Nichelle Nichols was meant to play Uhura in a season 3 episode of Star Trek: Voyager, but George Takei explained why Nichols declined the cameo.

Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) almost appeared in Star Trek: Voyager, but fellow Star Trek: The Original Series actor George Takei explained why Uhura’s cameo was abandoned. Nichols’ portrayal of Lt. Uhura on TOS was a landmark representation of Black women on television at a time when Black female characters had very few positive portrayals, especially in science fiction. Although Uhura has gone on to be depicted by other actors in the franchise, Nichols never returned to play her in other projects after her tenure in TOS and the TOS portion of Star Trek‘s movie series.

One chance Nichols did have to portray Uhura later on was in Star Trek: Voyager‘s season 3 episode “Flashback,” a tribute to TOS for Star Trek‘s 30th anniversary. “Flashback” featured Lt. Commander Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) experiencing Tuvok’s time serving on the USS Excelsior under Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) after Tuvok mind-melded with Janeway in an attempt to heal a repressed memory. The Excelsior scenes took place during the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with Takei reprising Sulu as a special guest star.

George Takei Explains Nichelle Nichols’ Refusal To Play Uhura On Star Trek: Voyager

Nichols wouldn’t do Voyager despite Takei’s urging

In an interview with The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine, issue 9, around the time of “Flashback’s” release, George Takei revealed that he had begged Nichelle Nichols to accept a cameo on Voyager, to no avail. Voyager‘s creative team was set on having Nichols appear as Uhura in Tuvok’s memories during the episode, but Nichols had objections to the size of the role that ultimately led to her turning it down. Takei clearly wanted to work with Nichols again, but his persuasion wasn’t enough to convince her to join “Flashback’s” cast. Read Takei’s full quote below:

“She would have communicated with me, as Uhura to Tuvok, over the viewscreen. I pleaded with her on the phone to do it because it would have been wonderful to have her back as well. She felt the part did not do her justice, so she passed on doing it.”

Despite the disappointment of not seeing Uhura during Voyager‘s run, Nichols’ refusal of the part shows how much she cared about the character. As the originator of such a legendary role as Uhura, Nichols certainly had the right to choose when and how she returned to Star Trek. Additionally, Takei’s role as Sulu in “Flashback” was much more expansive than Nichols’ would have been, which hardly seems fair given how important both of them are to Star Trek history. Ultimately, Nichols turning Voyager down shows the strength of character she was known for as a performer and a person.

Voyager’s “Flashback” Still Brought Back Another Important Star Trek: TOS Character

“Flashback” still managed to get another TOS cast member as a guest star

Although Uhura didn’t appear in “Flashback,” Voyager still managed to snag another iconic TOS actor for the episode: Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand. Whitney played Captain Kirk’s Yeoman during the first season of TOS. AlthoughJanice Rand was tragically fired after TOS season 1, the character has become just as important as other classic Star Trek characters thanks in part to Whitney’s popularity with the fanbase. This resulted in Rand being brought back for several cameos throughout the TOS film series and again, much later, “Flashback.”

Rand was in Star Trek VI during the events that “Flashback” covered, so bringing Whitney back to reprise her role only made sense. However, “Flashback” offered the pleasure of seeing Rand in her role as Commander onboard the Excelsior, and her interactions with Tuvok were highly enjoyable. Given the controversy around Whitney’s firing from TOS, giving her the chance to portray more of Rand’s Starfleet career was certainly deserved. Although Rand and Uhura could have easily been in Star Trek: Voyager together, having at least one other TOS character besides Sulu was still an achievement.