star trek beyond kissing girl

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Star Trek Beyond

The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the te... Read all The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test. The crew of the USS Enterprise explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy, who puts them, and everything the Federation stands for, to the test.

• Gene Roddenberry
• Zachary Quinto
• 900 User reviews
• 496 Critic reviews
• 68 Metascore
• 3 wins & 29 nominations total

• Captain James T. Kirk

• Commander Spock

• Doctor 'Bones' McCoy

• Lieutenant Uhura

• Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia After production on the film was completed, and a month before the release, Anton Yelchin died in a freak vehicle accident at age 27. During the ending credits, there is a dedication that reads, "For Anton." J.J. Abrams announced that Chekov would not be recast, "I would say you can't replace him. There will be no new casting. I can't imagine that, and I think Anton deserves better."
• Goofs The amount of ships and soldiers that the enemy has in its swarm changes dramatically during the final battle, from a few thousand to tens/hundreds of thousands when they attack the station. However, previously in the film, it is stated that the planet has deep and large underground caverns so it is entirely possible that there were more ships underground. Also, the amount of soldiers that would be needed to pilot all the ships would be huge as it was shown that they contain at least one soldier in each ship. But when they were watching the video logs near the film's ending, Captain Edison clearly states that they found drones. It is quite possible that the bulk of the enemy fleet is made up of drones and controlled by the hive mind that the music disrupts.

Doctor 'Bones' McCoy : [after removing shrapnel from Spock] Yeah. They say it hurts less if it's a surprise.

Commander Spock : If I may adopt a parlance with which you are familiar, I can confirm your theory to be horseshit.

• Crazy credits There is a giant green energy-hand, in the closing credits, mentioned in the movie as one of the possibilities for a ship lost in space.
• Connections Featured in Nostalgia Critic: How Right Are Trailers? (2016)
• Soundtracks Theme from 'Star Trek' TV Series Written by Alexander Courage & Gene Roddenberry

User reviews 900

• Jul 24, 2016
• How long is Star Trek Beyond? Powered by Alexa
• What happened to Carol Marcus from Star Trek Into Darkness?
• Why would Edison become captain of a warp-4 vessel if he had fought in the Xindi War (when ships were capable of warp 5)?
• July 22, 2016 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official Site
• Star Trek: Beyond
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Paramount Pictures
• Skydance Media
• Alibaba Pictures Group
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $185,000,000 (estimated)
• $158,848,340
• $59,253,211
• $343,471,816

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 2 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• Dolby Digital
• IMAX 6-Track
• 2.35 : 1 (original ratio)
• 2.39 : 1 (original ratio)

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Streaming in:

We checked for updates on 250 streaming services on April 10, 2024 at 2:39:59 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Star Trek Beyond streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Star Trek Beyond" streaming on Apple TV Plus, Paramount Plus, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel. It is also possible to buy "Star Trek Beyond" on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, Microsoft Store, AMC on Demand, Google Play Movies, YouTube as download or rent it on Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand online.

Where does Star Trek Beyond rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 5:17:04 AM, 04/10/2024

Star Trek Beyond is 5589 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 2598 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than The Giant Mechanical Man but less popular than Monster Inside: America's Most Extreme Haunted House.

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a mysterious new enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Production country

People who liked star trek beyond also liked.

Popular movies coming soon

Similar Movies you can watch for free

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .

• TV Listings
• Cast & Crew

Star Trek Beyond - Full Cast & Crew

• 68   Metascore
• 2 hr 2 mins
• Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
• Watchlist Where to Watch

This engaging sci-fi sequel finds Capt. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise facing off against a dictator named Krall. When an assault by Krall leads to the destruction of their starship, the team end up marooned on a remote planet inhabited by aliens both hostile and helpful.

Screenwriter

Executive producer, line producer, cinematographer, production company, supervising art director, art director, set decorator, costumes supervisor, sound effects, sound/sound designer, sound effects editor, special effects, makeup special effects, visual effects supervisor, first assistant director, production manager, production designer, unit production manager, post production supervisor, production coordinator, second assistant director, re-recording mixer, cg supervisor.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Star trek beyond, common sense media reviewers.

Violent but exciting adventure honors teamwork, diversity.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie celebrates teamwork, as well as loyalty

Though the focus is on teamwork -- and no individu

Sci-fi/fantasy violence. Big battles in space, cra

Kiss on the cheek (two romantic leads spend the mo

Infrequent language includes a few uses of "s--t"

Characters drink fancy scotch or alien brandy for

Parents need to know that Star Trek Beyond is the 13th Star Trek movie overall, the third installment since 2009's big-budget series reboot, and the first directed by Justin Lin (of the Fast & Furious franchise). There's plenty of big, boomy sci-fi/fantasy action violence, including…

Positive Messages

The movie celebrates teamwork, as well as loyalty to each team member. Each member's strengths are used in a way that benefits the whole. The group provides encouragement and a positive atmosphere in which members can thrive. The movie also champions diversity. On the downside, revenge is also a major theme.

Positive Role Models

Though the focus is on teamwork -- and no individual characters really stand out from the others -- they all go out of their way to protect their buddies, risking danger to save others. The cast is notably diverse.

