Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding) is arguably one of the most recognisable and iconic characters in all of Star Trek. So, bringing her back to the small screen was no easy task! Uhura is beloved by both fans and fellow crew members, with her headstrong attitude, determination, and affinity for music. Not to mention the cultural and historical impact the character made at her debut in 1966, played by the late Nichelle Nichols.
How has Nyota’s journey shaped the person she’s become? And what can we expect from her in season three of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds? In the lead-up to season three, we have been boldly exploring the stars of Strange New Worlds. So, let’s take a deeper look at the Enterprise’s favourite communications officer.
The Prodigal Musician
Cadet Nyota Uhura was welcomed to our screens in episode one, ‘Strange New Worlds’. She is named a “prodigy” by our dear Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and quickly finds herself joining away missions with her superiors. But it’s her affinity for music that helps to save the day in episode two, ‘Children of the Comet’. Uhura and Spock (Ethan Peck) harmonise a tune to solve a puzzle when investigating an ancient relic.
This not only reinforces her linguistic ability, but also showcases her sharp ear and tongue. It also directly references her musical abilities already established by Star Trek: The Original Series, where Uhura improvises a song to the crew’s delight.
This musical ability leads to one of Strange New World’s most iconic episodes, with the penultimate episode of season two ‘Subspace Rhapsody’. Pelia (Carol Kane) suggests sending music through a subspace fold, resulting in outbursts of singing across the ship. After a bout of musical solos isolates the crew, it’s Uhura who realizes the solution. The crew working together in perfect harmony (get it?) will destroy the improbability field caused by the initial broadcast of music. It also gave us several songs that stayed in our heads for weeks!
An Ode to Hemmer
Nyota Uhura’s communication skills are handy not only at work but also when it comes to getting to know her fellow crewmates! Her assignment to communications means that she’s frequently on the bridge with her superiors. This leads to her quickly joining in the festivities with Pike and the bridge crew at his cooking evenings!
However, one relationship that develops quickly is between Uhura and Hemmer (Bruce Horak). The chief engineer fills a gap in Nyota’s life left by her late father. When the Enterprise is attacked by the Gorn in season one’s ‘Memento Mori’, the pair are barricaded in the main cargo bay. Hemmer is left with no other option than to talk Uhura through the repairs. To keep Hemmer conscious, the two start talking and truly getting to know each other. Hemmer’s barriers, which are usually pretty high, are lowered with Uhura.
In ‘All Those Who Wander’, Hemmer valiantly sacrifices his life to protect the rest of the landing party on Valeo Beta V. As Hemmer tells his crewmates, “Do not weep for me”, Uhura is left devastated, having lost another father figure.
Hemmer’s Legacy
The relationship the pair developed sticks with Nyota Uhura long after Hemmer’s death. In season two’s ‘Lost in Translation’ Uhura can be seen using Hemmer’s old logs to teach herself how to correctly recalibrate the communication array. Later, a zombie-fied Hemmer haunts the communications officer, reinforcing the fact that she’s struggling to move on. M’Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) dismisses this as a hallucination, telling Uhura that “his death was fresh on your mind”.
Towards the end of the episode, after Uhura saves the day by destroying the refinery, Pike asks “Did that work?”. Uhura sees a smiling and nodding Hemmer, giving her the reassurance she needs. She’s keeping Hemmer’s memory alive through her actions, a fitting way to remember him.
All Work, Some Play
Nyota Uhura’s bubbly and friendly demeanor is never more obvious than when we’re faced with Queen Neve. This is the villainous queen in Rukiya’s (Sage Arrindell) storybook from season one’s ‘The Elysian Kingdom’. With the crew transformed into characters from the book, Uhura takes on the image of Neve. The queen is a ruthless leader who invaded the land of Princess Thalia (aka La’an (Christina Chong)). She holds members of the crew captive to find the Mercury Stone. Neve’s white dress, adorned with sharp nails, spiky shoulders, and an ice-like crown, is unlike anything we’d expect from our friendly and warm Uhura.
Uhura is a welcoming, unselfish friend whose “carefree” and “fearless” nature is praised by Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) in the season two episode ‘Those Old Scientists’.
By the end of season two, in episode ten’s ‘Hegemony’, Uhura is still heading the communication station on the bridge. She is the one to realize that the Gorn are blocking communications and transport with the away team. Uhura suggests to her superiors a solution that would help to save the day. She teams up with Pelia to find a way to crash debris into the forcefield, allowing them to beam the crew to safety. One of these crew members is none other than Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (Martin Quinn). With Scotty adding to the growing list of characters from The Original Series, can we expect a reunion (or in this case, a first meeting) of Uhura and Scotty in season three?
Conclusion
Celia Rose Gooding has brought Nyota Uhura to life through the first two seasons of Strange New Worlds. More than that, she’s helped add to and refine her character and backstory through some interesting and (at times) heart-wrenching stories. All while respecting and paying tribute to the wonderful Nichelle Nichols.
But what is in store for our beloved communications officer in season three? We don’t have long to wait, as the new season is airing soon on Paramount+.
Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres on July 17th (2025) on Paramount+ in the US, UK, Canada, Latin America, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan. It will also stream on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Central and Eastern Europe.
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