I just watched this last night, and it brought me such joy (and a few tears too).
Nichelle’s story is so remarkable, and there is so much more to her than the Uhura we all love. With her determination SHE was the key to blast open the doors to NASA and the space program to women and minorities; something that is totally (and thankfully) taken for granted today.
With recent and archived interviews, we learn of Nichelle’s journey from a young dancer and singer who performed with Duke Ellington, to actress and icon through Star Trek and through her greatest achievements in integrating NASA and promoting women and encouraging young people to truly employ their talents and truly reach for the stars.
Watching this, I felt I really knew Nichelle for the first time. I just wanted to hug her and say ‘Thank You!’. She is an inspiration for us all to achieve our dreams and make a difference in the world. Woman in Motion will touch your heart and mind with a message of hope. We need this now. This was released in 2019 and is now streaming on Paramount Plus.
Nichelle, thank you for ‘Flying us to the moon’. We love you. <3
Bravo for Nichelle!
As I have mentioned before, my real introduction to Trek was the Animated Series, which debuted when I really was a Kid (10 years old). One of the earliest Treks I saw was the episode where, for the only time in the TV shows and movies with the original cast, Uhura actually took command of the ship, because the men were too incapacitated by a strange alien signal.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lorelei_Signal_(episode)
She and the other women of the Enterprise took names and kicked gluteus maximus in that episode.
That was a great episode. I bet if the original hadn’t been canceled, Trek would have enriched and expanded Uhura and other women’s roles a lot; especially in the budding feminist movement.