President Joe Biden is one of many paying tribute to trailblazing actor Nichelle Nichols.
“In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women,” Biden said in a statement.
She played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the original “Star Trek” TV show. She also starred in six “Star Trek” films from 1979-1991.
In 1968, she and William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk in the series, broke new ground when they shared one of television’s first interracial kisses.
Despite her success, Nichols had considered leaving the show after the first series.
She was convinced otherwise by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He urged her to stay on the series and described her character as the “first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a Black woman in television history.”
Nicols died on Sunday, she was 89.
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