Violence & Scariness

Sci-fi/fantasy violence. Big battles in space, crashing, explosions. Hand-to-hand fighting, martial arts fighting. Laser-gun shooting. Character impaled with a small chunk of metal. Cauterizing wound with heated metal. Minor characters injured/dead. Bad guys torture good guys. Some bloody scratches. Frequent peril/danger.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Kiss on the cheek (two romantic leads spend the movie in a fight). Other brief scenes show a flirtation in a corridor and a shot of a woman throwing a shirtless man out of her cabin/quarters.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Infrequent language includes a few uses of "s--t" ("horses--t"), plus "damn," "hell," "crap," "bastard," and "my God" (as an exclamation).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters drink fancy scotch or alien brandy for enjoyment. A character drinks to "take the edge off"; she's seen with many empty glasses on a table in front of her.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Star Trek Beyond is the 13th Star Trek movie overall, the third installment since 2009's big-budget series reboot , and the first directed by Justin Lin (of the Fast & Furious franchise). There's plenty of big, boomy sci-fi/fantasy action violence, including space battles, crashes, explosions, minor characters being hurt or killed, hand-to-hand and martial arts fighting, and a mean, angry bad guy. A major character is injured, and there's a painful but comical scene involving his impalement wound. Language is infrequent but does include a couple of uses of "horses--t," as well as "damn," "hell," "bastard," and "my God." Two characters in a romantic relationship spend this movie in a fight, so only a kiss on the cheek is shown between them; there's also a brief scene of a woman throwing a shirtless man out of her cabin/quarters. Characters occasionally drink fine scotch or other spirits, but mainly for enjoyment, though one character does try to get drunk. Overall, the movie's good attitude and strong messages related to teamwork and diversity overcome its iffy material, making it a great pick for older tweens and up. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (20)
• Kids say (24)

Based on 20 parent reviews

Star Trek 3

What's the story.

Deep into their five-year mission to explore strange new worlds and seek out new life and civilizations, the crew of the starship Enterprise -- Sulu ( John Cho ), Scotty ( Simon Pegg ), Captain Kirk ( Chris Pine ), Mr. Spock ( Zachary Quinto ), Uhura ( Zoe Saldana ), Dr. "Bones" McCoy ( Karl Urban ), and Chekov ( Anton Yelchin ) -- is beginning to feel a bit restless and bored in STAR TREK BEYOND. Unfortunately, their next mission turns out to be a trap; the Enterprise is attacked by a swarm of man-sized ships, reducing it to smithereens and standing the crew on a nearby alien planet. There, they meet an alien named Jaylah ( Sofia Boutella ) and a vengeful creature known as Krall ( Idris Elba ). Can the team discover Krall's plan and stop him before it's too late?

Is It Any Good?

The 13th overall movie in the Star Trek franchise turns out to be good luck for everyone. It's a fresh, satisfying return to the beloved characters of the 1966-1969 TV series and to a rousing sense of teamwork. Director Justin Lin , who made four of the first seven Fast & Furious movies, somehow finds a balance between recklessness and entertainment. He provides several gargantuan action sequences that aren't exactly flawless but are exhilarating nonetheless.

It certainly helps that co-writers Pegg and Doug Jung bring nerdy goodness to the movie, with a story that's worthy of the old show and an emotionally satisfying equilibrium among the characters. Star Trek Beyond recalls Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in that it corrects the misguided slip-ups that came before it, erasing the showboating and awkwardness of the last few movies and remembering the essence of what made these characters great in the first place.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Star Trek Beyond 's violence . How intense is it? Does the relative lack of blood affect its impact? What is the impact of media violence on kids?

How do the characters show teamwork ? Why is that an important character strength ? In what scenes do characters help each other?

There's quite a bit of diversity in the cast, both mirroring and improving on the original series. Why does having diverse media role models matter ?

Talk about revenge, which is a major theme in the film. Is it ever justified to hurt others in the name of revenge? How much of the movie's violence can be traced back to that motivation?

Why does Star Trek have such an enduring appeal? What makes people become such faithful fans? How does this installment compare to the older movies and TV shows?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 22, 2016
• On DVD or streaming : November 1, 2016
• Cast : Chris Pine , Zoe Saldana , Simon Pegg , Karl Urban , Idris Elba , Zachary Quinto
• Director : Justin Lin
• Inclusion Information : Asian directors, Female actors, Black actors, Latino actors, Gay actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : Adventures , Space and Aliens
• Character Strengths : Teamwork
• Run time : 120 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : sequences of sci-fi action and violence
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : January 19, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star trek movies & more, sci-fi movies, related topics.

• Space and Aliens

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Star Trek Beyond (2016) Cast and Crew

Star Trek: Alternate Reality Collection

J.J. Abrams' cinematic re-envisioning of the Star Trek universe portrayed by a new cast, and set in an alternate reality from earlier films and series (referred to as the "Kelvin" timeline).

Movie Recommendations

Featured News

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Movie trailers.

The story behind 'TV's first interracial kiss' between 'Star Trek's' Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner

• 'Star Trek' made TV history when it aired an episode where Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura kissed on screen.
• The moment is widely regarded as one of American TV's first interracial kisses.
• Show executives were worried the kiss would anger Southern TV stations and tried to change the script.

When Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura kissed on screen in 1968, it made TV history.

The kiss between the "Star Trek" characters, played by William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, is widely regarded as one of American TV's first interracial kisses.

Related stories

"Star Trek" has left a lauded legacy for featuring a multiracial crew working together to explore space. Nichols, considered a trailblazer for Black actors, was one of the first Black women to star in a major television series. She died on July 30 at 89 years old.

Concerns over the interracial kiss

The episode aired at a time when America was still grappling with racism and civil rights. Just one year prior, the Supreme Court made a landmark civil rights decision in Loving v. Virginia, a case that now protects interracial marriage under the 14th amendment.

