Nichelle Nichols, set to appear at Comic Con in Cleveland, talks about the legacy of ‘Star Trek’

More than 50 years after its debut, Star Trek remains a mainstay in America’s pop-culture zeitgeist and, by association, so does actress-singer Nichelle Nichols, who originated the role of Lt. Nyota Uhura in the science-fiction series that ran from 1966-68.

Nichols is sort of like the franchise that contributed to her success. She continues to thrive, having just turned 85.

She continues to turn up on the convention circuit, a fact that will bring her to Wizard World Comic Con at Cleveland’s Huntington Convention Center March 2-4. (For more on Comic Con, go to www.ohio.com: http://bit.ly/2ojOr9N.) But she continues to work as well, having recently finished Unbelievable, a film that features members from each Star Trek series except Star Trek: Discovery. For kicks, Snoop Dogg also appears in the film about four astronauts on a rescue mission to the moon.

Despite her still-packed schedule, Nichols recently took the opportunity to answer questions from the Beacon Journal/Ohio.com in advance of her Cleveland appearance via email. (The Q&A has been lightly edited.)

Q: You recently turned 85 and you’re still working with two films on your resume in recent months. What’s the key to that kind of energy and working for 50-plus years?

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A: The key is, you’ve got to love what you’re doing. Acting isn’t working for me, I’m just excited to have the opportunity to never stop doing what I love.

Q: What was it like working with all of the other “Trek” actors in “Unbelievable”?

A: It was a hoot! It’s such a fascinating mix of Trek actors and non-Trek actors coming together. Who’d have known Snoop Dogg was an Uhura fan? The fans are really going to get a laugh watching it all come together.

Q: What’s been your most satisfying piece of work in that span other than Star Trek?

A: With me, it’s always come back to the music. My live performances, before, during, and after Star Trek, brought me so such joy. And, you might not know it, but I am still singing! I just had a new performance released last year.

Q: What would [creator] Gene Roddenberry think about the fact that “Trek” is still going stronger than ever 51-plus years later?

A: He knew, and we all knew, that we were working on something special. That’s why we signed up for it! I don’t think he’d be surprised, but I think he’d be proud. And look at what the world we live in today looks like. Sure, we still have our problems between people of different races or nations, but it is light-years better than it was way back then. We’re closer to Gene’s vision of the future than we are to the days before we were just playing the future on TV.

Q: You were a trailblazer on network television. Everyone knows the Martin Luther King Jr. story [about him convincing you to stay on the show when you wanted to leave after the first season to pursue your singing]. But how much further do we still have to go in the area of representation of women and minorities in film and television?

A: You know, I don’t think there’s a single person out there who can’t find some role model who looks like them or thinks like them, who are doing amazing things. Look at the biggest movies and TV shows of the day, you’ll find people every shape, color and size. I think we are just about there on this one.

Q: Speaking of which, have you seen Star Trek: Discovery? Your thoughts on it?

A: I think Sonequa Martin-Green makes an amazing leading woman, and I’m so delighted to have gotten to tell her that myself. What I’ve seen is all beautifully done.

Q: That is a female-centric show, providing a different perspective. In your opinion, how much does that add to the “Trek” mythology? Did the backlash against it last summer surprise you?

A: I try to tune that kind of noise out, let the art stand for itself. And I think it has. It’s another great chapter from a whole new perspective in the “Star Trek” universe. Don’t go digging around in the dirt with the fighting and the negativity, stand strong and just create incredible, beautiful things.

George M. Thomas dabbles in movies and television for the Beacon Journal/Ohio.com. Reach him at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook @GeorgeThomasABJ.