Gene Roddenberry’s positive view of the future is what made Star Trek stand apart from other sci-fi franchises. The original series may have starred William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, but the importance given to non-white actors like Nichelle Nichols and George Takei because of how he felt 300 years in the future would make the show very important.
Nichols played the character of Uhura and was one of the most important actresses on TV at the time. She was one of the few African-American actresses who had such a huge and non-stereotypical role in TV at the time. However, she reportedly considered leaving the show after the first season and would not heed Roddenberry’s pleas to stay on.
Gene Roddenberry begged Nichelle Nichols to not quit Star Trek after one season
Gene Roddenberry set Star Trek years in the future and went against a post-apocalyptic type that is usually prevalent in sci-fi epics of the kind. Focusing on humanity’s penchant for exploration, the series was initially billed as ‘Wagon Train in space’. However, it was also a means for Roddenberry to establish a more inclusive and optimistic future.
According to the creator, the future would see humanity working together in a more professional capacity and not letting elements like race and gender affect the camaraderie. One of the most important aspects of this was Nichelle Nichols’ casting as Uhura in Star Trek. The importance given to the African-American actress was a first on TV.
However, after one season, Nichols reportedly decided to move back to her first love, musical theater. The actress mentioned that she handed in her resignation to Roddenberry, who immediately begged her to stay back, saying that she was extremely important for what the show was trying to do. She said (via Star Trek.com),
He took [the resignation letter] and looked at it with sad eyes. He was behind his desk and I was standing in front of him and – I’ll never forget it – he said, ‘I’m not going to accept this yet.’ He put it in his desk drawer and said, ‘Take the weekend and think about this, Nichelle. If you still want to do this on Monday morning, I will let you go with my blessings.’
However, the actress had reportedly made up her mind and was excited to go back to the medium that she wanted to be in from the beginning. So then how did Uhura return to seasons 2 and 3 and the animated series?
Nichelle Nichols was convinced by an unlikely fan to return to Star Trek
Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura has been one of the most iconic and important pop culture characters in history. The importance given to her character in a mainstream TV show was a revolutionary step towards change on television. After Star Trek, Nichols dedicated herself to encouraging more women to join STEM programs, especially NASA (via CNN).
However, all of it would have changed in an instant if Nichols had gone through with her decision to quit the series after season one. When creator Gene Roddenberry gave the weekend to think it over, the actress reportedly attended an event where she was introduced to a fan of her on the show.
To her surprise, the fan ended up being the late activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After initial greetings, she reportedly told Dr. King about her decision which shocked him. She said,
I told him. He said, ‘You cannot,’ and so help me, this man practically repeated verbatim what Gene said. He said, ‘Don’t you see what this man is doing, who has written this? This is the future. He has established us as we should be seen. 300 years from now, we are here. We are marching. And this is the first step. When we see you, we see ourselves, and we see ourselves as intelligent and beautiful and proud.’
The actress was reportedly sold on Dr. King’s words and went back to Roddenberry to tell him she had decided to stick on. The creator reportedly gave her resignation letter back after tearing it.
Star Trek is available to stream on Paramount+.
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