My Day With Nichelle Nichols, or I got to meet Uhura!!

Special thank you to Tom M. and to Kyle. Without both of you, the day would not have been possible.

Since moving to Maine life has taken a different track. I am still working on my book which I really hope to now finish by the spring. I got to go to the Stephen King house in Bangor but other than that I have not done much other than work and raise the kids. The programs available to special needs children up here are more widely available than in Rhode Island and the kids have made incredible progress.

When the 2019 RI Comic Con was announced I was excited as always but I knew going would be hard, if not impossible. I followed the Facebook page and knew who the guests would be. I really didn't think about the convention other than that until the fall when my friend and former co-worker Tom M. called me and told me that he was working on Nichelle Nichol's Facebook page at the request of her son Kyle. The page, http://uhura.com/,  is still under construction but it is having more content added every day. I told Tom that is fantastic news. Tom has experience doing PR for the original cast as he was one of the people behind Walter Keoning's Walk of Fame star, he helped run a convention, and he worked on both Star Trek Of Gods and Men and was a co-producer of Star Trek Renegades. As always I was jealous and proud of Tom because I have been a fan of Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek since I was four years old. There were not many women on TV who looked like me. There were certainly not many women in older movies who were not in servitude or were stereotypes. Nichelle Nichols is a talented singer, dancer, and actress. I know a lot of people are not Star Trek fans but Nichelle Nichols is so much more than a woman who was on a tv show about aliens, especially to the African-American community. She sang with Duke Ellington at the beginning of her career, long before informing Captain Kirk hailing frequencies were open. Because of how she was treated by the studio while on Star Trek she wanted to quit. An extremely influential person told her not to and why and if you do not know about what happened, I encourage you to read about when Nichelle met Martin Luther King, Jr. As an adult knowing she faced the same pressures I have faced (even at my current job) but she stuck with it makes an even bigger impact. She has positively affected so many people in ways that cannot be described.

A great read. I might own a *few* Star Trek books.

Tom called me a few weeks before Comic-Con to tell me that he would be helping to set up Nichelle Nichol's booth and in effect be part of her entourage. Tom said he knew a life long dream of mine is to meet Nichelle and that if I could get tickets that he would ask Kyle if I could have a minute of her time to just tell her that I admire and respect her and all that she has done and possibly get a picture with her. Of course, he added, there was no guarantee that could happen because there would be a lot of variables to consider. I just stood in my apartment holding my phone next to my face with a look of total shock.  I could not actually reply. I stammered some incoherent semi-words and then asked if he was serious. He laughed and said of course he was. He said I would never have this chance again and we are friends and he knew how much it would mean to me.  As soon as I was capable of coherent thought I bought my tickets.

I've got a golden ticket!

I spent the next few weeks telling everyone with a set of ears that I was going to Rhode Island Comic Con and if all worked out as planned I'd be meeting a living legend. Since I no longer live in RI, I needed a place to stay. I called my mom and step-father and asked if I could spend the weekend of Comic-Con in their RV. They saw no problems with that. My mom and I chatted about how George Takei and Nichelle Nichols are both instrumental figures of civil rights and all they have symbolized as well as accomplished. Of course, life had completely other plans for me. Comic-Con would be November 1-3. On the morning of October 24, I woke up to red, itchy hands covered in a rash that burned. I work as a patient service representative in a Dr.'s office and I asked one of my coworkers who has seen a lot in her 10 plus years in medicine. She said it would probably be fine but if the blisters got worse the next day maybe I should go get it checked out. I agreed. Then she asked me if I did any yard work lately. I laughed and said I am an indoor girl. She told me several of our patients had encounters with browntail moth caterpillars and the rash can be quite bad. I asked one of the RNs in the practice but she also said to just watch it and if it got worse the next day to see my regular Dr. I started working when another coworker said her son and husband had hand, foot, and mouth and it burned and left a red rash. I jumped out of my chair and asked our Nurse Practioner if she could identify HFM by sight. She looked and my hands and asked if I had a sore throat and fever. I replied I did indeed have a sore throat when I woke up but I just thought it was fall in New England so that was why.  She asked one of the Drs in the practice his opinion and he agreed in full with her. I was then told I was contagious and could not work until this viral infection cleared up. After meeting with my regular Dr. I found out this viral infection can last 7 to 10 days in an adult. This was not what I wanted to hear at all! Comic-Con was 10 days away! I spent the next 8 days avoiding civilization and watching the rash spread. During this time I took pictures of the rash and emailed them to Tom. I told him there was no way I could go to Comic-Con until this plague cleared up. He told me just to play it by ear and not to worry. He said if I really could not go he would ask  Kyle if Nichelle could Facetime me. I had to go to Employee Health in order to be cleared to return to work. I was declared to be no longer patient zero and sent back to work. This was the news I wanted to hear. I was no longer contagious and would be able to go in public again.

