Nichelle Nichols isn’t only a boundary-breaking “Star Trek” alumna. As a new documentary details, she also has a history of helping NASA recruit women and people of color to its ranks. “Woman In Motion,” which examines Nichols’ contributions to NASA and her time on “Star Trek,” has snagged distribution. Deadline reports Shout! Studios has landed all North American rights to the film.
The doc chronicles Nichols’ role in helping “pioneer the NASA recruiting program to hire people of color and the first female astronauts for the space agency in the late 1970s and 1980s,” per the source. “Woman In Motion” also traces her time as the iconic Uhura on “Star Trek,” one of the first leading roles for a Black woman on network television.
Nichols made her debut as Uhura in 1966 on “Star Trek: The Original Series.” She would go on to reprise the role numerous times over the following decades in “Star Trek” films, video games, and in “Star Trek: The Animated Series.”
“Woman In Motion” features interviews with and footage of Nichols as well as scientists, astronauts, activists, and actors. Vivica A. Fox, Neil deGrasse Tyson, George Takei, Pharrell Williams, Al Sharpton, and Martin Luther King III are among those who make appearances.
Nichols co-produced “Woman In Motion” and Todd Thompson (“The Highwaymen”) directed. A 2021 release is being planned.
“This is a great American story with incredible global impact,” Thompson said. “Nichelle Nichols strived to create a brighter future for us all by proclaiming that space exploration is for everyone. It’s a simple but very strong statement that opens doors and allows all humankind to boldly go.”
Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions at Shout! Studios, added, “With America in what is hopefully a transformational moment, there couldn’t be a better time for this joyous and deeply emotional celebration of the remarkable Nichelle Nichols and her work to bring diversity to our space program. This wonderful film will continue Nichelle’s mission by inspiring all children to reach for the stars, whatever those stars may be.”
Nichols received the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. Her other credits include “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Gargoyles,” “Heroes,” and “The Young and the Restless.”
