Nichelle Nichols on filming the first interracial kiss on American television

[@phtevlin]

NIchelle NIchols was the first African American woman to be depicted as a professional in an American television series. She was superb, and groundbreaking.

[@SadinaSaphrite]

Let's give a hand to the unsung hero, the camera man who saw Shatner's plan and kept quiet.

[@oedivback]

Bill Shatner was, and still is, a natural comic, and a very astute man. He had no racial issues, and he was enjoying getting to kiss a beautiful woman. So he manipulated the whole 'kiss' episode so that the 'suits' had no option but to include the kiss into the episode. The hilarious thing is, I don't think the 'suits' ever realised that they were manipulated.

[@KitWriter]

She's such a great story teller. The way she talks, uses her hands; her expressions, and the way she pauses, and works up to a funny part or a point. She really is a classy, intelligent woman, but she's also a great story teller! I've always loved Nichelle. Star Trek, Heroes - she's a great actress.

[@roman14032]

so, shatner MADE IT HAPPEN by stalling for time and purposely ruining the alternate take and that is why hes a badass

[@lisilein2]

How about for once we give props to HER for suffering through all that hatred and still making it this far.

[@brianwalsh7991]

Nichelle was one of the hottest women alive back in the day. She still looks great.

[@atsilakamama4940]

The character Uhura was a role model for all women, not just women of color. At that time, a woman in position of authority or with dire responsibility was still very rare.

[@puff222001]

Nichelle is a hardcore lady with a true friend in Bill Shatner. Nichelle is a true heroine for women of color AND women in general. And thank you to William Shatner for being a great guy as well as pretty funny.

[@dreamboynyc2]

What a beautiful story recounted by the still beautiful Nichelle Nichols. I have a new respect for Bill Shatner! He made sure they couldn't use the alternate take even if they wanted to. Color lines smashed forever and America pushed forward into an era of inclusiveness. Wonderful...

[@WakandaBabe]

I remember seeing it when it aired. I couldn't believe it. As a black woman, I was like Whoa!!! It was really something for that time.

[@bcd4562]

So glad this was filmed. So glad the story was told. So proud of the little girl from Robbins, IL on Chicagoland's Southside. She is a national treasure.

[@Nue55]

She looks so young! Also when she was young she was astonishingly outlandishly beautiful!

[@roman14032]

shatner...........whatever you think of him, you gotta admit, he knows what hes doing in that buisness

[@21stCM]

Great story! Hats off to both Nichelle and Bill, and even for the "suits" that finally gave the go-ahead. Took a lot of courage back then.

[@Avarcirith]

Even so, at the time it was truly groundbreaking. It may seem hard to comprehend now because of the major changes in attitude toward race that have occurred since the 60s, but that little "forced" kiss between a black actor and a white one smashed down a huge barrier in its time. Star Trek was basically the first TV show that had a multi-racial and multi-ethnic cast who were all portrayed as equals. It boldly went where no man had gone before :)

[@shockadelica]

I'm so glad that Shatner stood up to that stupid director.

[@fifimsp]

Right. She was beyond gorgeous. Please!

[@cloudkitt]

Very cool story. And it's good know that Shatner wasn't hated by his his cast mates ALL the time.

[@GreenUptowner]

You look gorgeous Nichelle Nichols!

[@TheDevonnMarieShow]

The scene was orgianally made for Spock and Uhura.. however Shatner said that if someone was going to kiss Nichelle, it had to be him. So they changed the script for Spock to kiss Nurse Chapel and Uhura to kiss Shatner

[@minnybri]

My opinion of Shatner just tripled, that was awesome!!! Could you imagine being her, sitting there as the director freaks right in front of her that OMG, he actually KISSED the BLACK woman? I can't imagine living in that era!

[@mimosf]

that is exactly my experience with this wonderful unforgetable woman. her grace and class defines what it is to be a star. her smile and her persona made me feel like i was the first person she had ever met. that, to me is the hallmark of a truely great star

[@WakandaBabe]

I remember seeing it on TV. When Spock and Kirk were going back and forth between couches I wasn't concerned because I just knew it would never happen. In the sixties, there were a few TV series that toyed with scenes like that (Robert Wagner and Marilyn McCoo from the 5th Dimension on 'It Takes a Thief'...anyone remember that?). At first I thought it would be Spock and Uhura. Then when Kirk and Uhura got closer and closer, my mouth dropped and I said "They're gonna KISS?" I couldn't believe it. And when they did,even though it wasn't romantic...I was stunned! And as a blackwoman, I said 'YES!!'

[@AlishatheNinjaLion]

I have the upmost respect for Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner >.< I love them both

[@jamiejones4067]

You're a hero to us all, Ms. Nichols

[@barjan1]

Funny how she able to mimic Shatners staccato line delivery, great actress!

