Actress Nana Visitor, best known as Major Kira Nerys in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is writing a book aboiut the women of Star Trek and their influence.
There’s nothing unusual in a woman her age writing a book. Many female authors wait until their children are grown before committing themselves to literary endeavors. She wouldn’t be alone even within the confines of the Star Trek community. Several Star Trek alumni are authors as well as actors. Sir Patrick Stewart‘s memoirs, Making It So, are coming out from the publisher this fall. George Takei wrote the award-winning graphic novel,They Called Us Enemy. Walter Koenig (Chekov) and Armin Shimerman (Quark) are probably the most prolific authors of the batch, while William Shatner (Kirk) co-wrote the TekWar novels with the late Ron Goulart.
Now it’s Nana Visitor’s turn. She is currently researching and outlining a book to be called Open a Channel. Instead of writing a memoir of her time on the Star Trek set, as Sir Patrick, Walter Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols did, she is writing a book about the way Star Trek affected real people in the real world. She posted a Tweet May 17 asking for help.
We’ve all heard the story of how the first time Whoopi Goldberg saw Star Trek, she ran excitedly to her mother to tell her, “There’s a Black Lady on television and she ain’t no maid!” Julia, the popular show about the nurse, did not come on TV until 1968, two years after Star Trek started.
In the legal drama All Rise, Judge Lola Carmichael kept a framed picture of Nichelle Nichols as Uhura in her chambers.
Nana Visitor is looking for people, especially but not limited to female people, who were inspired by Star Trek. Did Christine Chapel and Leonard McCoy inspire you to go into medicine. Did Nichelle Nichols and James Doohan inspire you to investigate a STEM career? We think Nana Visitor should contact Dr. Mae Jemison, a real life astronaut and Next Gen guest star, who admitted she was inspired by Uhura.
If Star Trek inspired your real life as much as it did your imagination, send Nana Visitor an e-mail at nanastrekbook@gmail.com. Your story might inspire someone else.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
