Source: Lucasfilm Ltd. / Lucasfilm Ltd.
Who doesn’t love a good Sci-Fi flick? Some of the most memorable movie characters have come from Sci-Fi movies.
MORE: 8 Strong Black Leads In The ‘Star Trek’ Universe
Unfortunately, Sci-Fi writers quite often leave Black characters out of their stories. I mean if an alien with green skin can be best friends with the protagonist, then why can’t Black people be represented?
One of the shows that gave up the representation we deserved was Star Trek.
The franchise as a whole was viewed and celebrated by fans worldwide, from shows like Star Trek: Discovery and the 1970s animated series to movies like the most recent in 2016 and the classic Wrath of Khan starring beloved late actress Nichelle Nichols. Her portrayal as Lieutenant Uhura in both the original series and first six feature films still stands as a pioneering performance that gave Black people early representation on broadcast television. It also didn’t hurt that she was also an icon for young fans during a revolutionary time in America, showing a beautiful Black woman in a leadership position on an intergalactic space mission — how dope is that?!
…and in real life, she was just as legendary:
It wouldn’t be too far off to say that Nichols helped usher in a wave of other iconic Black characters in Hollywood sci-fi films. We also can’t forget about Billy Dee Wiliams and his role as the smooth-talking space smuggler, Lando Calrissian, in Star Wars, which is still one of the biggest sci-fi franchises in the world. Although Black actor James Earl Jones voiced Vader, the audience never got to see his face on the screen. But Lando’s character had charm and charisma and was adored by many folks, both Black and white.
Vampires, both good and bad, began defying the skin-white-as-porcelain rule in vampiric mythology; now you have Mahershala Ali gearing up to play Blade The Vampire-Slayer in the fan-favorite comic character’s upcoming MCU introduction. That’s not even getting into the superheroes!
In short, we want to pay our respects to the work of Nichelle Nichols and many Black actors that came after her who portrayed memorable roles that allowed us to see ourselves in worlds far beyond our imaginations. Below check out our amazing list of some of the most memorable Black Sci-Fi characters from some of your favorite flicks.
SEE ALSO:
‘Woman In Motion’ Nichelle Nichols Best Known As Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura Dies At 89
Here Are The Most Memorable Black Sci-Fi Movie Characters was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
