• Whoopi Goldberg recently paid tribute to Nichelle Nichols
• Nichelle was Whoopi’s legendary friend and a founding member of Star Trek
• Nichelle Nichols passed away on July 31 at the age of 89.

Variety reports that Goldberg discussed Nichols’ ground-breaking work in the science fiction genre on The View and how she served as “motivation for millions of others” to pursue acting.

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“Nichelle was a trailblazer, a heroine, and an extraordinary woman; somebody who inspired millions and millions of people, but who inspired me,” said Sister Act star.

Goldberg continued, “Nichelle was the first Black person I’d ever seen who made it to the future.”

The Associate actress mentioned that Nichols was “the only beacon that said, ‘Yes, we will be there’”.

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“And it just made me feel like that was an amazing thing. She helped propel other women to go into space,” shared the 66-year-old.

“I was lucky enough to spend time with her over the years. She was my friend and she’ll be missed.”, Goldberg continued.

For those who are unaware, Nichols was the first Black woman to portray Nyota Uhura in a significant capacity in the 1960s Star Trek series.