Nichelle Nichols on Martin Luther King, Jr. convincing her not to leave Star Trek

Actress Nichelle Nichols tells the story of how she nearly quit Star Trek after its first season, when she attended a dinner and was approached by Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a fan of the show and convinced her to stay on. Part of his appeal to her was based on how the show portrayed African Americans:

"He said, 'For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing, dance and, but who can go into space, who can be lawyers, who can be teachers, who can be professors. Who we are in this day and yet you don’t see it on television until now.'"

Watch Nichelle Nichols' full interview to hear more stories from her groundbreaking career.

TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews