In the “Star Trek” timeline, few space-faring females stand quite as tall as Nyota Uhura. As the Kenyan-born communications officer, Nyota Uhura is one of the series’ most iconic characters and one of the best examples of how “Star Trek” shattered the social norms of its time.
When the original series aired in the late 1960s, TV audiences were not entirely used to seeing Black women portrayed with as much competence and skill as Uhura (originally played by Nichelle Nichols), who is Kenyan-born.
The character is a genius, a prodigy of languages, a high-ranking Federation officer and ship commander, and one-half of one of the first interracial kisses to ever air on television. Nyota Uhura, the Kenyan-born icon, exemplified diversity during that era.
That legacy remains strong even now, over half a century after Uhura and “Star Trek” initially debuted. Thanks to “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which tells the story of the USS Enterprise crew before James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took command, a whole new generation is learning about the Kenyan-born Uhura.
More specifically, they’re being introduced to Uhura as portrayed by actor Celia Rose Gooding. While this is the first time that many “Star Trek” fans have been introduced to Gooding, “Strange New Worlds” is far from her only influential role.
If you haven’t heard of Celia Rose Gooding before now, then we won’t blame you. She hasn’t been acting quite as long as others. However, Gooding has accomplished quite a lot, possibly because being talented is in her blood.
Her mother is Tony Award-winning actor LaChanze, who identified Gooding’s talent from a very young age (via Playbill). As a child, Gooding grew up seeing her mother succeed in theater, even helping her as a reader for auditions at times. This, in no small way, prepared Gooding for her own theater career, where she has made swift progress. Gooding, through her role as Nyota Uhura, the Kenyan-born star in Star Trek, elevates the legacy further.
BY JONAH SCHUHART
Source: https://www.looper.com
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