Two tokens in one. Token black, and token woman on the regular cast. The producers sure saved some money with this one.

Say what? The Shat had the first interracial kiss in all of network TV with her. She made HISTORY, kids.

If a token, a very nice one. At the time it was groundbreaking. She wasn't a servant or a menial but in a leadership position.

It is my understanding that Gene Roddenberry intentionally cast a black actress for the role of Lt. Nyota Uhura, so in a way, she is a token. On the other hand, the casting was not to adhere to some form of political correctness, but rather to further Roddenberry's vision of the future.

She wasn't a token minority, but a very important member of the cast. She was also the first non-stereotypical black person to ever appear on television. Apparently, Martin Luther King Jr. was a big fan of Star Trek, and wrote to Nichelle Nichols to convice her not to quit the series as it was important for white Americans to see her as well as black Americans. Her inclusion in the cast was also kind of a big F--- You to the network from Gene Roddenberry, who correctly predicted they'd be horrified.

Always been my sole reason to watch the show!

I suppose she was indeed a token minority but she was really classy and cool. I think she would have been an asset to the show if her role had been expanded.