Lt Uhura

From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi

Lieutenant Uhura is a character from the original Star Trek series of television shows and movies. Played by Nichelle Nichols, she was the chief communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise, commanded by Captain James T. Kirk. Her chief role was to establish contact with planets and alien races using the ship's communications technology, though she later took on many other duties in the course of her career.

Lt. Uhura Biography

Daughter of M'Umbha, Uhura was born in the United States of Africa on Earth in 2239. She joined the crew of the USS Enterprise in 2266 as the chief communications officer. She maintained this position during the ship's 5 year mission and returned during the refit with a promotion to lieutenant commander. Later she was assigned to Starfleet Command Communications and would frequently lecture at Starfleet Academy.

Some mystery surrounds Lt Uhura's missing first name. "Uhura" is derived from the Swahili word "Uhuru" which means "freedom". A Star Trek novel and some unofficial information from early scripts for Star Trek movies suggest her first name is Nyota, Swahili for "star". The DVD release of Star Trek: the Original Series features Nichelle Nichols mentioning that she once asked Roddenberry about Uhura's first name. His response was he had never decided on one. Another Star Trek publication suggested her first name is "Penda", a Swahili verb-ending that means "to love".

Uhura is also well-known aboard the Enterprise as a talented singer.

Aboard the Enterprise

During her years serving on the Enterprise with Captain James T. Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura experienced the many ups and downs of starship service. Following a communications blackout, she attempted the task of rewiring the entire communications system to break through some interference. Spock informed her that she must work quickly, but also stated he could think of no one better equipped for the job at hand. She successfully connected the bypass circuit to restore the communications array.

During the episode "The Changeling", Uhura's memory was wiped by a space probe called Nomad. The machine interpreted her singing as a biological malfunction. Dr. McCoy later restored her memory using medical techniques and educational training.

The Controversial Kiss

In the controversial episode of the original Star Trek series "Plato's Stepchildren", the crew of the Enterprise fell under the influence of powerful telepaths. Many crew members were forced to fight and kill each other for the aliens' amusement. During this time, Uhura was forced to kiss Captain Kirk. The controversial moment of television history featured the first on-screen interracial kiss.

Later interviews with actor William Shatner (Captain Kirk) revealed the kiss was not actually a kiss. Episode directors told Shatner and Nichols to turn to the side at the last moment to give the illusion of a kiss.