Star Trek fans have known for a long time that Lt. Uhura’s name means freedom in Swahili. Played by Nichelle Nichols on Star Trek: The Original Series, Uhura wasn’t given a first name until after the series had gone off the air because Gene Roddenberry didn’t decide what her first name should be while the show was still in production. It was author William Rotsler who came up with the beautiful name as he was writing a licensed tie-in book, Star Trek II Biographies in 1982. Before using the name in his book, Rotsler contacted Gene Roddenberry and Nichelle Nichols. Both of them approved, Nichols even more so when she learned Nyota meant “star” in Swahili. The name wasn’t actually used onscreen until the 2009 Star Trek movie in which Zoë Saldana played the part. But how did the beautiful communications officer get her last name?
It was a joint effort between Roddenberry and Nichols. She and several people involved in the casting process for The Original Series were reading a 1962 book by author Robert Ruark entitled “Uhuru, a novel of Africa today. They learned that “Uhuru” was the Swahili word for freedom, and both of them liked the sound of the name. Gene Roddenberry decided to alter the name slightly to make it sound more feminine, and Nichelle Nichols officially acknowledged the use of Nyota as Uhura’s first name when she guest-starred on an episode of the game show “Super Password” in January 1987.
I don’t think a more perfect name could have been chosen for Nichelle Nichols’ character. Do you?