See Zoe Saldana Pay Tribute To Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols
Zoe Saldana knows the importance of taking on a role once inhabited by a legend, as the actress penned a beautiful tirbute to Nichelle Nichols on her Instagram.
Over the weekend, one of the most iconic figures in television passed away. Nichelle Nichols, who famously portrayed Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series, died of natural causes at the age of 89. She became a trailblazing actress for many reasons. She became the first prominent black woman on television, was an activist, and devoted her time to working for NASA in the recruitment of astronauts that included women and minorities. Zoe Saldana would go on to portray Uhura in the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek film released in 2009. Now, the actress had paid a special tribute to Nichols via her Instagram page. You can see that tribute below:
The above tribute is quite beautiful, and Zoe Saldana made sure to express the gratitude she felt from knowing Nichelle Nichols. She did have the ultimate task of stepping in the shoes of one of the most prolific actresses to ever appear on Star Trek, which is no easy task. However, she did share some of the great advice that had been given to her by Nichols. We would assume that both women spent plenty of time with one another for the new version of the character to be portrayed in the more recent Star Trek films.
Zoe Saldana took on the role of Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, and Star Trek Beyond. The string of films was a reimagining of the crew from the original series and was quite successful. There have been rumblings that a fourth movie is set to be released, which would see Saldana take on the role of Lieutenant Uhura once again. She would be joined by franchise regulars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Saldana did explain that Nichelle Nichols told her to play that part with the utmost confidence, which seems to have worked as she has taken on the role in three different films, and soon to be a fourth. Nichols inspired everyone around her, including a story shared by Saldana about guiding Mae Jemison to become an astronaut. Jemison became the first black woman to fly into space.
Nichelle Nichols will be remembered by all, especially those who she inspired along the way through her personal touch and her constant dedication to equality and peace. Zoe Saldana was lucky enough to have met the legendary woman, who helped her carve out her own piece of the Star Trek universe. Clearly, she had a lasting effect on Saldana, as she has on most of the fans who have appreciated her role in television and work outside the show since the 1960s.
Zoe Saldana has stepped into the role of Uhura in a big way, especially considering fans of Star Trek have fully accepted her. There will never be another Nichelle Nichols, but she has passed on the role to Saldana and inspired her to represent the character with respect, which she has shown to be true in her above post about how important Nichols was to her journey. It is truly a beautiful tribute.