[@dvddmc]

Give it up to Shatner getting that kiss. he has the balls to do it

[@NoTeaLiam]

I was in my late teens. I didn't think anything of it. The only unusual aspect, for me, was that Kirk never kissed crew, ever. He never had a romantic encounter with the yeoman (also quite attractive) or any of the other female crew; it just wasn't done. He always had romantic liaisons with women were were not under his direct authority. That's why I thought the two characters struggled with the kiss in the scene, not because of any racial overtones, but because of their positions on the ship.

[@sarasalentine8333]

Shatner is an awesome troll. Good for them!

[@danrich64]

Kudos to Nichols and Shatner for shattering the interracial kiss barrier, despite the fact that that most red-blooded male actors would have had no problem properly getting into character during the embrace with a gorgeous Nichelle Nichols. The episode was titled "Plato's Stepchildren," which depicted an advanced alien race with powers of telekinesis behaving like Greek Gods. Perhaps there was an element of providence that rightfully compelled this barrier breaking smooch in 1968.

[@kensummers7757]

I'm a lot older than most people, so I'm quite proud that when I saw that kiss on (British) TV back in the sixties, it never crossed my mind that it was other than right. :-)

[@ImWeirdAndILikeIt]

I love how she tells stories

[@ahucal4461]

I wonder if that clip of Shatner crossing his eyes is available anywhere?

[@KemaTheAtheist]

I've always liked Shatner, and this makes me like him even more.

[@xTHUNDERCLEASx]

Still Beautiful after all these years.Love you Nichelle XOXOXO

[@FWCC1]

This Woman is Such a Legend!!In my opinion there is no show that can compare ever to Star Trek

[@ShawnaGraham50]

I hope I look that beautiful and graceful at that age.

[@cgrbutterflyfish]

Nichelle is such a class act.

[@SomeCrazyShit1]

I think bill just really wanted to kiss her , i mean 6 times

[@kchiem]

William Shatner.. is.. the man!

[@moonrockguy]

Well, well, well! I had no idea. Well played Shatner. You have gone up in my estimation, massively.

[@MRJAVIER196619862009]

AN UNFORGETTABLE TELEVISION MOMENT !

[@Rescue162]

Pretty awesome story. A whole lot of trouble for the first interracial kiss on national American television (1968). And all these years later (2017), many people still get queasy about interracial relationships.

[@jaquen1977]

Nichelle looks amazing at nearly 80. If she died her hair black, or put on a wig, she'd look almost exactly as she did during the last couple Trek films she did.

[@kduideo]

I hated that show as a child.....Yet now at 47 I LOVE LOVE the show and her!! God Bless

[@indiBun]

"At the time we did 6 kisses" So epic, I'm sure it was like a large middle finger.

[@michaelburke7978]

Still looks amazing.

[@gemment1]

Very beautiful woman with style and class.

[@mmwb5938]

Happy Valentine's day to all who love no matter what your racial make-up. Big thanks to Gene Roddenberry for having vision to write the scene, Ms. Nichelle Nichols for being so beautiful and wonderful in the scene and William Shatner who made sure the kiss was shown to the world. William Shatner a true bad Ass love him.

[@hyenacub]

Nichelle Nichols is absolutely adorable. C: C:

[@wendyverdades3013]

Dear Ms. Nichols, Thank you for sharing this. My 12 year old roared and agrees with me. You both are wonderful. Good On Mr. Shatner!

[@Ikesgurl123]

I kind of want to hear Shatner's side of this story!

[@teakonorth4393]

NICHELLE AND BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!! so much love.

[@cellofingers]

Nichelle was just here in Atlanta at Dragon Con. What a lovely lady to meet and classy from the tip of her toes to the top of her head.

[@adorablebelle]

She is stunning!

[@ProLaytonxPhoenix]

WOW! That's was a great story on how a piece of television history was made

[@livinabox925]

she still looks great.

[@MagiMystik]

Gees, I like that Shatner more everyday. I grew up wanting to be just like you and Nichelle's story tells me how right I was!

[@calicokat9083]

This story still brings me to tears.

[@blancolirio]

Wow! GREAT piece of TV history background here.

[@ManicOpake]

totally epic shatner forced them to use the kiss

[@nope4no1]

What a beautiful, talented, classy lady she is! Wonderful behind-the-scenes story!

[@crystalheart9]

I remember seeing this scene for the first time and was so happy to see them kiss:)

[@ahaenssen]

She is my hero! Go Nichelle.

[@user-ox8rz1jb9c]

This was fantastic especially since back then we had segregated bathrooms and etc . It had to be scary not knowing what kind of flack you'd get for being so ballsy . Yet it appears today we are going backward in racial freedoms. My wife and I are ethically different and proud of it and the great job this has done

[@Rains215]

Wow Captain Kirk is awesome!

