Fanlore:Featured Article Archives/2022: Week 11
Uhura is a character from Star Trek: The Original Series, played by Nichelle Nichols. She was the communications officer and a translator aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. When it was needed, Uhura readily and capably assumed control of the helm, navigation and science stations on the bridge.
The character was one of the first black women main characters in a major television show, and became a cultural role model, receiving praise from Dr. King himself, and encouraging black women into science careers (see: The Uhura Effect.) The kiss between Uhura and Kirk during 1968 episode "Plato's Stepchildren" is also widely held as holding special significance as a very early occurrence of interracial kissing on American television, although some fans question its signifiance due to the dubcon aspect of its setup.
Despite intense fanon interest about her, few canon facts are actually known about Uhura. Noticeably, her first name was never given in the original series, and was a topic of much fannish discussion before finally entering official canon in 2009.