Watching ST: TNG in Batman sweats with a friend.

As I was emailing Tom to tell him I would be there, my step-father called me. His niece, my cousin, who has been sick for years had an unexpected setback with her health and was in the ICU. He said it looked better than it had at first but ultimately no one was sure of her condition. Comic-con was in 3 days. Due to what had happened, I decided it would not be fair to my family to add stress to them by coming to stay with them. They would be in and out all day going to the hospital, plus they would have my two autistic kiddos running around. It just would not be fair to them.  I called Tom and told him it was going to be a washout that weekend for me. My tickets were given away to a friend in RI. I was so upset but it was for the greater good, and Spock would have agreed that the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few or the one.

Friday, November 1, the first day of Comic-Con my phone rang. I was getting a Facetime call from Tom. I answered and he said he had a surprise for me. His phone turned around and it was HER! It was Nichelle Nichols! She waved and said hi to me and I burst into tears. Tom told her I was a friend of his who could not go but wanted to be there. I just cried and cried. Tom sent me pictures of Catherine Tate, Alex Kingston, George Takei, and so many other celebrities who were in the green room.

On Saturday I sent Tom a text asking him to sneak me in and he said if I could get down on Sunday he would. He told me I would have to work once I got there. I told him that would not be a problem. I honestly thought this was some cruel joke, that I would drive 4 hours and then be stopped by security and be told to leave.

Sunday, the big day was here.  Being a Whovian as well as a Trekkie, and a cosplayer, I dressed like Martha Jones and headed on down to RI.

At the Omni Hotel sky bridge not convinced I wasn't dreaming.

Feeling more nervous than I ever have, I walked to the Omni Hotel and promptly pulled on the wrong doors. Shaking, I texted Tom that  I was coming into the hotel.  I had no badge and thought I would be stopped by security immediately. Tom told me to wait on the sky bridge connecting to the Convention Center. It has been 3 years since I lived in Rhode Island and the last time I was in the Convention Center I was 13 or 14  so I lied and told him I definitely knew where that was. The last time I was in the Omni Hotel was never so I just walked around with my head up looking not lost and anxious.  Tom texted again for me to just wait and he would be a few minutes. I stood awkwardly trying to not look like a lost puppy.  This was it, it was a lie, why would I think I would actually get a guest pass to work at Comic-Con for a few hours and other extremely negative thoughts went through my head.  I heard a voice call out "Oh there you are" and there was Tom with a guest pass in his hands. He said we had to go because "she" was on her way down from her hotel room and we would have to meet her at the elevators. We walked over to the elevators and it was like being in a surreal dreamland. Cosplayers and celebrities were milling around. As were standing making small talk, George Takei came around the corner with his husband, Brad. I looked at Tom and said, "Holy cow, that's The George Takei!"  Tom said, "Well yeah." I felt like I was going to pass out. The man who as a young man lived in an internment camp, the man who played Sulu, the man who is currently killing it on Twitter was going to walk past me. I flashed up a Vulcan salute and he returned the gesture. Then him and Brad were whooshed away by an elevator. A handful of other celebrities trickled past us.  All of a sudden everything started going slow motion.  It felt like the area got quieter. The elevator doors opened and there she was. Nichelle Nichols was in her wheelchair with her son behind her. My jaw dropped and I forgot how to talk and think. She's absolutely beautiful and elegant. Tom said "Nichelle this is my friend, Alana. She's going to help us today.......oh and she's shy." I stuck my hand out and she smiled and said, "It's ok. I'm shy, too." Her voice was very soft but very strong. Then we were off. Tom led the way directing people out of our path and we were flying down hallways flanked by security.  We whipped around a corner and to add to the surrealism, I almost collided with Duffman. I said "Duffman loves to party!" and he yelled back "Duffman!"

