46 "2022-08-01T20:37:46Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > My copy of Gerrold’s book got lent out and never returned about 30 years ago. Yeah, yeah, I’m almost finished. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/47 "2022-08-01T21:34:14Z")
It is from one of Gerrold’s. Whether his first or his second, I don’t recall. There was another funny Uhura moment that came while they were filming “The Squire of Gothos.” William Campbell as Treylane inadvertently referred to her as a “Nubian slave” instead of a “Nubian maid.” To which Nichelle replied “I’ll kick you in the ankle!” No disrespect to Nichelle, but I’ve never bought the “She’s fourth in the chain of command” line, even if it did come from Dorothy Fontana. It makes no sense to have a junior Communications Officer take command of the ship when there’s an experienced helmsman and senior TO/WO (Sulu) already on the bridge. Beverly Crusher taking command in _ **TNG** _ made even less sense, but then so did a great many other things that time around. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/48 "2022-08-01T21:56:53Z")
Alexa would replace Uhura. 😉 Alexa, open hailing frequencies. But Uhura brings more personality to the job. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/49 "2022-08-01T23:02:20Z")
I loved it when she said “If I have to open hailing frequencies one more time, I’m going to blow up this goddamned panel!” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2022, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/50 "2022-08-01T23:28:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I loved it when she said “If I have to open hailing frequencies one more time, I’m going to blow up this goddamned panel!” - Considering how often they blew up, that’s not much of a threat. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/51 "2022-08-02T00:24:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > No disrespect to Nichelle, but I’ve never bought the “She’s fourth in the chain of command” line, even if it did come from Dorothy Fontana. It makes no sense to have a junior Communications Officer take command of the ship when there’s an experienced helmsman and senior TO/WO (Sulu) already on the bridge. > > Beverly Crusher taking command in _ **TNG** _ made even less sense, but then so did a great many other things that time around. Yeah I never got that either. If she was 4th in line they should have written in some connection to Spock and the science station. It’s not like they spent money on props. They had Spock calculating stuff with an E6B aviation slide rule. I always wondered why they didn’t exploit her looks. She was quite the heartthrob for young boys and they clearly decided to add eye candy to the versions that followed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/52 "2022-08-02T00:29:39Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I always wondered why they didn’t exploit her looks. Her blackness was quite a big obstacle in those days. Easy to forget just how far we’ve come. Roddenberry had quite a struggle getting the studios to even accept a black person in a role as large as that. Despite the fact her role was actually very circumscribed. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/53 "2022-08-02T00:48:08Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Her blackness was quite a big obstacle in those days. Easy to forget just how far we’ve come. Roddenberry had quite a struggle getting the studios to even accept a black person in a role as large as that. Despite the fact her role was actually very circumscribed. That’s very possible but she would have trended high in any focus group. As I recall there were a lot of camera shots of her [looking UP](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/07/nichelle-nichols-pioneering-star-trek-actress-and-nasa-recruiter-dies-at-age-89) when was sitting at her station on the Enterprise. They knew she was hot. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/54 "2022-08-02T04:36:34Z")
George Takei on Twitter said, “For today, my heart is heavy, my eyes shining like the stars you now rest among, my dearest friend.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/55 "2022-08-02T15:26:39Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > They knew she was hot. Anybody who doubts this should watch “Mirror, Mirror.” Either Takei was genuinely aroused or he’s an even better actor than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/56 "2022-08-02T15:29:51Z")
Decent chance you are underselling his acting. He is gay. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/57 "2022-08-02T15:46:56Z")
In the episode where she’s working on the communications system (“Who Mourns for Adonais,” I think), there’s a brief moment (Unless it’s been edited out in the remastered version) when she looks straight into the camera after Spock tells her no one’s better for the job. What happened next should have gone into the blooper reel: She said “He loves me!” and started singing. Nimoy reacted by saying “Carry on, Lieutenant.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/58 "2022-08-02T15:49:33Z")
**[VOICE OF ZERO MOSTEL]:** No kidding. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/59 "2022-08-02T15:55:39Z")
All Bridge Officers are capable of command. It’s necessary. 60s were still quite misogynistic. All females on the show are called “girl,” and are often portrayed as quite helpless. Nurse Chapel gets to babysit any kids on the show. And the position/rank of “yeoman” is always ASSUMED to be a woman, generally one assigned to a messy male officer, to clean up his cabin, bring him refreshments, and be otherwise subservient. We’ve come a long way, Baby! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884/60 "2022-08-02T16:11:39Z")
She was certainly more necessary than Troi. I’d never buy Deanna in command. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-nichelle-nichols-lt-uhura/968884.md?page=4)