Worried the kiss would anger TV stations in the Deep South, NBC executives tried to have Spock, who is half-Vulcan — an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the series — kiss Uhura instead. Shatner insisted they stick with the original script, according to critical race scholar and filmmaker Daniel Bernardi, who wrote the book "Star Trek and History."

Showrunners ended up filming two versions of the scene: one with an on-screen kiss, and one that took place off-screen. But Nichols and Shatner deliberately flubbed lines so the original shot would be used, Nichols said in her autobiography, " Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories ."

"The only alternative was to cut out the scene altogether, but that was impossible to do without ruining the entire episode. Finally, the guys in charge relented: 'To hell with it. Let's go with the kiss.' I guess they figured we were going to be canceled in a few months anyway. And so the kiss stayed," Nichols wrote.

A lasting legacy

Despite initial concerns, the episode aired without huge backlash, and has since been ranked by several media outlets as one of the top moments in "Star Trek."

Even Nichols wrote in her book that "for me, the most memorable episode of our last season was 'Plato's Stepchildren,'" as the episode was titled.

The "Star Trek" series has been regaled — and sometimes criticized — for shattering taboos and crossing boundaries of what's deemed acceptable. In a 1966 episode, Lieutenant Uhura and Christine Chapel, played by white actress Majel Barrett, shared a friendly kiss.

More recently in 2016,  "Star Trek" revealed that Hikaru Sulu, played by John Cho, is openly gay.

"The whole show was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but to take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms," Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, said .

• Main content

The Story Behind 'Star Trek' Actress Nichelle Nichols' Iconic Interracial Kiss

The smooch was not a romantic one. but, in 1968, to show a black woman kissing a white man was a daring move., the conversation, published aug. 2, 2022.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation .

This article is republished here with permission from The Conversation . This content is shared here because the topic may interest Snopes readers; it does not, however, represent the work of Snopes fact-checkers or editors.

On a 1968 episode of “Star Trek,” Nichelle Nichols , playing Lt. Uhura, locked lips with William Shatner’s Capt. Kirk in what’s widely thought to be first kiss between a Black woman and white man on American television.

The episode’s plot is bizarre: Aliens who worship the Greek philosopher Plato use telekinetic powers to force the Enterprise crew to sing, dance and kiss. At one point, the aliens compel Lt. Uhura and Capt. Kirk to embrace. Each character tries to resist, but eventually Kirk tilts Uhura back and the two kiss as the aliens lasciviously look on.

The smooch is not a romantic one. But in 1968 to show a Black woman kissing a white man was a daring move. The episode aired just one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loving v. Virginia decision struck down state laws against interracial marriage. At the time, Gallup polls showed that fewer than 20% of Americans approved of such relationships .

As a historian of civil rights and media , I’ve been fascinated by the woman at the center of this landmark television moment. Casting Nichols, who died on July 30, 2022, created possibilities for more creative and socially relevant “Star Trek” storylines .

But just as significant is Nichols’ off-screen activism. She leveraged her role on “ Star Trek ” to become a recruiter for NASA, where she pushed for change in the space program. Her career arc shows how diverse casting on the screen can have a profound impact in the real world, too.

‘A Triumph of Modern-Day TV’

In 1966, “Star Trek” creator Gene Rodenberry decided to cast Nichols to play Lt. Uhura, a translator and communications officer from the United States of Africa. In doing so, he made Nichols the first Black woman to have a continuing co-starring role on television.

The Black press was quick to heap praise on Nichols’ pioneering role.

The Norfolk Journal and Guide hoped that it would “broaden her race’s foothold on the tube.”

The magazine Ebony featured Nichols on its January 1967 cover and described Uhura as “the first Negro astronaut, a triumph of modern-day TV over modern-day NASA.”

Yet the famous kiss between Uhura and Kirk almost never happened.

After the first season of “Star Trek” concluded in 1967, Nichols considered quitting after being offered a role on Broadway. She had started her career as a singer in New York and always dreamed of returning to the Big Apple.

But at an NAACP fundraiser in Los Angeles, she ran into Martin Luther King Jr.

Nichols would later recount their interaction.

“You must not leave,” King told her . “You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close … you changed the face of television forever. … For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people.”

King went on to say that he and his family were fans of the show; she was a “hero” to his children.

With King’s encouragement, Nichols stayed on “Star Trek” for the original series’ full three-year run.

Nichols’ controversial kiss took place at the end of the third season. Nichols recalled that NBC executives closely monitored the filming because they were nervous about how Southern television stations and viewers would react.

After the episode aired, the network did receive an outpouring of letters from viewers – and the majority were positive .

In 1982, Nichols would tell the Baltimore Afro-American that she was amused by the amount of attention the kiss generated, especially because her own heritage was “a blend of races that includes Egyptian, Ethiopian, Moor, Spanish, Welsh, Cherokee Indian and a ‘blond blue-eyed ancestor or two.’”

Space Crusader

But Nichols’ legacy would be defined by far more than a kiss.

After NBC canceled Star Trek in 1969, Nichols took minor acting roles on two television series, “ Insight ” and “ The D.A. ” She would also play a madam in the 1974 blaxploitation film “ Truck Turner .”

She also started to dabble in activism and education. In 1975, Nichols established Women in Motion Inc. and won several government contracts to produce educational programs related to space and science. By 1977, she had been appointed to the board of directors of the National Space Institute , a civil space advocacy organization.

That year she gave a speech at the institute’s annual meeting. In it, she critiqued the lack of women and minorities in the astronaut corps, challenging NASA to “come down from your ivory tower of intellectual pursuit, because the next Einstein might have a Black face – and she’s female.”