We walked into the ballroom and I had to pause. I was face to face with Scott Ian. Since we were still walking quite fast, I was almost past the cast of Family Matters before I realized they were there.

Tom lead us past all the tables and to a door in the back of the room. He said Kyle would have to set up so this was a good place to wait. I stood in stunned silence when the doors popped open. Cat, who was a Comic-Con employee introduced herself as a tall man with a blue shirt was walking by. He looked familiar but I didn't think he was that tall. 

Dr. Alexi! And I am so not cool.

Alec Utgoff was extremely nice and took a picture with me and I was trying hard to not have a panic attack. 

Nichelle made small talk with Tom and I still had no idea why I was there or how this happened. After Kyle got the table set up, Tom told me to wait with Nichelle and he went and spoke with Kyle. After they spoke Kyle looked at me, seeing me for the first time and waved and smiled. This was it, I was part of today's crew. I spent the next few hours taking pictures of fans with Nichelle using their phones and cameras. Nichelle genuinely loves her fans and it was extremely evident on her face. She joked around and smiled and talked to everyone who came up to her.

The next extremely surreal moment was when Super Dog walked by. The blue tape was supposed to be guides for fans to form a line with. It was a good attempt but it was not followed.

 I was diagonal from John Barrowman and he was just as animated all day as I imagined.

The highlight of my morning came when Tom asked if I wanted to walk around. I definitely did. Catherine Tate's table was close and I wanted to see if I could say hi to her and tell her how much I like her comedy and admire her work with The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust. As I approached her table security asked if I was in line for Alex Kingston or Catherine Tate. I replied Catherine Tate and he pointed to a woman with long red hair writing in front of the table with her back to me. I said "Hi" and she said "Oh hello sweetheart. Are you Martha Jones today?". I got extremely lightheaded and asked "Oh wow! How did you know? You're the first person today who got that!" She said, "I could tell by your maroon coat and your tank top." I got super flustered and started tearing up. I have been a Doctor Who fan way back when PBS aired reruns in the 80s.  I have watched the show since it was brought back in 2005. And now on this day that is certainly a dream and not real, Donna Noble is recognizing me as Martha Jones. I had to walk away because it was too much at that moment. I was blown away by how nice she was and how soft-spoken she was. Tom brought me back later to get a picture with her because I was far too embarrassed to ask her myself.

