To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and ‘Star Trek’ Helped Advance Civil Rights

Narrated from the perspective of a Black Star Trek viewer looking back on their childhood, this tribute to Nichelle Nichols (1932–2022) begins with the child’s family tuning in to Star Trek, proud to view Nichols’s Lieutenant Uhura, “someone who looked like us standing as an equal to make the future better for everyone.” While the fight for civil rights raged, Dalton writes, Nichols worked with Star Trek’s creator to make Uhura a reality that “represented how she saw herself: strong, independent, equal.” But Uhura was often underutilized, and Nichols planned to leave the show until meeting an unexpected fan, Martin Luther King Jr., who urged her to consider her influence. Unlined digital illustrations by Semmer focus on portraits of the subject working “to boldly go.../ to make the future better for everyone.” Back matter includes an author’s note, and describes Nichols’s post-Star Trek work to help NASA connect with “women and minoritized astronaut candidates.” Ages 4–8. (Jan.)