Several of NASA’s top administrators were in the audience. They invited her to lead an astronaut recruitment program for the new space shuttle program. Soon, she packed her bags and began traveling the country, visiting high schools and colleges, speaking with professional organizations and legislators, and appearing on national television programs such as “Good Morning America.”

“The aim was to find qualified people among women and minorities, then to convince them that the opportunity was real and that it also was a duty, because this was historic,” Nichols told the Baltimore Afro-American in 1979. “I really had this sense of purpose about it myself.”

In her 1994 autobiography, “ Beyond Uhura ,” Nichols recalled that in the seven months before the recruitment program began, “NASA had received only 1,600 applications, including fewer than 100 from women and 35 from minority candidates.” But by the end of June 1977, “just four months after we assumed our task, 8,400 applications were in, including 1,649 from women (a fifteen-fold increase) and an astounding 1,000 from minorities.”

Nichols’ campaign recruited several trailblazing astronauts, including Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, Guion Bluford, the first African American in space, and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space.

Relentless Advocacy for Inclusion

Her advocacy for inclusion and diversity wasn’t limited to the space program.

As one of the first Black women in a major television role, Nichols understood the importance of opening doors for minorities and women in entertainment.

Nichols continued to push for African Americans to have more power in film and television.

“Until we Blacks and minorities become not only the producers, writers and directors, but the buyers and distributors, we’re not going to change anything,” she told Ebony in 1985 . “Until we become industry, until we control media or at least have enough say, we will always be the chauffeurs and tap dancers.”

Matthew Delmont , Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History, Dartmouth College

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

By The Conversation

‘Star Trek Beyond’: George Takei Objects To Gay Sulu, But Uhura Kiss Proves 'Star Trek' Diversity Has Always Been Complicated

• Share on Pocket

On Thursday, the creators of Star Trek Beyond revealed Starfleet officer Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) would be in a same-sex relationship and have a daughter in the film. The character decision was apparently made in tribute to George Takei, the first actor to portray Sulu in the original Star Trek and a prominent LGBT rights activist.

But it soon came out that Takei objects to the tribute. "I’m delighted that there’s a gay character," he told The Hollywood Reporter . "Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate."

Instead Takei would have preferred a new gay character. “Be imaginative and create a character who has a history of being gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, suddenly being revealed as being closeted,” Takei told Entertainment Weekly .

Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the Star Trek Beyond script (with Doug Jung) and will appear as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in the movie, responded at length, saying he “must respectfully disagree with” Takei.

Here’s a portion of his response, released to The Guardian :

“He’s right, it is unfortunate, it’s unfortunate that the screen version of the most inclusive, tolerant universe in science fiction hasn’t featured an LGBT character until now. We could have introduced a new gay character, but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character’, rather than simply for who they are, and isn’t that tokenism?

" J ustin Lin, Doug Jung and I loved the idea of it being someone we already knew because the audience have a pre-existing opinion of that character as a human being, unaffected by any prejudice. Their sexual orientation is just one of many personal aspects, not the defining characteristic. Also, the audience would infer that there has been an LGBT presence in the Trek Universe from the beginning (at least in the Kelvin timeline), that a gay hero isn’t something new or strange. It’s also important to note that at no point do we suggest that our Sulu was ever closeted, why would he need to be? It’s just hasn’t come up before.”

The ongoing debate speaks to the nuance and complexity of how diversity discussions unfold in our popular culture. That Takei objected to the portrayal, and the production still insisted that the move was a tribute to him, is as clear an example as we’re likely to see of a diversity initiative flattening individual nuance under a presumed progressive consensus. It’s hard not to see the insinuation that Takei, as a gay man, could not have been portraying a straight man all those years, as the decision retroactively shoves Sulu in the closet. The Hollywood Reporter offers a good timeline of how the production ignored Takei’s objections before leaning on his LGBT activist reputation in trumpeting the “ not a big deal ” decision to make Sulu gay.

Contrasting Takei’s specific objections, the response on social media and among the film press has been overwhelmingly positive. Takei and Sulu are not the same person, so while Takei may object to the way in which the character realignment goes against Roddenberry’s original vision, the creation of a new gay role model in mainstream cinema could outweigh those objections, if increasing LGBT acceptance is the central ethical objective of the decision.

At this point it would be useful to look back at another landmark in Star Trek ’s progressive political history: television’s first interracial kiss between James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) and Nyota Uhura ( Nichelle Nichols ). The moment has been repeatedly cited by outlets describing Star Trek Beyond ’s Sulu reveal. Pegg even mentioned it in his response, writing “ Trek rightly gets a lot of love for featuring the first interracial kiss on US television.”

It’s always that one sentence, a variation on “ Star Trek broke new ground in depicting the first interracial kiss broadcast on US television.” But that obscures the complications and compromises of the moment itself — both how it played out for audiences watching the Star Trek episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” and how it was originally shot.

Here is that kiss:

One aspect should be immediately obvious: it is far from consensual. In “Plato’s Stepchildren” the Enterprise crew beams down to a planet in response to a distress call. The distress call is a trap laid by the Greek-garbed Platonians who mainly want to use their telekinetic powers to puppet the crew for their own sadistic pleasure. First nurse Christine Chapel and Spock are forced to kiss, fighting it all the way.

Then Uhura and Kirk are forced to do the same. “I’m so frightened, Captain. I’m so very frightened,” Uhura says.

“That’s the way they want you to feel. It makes them think that they’re alive,” Kirk responds, urging her to lean into the moment and deny the Platonians the pleasure of tormenting them.

