WEBVTT - How Did Martin Luther King Influence 'Star Trek'?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bog Obam here. Star Trek has one of the

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<v Speaker 1>most passionate fan bases of any entertainment franchise in American history,

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<v Speaker 1>and among our ranks is no less than Dr Martin

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<v Speaker 1>Luther King Jr. Who actually had a lasting influence on

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<v Speaker 1>the show. Nachelle Nichols, an African American woman, played communications

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<v Speaker 1>officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on the original TV series in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen sixties. Her role had immense cultural significance because,

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<v Speaker 1>in an era that severely lacked black representation and opportunity,

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<v Speaker 1>it showed a black woman working as an integral member

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<v Speaker 1>of the crew of the Starship Enterprise. She was the

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<v Speaker 1>first African American in a lead role in a TV series.

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<v Speaker 1>The name Ahura was based on a Swahili word for freedom, huru.

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<v Speaker 1>A show creator, Geane Roddenberry, was determined to create a

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<v Speaker 1>multi race cast, something rare at that time in American television. However,

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<v Speaker 1>Nichol's portrayal of the lieutenant was almost short lived. Her

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<v Speaker 1>background was in theater. After the first season of Star Trek,

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<v Speaker 1>she was approached with the opportunity to return to the

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<v Speaker 1>stage and decided to take it, but fate had other plans.

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<v Speaker 1>Rod and Barry was upset to see her go and

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<v Speaker 1>asked her to take the weekend to mull over her decision.

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<v Speaker 1>During that time, she went to an n DOUBLE a

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<v Speaker 1>CP fundraiser in Beverly Hills, where she was approached by

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps surprising fan. Here's how she recalled the meeting in

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<v Speaker 1>NPR and I turned and before I could get up,

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<v Speaker 1>I looked across the way and there was the face

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<v Speaker 1>of Dr Martin Luther King smiling at me and walking

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<v Speaker 1>towards me, and he started laughing. By the time he

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<v Speaker 1>reached me, he said, Yes, Miss Nichols, I'm your greatest fan.

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<v Speaker 1>I am that trekky. King informed her that Star Trek

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<v Speaker 1>was the only show he allowed his kids to stay

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<v Speaker 1>up and watch, and that not only was he a fan,

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<v Speaker 1>he was deeply moved by what Nichols represented with the

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<v Speaker 1>civil rights movement in full swing, King found it to

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<v Speaker 1>be of utmost importance that Nichols continue to set a

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<v Speaker 1>positive example of an African American woman in a position

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<v Speaker 1>of leadership on TV. Nichols detailed her feelings after the

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<v Speaker 1>conversation for Reddit a m a, she said. Dr Martin

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<v Speaker 1>Luther King said something along the lines of, if you leave,

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<v Speaker 1>they can replace you with a blonde haired white girl,

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<v Speaker 1>and it will be like you were never there. What

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<v Speaker 1>you've accomplished for all of us will only be real

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<v Speaker 1>if you stay. That got me thinking about how it

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<v Speaker 1>would look for fans of color around the country if

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<v Speaker 1>they saw me leave. I saw that this was bigger

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<v Speaker 1>than just me. Nichols continued presence on the show cemented

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<v Speaker 1>Lieutenant Hoa as a cultural icon and science fiction and

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<v Speaker 1>American pop culture. If not for King's insistence and Nichols

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<v Speaker 1>changing her mind, we may never have gotten one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most important scene in TV history. In the show's

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<v Speaker 1>third and final season. NBC aired the episode Plato's Stepchildren

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<v Speaker 1>on November twenty two of nineteen sixty eight, seven months

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<v Speaker 1>after King was assassinated. The episode was groundbreaking as it

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<v Speaker 1>featured the first interracial kiss between William Shatner's Captain Kirk

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<v Speaker 1>and nichols Lieutenant Ahura seen on mainstream US television. The

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<v Speaker 1>very first had occurred in nineteen sixty two in a

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<v Speaker 1>televised version of the play You and Your Small Corner,

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<v Speaker 1>but it was not widely aired. Keep in mind that

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<v Speaker 1>this kiss on Star Trek was only seventeen months after

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<v Speaker 1>the Supreme Court struck down laws that banned into racial

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<v Speaker 1>marriage in their decision in the case of Loving versus Virginia.

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<v Speaker 1>This television moment might seem small now, but it was

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<v Speaker 1>a continuation of what doctor King hoped for Nichols and

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<v Speaker 1>her character. He knew back in the show's first season

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<v Speaker 1>that Nichols had the ability to continue to break barriers

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<v Speaker 1>and redefined beliefs about race in America. Today's episode was

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<v Speaker 1>written by David Dennis and produced by Tyler Clang. For

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<v Speaker 1>more on this and lots of other topics, visit how

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio.

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