When the original series of Star Trek ran from 1966 to 1969, it broke ground by featuring an ensemble cast complete with cast members from diverse ethnic backgrounds. One such groundbreaking character was that of Lieutenant Uhura, the ship’s main communications officer, who was played by actress Nichelle Nichols. Uhura was both one of the shows only major recurring female characters and African-American, and as such, Nichols’ performance as Lt. Uhura is truly a landmark of television history. When director J.J. Abrams revamped Star Trek in two film installments released in 2009 and 2013, he chose to return to the characters from the original series and brought Lt. Uhura to the silver screen for a new generation of viewers. In the Abrams films, actress Zoe Saldana brings Uhura to life, and her depiction of the character diverges quite a bit from that of Nichelle Nichols in the original series. This paper will explore the nature of the differences in portrayal of this dynamic character from Nichols’ depiction to Saldana’s and seek to historicize some of the major changes so as to better understand how the social atmosphere of the times impacted the way Lt. Uhura has been brought to life. Much of these considerations will be based on a feminist theoretical examination of the performances from the original series and from Abrams’ films and will utilize the work of such thinkers as bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and Jeffrey A. Brown. Furthermore, this paper will explore how these performances are affected by taking place within the genre of science fiction and will likely reference the thoughts of Margaret Atwood and Joanna Russ.
About the presenterAshley Stahle
Ashley Stahle is currently in her second year of study in Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Literature and Criticism PhD program. Her research interests include contemporary American literature, gender and sexuality studies, and the science fiction genre.