The 'Star Trek' actress had to be talked into the role of Lt. Uhura in the franchise's big screen reboot by her mother and friends. The original Lt. Uhura was urged to not quit by Martin Luther King. Paramount Pictures hide caption

That's a light saber, sir, not a phaser. (President Obama in September 2009, during a White House event promoting Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.) Roger L. Wollenberg /UPI /Landov hide caption

A sea of self-motivated individuals or a web of interdependent talents? Both, of course. Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Actress Nichelle Nichols -- "Lt. Uhura" -- at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Nov. 3, 2010. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images hide caption