Nichelle Nichols ‘Resting Comfortably’ After Stroke, Says Former ‘Star Trek’ Co-Star

Nichelle Nichols is “resting comfortably” following her stroke, according to a former Star Trek co-star in comments to Variety.

Since news first broke of the stroke and sent fans — still raw from the loss of Leonard Nimoy — into a panic, it has come out that the repercussions will be somewhat mild.

George Takei confirmed this on the Tony Awards’ red carpet Sunday when approached by the entertainment magazine.

“We’ve sadly had a lot of losses,” he added, noting both Nimoy and show producer Maurice Hurley. Nevertheless, Nichelle Nichols has an “optimistic” outlook, Takei said, adding that before the stroke occurred, “she had been slowing down.”

This is a bit more information than what was received from her rep, reported in a previous Inquisitr story.

Zach McGinnis wrote on her Facebook page last week that Nichols “is currently undergoing testing to determine how severe the stroke was.” He asked fans to “keep her in your thoughts.”

A later post echoed what Takei revealed at the Tony Awards.

“The MRI showed that Nichelle Nichols had a MINOR stroke. She will start therapy this morning to evaluate how much damage was done, and try to determine her chances for a full or partial recovery. The therapists will test her hand at writing and legs to see if she can stand and walk on her own. Last night Nichelle remained alert, and cheerful.”

“When we told her about the love and support coming in from around the world she smiled and asked to see the posts on her facebook.”

“Thank you again for all of your kind words. Keep them coming because Nichelle is reading them.”

“Feel free to post your pictures with Nichelle and a story about when you met her.”

On Sunday morning, Nichelle herself took to Facebook to confirm that the results were not as severe as initially feared. She also thanked Takei for a photo he shared in her honor.

The photo had text quoting Whoopi Goldberg.

“Well, when I was nine years old Star Trek came on. I looked at it and I went screaming through the house, ‘Come here, mum, everybody, come quick, come quick, there’s a black lady on television and she ain’t no maid!’ I knew right then and there I could be anything I wanted to be.”

For that tribute, Nichelle had this to say.

“Thank you, George Takei. I’m going to get to go home soon.”

Nichelle Nichols has always embraced fans in her post-Star Trek life. While some actors might thumb their nose at it a bit, she fully understood the importance of her character and of the show.

In fact, she is still taking bookings, though the stroke will likely have her taking some time off. Her Facebook page provides the full details for how you might be able to get her for a future event.

Do you have any specific memories of Nichelle Nichols? Share in our comments section!

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]