Nichelle Nichols, ‘Star Trek’ Actress, Suffers Minor Stroke

Nichelle Nichols, the actress who originated the role of Lt. Nyota Uhura in Star Trek, suffered a minor stroke on Wednesday night.

Nichelle Nichols Suffers Minor Stroke

Nichols’ rep, Zach McGinnis, took to Facebook on Thursday to announce the news, saying that the beloved actress, 82, was “undergoing testing to determine how severe the stroke was.”

Hours later, McGinnis updated fans on Nichols’ condition following a CAT scan and MRI. Nichols’ CAT scan reportedly came back negative, but, at the time of the update, Nichols was still waiting to hear about her MRI results. However, the actress appeared to be on her way to recovery: “Currently she is awake, eating, in good spirits and able to have full conversations. Her right side has shown minor signs or mobility loss but she is not showing any signs of paralyses,” McGinnis wrote.

On Friday, McGinnis confirmed that Nichols suffered a minor stroke and informed fans that the actress will soon begin physical therapy to assess her condition. “The therapists will test her hand at writing and legs to see if she can stand and walk on her own. Last night Nichelle remained alert, and cheerful,” McGinnis wrote.

McGinnis added that Nichols greatly appreciated all the well wishes from fans, saying, “When we told her about the love and support coming in from around the world she smiled and asked to see the posts on her Facebook. Thank you again for all of your kind words. Keep them coming because Nichelle is reading them. Feel free to post your pictures with Nichelle and a story about when you met her.”

Nichols played Uhura on Star Trek: The Original Series from 1966 to 1969 and continued to work with the Star Trek franchise, voicing Uhura in Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974) and reprising her role in several Star Trek movies. During her time on Star Trek, Nichols made history by performing the first interracial kiss on television with William Shatner.

Nichols’ Star Trek co-star, George Takei shared his well wishes via Twitter, as did fellow Star Trek original cast member, Shatner.