Every Version Of Star Trek’s Nyota Uhura, Ranked

One of film and TV’s greatest sci-fi franchises, “Star Trek” has long been famous for its iconic characters, be it Captains like Kirk and Picard, or alien adversaries like the Klingons and the Borg. But even its side characters have become pop culture icons, and few are as important to the pantheon of science fiction as Nyota Uhura, the communications officer who served on the original USS Enterprise in the 1960s TV series that started it all.

Played by Nichelle Nichols, Uhura was a fixture of the Enterprise bridge, a dedicated officer, and an important part of what made “Star Trek” beloved and celebrated for generations. But over the years, the franchise has given us multiple versions of the character — different interpretations on different shows, sometimes in alternate timelines, and even played by different actors. The most recent is a series regular on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” the prequel “Trek” series that explores the adventures of Captain Pike and the USS Enterprise in the years before James T. Kirk took command.

Each version of Uhura we’ve seen has been different in more ways than one, whether it’s an animated interpretation, a younger version of the character, or an iteration in an alternate timeline. Uhura has always been one of the best “Trek” characters, but which version is the best of them all? Open the hailing frequencies, because this is a list of every version of Nyota Uhura, ranked from good to best.

The red-headed stepchild of the “Star Trek” franchise, “Star Trek: The Animated Series” arrived in 1973. It was a Saturday morning cartoon aimed at children, but was the only way that Gene Roddenberry could get more “Trek” on the air at that time. Despite being a children’s show, the series featured many of the same creative team behind the scenes, including writers David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana, but also nearly the entire cast of the original 1966 TV series, with Nichelle Nichols returning to voice Uhura.

Admittedly, with just a scant 20-something minutes per episode, and a brief 22-episode run across two seasons, Uhura doesn’t get much to do, which is true of many characters in the series. And that’s a big reason that this version of Uhura is at the bottom of our list. Of course, it’s also worth pointing out that Nichols, like most of the voice cast, doesn’t seem to be giving their all to their roles, possibly because the world of animation and voice acting was still relatively new to most of them. Nevertheless, it’s a treat to have Nichols back in the role once more, and ironically, she almost didn’t make the cut: star Leonard Nimoy had to campaign vociferously to get Nichols and co-star George Takei hired for the series, after both were initially left out for budgetary reasons.

Before 2009, Nichelle Nichols was the only actor to ever play the character of Nyota Uhura on-screen, having appeared in “Star Trek” in 1966, “The Animated Series” in 1973, and six “Star Trek” movies. That all changed when director J.J. Abrams kickstarted a reboot of the franchise with the simply titled film “Star Trek.” With an entirely new cast of younger actors playing the iconic roles of the Enterprise crew, it was now “Avatar” star Zoe Saldana taking the role of communications officer Uhura. 

A very different version of the character than fans were used to, Saldana’s Uhura is younger, vibrant, and more take-charge than the Nichelle Nichols version, largely owing to the era in which Saldana’s movies were made. Looking for more gender diversity in the headlining cast, the reboot films gave Uhura top billing alongside Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). As a result, she has a lot more to do in the three “Kelvin timeline” films than she ever did in the original series or its offshoot movies, even getting a romantic subplot with Quinto’s Mr. Spock. Headstrong and defiant, Uhura is never afraid to stand up to her superiors and take charge in a situation when the need arises. 

Most unique about Saldana’s version of Uhura, in comparison to Nichelle Nichols’ classic incarnation, is that she gets to be an action hero alongside Kirk and Spock this time around. Wielding a phaser and jumping into the fray in a crisis, Saldana is a bold version of Uhura for a more confident, commanding generation of young women.

After Anson Mount debuted as Captain Christopher Pike in “Star Trek: Discovery,” he and the crew of the USS Enterprise — in the years before Kirk commanded the ship — got their own spin-off series, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” Pike wasn’t the only classic character to headline the series, though, with Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck), Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Nurse Chapel (Jess Bush) and Dr. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) all joining him — along with a young Cadet Nyota Uhura, played by Celia Rose Gooding. 

Fresh-faced and exuberant, this less-experienced version of Uhura is still years away from the older iteration we met in the original “Star Trek” series. Less confident but eager to prove herself, Cadet Uhura is a skilled communications officer and brilliant linguist in ways the original series never showcased, and we learn that before she was a stalwart of the Enterprise bridge, Uhura was a work-obsessed young officer-in-training. In fact, one of the best aspects of “Strange New Worlds” has been the show’s focus on Uhura and her journey from green cadet to trusted bridge officer. We learn about her traumatic past and the death of her family at a young age, and see her grow more confident and self-assured as the show progresses.

Gooding portrays these new sides of Uhura with aplomb, making this version of Uhura a fully realized character every bit as deep and complex as Kirk and Spock — something the original “Star Trek” never did. 

Was there really any doubt which version of Uhura would top our list? Probably not. Nevertheless, it is indeed the original, played by Nichelle Nichols. Iconic for myriad reasons, Nichols’ portrayal of Uhura isn’t just famous, it’s trailblazing: an African American actor, playing a high-ranking officer and main cast member on a prime time TV series, at a time when the Civil Rights movement was still fighting for equality.

Admittedly, much of Uhura’s portrayal in the 1960s series falls short of what we’d expect from a female character today; she was sometimes used as eye candy and often served as the show’s frightened bridge officer to stress the graveness of an impending threat. Still, those aspects of the character aside, Nichols’ version of Uhura became an important part of multiple equality movements, illustrating that African Americans and women could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anyone.

So important was Uhura, in fact, that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., rather famously convinced Nichols to stay in the role when she was considering leaving the show. The great Dr. King recognized that, even if Uhura was a side character, seeing a powerful Black woman on the bridge of the Enterprise was important not just for the show, but for culture itself. Her presence on TV screens was a demonstration of telling children and adults in audiences around the world that race need not separate us.