'Star Trek' 's Nichelle Nichols Suffers Minor Stroke

The actress who played Lt. Nyota Uhura is recovering well, according to a statement on her Facebook page

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Nichelle Nichols, the trailblazing actress who played Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original Star Trek series, suffered a mild stroke on Wednesday.

“Last night while at her home in L.A., Nichelle Nichols suffered from a mild stroke,” said Zach McGinnis of Galactic Productions in statement on Nichols’ Facebook page on Thursday.

“Nichelle Nichols has had both a CAT scan and an MRI today,” he added. “The CAT scan came back negative and we are awaiting the results from the MRI.”

As Nichols awaits her results, McGinnis notes that, “Currently she is awake, eating, in good spirits and able to have full conversations. Her right side has shown minor signs or mobility loss but she is not showing any signs of paralyses.”

He adds, “We greatly appreciate all of the love and support her fans are showing at this time.”

Nichols, 82, was one of the first African-American women to play a major role on prime-time television when Star Trek first aired in 1966. The actress is popularly cited as having the first interracial kiss on American television, when her character famously locked lips with William Shatner as Captain Kirk.

Martin Luther King Jr. once called Nichols’ role, “the first non-stereotypical role portrayed by a black woman in television history.”

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Actor George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu alongside the actress on the series, posted his well-wishes to Twitter Thursday, saying, “We don’t have any diagnosis on her condition but our thoughts are with her.”