“I’m thinking of all the times on the Enterprise when I was scared to death and I would see you so busy at your commands. And I would hear your voice from all parts of the ship and my fears would fade. And now they are making me tremble. But I’m not afraid. I am not afraid,” Uhura says.

Then they kiss, Kirk looking up and straight into the eyes of Philana — the most sympathetic of the alien captors — the entire time.

It’s not exactly a romantic moment or a romantic kiss; it is deeply uncomfortable. Since NBC, the station that broadcasted Star Trek , had objected earlier that same year to a white woman touching a black man’s arm , it’s easy to see why the writers would have avoided any hint of romance.

Still, even this forced and uncomfortable moment very nearly didn’t make it to air. As Nichols describes, the episode’s director, David Alexander , seemed utterly unaware of what he was about to film. She recalls him cutting mid-kiss to discuss it with Shatner, while pointedly ignoring her.

“The director — who I knew and had a great deal of respect for, very fine director — said, ‘Bill!’ And he walks over, like I’m not sitting there with Bill Shatner, Captain Kirk, like I’m not there, and he starts talking to him like, ‘You, uh, kissed her.’ And Bill says, ‘Yes, yes I kissed her. Isn’t that what the scene is about.’ And he starts talking out of the side of his mouth like I’m not there.”

Shatner, burnishing both his progressive credit and ladies’ man reputation, argued for the scene with the director, saying, “She won’t let me kiss her offstage!”

They wound up attempting the kiss six times, with the director looking for more discreet ways to handle the moment and pushing the actors to act more and more horrified at what’s about to happen to them.

Under the watchful eyes of NBC “suits” they then tried the scene several times without a kiss, each take rendered unusable by Nichols and Shatner intentionally overacting. In her memoir, Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories , Nichols describes the cast and crew watching the footage for the first time, writing, “When the non-kissing scene came on, everyone in the room cracked up. The last shot, which looked okay on the set, actually had Bill wildly crossing his eyes. It was so corny and just plain bad it was unusable.”

Even filtered through layers of compromise and prejudice, “Plato’s Stepchildren” didn’t air on several Southern affiliates, resulting in the series’ lowest rating ever. While Star Trek was already approaching cancellation, “Plato’s Stepchildren” certainly didn’t help.

Many of the critiques of Sulu’s gay retcon, Takei’s included, have a great deal of merit. An Annenberg report across TV and movies have found a pervasive and shameful lack of diversity in terms of gender, sexual orientation and race. Only about 18 percent of casts have as many women as men, resulting in only 33 percent of speaking roles going to women. Racial diversity continues to be a problem as well, with 18 percent of movies and 23 percent of narrative cable shows without even a single black character (it’s even worse for Asian characters at 50 percent and 51 percent respectively). Of 11,194 speaking characters surveyed, only 231 were LGBT, less than half of their demographic representation in American society.

The extent of the inequality suggests Pegg’s concern with “tokenism” will never be fixed by the trend of altering existing beloved characters alone. The diversity problem is so vast that reimagining Iron Man and Kick-Ass as black girls, Thor as a woman and Sulu as a homosexual can’t be the extent of the mainstream diversity arsenal. Star Trek needs new gay characters, too.

The Annenberg study makes it clear that altering the underlying makeup of the creative class needs to be part of the solution. While on-screen diversity is lacking, the problem is even more acute behind-the-scenes, where women make up only one-tenth of screenwriters and nearly 90 percent of directors are white.

As socialist commentator Freddie deBoer argues, making Sulu gay is partially just good marketing, covering up institutional diversity problems in the structure of Hollywood studios with populist pandering — offering minority groups cosmetic diversity as the corrupt foundation goes unchanged and unchallenged.

But even as we consider better pathways and more promising solutions, it’s hard to deny the simple, galvanizing power of a newly gay character, however compromised. Everything about the first kiss between a black woman and a white man on US television was uncomfortable and far from ideal, yet it still serves us today as a mile marker on a long road, something worth remembering as we discuss this latest imperfect move. Could it really be the case that the world is worse for this latest imperfect diversifying?

YEAH SULU IS ASIAN!!! A GAY POC IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST FRANCHISES EVER IM ACTUALLY CRYING — moved! @sheithlings (@droidlings) July 7, 2016

? salemnevada: Ahhh!!! I’m so happy that Sulu is gay for the new movie !!! I immediately imagined sulu... https://t.co/oFfRdGWfgM — Sʜɪɹoʞnᴍᴀ (@HikichiRyouk) July 8, 2016

While the kiss between Uhura and Kirk has become little more than one-sentence trivia in an ongoing struggle for racial equality, its distant twinkling is a good reminder of time’s flattening influence. Even compromised moments of progress can resonate decades later.

Sulu’s homosexuality is less radical in this era than Uhura’s kiss was in 1968 — “About time!” has been one of the more common reactions — but first steps are often uncertain and later than we’d like them to be. Hopefully, as with 1968’s sadly compromised kiss, taking this step will prove better than the alternative: leaving future generations with only our mainstream media’s deafening silence in the face of prejudice.

