Product Description
The first African-American woman to have a major, continuing television role tells the inside story of Star Trek and its creator--her onetime lover and lifelong friend--and her struggle to overcome racism and bias against women. Read by Nichelle Nichols. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

In many ways, the most interesting of the memoirs of major personalities of the original Star Trek series
In many ways, this is the most interesting of all the memoirs penned by the stars and producers of the original Star Trek series. For Nichelle was a double minority, black and female, at a time when there were few acting roles depicting either competent blacks or competent females. Her career path took many turns and included an attempted rape by a man with strong political connections.
Star Trek was groundbreaking in so many ways; among other things it presented the first interracial kiss on television in an episode that was otherwise mediocre. However, the most significant new events were the depiction of black people in positions of command. Although Uhura never occupied the command chair in the original series, she was an officer and was depicted as one of the most talented people in her field. Furthermore, when the occasion demanded it, she was perfectly capable of engaging in hand-to-hand combat, even pulling a knife. This is the story of the very strong woman that made the role one of the first where a black woman played an active, energetic and intelligent character.

Not just another Star Trek memoir
Nichelle Nichols, originally named Grace, knows from an early age that she wants to perform. Originally a singer and dancer, she marries early despite parental disapproval and quickly regrets everything about that union except the son it produces. Her life on the road, as a Black performer during the 50s and early 60s, evokes an America in transition. It's an exciting time, but a dangerous one, too. Eventually she relocates her entire family (the support system she needs in order to keep raising her son) to Los Angeles, and lands her first television role in The Lieutenant - a series produced by Gene Roddenberry, who becomes her close friend. When Roddenberry casts her as a member of the bridge crew aboard the starship Enterprise, in what critics call the first intelligent science fiction series on television, she finds herself filling another role on which she didn't bargain: that of role model for an entire generation of American young people. Especially for small girls, young women, and minorities.

This is not just another Star Trek memoir, although I'll admit I picked it up with that expectation. I was pleasantly surprised to find much more than that in its pages: the autobiography of a woman living through a time of extraordinary changes, who not only survived those changes but helped to shape them. The Star Trek reminiscences, my original reason for buying this book, wound up being the least interesting part of it for me. Instead, I found myself intrigued by the actress's pre-Star Trek career and - especially - by her work for NASA, in the years after the TV series ended. To me it reads like a volume of transcribed oral history instead of a celebrity tell-all.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of HIGH PLACES and 2005 EPPIE winner REGS

Deserves to be reissued for today's readers!
My review is more from the memory of reading this book years ago than from any current readings. The short & sweet of this autobiography is that Nichelle writes about her life before, during, & after Star Trek. Rather than go the same route as other ST alumi, she tries her hardest to avoid badmouthing the Shatner (even though he makes it VERY hard for her to stay neutral) which she mostly succeeds at.

Miss Nichols has lead an amazing life. She not only starred in one of the most popular & well known series ever, but she's met famous political figures & Hollywood stars. She's gone through incredible hardships in order to get where she is today, and she writes a fantastic book to boot! The autobiography is easily accessible to both fans of ST & those who just want a nice book to read. Unfortunately this book has gone out of print, but it's well worth the time to track down a copy to own. The book has to be one of the most well written autobiographies I've read in a while, and that includes the ones I've read in the years since.

5/5

Interesting autobiography
This autobiography by Nichelle Nichols reflects upon her life, as a black actress, facing racism of her times and breaking them with certain amount of courage and skills. First half of the book retells the story of her life prior to Star Trek, her education, training and people whom she met, some who were helpful while others who were not. Her occasional slide into self praise is typical of many memoirs, not atypical.

But for most people who read this book, they read it because they are Star Trek fans and second part of the book don't disappointed them at all. She goes into all sort of interesting tales about her experiences in Star Trek that brought her to the forefront. Her story on how Martin Luther King talked her into staying on the show, her frustration with the limited role she was having and her relationships with her co-workers while still fighting occasional racism at the studios proves to be an set of very interesting and telling stories. She continued on with her stories on the Star Trek movies as well as her work with NASA.

Like Jimmy Doohan and George Takei books, Nichols seem to have problems with William Shatner. From the three of them, Shatner does not seem to be a very generous actor and by design or not, William Shatner often end up sounding like a self centered cad. Its interesting that almost every Star Trek actor have problems with Shatner. But she was generous enough to say that Shatner as a director of Star Trek V, was most wonderful person. Doohan and Takei had no kind words for Shatner in their books.

