Actor Nichelle Nichols passed away in July after a long career in Hollywood.
She broke racial boundaries with her role as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura on Star Trek—one of the first Black female lead characters in a television series and the first in a sci-fi series.
Now she'll be immortalized forever in "the final frontier." A portion of her ashes and a sample of her DNA will be launched into space.
Private spaceflight company Celestis International announced Friday they will fly Nichols' remains some 186 million miles into space aboard a rocket called Vulcan, in reference to another Star Trek character, in a fitting final tribute to a trailblazer.
\u201cThe late #StarTrek icon Nichelle Nichols will travel to the final frontier, one last time.\n\nA company that specializes in memorial spaceflights has organized a mission to send a \u201csymbolic portion\u201d of the actor\u2019s cremated remains to the stars. https://t.co/ZTJXNFgn70\u201d— Los Angeles Times (@Los Angeles Times) 1661469352
In a statement announcing the space burial, Celestis CEO Charles M. Chafer wrote:
“We are truly honored to add a legendary actress, activist, and educator to the Enterprise Flight manifest."
"Now our Enterprise Flight will have on board the person who most completely embodied the vision of Star Trek as a diverse, inclusive, and exploring universe.”
Enterprise Flight will also include cremains of other Star Trek legends including creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry, James Doohan and visual effects master Douglas Trumbull.
Chafer noted Nichols' historic role as Lieutenant Uhura.
“Her role on Star Trek was as significant as it was legendary."
"Ms. Nichols was the first Black woman in a leading role in a network television series to portray a character that was not shackled by the stereotypes of Hollywood’s past.”
A kiss shared between Nichols' character and William Shatner's character in 1968 was also the first interracial onscreen kiss. The first Black woman to fly to space in 1992—Dr. Mae Jemison—cited Nichols as an inspiration for her career as an astronaut.
The celestial burial was approved by Nichols' son Kyle Johnson, who thought it would be an “appropriate memorial for her" given her best known acting role.
Nichols will be symbolically joined in space by her son who will submit his own DNA to allow him to undertake the journey with his mother.
Johnson said:
“My only regret is that I cannot share this eternal tribute standing beside my mother at the launch.”
"I know she would be profoundly honored for this unique experience and enthusiastically encourage ALL of her FANS to join us vicariously by contributing your thoughts, affections, memories, [Nichelle Nichols] inspired successes, dreams, and aspirations via email to be launched with her on this flight!”
The Enterprise Flight is slated to travel between 150 million to 300 million kilometers—about 93,000,000 to 186,000,000 miles—beyond the Earth-Moon system into interplanetary space.
Johnson told The Los Angeles Times:
"It's where she belongs."
On Twitter, fans absolutely loved the tribute.
\u201cIn 1977, NASA asked Nichols to help recruit women and people of color to apply for the astronaut corps. \n\nNichelle helped recruit 8,000 individuals to NASA, including the first African American, Asian and Latino men and women.\n\nGod speed and thank you.\n#DemVoice1\n#FreshResists\u201d— Mad_as_hell_#WomensRights_#DemVoice1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\udf3b \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf9 (@Mad_as_hell_#WomensRights_#DemVoice1\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\udf3b \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf9) 1661789254
\u201cA tribute! May she rest among the stars \u2728\u201d— Ki (@Ki) 1661516728
\u201cTo boldly go\u2026\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— #636 Stiefloeder CEO Stiefloeder Inc (@#636 Stiefloeder CEO Stiefloeder Inc) 1661752582
\u201cThis is beautiful \ud83d\udc99 part of her will belong to the stars and the universe.\u201d— Little Pop Workshop \ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9c (@Little Pop Workshop \ud83d\udc97\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9c) 1661533655
\u201cI'm crying y'all. It really is where she belongs. One more mission for translator and communications officer Nyota Uhura. \ud83d\udd96\ud83c\udffe \ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Krys of House Lannister \ud83e\udd81 (@Krys of House Lannister \ud83e\udd81) 1661524786
\u201cLive long and prosper, Nichelle \ud83d\udd96\ud83c\udffb\u201d— Just Jack (@Just Jack) 1661689997
\u201cThis is awesome and such a fantastic tribute \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83e\ude79\ud83d\udc9d\u2728\ufe0f\u2600\ufe0f\ud83c\udf1b\u201d— THEE Gavin will not steal nuclear documents \ud83d\ude0e (@THEE Gavin will not steal nuclear documents \ud83d\ude0e) 1661486774
\u201c\u201cSecond star to the right and straight on til\u2019 morning\u201d\u201d— Brent Staples (@Brent Staples) 1661643077
\u201cI think this is a great idea\u2026traveling in the universe for the rest of eternity\u2026\u201d— Layne #FTTB #VeryAsian #ProChoice (@Layne #FTTB #VeryAsian #ProChoice) 1661751413
In addition to her acting career, Nichols also worked for NASA in the 1970s to help recruit more women and people of color into the organization.
She was instrumental in recruiting the first United States' woman astronaut Sally Ride and the first Black NASA chief Charlie Bolden.
