Commander Uhura is a character from the fictional Star Trek universe and was played by Nichelle Nichols on Star Trek: The Original Series and several movies. She was the Chief Communications Officer on the Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-A).

First name

'Uhura' comes from 'Uhuru' which means 'Freedom' in Swahili; 'Nyota', Swahili for 'Star', is sometimes quoted as her first name, although this name is not 'official' Star Trek lore or canon. It does appear in a Star Trek script from the 1960s, and was also later mentioned by William Shatner in his book Star Trek Memories. However, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry stated that she only had one name, Uhura. The existence of Uhura's first name has been the subject of much debate among fans for years. One publication, The Best of Trek suggested that her first name is 'Penda' (the verb "Penda" has the meaning "to love" or "to like" in Swahili).