Martin Luther King, Jr., who praised Nichols for playing the first African-American role on TV that wasn’t a servant. Dr. King also was the one who strongly convinced her to stay on Star Trek after she revealed to him that she was ready to explore other acting options. She said he told her that minorities needed her on TV and that she had a greater responsibility to the people, other than just herself. Nichols was humbled by that and remained on Star Trek several more years because of it.

Nichelle Nichols talks about what Martin Luther King told her in this clip:

Nichols’ character was eventually promoted to “Commander” throughout the six film spin-offs, ending with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991.