Learn More About Star Wars Outlaws with the New Story Trailer

Pokémon GO: Get Ready to Encounter Bellsprout in the Community Day this April

Fallout 76 Atomic Shop Update: Enjoy Life with the Wealth Exchange Bundle

Mortal Kombat 1 Release Gameplay Trailer for Ermac

Get the Chance to Earn In-game Currency in the Tekken 8 and Chipotle Collab

A Demo of Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is Now Available

• Investigates
• Program Guide
• Studio 5 with Brooke Walker
• KSL Outdoors with Adam Eakle
• KSL Sports Live
• Cozi TV on KSL 5.2
• This TV on KSL 5.3
• Road to Zero Fatalities
• Your Life Your Health
• Unaffordable Utah
• Healthy Mind Matters
• KSL's Quarters for Christmas
• KSLKids.com
• Wednesday's Child
• Warriors over the Wasatch Air Show
• Jeff Caplan's Minute of News
• Stop for Students!
• General Contest Rules
• Sign Up for a KSL Newsletter
• Download the KSLTV.com App
• Meet Our Team
• As You See It / Submit photos
• KSL Community Calendar

ENTERTAINMENT

The story behind TV’s first iconic interracial kiss on ‘Star Trek’ with Nichelle Nichols

Aug 4, 2022, 4:48 PM | Updated: 4:50 pm

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 04: Actress Nichelle Nichols arrives at the premiere of Neon's "Colossal" at the Vista Theatre on April 4, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

BY MATTHEW DELMONT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

NOTE: The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

(THE CONVERSATION) On a 1968 episode of “Star Trek,” Nichelle Nichols, playing Lt. Uhura, locked lips with William Shatner’s Capt. Kirk in what’s widely thought to be first kiss between a Black woman and white man on American television.

The episode’s plot is bizarre: Aliens who worship the Greek philosopher Plato use telekinetic powers to force the Enterprise crew to sing, dance and kiss. At one point, the aliens compel Lt. Uhura and Capt. Kirk to embrace. Each character tries to resist, but eventually Kirk tilts Uhura back and the two kiss as the aliens lasciviously look on.

We celebrate the life of Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek actor, trailblazer, and role model, who symbolized to so many what was possible. She partnered with us to recruit some of the first women and minority astronauts, and inspired generations to reach for the stars. pic.twitter.com/pmQaKDb5zw — NASA (@NASA) July 31, 2022

The smooch is not a romantic one. But in 1968 to show a Black woman kissing a white man was a daring move. The episode aired just one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loving v. Virginia decision struck down state laws against interracial marriage. At the time, Gallup polls showed that fewer than 20% of Americans approved of such relationships.

As a historian of civil rights and media, I’ve been fascinated by the woman at the center of this landmark television moment. Casting Nichols, who died on July 30, 2022, created possibilities for more creative and socially relevant “Star Trek” storylines.

But just as significant is Nichols’ off-screen activism. She leveraged her role on “Star Trek” to become a recruiter for NASA, where she pushed for change in the space program. Her career arc shows how diverse casting on the screen can have a profound impact in the real world, too.

‘A triumph of modern-day TV’

In 1966, “Star Trek” creator Gene Rodenberry decided to cast Nichols to play Lt. Uhura, a translator and communications officer from the United States of Africa. In doing so, he made Nichols the first Black woman to have a continuing co-starring role on television.

Many actors become stars, but few stars can move a nation. Nichelle Nichols showed us the extraordinary power of Black women and paved the way for a better future for all women in media. Thank you, Nichelle. We will miss you. pic.twitter.com/KhUf4YM6pX — Lynda Carter (@RealLyndaCarter) July 31, 2022

The Black press was quick to heap praise on Nichols’ pioneering role.

The Norfolk Journal and Guide hoped that it would “broaden her race’s foothold on the tube.”

The magazine Ebony featured Nichols on its January 1967 cover and described Uhura as “the first Negro astronaut, a triumph of modern-day TV over modern-day NASA.”

Yet the famous kiss between Uhura and Kirk almost never happened.

After the first season of “Star Trek” concluded in 1967, Nichols considered quitting after being offered a role on Broadway. She had started her career as a singer in New York and always dreamed of returning to the Big Apple.

But at an NAACP fundraiser in Los Angeles, she ran into Martin Luther King Jr.

Nichols would later recount their interaction.

I have been truly moved by the tributes and messages honoring the life and work of Nichelle Nichols, our very own Lieutenant and later Commander Uhura on Star Trek. Although our original series ran only three seasons, we became bonded /1 pic.twitter.com/v1pZtQBU3a — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) August 2, 2022

“You must not leave,” King told her. “You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close … you changed the face of television forever. … For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people.”

King went on to say that he and his family were fans of the show; she was a “hero” to his children.

With King’s encouragement, Nichols stayed on “Star Trek” for the original series’ full three-year run.

Nichols’ controversial kiss took place at the end of the third season. Nichols recalled that NBC executives closely monitored the filming because they were nervous about how Southern television stations and viewers would react.

After the episode aired, the network did receive an outpouring of letters from viewers – and the majority were positive.

In 1982, Nichols would tell the Baltimore Afro-American that she was amused by the amount of attention the kiss generated, especially because her own heritage was “a blend of races that includes Egyptian, Ethiopian, Moor, Spanish, Welsh, Cherokee Indian and a ‘blond blue-eyed ancestor or two.'”

Space crusader

But Nichols’ legacy would be defined by far more than a kiss.

After NBC canceled Star Trek in 1969, Nichols took minor acting roles on two television series, “Insight” and “The D.A.” She would also play a madam in the 1974 blaxploitation film “Truck Turner.”

"If you can see it, you can be it," the saying goes. Nichelle Nichols gave millions of people the opportunity to see themselves on the frontiers of science and exploration, boldly expanding human understanding. She inspired so many of us to reach for the stars. What a legacy. pic.twitter.com/Ly2IpmxWiJ — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 1, 2022

She also started to dabble in activism and education. In 1975, Nichols established Women in Motion Inc. and won several government contracts to produce educational programs related to space and science. By 1977, she had been appointed to the board of directors of the National Space Institute, a civil space advocacy organization.

