5 Sci-Fi Shows Nichelle Nichols Appeared In (That Aren't Star Trek)

Best known for playing the USS Enterprise's communications officer Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in "Star Trek: The Original Series," the late Nichelle Nichols was a crucial component of the foundation of modern science fiction television. Her work on Gene Roddenberry's series, as well as her essential role as one of the most recognizable Black women in television at the time, makes her a true vanguard of the genre.

That said, Nichols didn't actually work on much sci-fi television outside of the greater "Star Trek" franchise, which she graciously participated in well into her older years via fan films and shows. But the few sci-fi TV projects she did work on were fun, imaginative, and often unexpected — which seems on point for the genre in question. Here are some of the most noteworthy sci-fi shows that Nichols appeared in during her storied life and career, other than those that were part of the "Star Trek" franchise.

Though superhero stories might not seem like science fiction on the surface, there's no denying the sci-fi foundations of a character like Spider-Man. His beloved 1994 animated series brought all the hallmarks of Peter Parker's story — the Daily Bugle, Mary Jane Watson, that iconic rogues gallery — to life in a new way, while still feeling connected to the character's comic book roots.

Nichelle Nichols appeared in two episodes of the show as Miriam, a villainous vampire who claims to be the queen of her kind. The character is particularly significant because she's the mother of Blade, the legendary Black vampire hunter of the Marvel universe. Nichols voiced the character in a Season 4 episode titled "Partners in Danger Chapter 7: The Vampire Queen" as well as the Season 5 episode "Secret Wars Chapter 2: The Gauntlet of the Red Skull."

As a member of the core USS Enterprise crew from "Star Trek: The Original Series," it's no surprise that Nichols would have made an appearance on "Futurama." As one of the sci-fi shows that truly defined the genre, Matt Groening's long-running animated project is a bright light among stories that can often be dour or straight-faced. 

Nichols appeared as herself in two episodes of "Futurama," with the first coming during Season 2 in "Anthology of Interest I." Two years later, she appeared in the Season 4 episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before." In each, Nichols was featured in two distinct ways. As with so many other celebrities who turned up in "Futurama," "Anthology of Interest I" sees her depicted solely in head form. In "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," however, she turns up fully intact, this time as part of the energy being Melllvar's villainous plans to hold an eternal "Star Trek" fan convention.

"Toy Story" has long been one of animation's most shining achievements — so much so that Disney and Pixar have, on several occasions, explored the science fiction realm using one of the movie franchise's favorite characters: Buzz Lightyear. The 2000 animated series "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" expanded on the origin story of the character behind the toy, covering his many exploits in space alongside his cohorts in Space Command.

Nichelle Nichols made a very brief appearance on the series as the voice of a character named Chief, but she only lent her talents to one episode of the show's first and only season, titled "The Yukari Imprint." Having Nichols on board as part of a space crew makes sense for obvious reasons, of course — so her voice cameo was very much a welcome one in the sci-fi canon, no matter how small it may have been.

Again: Say what you will about superheroes, but their condition is innately part of the science fiction world. Naturally, that makes one of the best superhero shows of all time, 2006's "Heroes," very much a part of the sci-fi canon. The NBC series centered on an ensemble cast of average, regular folks who, after becoming imbued with extraordinary powers, attempt to use their newfound abnormalities to save the world.

Nichelle Nichols appeared in a five-episode stint during the show's second season. She played Nana Dawson, the great-aunt of preteen character Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabey), who helps the character's mother, Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), take care of him at a crucial time. You can catch her in Season 2 episodes "Kindred," "The Kindness of Strangers," "Fight or Flight," "Four Months Ago...," and "Truth & Consequences." Notably, Nichols wasn't the only Enterprise crew member to turn up in "Heroes," either: George Takei also appeared in the series as Kaito Nakamura.

One of Nichelle Nichols' final sci-fi works before her passing was an appearance in the independent series "Space Command," which consists of several longform episodes. Nichols played a character named Octavia Butler in an episode titled "Ripple Effect." The character is almost certainly named after the prolific science fiction writer, especially considering several characters in the series are named after major sci-fi personalities — including Michael Crichton and Ray Bradbury.

The cool thing about Nichols' participation in this project is that it had been crowdfunded back in 2012. From there, the creators continued to raise funds as they shot and worked through post-production on several episodes. Nichols' episode was a bonus episode that the cast shot from different homes during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From a sci-fi perspective, the cast is surprisingly stacked. Nichols was a great addition to a crew of legends: "Star Trek: Discovery" star Doug Jones, "Voyager" star Robert Ricardo, and "Deep Space Nine" star Armin Shimerman, as well as "Babylon 5" stalwarts Bruce Boxleitner, Bill Mumy, and Mira Furlan. The fact that Nichols — and her co-stars — wanted to work on an independent sci-fi project really proved that there are some true class acts working in the genre.