1977 Nichelle Nichols interview

In May of 1977, I was 16 years old, going on 14. While other kids that age were concerned with dating, school activities or sports, I was more concerned with getting to the magazine stand and getting the latest Trek and monster magazines that were out. Of course, that information has no bearing on the material I'm presenting today, except to fill in my own background and show how important these items were to me then, and because of those memories, they are still great to take out and read.

This time we are looking at Issue #4 of Media Spotlight, a publication put out by the same people, or at least the same company, that did "The Monster Times," except in magazine format, not newspaper, and not as much fun; but still well worth buying. Of the various Trek-oriented articles in that issue, I'm featuring the interview with Nichelle Nichols, who always attracted my gaze in every shot she was in.

(Click on images to view larger.)

That is a great photo on the cover!

Our first bonus item today from the scrapbook is a flyer for one of the mini-cons that were a big part of the grassroots Florida fan scene back in the mid-to-late 70's. Since I could never go to them, I settled for collecting the exciting, well-designed flyers for the events. I only wish I had made some kind of date notation on them; since the year is not on the flyer, I'm not quite sure. But remembering where I was living and what I was doing when I got them narrows it down to probably 1976. They usually consisted of four pages, all of which are scanned in for you below. I'll be posting more of these flyers for other mini-cons in the future!

This mini-con, as well as most of the others that I'll be posting ads for, were organized (at least in part) by James Van Hise, the man responsible for the great "Enterprise Incidents" fanzine, which later went professional and got nationwide distribution.

I like Uhura's sassy pose back there.

And below is a final bonus item, the cover of the MECO disco album of the ST:TMP music, which came out in 1980. I put it on cassette and played that thing to death! Nice painting on the cover of an alternate ship design; I suppose that big window on the front opens up onto the shipboard discotheque.

"I feel like trekkin', trekkin', trek the night away!"

Nyota Uhura: The Woman In Red

I'll go ahead and say it right up front; I loved Nichelle Nichols as Uhura. I still do.

I became a Star Trek fanantic about the same time I hit puberty... so it's probably no coincidence that I very quickly took notice of the egyptian-eyed beauty back there behind Captain Kirk in almost every bridge shot. The way she moved, her dulcet voice, those gorgeous legs posed oh-so-sexily as she swiveled... yes, just about the first real crush I had was on Uhura. I'm sure many a red-blooded white boy like me had their first real taste for race relations after laying eyes on this red-mini-skirted babe!

As time passed my admiration and long-distance love for this petite, intelligent, curvy-figured goddess only grew. Every time she was in the scene, my eyes were on her. And when she got a chance to shine, I reveled in it. Hearing her sing "Beyond Antares," which I had on my trusty cassette tape, sent me into a daze, and I played it till the tape was almost worn out.

How she moved! Every motion to flick a switch, to touch her earpiece, to turn and report, was like watching an artist at work. When she walked to the turbo-lift, it was like a dance. Her grace, style and charm was evident in the slightest action.

Oh, sure... Kirk and Spock were my heroes, and still are. But there was something special about Uhura, and I always wished she had been given more to do. The rare episodes that she went on a landing party were always a treat; and there was none better than "Mirror, Mirror." This lovely lady shone when she was thrown into a hostile environment among familiar strangers. And that bare-midriff dress! It was the only time we got to see those chiseled dancer's abs, and that skirt really plunged, showing part of her body in a style that female singers today are only now emulating.

One of the greatest mistakes made in the original series was the constant marginalizing of the secondary characters, especially Uhura, since she was the lone female in the regular crew of seven. As much has been made about her contributions at the time, how much more they could have been had a certain star not constantly suggested cuts in the lines of the secondary actors. Her talent and charm were largely wasted, left to be mere window dressing in the background.

There's more to come soon; I have a People magazine article on Nichelle published in the 80's that I'll post next.

Below are some various photos and screen captures that your eyes will thank me for.
(Screen capture source: Trekcore)

From "Arena":

From "The Changeling":



From "The Man Trap":

From "Charlie X":


From "Conscience Of The King":


And my all-time favorite episode, "Mirror, Mirror":

Brittney, eat your heart out!

Even nearly 16 years later during "The Search For Spock," she is still one hot mama.

For more Uhura (and really, who can get enough?) click on the "Uhura" tag on the right side of this page.