Growing up in the 80's, my first introduction to Star Trek was the Original Series movies, starting with "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". I guess that really could be considered the late, late 70's, but I digress. One of my fondest memories, from that time, was seeing Nichelle Nichols for the first time as Lt. Uhura. She was one of the very first women I'd seen in any kind of authoritative role other than my mother. From then on out, Nichelle & Uhura have been an influence on my life and how I see and perceive women & the world. Interestingly enough, Nichelle saw Star Trek as a way to further her career on Broadway. She had no idea of the ride she was in for, or how she would help shape the 20th century and beyond.

In an interview with Desertnews.com, Nichelle recalls her early days in Trek and how she thought the show would be a "nice adjunct to my résumé."

"It was rather interesting to me to be cast on the show, because I came up in musical theater," Nichols said. "And somehow I was, like, really on my way to break through and do all of the things that I really wanted to do on Broadway. And I took 'Star Trek' because I thought it would be a nice adjunct to my résumé and I'd get to Broadway quicker and as a star. And, I still think that way, but 'Star Trek' interrupted my career."

"I kind of got stuck there," Nichols said. "As a matter of fact, I even tried to leave after the first season, because I thought, 'Oh, this is going nowhere for me."

And even though many of you have heard the story of how she met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at an NAACP fundraiser, it's too amazing and important to not show it. There's an off chance that some Trek fan out there has indeed never heard it before.

"One of the fundraisers came up to the dais and said, 'Ms. Nichols, there's a person here who says he's a big, big fan of yours. He's your biggest fan.' And I thought it was a Trekkie, and so I said, 'Sure,'?" Nichols said. "And I stood up, and I looked across the room, and there was Dr. Martin Luther King walking toward me with this big grin on his face."

"Every night (on the news) you could see people who looked like me being hosed down with a fire hose and dogs jumping on them because they wanted to eat in a restaurant," Nichols said. "The (civil rights) marches began, and here I was playing an astronaut in the 23rd century."

"He was dead serious. He said, 'You're part of history, and this is your responsibility, even though it might not have been your career choice,'?" Nichols said.

"And Gene Roddenberry was a 6-foot-3 guy with muscles. He was a big hack-nosed guy. He had been a motorcycle cop and flying hero in the Second World War," Nichols said. "And he sat there with tears in his eyes. He said, 'Thank God that someone knows what I'm trying to do. Thank God for Dr. Martin Luther King.'

"And I stayed, and I've never looked back. I'm glad I did."

And, we're glad she did too. Thanks Nichelle for sticking with it. You've changed the world for the better.

(quote source Desertnews.com)