Nichelle Nichols

source: https://web.archive.org/web/20230204232604/https://www.amfm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nichelle_Nichols_2000_x_1165.jpg

Nichelle Nichols died July 30, 2022.  She played Uhura on the original Star Trek TV show.  As often happens with the fifth/sixth/seventh leads in a show, Uhura didn't get a lot to do on Star Trek.  But she did get to say my favorite lines of the whole series:

From:  The Man Trap (the first episode shown on NBC, Thursday Sept. 8, 1966, 8:30 to 9:30 pm
 
Uhura:    (speaking to Spock) Why don't you tell me I'm an attractive young lady.  Or ask me if I've ever been in love.  Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full.

Spock:  Vulcan has no moon Miss Uhura.

Uhura:  I'm not surprised Mister Spock.

see the scene here: 

Unfortunately for Ms. Nichols the straight man in a comedy duo gets more money (per Jerry Seinfeld) :)

I don't remember when I first saw this episode (the one where Doctor McCoy's old flame turns out to be a salt craving monster).  Star Trek was on NBC and in the Milwaukee area it was shown on WTMJ channel 4.  But I don't know if I saw those shows at the time.  WTMJ used to juggle the NBC lineup a bit and would play their own locally produced shows like Murl Duesing Safari during prime time and put shows like Star Trek or The Monkees on weekend afternoons.

I read that Ms. Nichols ashes will be put on a rocket and blasted into space later this year on the new Vulcan rocket along with a number of other Star Trek folks:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/27/arts/television/nichelle-nichols-ashes-space-rocket.html

Per this article:  

https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/06/the-large-vulcan-rocket-is-unlikely-to-make-its-debut-in-2022/

It may be a while before the Vulcan is launched.

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm