as Uhura in a
Star Trek promotional image, 1967|254x254px Uhura, from the United States of Africa, speaks
Swahili and was born on January 19, 2233.
James Blish's
non-canon novels identify her as
Bantu, as does Gene Roddenberry's novelization of
Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Uhura first appears in the episode "
The Man Trap", joining the crew of the
USS Enterprise as a lieutenant, and serves as chief communications officer under Captain Kirk. She is depicted as a capable bridge officer and readily assumed control of the helm, navigation and science stations on the bridge when the need arose. Uhura was also a talented singer, and enjoyed serenading her shipmates when off-duty; Spock occasionally accompanied her on the Vulcan lyre in episodes "
Charlie X" and "
The Conscience of the King". In "
The Lorelei Signal", a 1973 episode of
Star Trek: The Animated Series, Uhura assumes command of the Enterprise when the male officers fall victim to a species of sirens and leads an all-female rescue party. After the sirens are defeated, the Enterprise crew help the sirens, and Uhura bonds with the sirens, who are happy at the thought that they might meet men and have children. She is later promoted to lieutenant commander in
Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and to full commander in
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock sees Uhura take an assignment in the Space Dock
transporter room as part of a plot to steal the
Enterprise. After locking a colleague in a closet, Uhura uses the transporter station to beam Kirk,
Leonard McCoy and
Hikaru Sulu to the
Enterprise so they can use it to rescue
Spock from the Genesis Planet. As planned, Uhura later meets up with her crewmates on Vulcan and witnesses Spock's successful renewal. Uhura has a smaller role in the first, second and third films. ''
Uhura's Song'', a novel published in 1985, developed her character further, placing her at the center of the action and introducing Uhura's interest in alien languages. Elements from this novel influenced her depiction in later films and novels. Following these events and the destruction of the
Enterprise, Uhura joins her crewmates on a stolen
Klingon ship amid a crisis on
Earth in
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Traveling to the 20th century, they attempt to save a pair of
humpback whales in order to repopulate the species. During a trip to
San Francisco, Uhura and
Pavel Chekov infiltrate the
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and use emissions from the carrier's nuclear reactor to recharge the Klingon vessel's power supply. Kirk and Spock then procure the whales so the crew can return to the 23rd century and save Earth. In light of their heroics, Starfleet Command exonerates Uhura and the rest of Kirk's crew for their illegal activities. Kirk is demoted to the rank of captain after a prior promotion to admiral, but is assigned to command the
USS Enterprise-A. Uhura joins Kirk's crew, and once again serves as chief communications officer throughout the events of
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In
The Final Frontier, a romantic interest between Uhura and
Montgomery Scott is briefly implied while Uhura seemingly is under the influence of
Sybok, but the subplot is never fully developed in the following movies, leading the viewer to assume that the pair continues as friends. A hidden
Star Trek: Picard season 2 Easter egg reveals Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura became a starship captain after
The Undiscovered Country, where Cadet
Jean-Luc Picard first experienced lightspeed travel.
Reboot (Kelvin timeline) films as Uhura in the 2009 film
Star Trek. In the 2009 film
Star Trek,
Zoe Saldaña plays a young Uhura who is introduced as a cadet at the academy, but is promoted to a communications officer as the movie unfolds. The film is also notable for officially establishing the character's given name, Nyota. This Uhura is initially cold towards Kirk (and is verbally more than a match for him) after he attempts to flirt with her while intoxicated. However, by the end of film, she comes to respect Kirk as captain of the
Enterprise. Although Nichols was not consulted over the character's casting, Saldaña personally reached out to Nichols, who in turn helped her prepare for the role. A former student of Spock's, Uhura is also romantically involved with him. In
Star Trek, the ongoing comic book series by
IDW Publishing, they are shown going on a date during her studies at the academy. When Uhura is initially assigned to the USS
Farragut in an attempt by Spock to avoid the appearance of favoritism, she demands that he assign her to the
Enterprise, arguing she would have been assigned there had they not been involved. She persists in her complaints until Spock relents. Had she remained on the
Farragut, she would have been killed, as that vessel is subsequently destroyed by the villain Nero. Uhura quickly receives a
field promotion due to her skill with the Romulan language and remains on the bridge for most of the film. The 2009 depiction of Nyota Uhura generated much online debate, with some fans praising her portrayal, while other fans disapproved of her romantic relationship with Spock, or suggested that her expanded role in the film was evidence that she had become a "
Mary Sue" character. Other fans suggested that a romance with Spock was hinted in
TOS, but could not be followed up on due to racism at the time, and that it would have been impossible at the time to depict Uhura in a romantic relationship. When discussing her response to the 2009 film, Nichelle Nichols confirmed that "there was always a connection between Uhura and Spock" and that the times did not allow for anything more than "hints". Nichols also discussed meeting with Saldaña to discuss Uhura, and praised Saldaña's portrayal. One writer said the
intersectionality of Uhura as a Black woman was important when discussing her romance with Spock, because romances between Black women and white men were largely portrayed as cautionary tales in Hollywood films.
Strange New Worlds In
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the character is played by
Celia Rose Gooding as a
cadet serving on the
Enterprise as part of an advanced placement. The series reveals Uhura's backstory: she is from
Kenya and her parents, both university professors, and older brother died when she was younger – possibly in an explosion or shuttle crash ("Subspace Rhapsody"). At a dinner in Captain Pike's quarters, Uhura admits that she joined Starfleet as a way of honoring her grandmother, who was a Starfleet officer who raised her when her parents died, but is unsure about continuing in the service. This draws negative reactions from other members of the crew, including Spock. However, after her exemplary performance on her first away mission, Spock softens his tone and tells her that she will make an excellent officer if she decides to stay. Season 2, she returns to the Enterprise as an Ensign and the Enterprise's communications officer. ==Cultural impact==