While mourning the death of Nichols — who died of natural causes at age 89 on Sunday — Takei shared a heartfelt tribute on 페이스북 in honor of the actress, reminiscing about the time he and husband Brad Altman asked Nichols to stand in their 2008 혼례.
“When my husband Brad and I got married, we asked Walter Koenig, who played ensign Chekov on the show, to be our best man at the wedding,” 그는 회상했다. “We asked Nichelle to be our matron of honor.”
“In her characteristic fashion, Nichelle declared, ‘I am not a matron! If Walter can be best man, why can’t I be best lady?’ ” 그는 계속했다. “Noting that Walter’s ‘best man’ title implied the awkward title of ‘best woman,’ she was determined to be known as the ‘best lady’ to the guests.”
“나는 그녀에게 말했다, ‘Of course you are.’ I’m sharing a picture here of Nichelle, with us, as ‘best lady’ on our happy day,” Takei added alongside a collection of photos of Nichols.
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Takei also wrote that he was moved by all “the tributes and messages honoring the life and work of Nichelle Nichols, our very own Lieutenant and later Commander Uhura on 스타트렉,” and shared another sweet memory of his longtime friend.
“When my father passed away, Nichelle came to the funeral and she saw many Japanese Americans with envelopes. They were handing them over to a receptionist in the lobby,” Takei wrote. “She was always a curious soul, so she asked me, ‘George, what are they bringing to the funeral?’ I said it was friends and relatives making financial contributions to support the funeral costs.”
“Nichelle had never heard of the Japanese tradition called koden,” 그는 계속했다. “A few days later, an envelope arrived in the mail from her. Inside was a check for $500, a very generous koden.”
추가적으로, Takei said when he pursued a career in politics in the 1970s after their 스타트렉 series ended in 1969, Nichols always “donated her talent” during his fundraising dinners and political campaigning, noting that she made “every event feel special and glamorous.”
니콜스 니콜스, 장벽을 허무는 스타트렉 여배우, 에 죽은 89
“물론, Nichelle made a point of being at every important milestone of mine that she could, including the opening of Allegiance just a few years ago on Broadway and later in Los Ángeles,” 그는 공유. “As a trained stage actress, Nichelle knew how special such occasions were to us.”
Concluding his sweet note, Takei said, “While fans will miss and honor the famous actress who opened so many paths with her presence on the screen, I will also miss the dear friend who always let you know she was there to support you, to love you, and to go through this strange and wonderful life alongside you. 니콜스 니콜스, you were one in a million in so many, many ways.”