Uhura's Birthplace?

[DEWLine]

I suspect this has already been discussed here at some point. Having checked both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta, I see that one of the novels puts it down as "Kitui Province, Kenya"...?

 

[Mysterion]

^^^
That's from Geoff Mandel's USS Enterprise Officer's Manual. Currently Kitui is a County of Kenya, and was formerly the Eastern Province of Kenya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitui_County
It's conceivable though that the terminology has reverted back to the use of "province" by the 2200's.

FWIW, William Rotsler's Star Trek II Biographies lists her as having been born in "Nairobi, United States of Africa".

 

[JonnyQuest037]

AFAIK, the only thing established in the TOS Writer's Guide was that she was born in the United States of Africa. The only thing we really know from TOS is that she speaks Swahili.

 

[DEWLine]

So, for now, it's an argument between the cases for Kitui and Nairobi?

 

[Tenacity]

Can't remember anything said or seen on screen, so no canon birthplace.

 

[johnnybear]

United states of Africa was the only thing I'd ever read about Uhura's birthplace and that she spoke Swahili!
JB

 

[1001001]

United states of Africa was the only thing I'd ever read about Uhura's birthplace and that she spoke Swahili!
JB

You should change your username to johnnyonthespot

 

[Maurice]

In deleted dialog from “Corbomite” it’s clear she’s speaking English as a second language. In response to “flypaper” She says, “I thought I understood English.”

 

[Albertese]

In deleted dialog from “Corbomite” it’s clear she’s speaking English as a second language. In response to “flypaper” She says, “I thought I understood English.”

This backed up by "The Changling" where Nomad wipes her memory and, during her reeducation in sickbay, she slips into Swahili while trying to read the English school primer text.

--Alex

 

[ZapBrannigan]

This backed up by "The Changling" where Nomad wipes her memory and, during her reeducation in sickbay, she slips into Swahili while trying to read the English school primer text.

--Alex

For cringe-reduction purposes, I think we're saying Nomad's brain scan temporarily suppressed parts of her long-term memory, and the re-education lessons proved to be unnecessary.

Nomad was hardly all-knowing when it came to what his actions would do to a human brain.

 

[Timo]

Indeed, if the machine really managed to wipe the memory clean, then we'd have to believe that Christine Chapel knew Swahili, too, and chose to teach that to Uhura before teaching her English...

It's conceivable though that the terminology has reverted back to the use of "province" by the 2200's.

And not just the terminology, but the geography as well, so that Nairobi again borders on Kitui - or in fact is part of Kitui, now that the USA setup has made the city redundant as a capital and negated its claim for autonomy. "Beta canon" deconflicted again...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Therin of Andor]

One of the extended sequences in a "Star Trek Log" TAS adaptation features a young Uhura (and her parents?) in Africa, IIRC. Running a marathon?

 

[Redfern]

One of the extended sequences in a "Star Trek Log" TAS adaptation features a young Uhura (and her parents?) in Africa, IIRC. Running a marathon?

Actually, hunting a lion as part of a "coming of age" ritual. After she succeeds (barely as she's knocked on her a$$ by the impact), we discover the beast is robotic, thus being humane and not a truly mortal threat, though injury is still quite possible. Obviously, what was originally a task for males only had been extended to young women.

 

[Nerys Myk]

So, for now, it's an argument between the cases for Kitui and Nairobi?

Aberdeen

 

[DEWLine]

I'm not sorry that this matters to me.

 

[Tenacity]

nor should you be

 

[Spock's Barber]

So, for now, it's an argument between the cases for Kitui and Nairobi?

Is that anywhere near Timbuktoo?

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'm wondering if the United States of Africa is the Eastern Coalition that participated in World War III against America?

Oh.

Maybe Third World War is not World War Three, the war after WWII, but literally a War against the Third World?

 

[F. King Daniel]

There was a time fans argued whether her first name was "Penda" or "Nyota". They eventually (almost 50 years later) established the latter as canon, a creation of William Rotsler (as @Mysterion detailed above). Rostler also came up with Nairobi as her birthplace, so perhaps that has more weight?

FWIW, the recent IDW comics list Kelvin-universe Uhura's birthplace as Kenya.

 

[Therin of Andor]

There was a time fans argued whether her first name was "Penda" or "Nyota".

Both names had Nichelle's blessing. Penda came from a panel of fan fiction writers at a 70s convention. Bjo Trimble suggested that Rotsler contact Nichelle for her approval of his idea, Nyota, for "ST II Biographies".