That year she gave a speech at the institute’s annual meeting. In it, she critiqued the lack of women and minorities in the astronaut corps, challenging NASA to “come down from your ivory tower of intellectual pursuit, because the next Einstein might have a Black face – and she’s female.”

Several of NASA’s top administrators were in the audience. They invited her to lead an astronaut recruitment program for the new space shuttle program.

Soon, she packed her bags and began traveling the country, visiting high schools and colleges, speaking with professional organizations and legislators, and appearing on national television programs such as “Good Morning America.”

From the Enterprise bridge to the Oval Office — Nichelle Nichols visits President Barack Obama in February 2012. #StarTrek #NichelleNichols pic.twitter.com/pqVYWYVl8w — TrekCore.com 🖖 (@TrekCore) July 31, 2022

“The aim was to find qualified people among women and minorities, then to convince them that the opportunity was real and that it also was a duty, because this was historic,” Nichols told the Baltimore Afro-American in 1979. “I really had this sense of purpose about it myself.”

In her 1994 autobiography, “Beyond Uhura,” Nichols recalled that in the seven months before the recruitment program began, “NASA had received only 1,600 applications, including fewer than 100 from women and 35 from minority candidates.” But by the end of June 1977, “just four months after we assumed our task, 8,400 applications were in, including 1,649 from women (a fifteen-fold increase) and an astounding 1,000 from minorities.”

Nichols’ campaign recruited several trailblazing astronauts, including Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, Guion Bluford, the first African American in space, and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space.

Relentless advocacy for inclusion

Her advocacy for inclusion and diversity wasn’t limited to the space program.

As one of the first Black women in a major television role, Nichols understood the importance of opening doors for minorities and women in entertainment. Nichols continued to push for African Americans to have more power in film and television.

Our Uhura is far beyond the stars now. In January 1967, Ebony declared Nichelle Nichols the first Negro astronaut, a triumph of modern day television over modern day NASA. We are here because you were there. May our Queen Rest in Power and Forever Glory 🖖🏽 1932-2022 pic.twitter.com/c8ukMlRdS0 — Prof. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Child of Uhura (@IBJIYONGI) July 31, 2022

“Until we Blacks and minorities become not only the producers, writers and directors, but the buyers and distributors, we’re not going to change anything,” she told Ebony in 1985. “Until we become industry, until we control media or at least have enough say, we will always be the chauffeurs and tap dancers.”

This woman was a pioneer. Her significance not only to the world of science fiction but to television as a whole cannot be overstated. Not to mention the mountain of charm and magnetism she brought to the screen. Nichelle Nichols will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/o7KPZNoUiL — Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) August 1, 2022

This story has been updated from the original version published on April 15, 2021. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/the-story-behind-star-trek-actress-nichelle-nichols-iconic-interracial-kiss-188048.

KSL 5 TV Live

Entertainment.

Maria Sherman, AP Music Writer

Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to hit No. 1 on Billboard country albums chart

Beyoncé has made history once again. Her latest album, the epic “Act ll: Cowboy Carter,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her the first Black woman to top the chart since its 1964 inception.

13 hours ago

Associated Press and KSL TV

Kevin Costner’s filmed-in-Utah epic ‘Horizon, An American Saga,’ to premiere at Cannes

Kevin Costner's multi-episode epic "Horizon, An American Saga" — filmed in Utah — will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, festival organizers announced Monday. The first chapter of "Horizon" will debut at the French film festival on May 19.

Issy Ronald, CNN

Comic featuring Superman’s first ever appearance sells for record $6 million

The 1938 comic that introduced the world to Superman originally sold for 10 cents per issue, was just sold for $6 million.

Solar eclipse playlist: 20 songs to rock out to on your cosmic adventure

The April 8 total solar eclipse is quickly approaching. The right way to enjoy this rare cosmic occurrence is with a themed playlist. The Associated Press has compiled 20 songs, spanning decades, genres and themes

Lisa Respers France, CNN

Chance the Rapper and Kirsten Corley announce divorce

One of the most storied love affairs in hip-hop history has come to an end.

Marianne Garvey, CNN

Taylor Swift is getting her own channel on SiriusXM

Taylor Swift is getting a channel dedicated entirely to her on SiriusXM, and the channel number? Channel 13 (Taylor’s Version), obviously.

Sponsored Articles

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

'Star Trek's' interracial kiss 50 years ago boldly went where none had gone before

WASHINGTON — It was the kiss heard around the galaxy.

Fifty years ago — and only one year after the U.S. Supreme Court declared interracial marriage was legal — two of science fiction's most enduring characters, Capt. James T. Kirk and Lt. Nyota Uhura, kissed each other on "Star Trek."

It wasn't romantic. Sadistic, humanlike aliens forced the dashing white captain to lock lips with the beautiful black communications officer. But the kiss between actors William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols in "Plato's Stepchildren" would help change attitudes in America about what was allowed to be shown on TV and made an early statement about the coming acceptance of interracial relationships in a United States still struggling with racism and civil rights.

The kiss between Uhura and Kirk "suggested that there was a future where these issues were not such a big deal," said Eric Deggans, national television critic for National Public Radio. "The characters themselves were not freaking out because a black woman was kissing a white man. ... In this utopian-like future, we solved this issue. We're beyond it. That was a wonderful message to send."

"Plato's Stepchildren," which first aired on Nov. 22, 1968, came before Star Trek morphed into a cultural phenomenon. The show's producers, meanwhile, were concerned about one of the main episode elements: Humanlike aliens dressed as ancient Greeks that torture the crew with their telekinetic powers and force the two USS Enterprise crew members to kiss.

