Uhura
A character in the "Star Trek" series, played by actress Nichelle Nichols.
Commander Uhura began her career as Lieutenant Uhura, Chief Communications Officer on the Starship Enterprise, a job sometimes mocked as a telephone operator in space. She was later promoted to Commander.
Significance
Uhura was one of the first Black female characters on TV. She and Captain James T. Kirk gave the first interracial kiss on US TV. Her African-style name (based on a Swahili word and intended to be a Swahili name from the United States of Africa), the kiss, and her integration into a crew of internationals, including a Russian, were Gene Roddenberry's hopeful view of an international, interracial future.