Lieutenant Uhura – Nichelle Nichols
Nichols’ Star Trek character was one of the first African American female characters on American TV who wasn’t portrayed as a servant. This was groundbreaking in American society at the time. When she considered leaving the show, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. personally asked her to remain. After the show, she joined a special project with NASA to help recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency (that’s freaking awesome). She has also released two music albums.
Lt. Tasha Yar – Denise Crosby
Denise Crosby is perhaps best known for her role as Security Chief Tasha Yar in season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as playing Yar’s own daughter, the half-Romulan Commander Sela, in subsequent seasons. After the show, she starred in numerous film and television roles and also starred in and produced the film Trekkies.