She is one of the most iconic actors of her era, and each time she graced the television screen on the original “Star Trek” series, she broke new ground for African Americans everywhere. Though Nichelle Nichols is best known for portraying Lt. Uhura on TV and in six feature films, a new film will show fans how she impacted many lives off the screen as well.
Thanks to a report by Deadline, we’ve learned that Shout! Studios has acquired all North American rights to a documentary film entitled “Woman In Motion,” about Nichols career post Star Trek, and how she recruited people of color and the first female astronauts for NASA from the 1970s to 80s.
It’s well known that Nichols planned to leave her iconic role of Uhura on Trek, but was talked back into staying by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is said to have been a huge fan of Trek. King told Nichols that his entire family would gather in the evenings to watch Trek, and to admire her role as an African American woman working in the future.
The documentary features interviews with others, including Trek alumni George Takei, Walter Koenig, Michael Dorn, as well as Rod Roddenberry, physicist and television personality Neil deGrasse Tyson among others.
While working for NASA, Nichelle Nichols was the face of the African American talent search, and can count astronauts Fred Gregory and Ron McNair among her recruits. Through her charisma, on screen and off, Nichols inspired many others to join NASA, including Mae Jemison (the first female African American astronaut) and Charles Bolden (the first African American administrator of NASA). Jemison also appeared on an episode of The Next Generation.
“Woman In Motion” was directed and produced by Todd Thompson, with Nichols herself as a co-producer. Benjamin Crump and Greg Galloway serve as executive producers. The studio is planning to release the film sometime in 2021.
