When Nichelle Nichols journeyed to the final frontiers on Star Trek, astronauts were a rare breed, epitomized by the iconic Mercury and Gemini Astronauts. For years, they represented a male ideal, the brave test pilot off to outer space. As portrayed in The Right Stuff, these men were the toughest of the tough and set the bar for who was acceptable as an astronaut. Women in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA is a documentary that tells of one woman’s role in changing that bar and opening up that final frontier.
Even though Star Trek lasted only three seasons, from 1964 to 1966, it has had a tremendous, long-lasting influence on our society and technology. And perhaps out of all of the stars, no one has had more impact than Nyota Uhura, the first black woman to play a major role in a science fiction series. As Communications Officer of the USS Enterprise, she was knowledgable, proactive, brave and exceedingly loyal. Nichelle Nichols as Uhura presented a positive view of a black woman as an equal achiever in the role of space exploration.
As sometimes truth follows fiction, in the late 1970s Nichelle Nichols turned her TV stardom into a space science career, working with NASA on a campaign for their diversity program. She formed Women In Motion, Inc., ultimately recruiting more than 8,000 African American, Asian and Latino women and men for NASA. This group includes Mae Jemison, the first female African American astronaut in space.
Directed by Todd Thompson (The Highwaymen, PRE FAB!), Women in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA tells this remarkable story. The movie will be available on digital and on demand February 16, 2021. In addition to Nichelle Nichols; Star Trek The Next Generation actor Michael Dorn; Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; Star Trek actors George Takei and Walter Koenig; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; Martin Luther King III; Pharrell Williams and Rod Roddenberry, TV producer and son of Star Trek Producer Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek actor Majel Barrett are among the people who give voice to this incredible story.
Stay tuned for an in-depth review in The Boise Beat during the coming week as we explore the remarkable store that is Women in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA.
Poster Art and Video Trailer Courtesy of Shout! Studios
