While I was watching Pioneers of Television spotlighting science fiction shows, I was impressed by the idea Nichelle Nichols had about Uhura having a lost love out there waiting for her during the 5-year mission. I always thought that "Beyond Antares" was just a song Uhura sang that she picked up from somewhere. I never even thought about the idea that it could be about herself. If she could improvise that song on the spot in "Charlie X," why couldn't she have written "Beyond Antares," too?
So she has a lost love out there somewhere. That would explain her comment in "Naked Time" when she said "Sorry, neither," when Sulu called to her as a fair maiden. It's a shame that the salt vampire in "Man Trap" didn't pick up on this when it projected an image to trap Uhura in the corridor. She didn't seem to recognize him. It recreated Nancy for Crater and McCoy. Kirk saw her as an older woman that he expected to find. Darnell saw the girl from his past on Wrigley's Planet. Maybe Uhura was becoming too hypnotized by the salt vampire's tricks that she was confused by why her "lover" would have been on the Enterprise?
If Uhura does have a lost love out there, then it's no wonder that she was so happy for Chapel and gave Christine that congratulatory kiss on the way to the turbolift after Christine found out that Korby was still alive. They shared something in common. I can imagine them developing a further friendship after Korby's "death."
Too often Uhura is dismissed as the glorified switchboard operator that proclaims "I'm frightened." Not a very flattering description. I submit that "Perfect love drives out fear." (1 John 4:18) Like Spock, Uhura is growing as a person and still striving towards her true potential. The fact that she's frightened simply states that she's still working on perfecting that love within her. So every time I watch "City on the Edge of Forever," "Mirror, Mirror," "Arena," or "Plato's Stepchildren," I just remember that Uhura is a work in progress just like Spock.
The idea of love seems to hover around Uhura. In "Trouble with Tribbles," Uhura claims that "A tribble is the only love that money can buy." Wow, you could read a lot of things into that statement. Has she tried "buying love" before? Does she have something of a broken past that she's seeking out love?
In "Bread and Circuses," Uhura is the one to set them straight about the sun worshippers are actually worshipping the "Son of God." Did she know this by simply monitoring the planet's communications or has she been seeking out love in religion at some point?
Is this why she's so concerned about her looks and beauty? ("I, Mudd," "And the Children Shall Lead") Does she believe that unless she's beautiful that no one will love her?
I love the scene in STTMP where Spock first comes on the bridge and is greeted by Kirk, McCoy, and Chapel. Uhura, symbolizing love, chimes in "It's how we all feel..." The unspoken words here always seem to me are "...about you, Mr. Spock." Leave it to Uhura to profess their love for him in an understated fashion to preserve his dignity. On the surface that statement could just be explained away as apologizing for their humanity and having feelings.
Love also expresses itself in sacrifice. Uhura demonstrates this very clearly in "The Search for Spock." There doesn't seem to be any fear about her in the Transporter Room scene. She's cool, calm, and collected. She knows what she has to do and doesn't let "Mr. Adventure" or anyone else get in her way. She's definitely growing...but we always knew she had the potential in her all along. Remember when she refuses to whip the thrall as a training exercise in "Gamesters of Triskelion" or took command of the ship in "Lorelei Signal"?
Uhura is Swahili for "freedom." The name Nyota was okayed by Nichelle and Gene for her first name, meaning "star." A portion of fandom used to rally that Uhura's first name was Penda, meaning "love." It would be fitting if her middle name was Penda. Her whole name could be loosely translated as "free to love among the stars."
So she has a lost love out there somewhere. That would explain her comment in "Naked Time" when she said "Sorry, neither," when Sulu called to her as a fair maiden. It's a shame that the salt vampire in "Man Trap" didn't pick up on this when it projected an image to trap Uhura in the corridor. She didn't seem to recognize him. It recreated Nancy for Crater and McCoy. Kirk saw her as an older woman that he expected to find. Darnell saw the girl from his past on Wrigley's Planet. Maybe Uhura was becoming too hypnotized by the salt vampire's tricks that she was confused by why her "lover" would have been on the Enterprise?
If Uhura does have a lost love out there, then it's no wonder that she was so happy for Chapel and gave Christine that congratulatory kiss on the way to the turbolift after Christine found out that Korby was still alive. They shared something in common. I can imagine them developing a further friendship after Korby's "death."
Too often Uhura is dismissed as the glorified switchboard operator that proclaims "I'm frightened." Not a very flattering description. I submit that "Perfect love drives out fear." (1 John 4:18) Like Spock, Uhura is growing as a person and still striving towards her true potential. The fact that she's frightened simply states that she's still working on perfecting that love within her. So every time I watch "City on the Edge of Forever," "Mirror, Mirror," "Arena," or "Plato's Stepchildren," I just remember that Uhura is a work in progress just like Spock.
The idea of love seems to hover around Uhura. In "Trouble with Tribbles," Uhura claims that "A tribble is the only love that money can buy." Wow, you could read a lot of things into that statement. Has she tried "buying love" before? Does she have something of a broken past that she's seeking out love?
In "Bread and Circuses," Uhura is the one to set them straight about the sun worshippers are actually worshipping the "Son of God." Did she know this by simply monitoring the planet's communications or has she been seeking out love in religion at some point?
Is this why she's so concerned about her looks and beauty? ("I, Mudd," "And the Children Shall Lead") Does she believe that unless she's beautiful that no one will love her?
I love the scene in STTMP where Spock first comes on the bridge and is greeted by Kirk, McCoy, and Chapel. Uhura, symbolizing love, chimes in "It's how we all feel..." The unspoken words here always seem to me are "...about you, Mr. Spock." Leave it to Uhura to profess their love for him in an understated fashion to preserve his dignity. On the surface that statement could just be explained away as apologizing for their humanity and having feelings.
Love also expresses itself in sacrifice. Uhura demonstrates this very clearly in "The Search for Spock." There doesn't seem to be any fear about her in the Transporter Room scene. She's cool, calm, and collected. She knows what she has to do and doesn't let "Mr. Adventure" or anyone else get in her way. She's definitely growing...but we always knew she had the potential in her all along. Remember when she refuses to whip the thrall as a training exercise in "Gamesters of Triskelion" or took command of the ship in "Lorelei Signal"?
Uhura is Swahili for "freedom." The name Nyota was okayed by Nichelle and Gene for her first name, meaning "star." A portion of fandom used to rally that Uhura's first name was Penda, meaning "love." It would be fitting if her middle name was Penda. Her whole name could be loosely translated as "free to love among the stars."
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