Lt Uhura was the first positive Black character from a TV series to appear as that character in a Saturday morning cartoon series.
Lt. Uhura
Starfleet officer assigned as Communications Officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise while under the command of Captain James Kirk, Uhura was born in 2239 on Earth in the United States of Africa. Uhura completed Starfleet Academy in 2261. In 2266 she was assigned to the command section of the Starship Enterprise, but she quickly transferred to Engineering and became the ship’s Communications officer. Uhura was a supremely proficient technician and was considered by Captain Kirk to be as capable and reliable as any Lieutenant aboard. Uhura is a people person and is very well liked by the entire crew. She often entertained in one of the starship’s Recreation Rooms by singing ballads from around the galaxy.
On stardate 5483.7, while under the influence of the women of Taurus II, the male crewmembers of the Enterprise were incapacitated enough by the “siren’s song” to nessecitate that Lieutenant Uhura assume command of the ship. She and Nurse Chapel led an all-woman landing party that beamed down to Taurus II to rescue Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy. (“The Lorelei Signal”). In 2269, on stardate 5591.2, the Enterprise visited the Amusement Park planet. The Keeper of the planet had died and Uhura was abducted by the planet’s computer which was then in charge of the planet. The computer felt that it was being taken advantage of but Uhura reasoned with the computer and it ceased its hostile actions against the Enterprise’s crew. (“Once Upon a Planet”). Uhura along with Spock and Sulu, was a member of the mission to transport a Slaver stassis box to starbase 25 on stardate 4187.3. (“The Slaver Weapon”).
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Aired as the source of new adventures of the Enterprise crew. The series was produced by Filmation and ran for two seasons from 1973 to 1974 on NBC, airing a total of twenty-two half-hour episodes. The series featured most of the original cast performing the voices for their characters, except for Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), who was omitted because the show’s budget could not afford the complete cast. He was replaced by two animated characters who made semi-regular appearances: Lieutenant Arex, whose Edosian species had three arms and three legs; and Lt. M’Ress, a female Caitian. James Doohan and Majel Barrett, besides performing their characters Montgomery Scott and Christine Chapel, performed the voices of Arex and M’Ress, respectively.
Initially, Filmation was only going to use the voices of William Shatner, Lernard NiMoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan and Majel Barrett. Doohan and Barrett would also perform the voices of Sulu and Uhura. Leonard Nimoy refused to sign up to lend his voice to the series unless Nichelle Nichols and George Takei were added to the cast — claiming that Uhura and Sulu were of importance as they were proof of the ethnic diversity of the 23rd century and should not be recast. Right On Dr. Spock!!!
The Museum of UnCut Funk is thrilled to have acquired Original Production Cels and a Original Production Drawing of Lt. Uhura, as well as a Limited Edition Cel featuring Lt. Uhura and the entire cast of Star Trek The Animated Series for our ever expanding and extremely rare Black Animation Collection.
Star Trek Animated Series © Comcast-NBCUniversal
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