[@frankamourleon6076]

Id be lucky to date her now and im 28.

[@feralbluee]

i saw this when it was first run and never realized it was a big deal - it was just Uhura and Kirk. Crossed his eyes - rotfl She is quite something - I love that she just took it all in stride - and they joked about it. i would love to see that whole darn thing :]

[@4BetaMale2]

And here I though I know everything about the original Trek, and I find a jewel like this interview. Thanks :)

[@Zebred2001]

Best legs in Starfleet Command!

[@Locktwiste72]

Looking back now, this was SOOO ridiculous. I guess that is how bad it was back then. But the director, did he not see the script before directing that segment? I mean, how did he expect it to play out? Perhaps Kirk coming close to Uhura for the kiss and then fade to black, so the audience guesses that he kissed her? Nonsense! Racism is still alive and well, even in Hollywood, but thank goodness it's not as idiotic as it was before. I'm not saying it has disappeared altogether (that may take another two centuries when the REAL Enterprise crew appears!), but it's not as bad as before.

[@milascave2]

Side note: that episode was not shown in the south.

[@budburck3211]

The best black woman that i love in the 70-80.Still Love you 2 Day

[@ferexia]

what a beautiful lady

[@FistOfJeff]

Good guy Shatner.

[@tricksterhuaun]

What a brave woman, not because she was the first black actress to realize a interracial kiss on tv, but because she had to do it with Shatner!

[@Captain_Char]

This is another reason i enjoyed star trek, the racism was very low in our culture according to Gene's vision of the future, and its an ideal I think the world should aim for, equality among all races on our planet, and maybe other planets as well

[@Myxale]

I remember watching the episode in question when it aired in Germany, and remember the 'kiss' well. Of course, way back I didn't know it was such a big deal. But I do remember thinking that Kirk and Uhura looked hot together!

[@eji]

The sad thing is that something as trivial as a kiss was such a big thing back then because of racism... and now we have Spock and Uhura in a pretty serious relationship in the new movies. There are still pockets of the country that are bad now as they were back then, but at least we seem to have gotten a little better.

[@CherryBo217]

I F%#CKIN ADORE HER!!!

[@mmmoonism]

omg, i know this lady, she was the ambassador of tunis from houston, my parents were great friends with her and her kids went to our school!

[@bobbypride]

i would alway look forward to see nichelle in the show could not wait.

[@Darrylizer1]

Great story, great lady.

[@mariakai]

What a truly amazing bunch of people. I honestly wish that I can shake all of their hands, INCLUDING Bill Shatner for his...stunt. ;)

[@MultiSpiderdude]

If he were born 300 years later, he would have really been Kirk.

[@Squishy876]

So baller on Shatner's side.

[@Belforhir]

isn't the first interracial kiss the first time Kirk kissed an alien? Kirk and Uhura is both of the Human race... ;)

[@starjumper55]

Gorgeous lady, now or anytime! Love you Nichelle! David

[@TheBigdave62]

There should be a qualifier: It was the first interracial kiss on EPISODIC television, but there was an interracial kiss between Sammy Davis Jr. and Nancy Sinatra on Nancy's TV special: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_firsts

[@rogerwilco2]

So Shatner had an interesting part to play in this as well. Nice clip.

[@nursemedic17]

Nichelle is absolutely fabulous....although the first interracial kiss on TV was Sammy Davis Jr. kissing Nancy Sinatra....on the cheek, but at the time......

[@eggory]

Great story.

[@menzicosce]

it really doesn't matter which take they used, as i understand it, was also the first portrayed interracial kiss on TV.

[@osamabradleybin]

the first interracial kiss in the world was from a british tv show 4 years b4 this one

[@AsianShadowrunner]

I can't say I really know the 1970's during the actual Star Trek series but the way it was described here, it was more of a funny moment than something that would break pop-culture with a first interracial kiss. Shatner proved how goofy he was, she proved how professional she was, and - in the end - it was a scene that would pave the way for more interracial kisses. I guess without this kiss, then there wouldn't be Seven of Nine kissing Ensign Harry Kim in future Star Trek Voyager.

[@RANDY4410]

i was 12 years old when i saw the big kiss with LT Uhura and Capt Kirk, i didn't see it as a black and white thing at the time back then but i heard he really never kissed her.

[@shams2112]

I've heard that George Takei was always jealous of Nichelle Nichols because he wanted to have the first interracial kiss on television.

[@HENJAM48]

Luckily for me, I never saw the inherent racial politics; I was too young. Hopefully in the future it will never be an issue. Sadly today it still is.

[@ViardotVSGrisi]

damn, she's still serving you FACE. Go in, Nichelle! Go in and let have!