Catherine Tate

At lunchtime, we headed through hallways that brought us away from the crowds to the cafeteria. There was no conversation. Nichelle was chilly so we were walking quite quickly. Once we got to the cafeteria, I was not sure if I was allowed in. Tom said it was fine, and as soon as I walked in, I saw Benedict Wong eating his lunch. Being a lover of things obscure, I rewatch The IT Crowd a couple of times a year. I was within arm's length of Prime. Oh yeah, and I think he was in some movie with Sherlock. As I tried just being out of the way, Mankind walked by to leave the room. As Nichelle was sitting down, I overheard a conversation at the next table. Ethan Peck and Joonas Suotamo were sitting next to each other talking. Joonas was doing something on his phone, and when I glanced over it he was playing a piano app. Joonas Suotamo is 20 feet tall just in case if you were wondering. I am 5 foot flat and when he stood, I got dizzy looking up at him. I turned around and in walked Sean Pertwee and David Mazouz. David Mazouz had an adorable dog in his arms. My head started spinning. Tom walked by a dark-haired man who was sitting down and said hi to him. The dark-haired man looked up at me and in a very familiar baritone said: "Hi, I'm Patrick." My voice worked faster than my brain and I said: "I know you, Patrick, from Dave's World." He laughed and said that it was a long time ago. We had a brief conversation and I turned around to get out of everyone's way and I was face to face with Darius McCrary. He pointed to Nichelle and told me he is her biggest fan. It took a few minutes to realize he was talking to me, and he initiated the conversation. He told me that if it wasn't for her he would never be where he is today, and she paved the way for him. I really wanted to tell him I am a patient service representative at a Dr's office in the country and I feel she paved the way for me and I also wanted to tell him as far as fans go I won the fan lottery today. We had a brief conversation and I noticed his shirt. It was a vintage-looking Karate Kid tee shirt and it was easily the coolest shirt worn by any guest at Comic-Con. I said, "I love your shirt." He got a big goofy grin and said,  "I was feelin' it today!" As I turned to let him eat, a tall muscular man wearing a grey shirt strode into the room. Henry Simmons sat down and took out his phone. I turned around again and a person in a giant inflatable Pikachu costume was coming through the door. I told Tom this was too much, I had to get some air and he said to not leave as we had to bring Nichelle down for a photo op. As we left the cafeteria, I almost accidentally bumped into a young woman wearing a white shirt. I apologized to Gabby Pizzolo and then was face to face with Gaten Matarazzo. He has  Cleidocranial dysplasia and raises awareness about it. Of course, I admire that. I tried to tell him that I appreciate what he does for his fans but I got tongue-tied and awkward. The mom in me kicked in because when watching Stranger Things, I can't get over how much my little autism warrior looks like him and in person, it was so much more so. As we were leaving, a cake topped with a Big Bird was pushed in the door. I have read accounts of what it was like to work at MGM in the 30s and 40s when it was time to eat in the commissary. At one table, there was Judy Garland dressed as Dorothy, and at the next table, you could see Southern Belles from Gone With The Wind and how dreamlike it was. I have also read what it's like to work at Disneyland and enter the cafeteria to see Snow White eating with janitors. I often wondered if that would be a heady experience, and yes, it is incredibly dreamlike to be eating a cold turkey club sandwich while drinking Poland Springs water and hear Ethan Peck say "Oh, I play the new Spock in a show." 

As we walked down a maze of hallways to get to the photo op area I felt like I was watching a behind the scenes documentary of how a fan found herself tagging along with her childhood idol at Comic-Con. Backstage at the photo op, it was a maze of black curtains. Agents and handlers were moving their clients around and I was walking past people I have only seen on tv shows and in movies. I almost walked into Shawn Harrison and in front of Nichelle, I saw Kellie Shanygne Williams. Somehow my pocketbook was on Nichelle's wheelchair and she picked it up and said: "This is a nice bag." Tom said it was mine and she said again it was a really nice bag. The bag in question can be seen in the top picture. It was a $20 Walmart bag purchased only because it was a crossbody and would easily hold anything I put in it. I was blown away that this classy lady said my Walmart bag was nice.

In the photo op area, Tom told me where to stand so as not to be in people's pictures.  A pretty blonde woman standing next to me said hi and asked me who I was with. I pointed to Tom and said I am the assistant to the assistant of Nichelle. I then laughed and said I was kinda the Dwight Schrute of the group. The woman laughed and said she liked that. Tom whispered, "That's George's agent." I somehow found myself getting a picture with Nichelle and the fans started pouring in. They filed out as quickly as they came in, appearing through one curtain and disappearing through another.  After the last fan left, Brad Takei walked in followed by George Takei.  I found myself between Sulu and Uhura and George looked at me and said: "We are going to preserve this moment forever." I swear my knees buckled. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek, I could not believe any of this was real. I live in the middle of the woods in Maine. I am from the middle of nowhere Rhode Island. I am a special needs mom who struggles daily to just not through my hands up and walk away. And here I was in the middle of a day with these amazing people.

I told Tom I really needed to clear my head and I got to walk around the floor a bit and geek out a bit. The lights were bright and it still felt surreal.  I saw someone waving at me and I waved back before I realized it was Devon Hughes. I headed over to the Civic Center looking for the Alex & Ani display when Tom texted me that I head to back NOW.

