Celia Rose Gooding, who admitted she was “so spiritual,” said she felt Nichelle Nichols’ presence through the memories others shared about her, so much so that the ” Strange New Worlds” feels Nichols’ influence on a daily basis, despite herself. who passed.
“Her presence is with me every day on set,” Gooding said, adding, “I don’t know, not to be too bold, but I really feel her with me in how we tell the story of this. character.” The actor expresses her hope of one day meeting Nichols in another world, but says she was never able to connect with the woman who first portrayed Uhura in person during her lifetime. “I unfortunately did not meet Nichelle before she passed away,” she said. “And it’s something that accompanies me every day to a different place.”
Gooding continued:
“Everything I do is directly because of her, especially on this show, and her impact not just on this franchise but on entertainment, period, it doesn’t go unnoticed and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
In addition to her work on “Star Trek,” Nichols has appeared in a series of films, including the blaxploitation flick “Truck Turner” and the family comedy “Snow Dogs.” She has also acted on television and on stage in plays, including “Les Noirs” by Jean Genet. When she wasn’t on camera, she worked with NASA to make space aviation more accessible to people of color.