United States of Africa?

[CoveTom]

In a recent interview, Nichelle Nichols mentions Uhura being from the United States of Africa. I've seen her mention this before as well. Is this established anywhere in Trek canon and can anyone tell me what the source of this is?

 

[Guy Gardener]

It's a google friendly term and there doesn't seem to be a clear origin for it, but it's old. However, Earth United under a single flag in 2150 according to TNG Attached, so not that we know anything about UE political blocks other than that they were called "Nation States" from that reference, there were a couple wars and complete collapses of civilization that god knows what the map really looked like in 2339 when Uhura was born.

 

[Therin of Andor]

CoveTom said:
can anyone tell me what the source of this is?

I think this dates to the TOS (or "Phase II") Writers' Bible.

 

[LiChiu]

Guy Gardener said:
It's a google friendly term and there doesn't seem to be a clear origin for it, but it's old. However, Earth United under a single flag in 2150 according to TNG Attached, so not that we know anything about UE political blocks other than that they were called "Nation States" from that reference, there were a couple wars and complete collapses of civilization that god knows what the map really looked like in 2339 when Uhura was born.

You mean 2239?
It would have been nice if they had touched on more the political makeup of earth in any one of the series. I have always wondered how local politics would be set up in any one area.

 

[Haytil]

In the excellent DOS game "Star Trek: Judgement Rites," this is mentioned somewhere. It's either in the library computer (under Uhura's computer file), or in the manual.

 

[Doug Otte]

From The Making of Star Trek, p. 252:
"Communications Officer Uhura is an African, a citizen of the Bantu Nation of United Africa of the 23rd Century." This is from a section describing all the main characters. Whitfield doesn't attribute it to the Writer's Bible, but I suspect this whole section is culled from the Bible.

Doug

 

[Therin of Andor]

^It is. Thanks for saving me from digging it out.

 

[Broccoli]

I remember reading that it was mentioned in the original TOS writer's bible, but, of course, was never mentioned on air.

The Phase II bible said, interestingly enough, that Uhura was from the African Confederacy.