Intersting reading material for all Star Trek fans. Story of Nichelle Nichols proves to be one of courage and determination that marked her a very special woman. In some ways, that make the color of her skin immaterial in the end.

Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories
I really enjoyed this book.Nichelle tells lots of great stories.A couple of times it would get a little bogged down in details about all her various gigs, but for the most the book moved quickly.She begins with her multi-racial family living thru segregation.She goes on to tell stories about how her carreer evolved, her brush with gangsters running the entertainment industry, her relationship with Gene Roddenbery, how insensitive Bill Shatner was to his cast mates, and by contrast, how egalitarian Leonard Nimoy was, and about her work with NASA recruiting astronauts. There are many, many fascinating stories in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Next Book??
I thoroughly enjoyed this book when it came out.Loved the characters & got thoroughly caught up in them.There was every hint of a continuation of the story, but I've yet to find it.It's beginning to look like this will be a stand-alone instead of the series I was looking forward to.Too bad, a loss for all Nichelle Nichols/Margaret Bonanno's fans.

An excellent read
This is a character-driven story -- the essence of the narrative is really about the characters, their histories, and how they interact and relate to one another.The space exploration and politcial plots are a framework upon which the characetrs can act and interact.As such, there is a lot of detail, especially about the characters, but a significant effort was made in the world-bulding, and it never feels as if the characters are on a cardboard stage.I enjoyed this book for those very reasons.

That said, what I would fault the story for is the following: It has a fairly slow pace and the flashbacks are occasionally disconcerting -- I would start to get into the story and sometimes found myself wrenched off into a character's past.Nooo! We were justing getting to a good part....I found the end a little too neat and tidy, given all the convolutions that led up to it.There are some issues with some of the science, but these probably won't be noticed except by readers with a strong science background.This is not a hard sci-fi novel, but the detail is much better than in some soft sci-fi novels, and I appreciated the fact that science and scientists were presented in a positive way.And I do think the setting was more than a little idealistic, with the humans and Fazisians (and their governments) getting along extraordinarily well.

In summary: If you like character-driven sci-fi, this book is worth a read.If you are looking for space battles or accurate technological detail, best to look elsewhere.

Captivated
It honestly took me awhile to get into this story.It seemed like a typical sappy love story, from the go.I thought it a waste of time so I put it down but found myself reading it under duress -- I didn't have anything else to read.

To my pleasant surprise, the story improved dramatically and by the end I desperately wanted to see where everything would go.Though, a persistent frustration was the lack of chemistry.If I weren't told of their affections I would not have guessed it, except that it was obvious that Tetrok and Nyota would end up together from the initial meeting.

I was also disappointed to find that there has yet to be an addition to the story, leaving things incomplete.

I can guess what's likely to happen but this one surprised me so I'd much rather read it.The second book would have definitely been more enjoyable.

saturn's child
great book!! compelling!! still waiting for the rest!! nichelle andmargaret did a great job on this.

Saturn's Child
This book was wonderful.I am anxious for the next book in this series.You don't want to put the book down.Pick it up and read it.Savor every moment. ... Read more