Worried about reaction from Southern television stations, showrunners filmed the kiss between Shatner and Nichols — their lips are mostly obscured by the back of Nichols' head — and wanted to film a second where it happened off-screen. But Nichols said in her book, "Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories," that she and Shatner deliberately flubbed lines to force the original take to be used.

Despite concerns from executives, "Plato's Stepchildren" aired without blowback. In fact, it got the most "fan mail that Paramount had ever gotten on Star Trek for one episode," Nichols said in a 2010 interview with the Archive of American Television.

Officials at Paramount, the show's producer, "were just simply amazed and people have talked about it ever since," said Nichols.

While inside the show things were buzzing, the episode passed by the general public and the TV industry at that time almost without comment, said Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of television and popular culture.

NBC OUT 'Star Trek' star George Takei says sci-fi can be 'a trailblazer' for social change

"It neither got the backlash one might have expected nor did it open the doors for lots more shows to do this," Thompson said. "The shot heard around the world started the American Revolution. The kiss heard around the world eventually did ... but not immediately."

This was a world where interracial marriage had just become legal nationwide.

In 1967, the year before "Plato's Stepchildren" aired, the Supreme Court struck down nationwide laws that made marriage illegal between blacks and whites, between whites and Native Americans, Filipinos, Asians and, in some states, "all non-whites

Only 3 percent of newlyweds were intermarried that year. In 2015, 17 percent of newlyweds — or at least 1 in 6 of newly-married people — were intermarried, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Most television — outside of the news — was escapist fare and not willing to deal with the raucous atmosphere in the 1960s, Thompson said.

"It was so hard for television in the 60s to talk about the 1960s," he said. "That kiss and that episode of Star Trek is an example of how every now and again television in that period tried to kick the door open to those kinds of representations."

Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek's creator, and his team had more leeway because he was writing about the future and not current life, experts said.

"Setting Star Trek three hundred years in the future allowed (Roddenberry) to focus on the social issues of the 1960s without being direct or obvious," Shatner said in his book "Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man."

A later episode entitled "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" highlighted the folly of racism by showing a generations-long battle between two people from the same planet who thought each other to be subhuman — one was black-skinned on the left side and white on the right, while the other was the opposite.

Throughout the ensuing decades, interracial relationships with black and white actors became more prevalent on television, spanning multiple genres. From comedies like "The Jeffersons" and "Happy Endings," to dramas such as "Parenthood," ''Six Feet Under" and "Dynasty," and back to sci-fi with the short-lived "Firefly."

The trend is still not without its detractors. In 2013, a Cheerios commercial featuring an interracial couple and their daughter drew thousands of racist comments online.

Historians have noted that interracial kisses between blacks and whites happened on British television during live plays as early as 1959, and on subsequent soap operas like "Emergency Ward 10."

In the U.S., interethnic kisses happened on "I Love Lucy" between the Cuban Desi Arnaz and the white Lucille Ball in the 1950s and even on Star Trek in 1967 with Mexican actor Ricardo Montalban kissing Madlyn Rhue in the "Space Seed" episode.

Other shows like "Adventures in Paradise" and "I Spy" featured kisses between white male actors and Asian actresses, and Sammy Davis Jr. kissed Nancy Sinatra on the cheek on a December 1967 episode of her televised special "Movin' with Nancy."

Whether another kiss came first doesn't really matter.

"For whatever reason, that one between Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura seems to be the one that is marked as the milestone," Thompson said.

It stands out because it had a profound effect on viewers, Nichols said in 2010.

"The first thing people want to talk about is the first interracial kiss and what it did for them. And they thought of the world differently, they thought of people differently," she said.

• View history

Mardah, a dabo girl, working the table

Dabo girls were females of various species chosen for their apparent beauty, often employed by Ferengi as part of the roulette -style game of chance called dabo during the 24th century .

During the 2360s and 2370s , Quark hired a variety of dabo girls to wait and operate the dabo table at his bar on Deep Space 9 . One of their main duties was to distract gamblers at the dabo wheel into losing. ( DS9 : " The Abandoned ")

Quark often included "fringe benefits" in his dabo girls' contracts , page 21, subsection D, paragraph 12, up to and beyond oo-mox . However, Commander Benjamin Sisko informed him in 2369 , after Starfleet took command of the space station , that those provisions were not legally enforceable. ( DS9 : " Captive Pursuit ")

After Quark noticed the arriving of a group of spiritual Bajorans on the station, he told Constable Odo he had to double the number of dabo girls because these spiritual people loved them so much. ( DS9 : " In the Hands of the Prophets ")

Dabo girls were also known to work on Ferengi casino ships . ( VOY : " Inside Man ")

The exocomp Peanut Hamper wanted to become a dabo girl on Freecloud , but ended up joining Starfleet instead. ( LD : " A Mathematically Perfect Redemption ")

• 2.1 Background info
• 2.2 Apocrypha
• 2.3 External link

See also [ ]

• List of dabo girls

Appendices [ ]

Background info [ ].

Ronald D. Moore explained the lack of Dabo boys at Quark's by saying Quark would not be interested in hiring them, which he called "just a Ferengi fact of life". ( AOL chat , 1997 )

Several jewelry pieces worn by dabo girls were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

Apocrypha [ ]

In the relaunch novels, Quark eventually did hire a dabo boy , Hetik ( β ), at the suggestion of Treir ( β ), an Orion dabo girl.

External link [ ]

• Dabo girl at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 Ancient humanoid