I started my walk back and I saw the 501st. I knew I had to hurry but I had to check them out. I was happy I did.

I had one more fast stop to make. I promised my daughter I would meet Big Bird. Unfortunately, Carol Spinney was away from his table. But I got some pictures of her friends.

After I got back to the table, I got to see more delighted fans, and an equally delighted Nichelle take pictures and make memories. I saw little girls with giant smiles who were excited to recognize Uhura and saw Nichelle smile back at them with even bigger smiles. I saw a completely red-faced, breathless mother run-up to the table and say she could not believe it was Nichelle, that was really, really her. She had a young boy with her and she said that she really wanted her son to meet her because of how important she is. I almost cried with her. I wanted to tell that woman that I felt the same way all day. When I took her pictures with Nichelle, I took a few extra because I understood how she felt. 

As the day wound down I realized Bonnie Wright was at the table next to us. I have never seen the Harry Potter movies but my mom loves them. I got a picture for her. Thank you, Bonnie, she loved it. My mom wants you to know that was very nice of you to do.

I took a few minutes to sneak away to say hello to Alex Kingston. My mother is a fan of hers, not that she knows of River song, but my nurse mom really enjoyed ER, or has she calls it Emergency. Thank you Alex, my mom really appreciates the picture.

Shortly before it was time to start packing up, my husband's friend John and his wife got in line.  They were the lucky recipients of my original tickets.  John wanted to talk to Nichelle but he felt nervous. When the line was empty I turned and looked at Kyle and said John was my friend and he had a  question for Nichelle.

I am so very happy that he got to speak to her. She was extremely kind to him.

The day was winding down when Tom said "Hey check out BB-8. That's cute."

As Kyle was deciding to call it a day, we had one more person come up to the table. It was one more moment that was a huge payoff for a fangirl.

That is me taking a picture of Tom taking a promotional picture for Nichelle's website. Again, I don't know what I did to be here, but I was beyond happy that this happened. If you had told me at any point prior to this day that literally any of this was going to happen I would have laughed and thought you were crazy.

After this picture was taken, Kyle started packing up the table. I turned to Nichelle and said "Thank you for letting me work with you today. I enjoyed you in Star Trek and I have been a fan of yours my whole life. Thank you for not  quitting the show and being an inspiration for little girls who look like me."
She gave me a big smile and said, "No, thank you." And she shook my hand.
Kyle and Tom got everything packed and all the signs taken down. The spell was breaking just a little as the room became just a room and not a dream factory.

Tom asked me to wait in the hallway with Nichelle which I did. As we hurried through the secret hallways one last time I tried to commit every detail to memory. As we walked past the janitorial staff and security there were lots of excited whispers, "That's her!", "Is that really her?" "Hey, it's her!". Nichelle, this is what you mean to us. From the cast of Family Matters, to a fangirl in Maine, to janitors and security guards, we all love you. We walked through one last security check on our way over the sky bridge to the hotel. The security guard had a big happy smile and asked if he could have a moment of Nichelle's time. He told her how happy he was to meet her and to thank her for all she's done for us.  We ended up back at the elevators and I waved goodbye to Nichelle and Kyle. The security guard with us waved me into the elevator but I said: "Oh, I don't think I go up there." Tom looked at me and said, "Come on! Get in." I got in and thanked Kyle for the opportunity and smiled and said thank you.  We got up to the hotel rooms and an exhausted Nichelle took a big sigh of relief.  Kyle and Tom had some small talk with Nichelle and I stood being quietly thankful while thinking "I AM IN NICHELLE NICHOL'S HOTEL ROOM."   As Tom and I turned to leave I held my hand out to Kyle and said, "Seriously thank you very much for the chance to work with your mom today." He smiled and said, "We are all friends here."  Then took a deep breath and said way more confidently than I felt "Thank you, Nichelle. It was nice to meet you." She smiled at me and said, "No thank you." Then she pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

The view from the floor Nichelle's room was on.

It was an amazing day and I will never forget it. Nichelle, Kyle, Tom: You all are the best and thank you all for the best day a nerdy girl could have.