Product Description
Limited Edition. Personality Presents The Original Crew: Nichelle Nichols. Star Trek exclusive. Includes 4 limited edition trading cards on a serial numbered card. Black and white. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Nichelle Nichols, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 2392 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
Chapters: People From Robbins, Illinois, Nichelle Nichols, Jan Bradley, Joe Montgomery. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 27. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Nichols; December 28, 1932) is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Her most famous role is that of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular Star Trek television series, as well as the succeeding motion pictures, where her character was eventually promoted in Starfleet to the rank of commander. In 2006, she added executive producer to her résumé. Nichols was born in Robbins, Illinois, near Chicago, the daughter of Lishia (née Parks) and Samuel Earl Nichols, a factory worker who was both the town mayor of Robbins and its chief magistrate. Later, the family moved into an elegant apartment in Chicago after white residents fled because a single black family moved in. She studied in Chicago as well as New York and Los Angeles. While still in Chicago, she performed at the "Blue Angel", and in New York, Nichols appeared at that city's "Blue Angel" and Playboy Club as a dancer and singer. She also appeared in the role of Carmen for a Chicago stock company production of Carmen Jones and performed in a New York production of Porgy and Bess. Between acting and singing engagements, Nichols did occasional modeling work. In January 1967, Nichols also was featured on the cover of Ebony magazine. Nichols toured the United States, Canada and Europe as a singer with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands. On the West Coast, she appeared in The Roar of the Greasepaintthe Smell of the Crowd, For My People, and garnered high praise for her performance in the James Baldwin play, Blues for Miste...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=145366 ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Nichelle Nichols, Jan Bradley, Joe Montgomery. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 18. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Nichelle Nichols (born Grace Nichols; December 28, 1932) is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Her most famous role is that of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular Star Trek television series, as well as the succeeding motion pictures, where her character was eventually promoted in Starfleet to the rank of commander. In 2006, she added executive producer to her résumé. Nichols was born in Robbins, Illinois, near Chicago, the daughter of Lishia (née Parks) and Samuel Earl Nichols, a factory worker who was both the town mayor of Robbins and its chief magistrate. Later, the family moved into an elegant apartment in Chicago after white residents fled because a single black family moved in. She studied in Chicago as well as New York and Los Angeles. While still in Chicago, she performed at the "Blue Angel", and in New York, Nichols appeared at that city's "Blue Angel" and Playboy Club as a dancer and singer. She also appeared in the role of Carmen for a Chicago stock company production of Carmen Jones and performed in a New York production of Porgy and Bess. Between acting and singing engagements, Nichols did occasional modeling work. In January 1967, Nichols also was featured on the cover of Ebony magazine. Nichols toured the United States, Canada and Europe as a singer with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands. On the West Coast, she appeared in The Roar of the Greasepaintthe Smell of the Crowd, For My People, and garnered high praise for her performance in the James Baldwin play, Blues for Mister Charlie. Prior to being cast ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=145366 ... Read more

Product Description
A compendium for Trekkers who can't get enough of their favorite show. It's great fun to find the mistakes (or cost-cutting ploys). 2 cassettes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Classic Trek foul ups and blunders
I had a copy of this book when it first came out, but I lost it and thought it was out of print. I was delighted to see it still available and ordered it, especially since I have the TV series and movies on DVD now. I this book, author Phil Farrand goes through each and every episode of the Original series and the six feature films. In each he discusses changed premises, plot oversites, equipment oddies, and props that don't work like they should. Also he points out scenes that were cut when the show was syndicated, and what stills where shown during the end credits. Also Farrand also includes what are called tote boards, that lists things like the number of times Kirk's shirt gets torn, number of people who slap Spock, number of times McCoy pronounces someone dead etc. This book is a must for fans of Classic Star Trek.
PS, in the episode The Savage Curtain, during a fight scene, Kirk is on his back, and he draws up his legs to push away his opponet, his pants cleary split!! I laughed until i almost could'nt breathe.

A lot of nitpicks in this book are invalid
For example he picks on one Trek ep for mentioning the Euygenics Wars of the 1990's and the fact that in the real life 1990's the Eugenics wars never took place. Also, he mentions inconsistencies beween the TOS and TNG shows. If these are nitpicks they should be in the TNG nitpickers guide. Also I hate when he talks about how Miri would be a shorter show if they (the landing party) could talk to the ship. Wrong author Phil! It would be a different show if they could talk to the ship.

This Trek Fan Loved It
I loved this book. Whenever I'm in need of a laugh I still return to it. Every blooper, every continuity problem and and every single episode is discussed in this veryfunny guide. The authorwas obviously a huge fan of Star Trek.

Surprise!A reference book that is actually humorous.
Phil Farrand does a wonderful job here of pointing out things the creators of Trek got wrong (and right!)--small things most of us would never give a second thought to.My favorite glitch:

"Return of the Archons--Just after Festival begins, Kirk & the others scamper for cover.In one shot, a rock about the size of a cantaloupe arches down and whacks a crew member on the top of his head.Surprisingly, the man seems unaffected, and the rock simply bounces off.Now that's the kind of guy you want to take on landing party missions!"

I couldn't stop laughing for about five straight minutes after I read this one.If you like Star Trek, and you like to laugh--get Phil Farrand's Nitpicker's Guides for Trekkers.You will not be disappointed.

CITY ON THE EDGE OE FOREVER
Kirk and spock are sweeping the floor when spocks notices a man using small tools, the sceen cuts and shows the man's hand picking a a sharp looking tool, then the sceen changes back to Kirk and Spock some words are passedthen sceen shows the man's hand again doing the same motion. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes an interview with Nichols and a short article on the Stephen King/Richard Bachman controversy. ... Read more

Product Description
Collection from the star of Star Trek TV show ... Read more